NOTRE DAME, Indiana – Rev. Kenneth Joseph Silvia, C.S.C., 86, died at Holy Cross House, Notre Dame, Indiana, on Sunday, April 14, 2024, after a short illness.
Rev. Kenneth J. Silvia, C.S.C. was born on May 21, 1937, in Fall River, Massachusetts. He was one of two children born to Joseph and Mary (Borges) Silvia. He attended Cathedral Grammar School before graduating from Msgr. Coyle High School in Taunton, Massachusetts. In 1955, he entered Our Lady of Holy Cross Seminary at Stonehill College. Upon graduation from Stonehill College in 1960, with a Bachelor of Arts in Philosophy, he studied Theology at the University of Montreal in Quebec, Canada. On December 19, 1964, he was ordained a Holy Cross priest. That following May, he received his Bachelor of Sacred Theology (S.T.B.) from the University of Montreal.
After ordination in 1964, Fr. Silvia assisted the Province of France as a staff member in the minor seminary in Brittany, France. Beginning in 1965, he taught at Notre Dame High School in Bridgeport, Connecticut, before he was assigned Chaplain for the Food Research Center in North Easton, Massachusetts, from 1967-1969. After taking graduate courses at the University of Nijmegen, Netherlands, and Louvain University in Belgium, Fr. Silvia returned to the United States to assist at Stonehill College in Easton, Massachusetts, from 1975-1979 in the formation department and as Director of Campus Ministry. From 1979-1983, he was assigned as National Director of Family Rosary in Albany, New York. Fr. Silvia transitioned from organizational work to full-time parochial ministry by assisting parish ministries on both coasts; St. Mary Parish in Ridgefield, Connecticut (1983-1985), St. Leander Parish in San Leandro, California (1985-1986), Church of the Assumption in San Leandro, California (1986-1987), St. Lawrence the Martyr in Santa Clara, California (1987-1990), St. Christopher Parish in San Jose, California (1990-1996), Sacred Heart Parish in San Jose, California (1996-2000), Holy Cross Church in South Easton, Massachusetts (2002-2007), and St. Nicholas Catholic Parish in Los Altos, California (2007-2009). He also served as Associate Director of Candidate House at King’s College in Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania, from 2001-2002. Fr. Silvia retired to Christopher Lodge in Cocoa Beach, Florida, in 2009, before residing at Holy Cross House in Notre Dame, Indiana, beginning in 2018.
Visitation will be from 3:30-7:30 p.m. EDT on Monday, April 22, 2024, at Moreau Seminary, Notre Dame, Indiana, followed by a Wake Service at 7:30 p.m. The Funeral Mass will be at 3:30 p.m. EDT on Tuesday, April 23, 2024, at the Basilica of the Sacred Heart, Notre Dame, Indiana. You may also join us via livestream at https://funerals.holycrossusa.org
Burial will be in the community cemetery at Notre Dame. Kaniewski Funeral Home, South Bend, is in charge of the arrangements.
Memorial contributions in support of the mission and ministries of the Congregation of Holy Cross can be made to: United States Province of Priests and Brothers, Office of Advancement, P.O. Box 765, Notre Dame, IN 46556-0765 or online at https://donate.holycrossusa.org
