A former longtime administrator of The Catholic University of America, Frank G. Persico was remembered for his dedication and devotion to his faith, family and friends, as well as to the university so beloved by him and where he spent most of his adult life. Persico died on May 14 at his summer residence in Ocean City, New Jersey. He was 71.
The road running alongside the Catholic University president’s office had earlier been named “Persico Way” to honor his service to the university and to reflect the esteem that the CUA community held for him.
During a Mass of Christian Burial celebrated May 31 at the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception, Bishop David M. O’Connell of the Diocese of Trenton, New Jersey, a former Catholic University president, recalled Persico’s lengthy career at CUA, which began 50 years ago after he graduated from the university in 1974 with a bachelor’s degree in speech and drama. Persico went on to serve in numerous roles within the university, including most recently as the Vice President for University Relations and the university’s chief of staff.
“Frank loved his God, his Church, his wife, children, grandchildren, and CUA. He even loved his old boss,” said Bishop O’Connell, for whom Persico served as chief of staff. “He loved this place, the name Frank Persico is synonymous with CUA…(He rose) from being a student to the highest ranks of the university…He was the stuff of legends.”
In his homily, Bishop O’Connell, CUA’s 14th president from 1998 to 2010, said, “To everything there is a season – a time to live, a time to mourn, a time to dance. For God made everything appropriate to its time. Frank knew that and lived that. How lucky and grateful we were and are.”
A native of Hazelton, Pennsylvania, Persico was born on Nov. 27, 1952. For more than four decades, Persico served CUA in an administrative capacity, including as assistant to the president and general secretary; associate dean for external and student affairs; executive director of student affairs at the Columbus School of Law, and executive director of alumni relations. He earned his master’s degree in education from CUA in 1976. After his 2018 retirement from Catholic University, he continued to serve as a consultant to universities and other educational institutions.
“Frank made everything seem so easy. He lifted the burdens of so many with love,” Bishop O’Connell said. “When love is given, life comes with it, and now he receives eternal life.”
During his tenure at CUA, Persico also played a major role in planning three papal trips to Washington, D.C., which included visits to The Catholic University of America and the basilica, beginning with Saint John Paul II in 1979 and continuing with Pope Benedict XVI in 2008 and Pope Francis in 2015. For his role organizing and implementing the pontiffs’ visits, Persico was awarded the Benemerenti Medal by Pope Benedict XVI and the Pro Ecclesia et Pontifice Medal by Pope Francis.
Dr. Peter Kilpatrick, the president of Catholic University, released a statement following Persico’s sudden passing, expressing his deep gratitude for the former administrator’s significant impact on the university community through the decades.
“Frank loved this community, and we loved him… Just outside my office at Nugent Hall is a road named Persico Way. It’s more than just a street: it welcomes people to campus, just as Frank did. When I speak about the unique community here on campus, it’s because of people like Frank, who endeavored to know as many people as possible and to listen to them. He fostered a sense of belonging that remains and thrives today,” wrote President Kilpatrick.
In a recent edition of CatholicU, the university’s alumni magazine, Persico, who was known for his sense of humor and larger-than-life personality, was featured in a cover story prior to his death. He spoke of his love for CUA and what makes the community special in forming lifelong friendships, of which he had countless.
“I know five decades of people that I can say, I have friends in each decade,” Persico said in an interview. “And they are friends that I could call today and tomorrow.”
In addition to his educational endeavors, Persico’s life passions included sailing on the Chesapeake Bay as a member of the Chesapeake Bay Yacht Club, traveling around the world with his wife, Stephanie, and his family, attending Broadway and Kennedy Center productions, cheering for Washington, D.C. professional sports teams and enjoying retirement living near the ocean.
Persico is survived by his wife, Stephanie, of 48 years; a daughter, Lauren (Tim) of Alexandria, Virginia; a son, Robert (Maranda) of Agoura Hills, California; four grandchildren, Logan, Brendan, Margaret and Devin; a sister, Immaculate Heart of Mary Sister Mary Persico of Scranton, Pennsylvania; and a brother, Joseph (Patrice).
