March 15, 1936 – Nov 26, 2005

It is with great sadness we announce that Fr. Anthony Lucracio Pinto passed away on November 26, 2005 after a sudden heart in Machakos, Kenya.. Tony , son of the late Jeronimo Zacharias and Rosa Angelina Pinto and brother of the late Fr Innocent Pinto S.J.,is much missed by his surviving sisters Sr. Irene, Linda and Angela and brothers Dominic, Eric, Bonny and Claude.

_________________

Tony was baptised on April 4th 1936 and confirmed on June 2nd at the Holy Family Church. He completed his Primary schooling at the Catholic Parochial School and finished his education at St Theresa’s Secondary School in 1955. He later successfully completed a diploma course in Town and Planning, and joined the City Council of Nairobi. He worked there for 27 years and upon his retirement he was the Assistant Director of Planning for Nairobi City.

In his position he was instrumental in helping the Catholic Church obtain the land for the Lady of Peace Parish Church in South B, and also assisted Cardinal Morris Otunga to acquire a plot where the present Church of Kariobangi was built.

Tony had a great interest in sport especially football and was in his youth a member of the famous ‘Nairobi Heroes’. Later he was one of the three founding members of the Kenya National Football League which they started in 1963 and was elected the Association’s Vice Chairman. In 1971 he was made team manager of the National Team whom he accompanied on a tour to Germany.

Tony married Eulalia Victoria Da’Costa on November 21st 1970. They had no children and his wife sadly passed away in October 1983 after only 13 years of marriage. After his wife died, Tony felt the Lord calling him and he was very much involved in the South B parish, he was the chairman of the Parish Council for 7 years, during which he became involved with the Salesians. Their work with the youth appealed to him so much, that in 1984 he applied to join the Salesians whom he helped greatly to get established in Nairobi.

In 1986 he went to India to do his novitiate at Nasik, and made his First Profession in May 1987, and his Perpetual Profession in September 1991. With the permission and blessing of the Provincial and his council Tony went ahead to study Philosophy and Theology at the Beda Pontifical College in Rome in 1995. He was ordained deacon in June 1998 and was finally ordained to the priesthood in August 1999 in Nairobi, Kenya.

After his ordination he was assigned to Nzaikoni Parish, Machakos Diocese as Assistant Parish Priest and later as a Parish Priest. He worked there tirelessly for almost 6 years in the parish, until he sadly suffered a major heart attack and passed away on the 26th November 2005. His funeral took place on 2nd December 2005 at The Shrine of Mary Help of Christians, Upper Hill Road, Nairobi.

The Lord has given, the Lord has taken away: blessed be the name of the Lord.

Return to Sr. Irene Pinto's Page Return to Fr. Innocent Pinto's Page