Robert Brucato was born in the Bronx in New York City on August 14, 1931 to Anthony and Yolanda (nee Vento) Brucato. He attended P.S. 97, a public primary school, and Cardinal Hayes High School, both in the Bronx.[1]
Deciding to become a priest, Brucato entered Cathedral College in Queens, New York City. He completed his preparation for the priesthood at St. Joseph’s Seminary in Yonkers, New York.[2]
Priesthood
Cadet Chapel, US Air Force Academy, Colorado Springs, Colorado
Brucato was ordained a priest on June 1, 1957, for the Archdiocese of New York by Cardinal Francis Spellman.[3] During his years with the archdiocese, Brucato served as parochial vicar at the following New York parishes:
In 1960, Spellman made an appeal for priests to become military chaplains for short terms. That same year, Brucato enlisted in the United States Air Force Chaplain Corps. During this period, he obtain a Master of Education degree in psychology and counseling from Our Lady of the Lake College in San Antonio, Texas. He was posted to 22 installations around the world during his time as chaplain. [2] In 1975, in 1975, Brucato sponsored a Vietnamese refugee family to live in his home on Grandview Air Force Base in Kansas City, Missouri.[2]
Brucato also served as director of chaplain services for the Air Forces in Europe and cadet chaplain of the U.S. Air Force Academy in Colorado Springs, Colorado.[2]
In 1982, Brucato retired as a colonel from the Chaplain Corps and returned to New York City. Over the next 14 years, Brucato served as pastor of the following parishes in New York City:
Holy Rosary in Staten Island (1984 to 1987)
St. Benedict Parish in the Bronx (1987 to 1994)
Brucato left St. Benedict in 1994 when Cardinal John O’Connor named him as chancellor of the archdiocese.
Auxiliary Bishop of New York
Slavery memorial, Goree Island, Senegal
Brucato was appointed titular bishop of 'Temuniana' and auxiliary bishop of New York on June 30, 1997 by Pope John Paul II. He was consecrated bishop on August 25, 1997, at St. Patrick's Cathedral in Manhattan by O’Connor. Brucato chose as his episcopal motto "My heart is ready, O Lord".[1][3]
After his consecration, O'Connor named Brucato as vicar for pastoral guidance. In 1999, he assumed the role of vicar general. In 2001, Brucato also became pastor of St. John the Evangelist Parish in Manhattan.[2]
In 2003, Brucato traveled to Goree, an island in Senegal that was a center of the trans-Atlantic slave trade. He was part of a US delegation participating in a service of reconciliation and forgiveness.
Death and legacy
On October 31, 2006, Brucato retired as auxiliary bishop of New York at age 75. He later moved into the St. John Vianney Priests Residence in the Bronx. Brucato died on November 7, 2018, in Yonkers, New York.[3][2][4]
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