Obituary of Rev. Dr. Anthony T. Padovano

Rev. Dr. Anthony T. Padovano (1934-2024) passed from this life in his 89th year. A beloved husband, father, grandfather, scholar and friend to all, he will be remembered for his devotion to family, his unceasing positivity and great intellect.

In a remarkably diverse career, there were many aspects which served to identify his life. Chief of these were ordination to priesthood and subsequent marriage.

The most meaningful aspect of his life, was his 49 years of marriage with Theresa (Lackamp) Padovano who was the great love of his life. They gave four children to the world, followed by five grandchildren.

Before marriage, he was profoundly impacted by his fifteen years as an Archdiocese of Newark priest and professor of Systematic Theology at Darlington Seminary in Mahwah, New Jersey. As he moved toward marriage, he regularized his status with the Vatican. He sought to maintain his priestly work in every way possible.

He became a Distinguished Professor at Ramapo College of New Jersey where he was part of the founding faculty. He taught for 45 years and was named Emeritus Professor in 2016. Two buildings at the College bear his name: the Padovano Peace Pavilion and the Padovano Commons. Dr. Padovano was adjunct professor at 25 American universities.

Anthony was a prolific writer and would go on to publish 29 books, including three award- winning plays. He authored 150 articles in nine languages and lectured in the Americas, Africa, Asia, Europe, and Australia. The essence of much of his work was building bridges between a prior and post Vatican II understanding of Church. He worked for years as President and then Ambassador of CORPUS, a Catholic group dedicated to the reform of ministry and priesthood.

He served as a Catholic pastor for thirty years in the United Church of Christ, in Catholic Church ministries and in an Inclusive Community, where Catholics and Protestants worship Christ together.

His important contribution to the fields of theology, religion and church reform lead to the collection of the Padovano Papers in the archives of Notre Dame University and a life-time achievement record read into the 104th Congress of the United States.

Motivated by a love of learning, Anthony traveled to all the continents throughout his lifetime.

Dr. Padovano was predeceased by his father, Thomas, his mother, Mary, and his only sibling, Rose Marie. He leaves behind his wife Theresa Padovano, his four children Mark, Andrew, Paul and Rosemarie as well as his five grandchildren Mia, Luke, Lilyana, Diana and Anthony.

A memorial service will be held in his honor at 10:30am on July 20th 2024 at The Holy Family Chapel at Sisters of Charity of Saint Elizabeth. 2 Convent Road Morristown NJ 07960 In lieu of flowers, the family kindly requests that donations in Anthony’s name be made to The Sisters of Charity P.O. Box 476, Convent Station, NJ 07961.

Arrangements were entrusted to Dangler Funeral Home, Morris Plains, NJ.