On Thursday, 25 July, Fr. Joseph “Pepe” Tomei, C.S.C., was presented the Condecoración Cruz Apóstol Santiago (Cross of St. James Award) by His Eminence Fernando Cardinal Chomali Garib, Archbishop of Santiago in Chile, in a Mass at the Cathedral. The award is given each year by the Archdiocese to lay people, married couples, religious, and priests for their “valuable support of the pastoral ministry, evangelization, promotion of human dignity, and Catholic education.”
"I was surprised when the Vicar of our Vicariate of Mercy informed me that I was going to be a recipient of this award. I was overcome with emotion," said Fr. Tomei. "I was similarly overcome with emotion when I received the award at the Mass on Friday evening. So many friends of mine, so many people from the parishes and various ministries in which I have served and serve, showed up to be with me that evening. It was a wonderful experience.”
Fr. Tomei’s ministry in the Church and among the people in Chile has been wide and varied. Originally from Palo Alto, California, he first arrived in Santiago in 1985 as a young brother and taught for six years at Nuestra Señora de Andacollo School. In 1991, he was called back by his provincial to the United States to do vocations promotion.
Learn more about the history of Holy Cross in Chile
Fr. Tomei returned to Chile in 2009, after having been ordained a priest in 1999 and serving as Pastor of St. Ignatius Martyr Parish in Austin, Texas. Since his return, he has worked in Campus Ministry at St. George’s College and served six years as Pastor of Nuestra Señora del Rosario de Andacollo Parish. For the past five years, Fr. Tomei has been Chaplain at the Hospital of the University of Chile, where he pastorally accompanies both the patients and the staff.
One of Fr. Tomei’s has been working with married couples. He has worked extensively in Chile with Retrouvaille, a retreat program designed to help couples “rediscover” their love and each other, thus healing and renewing their marriages.
“[Retrouvaille] has taught me how to listen with my heart and mind,” said Fr. Tomei.“It taught me how to be more patient with those I live with and those I work with. It has taught me how to offer ideas or guide others in discovering their path, to help them take control of their lives. It has taught me to look at my own life as a person, as a religious, as a member of a community of life, and as a priest. I have new communication tools that I didn't have before.”
Fr. Tomei has also worked with Emaús, a retreat program designed to motivate lay men and women to take a more active role in their parishes as missionary disciples. Begun in Miami, Florida, the program was brought to Chile by Venezuelan immigrants.
“I have enjoyed serving since I was a kid,” said Fr. Tomei. “I realized years ago when I was serving as vocations director that I was born to serve. My ministry as a priest is a wonderful one. The main service I do now is one that enjoy very much: visiting the sick and accompanying them and their parents and loved ones. I am grateful to God to serve in this ministry as chaplain, and in all the other ministries that God has blessed me to be a part of.”
Fr. Tomei is the third Holy Cross religious to receive the award, after Br. Donald Kuchenmeister, C.S.C., in 2016 and Fr. Daniel Panchot, C.S.C., in 2024.