Rev. Joseph Hugh Tate

1928 - 2022

Tate, Rev. Joseph Hugh NOTRE DAME, Ind. Reverend Joseph Hugh Tate, C.S.C., 94, died on August 26, 2022, at Holy Cross House, Notre Dame, Ind. Father Tate was born the second oldest of the nine children of James J. and Mary (Cunningham) on March 10, 1928, in Brooklyn. Father Tate was paralyzed with polio at the age of three in 1931, along with his brother, Jim, and his sister, Margaret. He graduated from James Madison High School in Brooklyn in 1946, and entered the Congregation of Holy Cross on August 15, 1947. He professed his first vows on August 16, 1948, and made his final vows as a brother in the Eastern Province of Holy Cross on August 16, 1951. He earned a bachelor's degree from the University of Notre Dame in 1957, and a Master of Arts degree in teaching from St. Michael's College in Winooski, Vt., in 1971. While a brother, Father Tate served at Notre Dame High School in West Haven, Conn. from 1950-1951; St. Francis Assisi in Brooklyn from 1951-1952; Vincentian Institute in Albany, from 1952-1954 and 1954-1959; Bishop Hendricken High School in Warwick, R.I. from 1959-1961; Holy Cross High School in Flushing from 1961-1966 and 1977-1978; Pius XII Boys Home in Chester, N.Y. from 1966-1977; and as director of religious education at West Point from 1972-1975. Father Tate took a leave of absence from 1978-1979 to study for the priesthood, and then transferred to the Eastern Province of Priests in 1979. He was ordained to the priesthood on June 13, 1981. After ordination, Father Tate assisted in five parishes in the Bethel, Vt. area from 1981-1985 and three from 1985-1988, with St. Anne's in Middletown Springs, Vt. being his home base. Father Tate then earned his M.Div. from the University of St. Michael in Toronto, Ont. in 1983. In 1988, Father Tate resided at Holy Cross House in Notre Dame, Ind., and in 1989, was chaplain at St. Joseph Farm in Granger, Ind. From 1991 to 1999, Father Tate served at Our Lady of Fatima in Wilmington, Vt., and from 1999-2006, and served again in Vermont parishes - St. Joachim Church (Readsboro) and St. Joseph Bosco Chapel (Stamford). From 2007-2010, Father Tate was part of the Holy Cross Community in North Dartmouth, Mass. In 2010, Father Tate moved to the Holy Cross House in Notre Dame, Ind. He was preceded in death by his parents, James and Mary Tate. He is survived by his brother, Hugh Tate. Visitation will be from 10 to 11 a.m. in the St. Joseph Center in Valatie on September 9, with the funeral Mass following at 11 a.m. Burial will follow in the Holy Cross Community Cemetery. Memorial contributions in support of the mission and ministries of the Congregation of Holy Cross may be made to: United States Province of Priests and Brothers, Office of Advancement, 500 Washington St., North Easton, MA, 02356-1299 or online at donate.holycrossusa.org. Bond Funeral Home of Valatie is in charge of the arrangements.