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July 11, 2022Rev. Alfred C. Lonardo, 85, a Senior Priest of the Diocese of Providence, died Saturday, July 9, 2022.
Born in Providence, Rhode Island, a son of the late Serafino and Palmarosa (Imondi) Lonardo, he attended Nelson Street Grammar School, Nathanael Greene Junior High School, and Classical High School, all in Providence.
In preparation for the priesthood, he studied at Providence College and Our Lady of Providence Seminary, Warwick, and at Saint Bernard Seminary, Rochester, NY. He was ordained a priest on June 8, 1963 at SS Peter and Paul Cathedral in Providence by Bishop Russell J. McVinney.
After a summer assignment at Saint Francis of Assisi Parish, Wakefield, Father Lonardo served as Assistant Pastor at Saint Teresa Parish in Providence (1963-66). From 1966 – 1969, he made postgraduate studies at the Catholic University of America in Washington, DC. In 1969 he became Chaplain at St. Aloysius Home in Greenville, and Director of Catholic Family Services. In 1973, Father was appointed Assistant Pastor at Saint Mary Parish, Cranston, and Chaplain at the Rhode Island State Correctional Institutions.
In 1977, he became Pastor of Holy Cross Parish, Providence, and in 1986, Pastor of Saint Mary Parish, Cranston. In 2002 he completed sabbatical studies at the Pontifical North American College in Rome. In 2003, Father Lonardo served as Administrator pro-tem at Saint Brigid Parish, Johnston; then Assistant Pastor at Saint Augustine Parish, Providence. In 2007 Father Lonardo retired from the active ministry as a Senior Priest.
During his retirement, Father resided in Jamestown.
Visitation will be in St. Augustine Church, Mount Pleasant Avenue, Providence, on Thursday, July 14, from 10 – 11am, followed immediately by a Concelebrated Mass of Christian Burial at 11am, in St. Augustine Church, Providence, offered for the repose of Father’s soul.
Burial will follow in Saint Ann Cemetery, Cranston.
