 Fr. Joseph Peter
Sanguinetti, O.P.
The Gospel of Saint Mark tells us that Jesus went up into the hills and summoned those He
wanted. So they came to Him and He appointed twelve: they were to be His
companions and to be sent out to preach (Mk 3:13ff).
Father Joseph Peter Sanguinetti was one of those who followed in the
footsteps of the twelve apostles and accepted the Lord's invitation to come and see where
He dwells. The young man, Peter, inspired by Saint Dominic's own vision of this call, left
his large and close-knit family, his mother and father, Rose and Julius Sanguinetti, his
five brothers and four sisters.
He grew up in the shadow of the venerable Saint Dominic Church in San
Francisco, with his early schooling at Emerson School and Hamilton Junior High, then
Sacred Heart High School, where he became a standout in several sports, later to be
honored in that school's Hall of Fame. He then went on to Regis College in Denver
and the University of San Francisco while working in various jobs, including the
construction of the Golden Gate Bridge.
These years of study and preparation brought him to the beginning of
his Dominican religious life in 1936, following in the footsteps of his older brother, Ed.
He was ordained a priest in 1944, and his religious superiors were already aware of
his talents and abilities. Almost immediately, Father Joseph Sanguinetti began his
long career as a preacher beginning at Holy Rosary, Portland, conducting missions and
other spiritual exercises throughout the Western United States. For these years of
missionary activity, he was awarded the prestigious honor of Preacher General by the
Dominican Order in 1960, a tribute to his outstanding work in the mission field. His
talents and abilities also led to his being chosen as pastor of Dominican parishes in
Antioch (Holy Rosary) and Vallejo (Saint Vincent Ferrer). After returning to his
special forte as a preacher, his active ministry was cut short when he was victimized by a
brutal assault from unknown assailants in 1984. This left him with serious injuries which
forced him to curtail his active ministry.
But God was not yet done with him. For almost ten years he endured the
painful consequences of his injuries and suffered through several operations while in
residence at Saint Dominic Priory, San Francisco. During his final days with us, he
was faithfully and lovingly supported by his religious family and his own family, and
especially by his own sister, Sister M. Rose Sanguinetti, the third member of the family
to embrace the Dominican religious life. On January 23, 1997, Father Joe died
peacefully with his family and his Dominican brethren at his side. What can one say
about a man who has lived the religious life for more than sixty years and served as a
priest of Jesus Christ for more than fifty years? The answer was given by a couple
who asked, "Do you know Father Joseph Sanguinetti? He gave a mission here in
our parish maybe thirty-five years ago, and it was wonderful. We still remember what
he said!" Most people can hardly remember last year's Super Bowl or just about
anything someone has told us or taught us. Even the most gifted entertainers tell us
they have to come up with a new routine, something to draw the crowd and hold their
attention. Father Joe told the same story for over fifty years. It is the
Gospel message, the story of God's love for us and the saving action of Jesus Christ.
The spirit of the Lord grasped him and used the talents given him to
speak about things we can never forget; our souls and our destiny. God so loved the
world that He gave His only begotten Son and the Son so loved us that He gave His life for
us. If someone were to ask what was the secret that inspired Father Joe to preach up
and down the Pacific coast all those years, what energized him to be the pastor of those
souls in Antioch and Vallejo, it was because he spoke from the heart to the heart and he
captured the compassion of the Good Shepherd. Like those original twelve, he was an
apostle of Jesus Christ who called him to be one of His priests. He truly became a
companion of Jesus and answered the call to come and see where Jesus dwells. May the
Lord now receive him into His presence in the company of the angels and all the saints.
- Father Thomas Hayes, OP
Date of Birth |
Date of Profession |
Date of Ordination |
Date of Death |
May 17, 1911 |
September 13, 1938 |
June 17, 1944 |
January 23, 1997 |
XII: 246 |
