News and Events
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Joseph M. Alminde, SJ, a Jesuit for 61 years and a priest for 48, died March 25 in Philadelphia.
Fr. Alminde, a Philadelphia native, was born to Agnes A. Haughey and Frank Alminde February 14, 1931. Following his graduation from St. Joseph’s Preparatory School in 1949, he entered the Society of Jesus. He earned his bachelor’s degree in classics from Bellarmine College in Plattsburg, New York, in 1955. He was ordained to the priesthood June 17, 1962, and pronounced his final vows February 2, 1981.
Assignments took Fr. Alminde to Philadelphia four times, to the Jesuit novitiate at Wernersville, Pennsylvania, and to Baltimore.
As a scholastic, Fr. Alminde went to Philadelphia and St. Joseph’s Prep where he taught English and Latin from 1956 to 1959 and then again as an English teacher from 1964 to 1966. He was sent to St. Isaac Jogues Novitiate in Wernersville in 1966 where he was socius to the master of novices for brothers from 1966 to 1969. In 1969, he returned to St. Joseph’s Prep to teach religion and language.
He remained there until 1985 when he was assigned to teach English and Latin at Loyola Blakefield in Towson, Maryland. He taught high school students there until 2000, also serving as minister from 1985 to 1987.
After a sabbatical at the Jesuit School of Theology at Berkeley, California, Fr. Alminde returned to Philadelphia in 2001. He was associate pastor of Old St. Joseph’s Church from 2001 to 2004 and then he was send to the Loyola Center where he was minister from 2004 to 2009.
Until his recent illness, Fr. Alminde has continued to live at the Loyola Center, which is located at Saint Joseph’s University, serving as chaplain for Visitation Convent.
There will be a viewing on Wednesday, April 6 at Manresa Hall (adjacent to Saint Joseph’s University) from 1-4 p.m., and then at the Church of the Gesu from 6-7:15 p.m. A Mass of Christian Burial will be celebrated at 7:30 p.m. Burial will be at Saints Peter and Paul Cemetery (1600 Sproul Road in Springfield) on Thursday, April 7. A funeral procession will leave the Saint Joseph’s University Jesuit Community at 10 a.m.
Notes of condolence may be sent to:
Mrs. Catherine MacFarland (sister)
St. Joseph's Villa
100 W. Wissahickon Ave.
Flourtown, PA 19031-1898
Sr. Joan Alminde, SSJ (sister)
St. Athanasius School
7105 Limekiln Pike
Philadelphia, PA 19138
Mr. Paul Alminde (brother)
HC 88, Box 1542
Pocono Lake, PA 18347