Sacco, Carmine J. (Father)

Jesuit Father Carmine J. Sacco died Sept. 21, 2016, at the Sacred Heart Jesuit Center in Los Gatos, California. He was 91. He was the pastor of St. Rita Catholic Church in Tacoma, Washington, for 32 years, 1979 to 2011.

Fr. Sacco was born in Seattle in 1924 and entered the Jesuits in 1944. After the usual studies, he was ordained a priest in Spokane, Washington, in 1957. After that he was a teacher of religion at Seattle Preparatory School and then at Bellarmine Preparatory School in Tacoma. Most of his priestly ministry, however, was spent as pastor of a parish.

From 1971 to 1974 he was pastor of St. Luke Church, Woodburn, Oregon. After graduate study in theology, he became pastor of St. Ignatius Church in Portland from 1975 to 1979.

The major life work of Fr. Sacco was as pastor of St. Rita Church in the hilltop area of Tacoma. For 32 years he provided daily spiritual and material help to the members of his parish and others. St. Rita was originally an Italian national parish, and he was only the fourth pastor over a period of approximately 90 years.

In 2011, at the age of 86, and due to ill health, he was no longer able to serve as pastor so he moved to the Jesuit Community at Bellarmine.

Fr. Sacco is survived by his sister Anna Popovich and his sister­ in-law Theresa Sacco. He also has many nieces, nephews, grand-nieces, and grand-nephews.