The Rev. Richard J. Rego was full of his typical fire and vigor last Sunday as he said Latin Mass and gave a homily titled "Jesus Wept."
Just one day later Rego was felled by a burst aorta. He died at about 4 p.m. Monday at 72.
The Roman Catholic Diocese of Tucson will say goodbye to Rego at 1:30 p.m. today in a Solemn High Mass at St. Augustine Cathedral, 192 S. Stone Ave. Monsignor Timothy Thorburn, vicar general for the Roman Catholic Diocese of Lincoln, Neb., will be the celebrant, and Tucson Bishop Gerald F. Kicanas will give the absolution.
Rego was best known in the diocese during the last year and a half for his position as chaplain of the St. Gianna Latin Mass Community at St. Ambrose Catholic Church in Midtown. The community has about 200 worshippers — a small congregation by diocesan standards, but a faithful following.
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"He was a staunch believer in the Catholic faith, and he did not waver. He was willing to go up against anybody," said Tim Teich, 44, a Tucson business executive who attends St. Gianna with his wife, Michele, and the seven of their 10 children who still live at home.
"What you had in Father Rego was a real soldier, a person with such Catholic valor. That is the part that might be hard to replace," Teich said. "Lots of priests are gentle and amiable, but he was like a torch carrier."
Rego's congregation has a Web site in which Rego is pictured along with his beloved Shar-Pei and constant companion, Egg Roll. Rego also kept a spirited blog about Catholicism — his entries, typically punctuated with exclamation points, had titles like "Clap Your Hands! Shout Unto God!" and "Walk as Children of Light!"
Rego, a Philadelphia native, attended Catholic seminary at age 18 but then took a detour when he embarked on a career in business. He was ordained later in life — at 48 — for the Diocese of Tucson following studies at Holy Apostles Seminary in Cromwell, Conn.
After his ordination, Rego studied in Rome at the Angelicum Pontifical University, earning a licentiate in sacred theology. He also spent two years studying at the John Paul II Institute for the Study of Marriage.
Rego's assignments in the Tucson diocese included SS. Peter and Paul Catholic Church in Midtown and Our Lady of the Blessed Sacrament Church in Miami. He served at Immaculate Conception Catholic Church in Ajo from 1997 to 2006. During that time, he made the 240-mile round-trip drive to Holy Family Catholic Church near Downtown to deliver Latin Mass weekly.
Rego embraced technological change. Not only did he blog and maintain a Web site, but he recorded his homilies for downloading. At least two of his homilies have been posted on YouTube. Last week's "Jesus Wept" homily talked about Jesus weeping over the state of his church.
"It was typical for the insight he had into the Scripture and his ability to apply it to our times," said Colleen Urban, 53, a Tucson businesswoman who has attended St. Gianna's for the past year. "It was about having the reverence one should have in a church."
Urban said she is thankful that Rego blessed her rosary beads last weekend.
"The congregation is just stunned. There was really no warning," she said. "They don't make them like him much anymore. He very much reminds me of the old-school priests."
Rego had been particularly pleased in recent weeks because of a decree issued July 7 by Pope Benedict XVI approving wider use of the old Latin Mass rite, Urban said. Until the decree, priests could use the Latin Mass only with permission from their bishops.
Kicanas said Rego expressed concern on several occasions about what would happen to the St. Gianna community if he were to die.
"I always told him he would be around for many years," Kicanas said. "His death was really quite tragic and sudden."
Kicanas said Rego woke up Monday morning feeling ill and called his friend, the Rev. David Reinders, who is chaplain for the Veterans Affairs hospital. He was diagnosed with a burst aorta and died later that day following emergency surgery at St. Mary's Hospital.
"He was a man of strong determination and desire to be of service to people — he always knew people by name and was sensitive to their needs," Kicanas said. "He had a great love for his people at Saint Gianna and at Immaculate Conception in Ajo."
Kicanas said the St. Gianna Latin Masses will continue under the temporary leadership of Reinders. Kicanas also said he will speak personally with the community about how it will proceed now that Rego is gone.
