Fr. Anthony Gilbert Cordeiro, OP

Father Anthony Gilbert ("Tony") Cordeiro was born Antonio James Cordeiro, Jr., in San Leandro, California, to Antonio and Olga Cordeiro, who immigrated to the United States from the Azores, a spot Tony visited several times, and always remembered with great fondness.

Our brother attended elementary school at Saint Mary's in San Leandro, and received his secondary education at Saint Mary's College High School in Berkeley, California. For two years he studied at the University of San Francisco, then entered Christian Brothers, and graduated from Saint Mary's College, Moraga, with honors. Tony entered the Dominicans, receiving the habit (and the name Gilbert), on September 8, 1960. He made his simple profession a year later, and was ordained to the priesthood on June 16, 1967.

Tony loved all aspects of education, and spent a good part of his Dominican life as a teacher, supervisor and school superintendent. But education was not his only forte. He excelled in finances, and is probably best known for the years served the Western Province as Treasurer for two Provincial administrations.

With Fr. John Flannery Tony helped establish the Dominican Community Support Chaitable Trust, to care for our brothers grown old caring for God's people, and he lent a hand to the family of Fr. David Geib,to organize the Geib Ministerial Fund, which helps underwrite new apostolic initiatives among Province members. Although Tony had never been assigned as a parish priest, he was appointed pastor of Holy Rosary Parish in Portland, Oregon in 1997, and served that unique parish exceptionally for three years.

During the last ten years of his life, Tony once again served the Western Province as Treasurer, superior of Siena House, and Assistant Director of the Saint Jude Shrine. He then enjoyed semi-retirement at St. Dominic's in Benicia, where he assisted in the parish. During his last illness he returned to Siena House, where he was cared for by his Dominican confreres until his death on Sunday morning, 26 September 2010. His demeanor never changed; to the moment of his death he was cheerful, gracious, and delighted to greet friends and members of his family – those to whom he was related by blood, and those with whom Christ called him to share the religious profession to which he was so quietly faithful for half a century.

Throughout his life Tony enjoyed the experience of traveling with fellow Dominicans, relatives and friends. He and Fr. Edmund Ryan took a boat cruise around the tip of South America, to visit Tierra del Fuego and the Falkland Islands, and Fr. Mark O'Leary joined him on excursions to Northern Africa, Australia, New Zealand, China, Japan, Greece, Turkey, and Eastern Europe. Tony was quite modest, and never boasted of the number of places he'd visited (they amounted to more than fifty countries) but he once regaled the community at Siena House with a tale of checking into a hotel in the Azores, with his mother and sister. Tony spoke very little Portuguese, but the women were both fluent, although in a rather sober dialect – quite unlike the florid "carioca" – speech and clothing – of the residents from Rio, standing just behind them. "We'd never seen anything so exotic!" Tony said. "They were like parrots; and here we were, all in black. We felt like we'd just come from a funeral!"

On another occasion, Fr. Reginald Martin recalls opening an envelope that arrived at the Provincial Office, bearing the return address of the Province's law firm. To his surprise, it contained exact instructions for betting (and winning) at the craps table. Somewhat puzzled, Fr. Reginald took the envelope to Fran Mullen and asked whether she had any idea what the contents meant. Fran replied, "Oh yes. Fr. Tony, his sister and her husband are going on a cruise with my husband and me. We thought we might benefit from some help when we visit the ship's casino." Fr. Reginald is rumored to have made (and profited from) his own copy of the instructions.

Tony's final travels took him to Sicily, on a cooking tour, with Fr. Edmund Ryan. Tony's favorite food was fish, so the trip to Sicily (where the national flavor is swordfish) was what he described as a foretaste of heaven. Whatever Tony may be dining upon at the celestial banquet, he has left a great empty place at the earthly tables he shared with his Dominican brothers, and all those whose lives he touched with love and compassion. Requiescat in pace; piscem vescatur – May he rest in peace; may he dine on fish.

– Fr. Anthony Patalano, O.P.

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Photo: Rosaryville, where he taught for a year

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