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 Fr. Joseph
Hyacinth Servente, OP
Joseph James Servente was born to Angelo and Rose (Duarte) Servente on April 17, 1920, the second
of two sons, the other being Angelo, Jr. in Vallejo, CA.
He attended both St. Vincent’s Elementary and
High School in Vallejo, CA, graduating at the top of his class in 1938. After graduating from St.
Vincent’s, he entered the University of San Francisco for two years and then entered the Dominican
Novitiate in Ross, CA in 1940. From there, he spent 3 years at St. Albert’s Priory, Oakland and
then continued his studies at the Dominican House of Studies in Washington, D.C. for three years.
He completed his theological studies at the Angelicum in Rome. He was awarded his Lectorate and
Licentiate in Theology in 1948.
He was ordained into the Dominican Order on
June 14, 1947 at St. Mary’s Cathedral by Archbishop John J. Mitty and celebrated his first Mass at
St. Vincent’s Church the following Sunday.
He was assigned to St. Mary’s College, Moraga
as Professor of Philosophy and acted as Student Body chaplain from 1954 to his death in 1958 at
the early age of 37. The only surviving members of his family are his three nephews---Larry
(Napa), David (San Diego), and Stephen (Rohnert Park) Servente.
Other Dominicans in his Ordination Class
were:
Father Joseph Fulton was the celebrant at his
Funeral Mass. All I can remember at the funeral was that St. Vincent’s was completely jammed with
white robes (Dominican priests and nuns). I have talked to many of his college students through
the years and everyone stated that Fr. Servente was without question their best instructor in
their four years at St. Mary’s.
The Dominican Sisters we had at St. Vincent’s
also spoke extremely highly of my uncle as considerate, compassionate, highly intelligent and an
incredible orator.
- Larry Servente
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