Monsignor Ferdinando Berardi: He brought God to his people, his people to God. The pastor dies in his sleep at 71.

03/19/2006 - Monsignor Ferdinando Berardi
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By all accounts, Monday was a great day for Monsignor Ferdinando D. Berardi, pastor of Blessed Sacrament R.C. Church in West Brighton.

He celebrated Mass with 90 first- and second-graders from the parish school, “smiling ear to ear” when he successfully led them in the response, “And with your spirit,” recalled Joseph Cocozello, school principal.

That evening, the monsignor hosted a clergy meeting followed by dinner for more than two dozen Island priests and deacons in the parish center meeting room, and later FaceTimed with his sister.

When he failed to arrive the next morning to lead the Rosary before the 9 a.m. Mass, the grim discovery was made that he had passed away in his sleep, leaving his parish and the Catholic community reeling. He was 71.

A native of Italy who grew up on Staten Island and recognized his calling to the priesthood at a young age, Monsignor Berardi had served as Blessed Sacrament’s ninth pastor since 2019, when Monsignor Peter Finn, pastor since 2007, retired.

“He was a kind-hearted man, so easy to love,” said Principal Cocozello. “He was a gentle gentleman.”

From the left, Ron Cerrachio, Monsignor Ferdinando Berardi and Mario Esposito Jr. at the Red Mass for Staten Island's legal profession. (Staten Island Advance/Carol Ann Benanti)

YOUNG IMMIGRANT

Born on Sept. 18, 1950 in the small town of Ruvo di Puglia in the province of Bari, Monsignor Berardi immigrated to Staten Island with his parents and seven siblings when he was 8 years old.

“Staten Island was more bucolic then. I thought I was going to live in skyscrapers,” he once shared, remembering his arrival as a wide-eyed youngster.

His calling to religious life was inspired by his parents, both very spiritual, and by Monsignor Charles Vecchini, pastor of Our Lady of Mount Carmel School in Port Richmond, where Monsignor Berardi was a student.

In a shed outside the family home on Jewett Avenue, the future priest would set up a make-believe church with benches and an altar and pretend to say Mass for his siblings and friends, recalled his sister, Vincenza Melluso.

As a teen-ager, he worked at a former pizzeria on Castleton Avenue in New Brighton – Berardi’s, owned by his brother, Ralph.

He graduated from Cathedral Preparatory School in Manhattan, Cathedral College in Douglaston, N.Y., and St. Joseph’s Seminary in Yonkers.

Following his ordination on Nov. 5, 1977, his first assignment was Blessed Sacrament in West Brighton, where he served for three years as assistant pastor under Monsignor John P. Haverty.

Monsignor Berardi welcomes new students to Blessed Sacrament. (Staten Island Advance/ Jan Somma-Hamel)

DIOCESAN APPOINTMENT

After two years of study in Rome where he earned a pontifical degree focusing on the liturgy, Monsignor Berardi was appointed vice chancellor for the Archdiocese of New York in 1982, serving with Terence Cardinal Cooke and directing day-to-day parish operations from the Chancery office in Manhattan. He simultaneously served as secretary of the archdiocesan Ecumenical Commission.

He returned often to Staten Island to celebrate Sunday Mass at Holy Rosary and St. Clare churches in South Beach and Great Kills, respectively, and earned a master’s degree in liturgy from the University of Notre Dame in 1979 after several summers of study.

He helped coordinate Cardinal Cooke’s funeral in 1983 and the installation Mass of John Cardinal O’Connor as archbishop the following year.

“He was a dynamic, enthusiastic promoter of the faith,” Monsignor Berardi once said about Cardinal O’Connor. “He got me to be more excited about the faith. I recognized he’s a pastor more than anything else.”

When Monsignor Berardi’s father was dying in 1992, he appreciated the cardinal’s support and frequent visits to the former St. Vincent’s Hospital in Manhattan.

From 1988 to 1993, he served as dean of the Catechetical Institute at St. Joseph’s Seminary , and from 1993 to 2002, he was director of the Society for the Propagation of the Faith, an international association coordinating assistance for Catholic missionary priests, brothers and nuns.

He was elevated to monsignor in 1995.

The Red Mass: Members of the clergy and altar servers gather before the mass. Center are from the left, Rev. Louis Jerome, Monsignor William Belford and Monsignor Ferdinando Berardi. (Staten Island Advance/Carol Ann Benanti)

His next assignment was pastor of Holy Family R.C. Church in New Rochelle, N.Y., where he served for 12 years. In 2014, he returned to his native country as superior of Casa Santa Maria, a residence in Rome that serves English-speaking priests who are sent by their dioceses for graduate level studies in the city.

Monsignor Berardi’s spiritual career came full circle three years ago when he was named pastor of Blessed Sacrament.

A FRIEND IN ROME

To celebrate the 15th anniversary of his ordination, the monsignor coordinated a 1992 pilgrimage of 50 priests to Italy that began with four days in Assisi and progressed to the Vatican for the final four days. They concelebrated Masses on the main altar of St. Peter’s Basilica and with Pope John Paul II.

They were greeted by the Rev. Edmund Whalen, a native of Westerleigh and former parishioner of Blessed Sacrament Church who had befriended Monsignor Berardi when they were both studying in Rome a decade earlier.

Rev. Whalen went on to serve as secretary to Cardinal O’Connor and principal of Monsignor Farrell High School before his elevation to bishop and vicar of clergy in 2019.

The friendship between the two men continued through the decades. Fittingly, Bishop Whalen saw Monsignor Berardi one final time on Monday evening when he attended the clergy meeting at Blessed Sacrament.

“Monsignor Berardi was what a parish priest is supposed to be,” the bishop reflected. “He loved his people, and was a real father to them. He brought God to them, and them to God.”

Monsignor William Belford, pastor of St. Teresa’s R.C. Church in Castleton Corners, is grateful he saw his friend and colleague at the Monday gathering.

“We had a good and happy meal together,” he said, before offering some guidance for the grieving.

“It’s hard for the family left behind,” when someone dies so suddenly, Monsignor Belford acknowledged. “But for the individual, [death is] something to be welcomed. He was ready for the Lord.”

The Red Mass Processional: Rev. Jerome and Monsignors Berardi and Belford. (Staten Island Advance/Carol Ann Benanti)

CONDOLENCES

In addition to dozens of social media posts from parishioners, condolences about Monsignor Berardi’s untimely death were shared by community leaders.

District Attorney Michael McMahon: “Monsignor Berardi received the difficult task of returning to Blessed Sacrament as pastor to fill the very big shoes of Monsignor Peter Finn. But he was up to the task, and then some, because he brought to his ministry an incredibly deep spirituality and his unmatched knowledge and religious education from his time in Rome. He also brought the traditions of his roots from Bari, Italy, where the ‘Barese’ are known for their hard work, humility as well as love of good food. Add to that the fact that he was a hometown guy, and his love of children and his personal connection to the school and its principal, teachers and students, and you really had a perfect leader for our parish. He will be missed very much!”

Kenneth Mitchell, executive director of the Staten Island Zoo: “As parishioners of Blessed Sacrament Church for over 50 years, the Mitchell family was deeply saddened to hear of Monsignor Berardi’s sudden passing. My sisters and I are proud graduates of Blessed Sacrament School. We continue the tradition of the wonderful education at Blessed Sacrament with my son and several of his cousins currently enrolled. Monsignor Berardi was a steward of the church and school. He was a remarkable spiritual presence, and he will be greatly missed.”

Angelo Aponte, former secretary to the state Senate and longtime parishioner: “Monsignor Berardi was a gentle man, a pastoral priest who cared deeply for his flock. He had a great sense of humor and always asked the right questions on behalf of the congregation. He greeted everyone with a smile.”

The Red Mass: On the altar, from the left, center, are Rev. Louis Jerome, Monsignors William Belford and Ferdinando Berardi and Rev. Michael Martine and priests from Blessed Sacrament R.C. Church. (Staten Island Advance/Carol Ann Benanti)

SURVIVORS AND ARRANGEMENTS

Monsignor Berardi is survived by two sisters, Vincenza Melluso (Orazio) and Rita Lombardo (Giuseppe); a brother, Luciano Berardi (Mary Anne); 28 nieces and nephews and 35 great-nieces and great-nephews.

A viewing for parishioners and friends will be held in Blessed Sacrament Church on Sunday from 3 to 5 p.m., followed by Mass at 6 p.m., with Bishop John O’Hara as celebrant and Bishop Whalen as preacher. A viewing at Matthew Funeral Home, Willowbrook, will take place privately for Monsignor Berardi’s family.

A funeral Mass will be held Monday at 10 a.m. in Blessed Sacrament Church, with Timothy Cardinal Dolan as celebrant and Bishop Kevin Vann of the Diocese of Orange, Calif., as preacher. Burial will be in St. Peter’s Cemetery, West Brighton.

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