Longtime pastor at St. Peter Church, Rev. Leonard J. Calegari, touched the lives and captured the hearts of many Pacifica families.
Fr. Len passed away on November 26, 2014 in Burlingame, two months shy of his 80th birthday. He was born on January 28, 1935 in San Mateo, the third of six children born to the late Adolph and Françoise Calegari.
Fr. Len attended Our Lady of Angels School. All five brothers graduated from Serra High School. Len graduated from University of San Francisco in 1956, the same class as Bill Russell. After two years of graduate school at Santa Clara University and Stanford University, he entered St. Patrick’s Seminary in 1958 and was ordained in 1963 by Archbishop McGucken. He celebrated his first Mass at Our Lady of Angels.
Fr. Len ministered at St. Emydius Church in San Francisco and Blessed Sacrament Church in San Venetia. He taught at Junipero Serra High School. Fr. Len then served at Sacred Heart Church, Saratoga, Our Lady of Loretto Church, Novato, and St. Sebastian Church, Kentfield, before being appointed Pastor of St. Peter Parish, Pacifica, where he served for 23 years until his retirement in 2004. For the past 10 years, Fr. Len resided and served the parishioners at St. Stephen Church in San Francisco.
Fr. Len had many personal and professional interests and accomplishments. He played cello as a boy, basketball at Serra High School and golf for U.S.F. He was a college academic scholarship winner, accumulator of bridge points, connoisseur of the opera and symphony, terrible poker player, mathematical wizard, a spectacular brother and modest to a fault. He had to die for us to be able to write this about him.
He was predeceased by his brothers Marc Calegari, S.J. and Pierre Calegari (Joleen) and his stepmother, Muriel Lynch Calegari. He is survived by his brothers, Gregoire Calegari (Kathy) and Michel Calegari (Tudy) and his sister, Marianne Calegari. He was the uncle of Jean-Paul (deceased) and Jean-Claude Calegari, Valerie, Matthew, Giovanni and Dominic Calegari, Sophie and Pauline Hansen. He leaves no pets behind.
Friends visited after 10 a.m. on Tuesday, December 9, at St. Peter Church, 700 Oddstad Blvd. where a Funeral Mass was celebrated at 11 a.m. A reception followed the mass in the church hall. Private family interment at Holy Cross Cemetery. In lieu of flowers, donations in Fr. Len’s name can be made to the St. Peter Church Memorial Fund, 700 Oddstad Blvd, Pacifica, CA 94044 or to the charity of your choice.
