Rev. Robert Vargo

1962 - 2019

Vargo, Rev. Robert
Rev. Robert Barry Vargo, J.C.L., 57, of Madison, passed away on Friday, November 8, 2019, at Yale-New Haven Hospital. Born in Milford on March 19, 1962, son of Charles Robert Vargo of Madison and the late Lois Constance (Green) Vargo he was raised in Milford and was a graduate of St. Ann Elementary School in Devon and Notre Dame High School in West Haven. After graduating from high school, Father Vargo continued his education at Pennsylvania State University in University Park, PA and after discerning his call to the Priesthood he enrolled at St. Mary Seminary and University in Baltimore, MD. He was ordained on February 25, 1989 at the Cathedral of St. Joseph in Hartford by Archbishop John F. Whealon. After serving as Parochial Vicar for two years at St. Lucy Church in Waterbury, he was assigned to the Metropolitan Tribunal as an auditor/case instructor. In 1992, Father Vargo began graduate studies at The Pontifical University of St. Thomas Aquinas, also known as the Angelicum, in Rome, Italy where he earned a Licentiate in Canon Law. In 1994, he became canonical adviser to the Moderator of the Curia and Judge and Defender of the Bond at the Metropolitan Tribunal. Father Vargo also assisted at St. James Parish in Rocky Hill for one year before being assigned to St. Joseph Parish in the Poquonock section of Windsor. In 1996, he became the Vice-Chancellor of the Archdiocese of Hartford and in September, 2003 he was appointed as the Judicial Vicar of the Archdiocese of Hartford. Father Vargo continued to serve at St. Joseph Parish in Poquonock being appointed as Pastor in March, 2002. In 2013, he was appointed as the Pastor of the linked Parishes of St. Joseph and St. Gabriel in Windsor, now St. Damien of Molokai Parish. In 2016, Archbishop Leonard Blair appointed Father Vargo as the Vicar for Clergy and later as the Director of the Mission Office for the Archdiocese of Hartford. Father Vargo's time in Rome gave him a comfort and ease to travel to many parts of the world even if he was not familiar with the language or the culture. He loved skiing and cycling and often did both while traveling domestically and internationally. The consummate priest, he was a tireless worker both at the chancery and in his parishes. Through his devout faith, he encouraged everyone who knew him to be their best. Besides his father Charles, he leaves a sister, Gale Margonis of New Haven; and a brother-in-law, George Haight of Milford. He was predeceased by his mother, Lois Vargo; and a sister, Karen Haight. His family will receive friends on Thursday, November 14, 9:30-10:45 a.m., followed by a Mass of Christian Burial at 11 a.m., Celebrated by The Most Rev. Leonard P. Blair, S.T.D., at the Chapel of St. Thomas at the Archdiocesan Pastoral Center, 467 Bloomfield Ave., Bloomfield. A graveside service will be held on Friday, November 15, 11 a.m., at St. Mary Cemetery, Milford. Memorial donations may be made to The Hartford Bishops' Foundation, Inc., 467 Bloomfield Ave., Bloomfield, CT 06002 or by visiting, www.hartfordbishopsfoundation.org or to Yale New Haven Health, Smilow Cancer Hospital, Office of Development, P.O. Box 1849, New Haven, CT 06508-1849 or by visiting, www.givetoynhh.org. Carmon Funeral Home has care of the arrangements. For online condolences please visit, www.carmonfuneralhome.com.