Fr. Ernest “Ernie” Passero, SJ, is remembered chiefly as a U.S. Navy chaplain. He was surely that for nineteen years (1973-1992), but he displayed impressive pastoral skills on land as well as at sea. He taught at Cheverus High School (1964-1967) and Seattle Prep (1971-1972), and pastored two parishes in Vermont, St. Edward’s in Derby Line (1992-2001) and St. Charles in Bellows Falls, (2003-2006).
It was as chaplain in the U.S. Navy, however, that he developed pastoral skills in multiple situations that remained most vivid in his memory. Of his fourteen assignments, seven stood out. Chaplaincy school in Newport, RI emersed him in an ecumenical environment for the first time in his life, enabling him to appreciate his Catholic and priestly identity. Fluency in Italian, French, and German (he did his theology studies in Innsbruck) widened his ministry, which began in a physically demanding circumnavigating of South America. Transferred from ship to ship in a roped chair or dropped on deck by a helicopter, he presided at Masses, and often became a confidant to high-ranking officers isolated by their responsibilities and appreciative of discrete listeners. A spinal tumor interrupted his sea chaplaincy, and he ministered to sailors and their families at the Naval Regional Medical Center, Charleston, SC. As it drained him to face daily crises of Navy families, he was advised to diversify his interests, which he did in typical Passero fashion by enrolling in 1977 in an M.A. in International Relations from Webster University in Webster Groves, MO, and acquiring a D.Min. from San Franciso Theological Seminary in 1979. Shortly thereafter, he was assigned to a nuclear-sub re-refitting station in Sardinia, ministering to Navy personnel and to townspeople. His next assignment was the Naval Hospital in Bethesda, MD, then on to Puerto Rico, where he learned to pilot Cessna 150s and 170s. A memorable assignment was on the aircraft carrier Eisenhower which aided recovery efforts in the U.S. Marine barracks bombing in 1983 Bierut that killed 241 American service members. Later, on the Eisenhower, he was invited to do something no other chaplain was invited to do – sit in the back seat of jets taking off from the carrier. Deeply impressed by the jet pilots, he overcame his fear and flew in the belief that, “I was one of them because I had flown with them.”
Retiring from the Navy in 1992, Ernie turned down a possible promotion because he already had twenty-seven years in the service and had undergone several major operations, saying to himself, “I don’t know my Jesuit brothers and I’d like to go home.” His initial assignment was St. Edward’s, “a wonderful experience,” for the congregation was “not formally educated but they have a deep common sense and they know how to work together.” Ernie’s assessment of the reason for the parish’s remarkable growth was “get people involved.” His last parish assignment was St. Charles in Bellows Falls (population 2,824), which had been at a standstill for several years. His simple secret for renewal? “Be on time for Mass and be welcoming to all children.” He sold the out-buildings that had accumulated over the years and straightened out the finances. At age 70, however, Ernie felt it was time to move on. With the encouragement of the Provincial, Fr. Thomas Regan, SJ, he retired to Campion Center in Weston, MA, in 2006.
Ernest Passero was born in Boston on July 28, 1935, the son of Ernest Passero Sr., and Mary (Bruno) Passero, both of Somerville, MA. His mother died when he was three, and his father remarried, to his mother’s sister. There were four children. Ernie is survived by his sister Eleanor McGeehan of Winchester, and predeceased by his parents, his sister Louise Romeo and his brother Arthur Passero.
Graduating from Somerville High School in 1953, he began college at Boston University but in his sophomore year enlisted in the Army for three years during the Korean War. He finished college at Fairfield University, graduating in 1957. After a period of discernment. he entered the Jesuit novitiate at Gloucester, remaining there until Shadowbrook re-opened in 1958. He did philosophy studies at Weston College (1962-1964), taught French during Regency at Cheverus High School in Portland, ME (1964-1967), and studied theology in the University of Innsbruck, Austria (1965-1970), where he also developed a lifelong love for skiing. From 1973-1992, he served as Navy chaplain.
He arrived at Campion Center in 2006, which proved to be the right place to deal with the health problems, which had begun to plague him again. He declared, “I now choose contemplation,” and devoted many hours to prayer, “three hours every day in adoration,” “a private mass at 5:30 AM in a small chapel,” and “an hour in the main chapel for an additional hour.” In his Oral History, Ernie looked back at his life with deep gratitude and satisfaction, expressing thanks to those who helped him on his way: his childhood pastor Monsignor Hugh Blunt; an unnamed black sergeant who gave him excellent advice regarding his Korean War service, Jesuits Joe McCormick, Dick Lawlor, Bill Carroll, John Walsh, Ed Boyle, Corbie Walsh, John Monahan; and Tom Regan. Others included Mrs. Margaret Millere (the benefactor of Cheverus High School), Air Force Lieutenant John Tartaglione, and John Fahner of St. Charles Parish. At Campion, he enjoyed an enduring friendship with Brother Calvin Clarke, SJ, a Jamaican one year his senior. They took their meals together and provided each other with constant support. Though Ernie’s health stabilized at Campion, he struggled with immune issues, mobility, and more decisively, his heart that failed him and led to his death on November 29, 2025.
Click here to light a Virtual Candle in memoriam of the life and legacy of Fr. Ernest “Ernie” Passero, SJ.
