Father Bernard S. Justen, S.D.B.

Father Bernard S. Justen, S.D.B., who did parish and retreat work in the archdiocese, died Jan. 2 at a nursing home in Largo, Fla., where he had resided. He was 86. A Funeral Mass was celebrated at Mary Help of Christians Church in Tampa, Fla. He was a parochial vicar at Holy Rosary parish in Port Chester, 1995-1997, and assisted at Don Bosco Retreat House in Haverstraw (now Stony Point), 1983-1984. He also served at Don Bosco Juniorate in Haverstraw beginning in 1958; it relocated to Goshen in 1961 and became Salesian Junior Seminary, where he continued to serve until 1967. He then served a six-year term as superior of the Salesians' Western U.S. Province, based in San Francisco. He was director of Don Bosco College in Newton, N.J., 1973-1976, then was a pastor and parochial vicar in Texas and a school director and parochial vicar in Florida. Assigned to the Salesian Provincial Residence in New Rochelle, 1985-1989, he was vice director of the community, 1986-1989, and helped with chaplaincy ministries and secretarial work. Later he served in Florida and Ohio. He retired to Tampa in 1997 but was active in parish work on weekends and in prison ministry. Born in Tampa, he attended the Salesian high school seminary in Newton, went on to the novitiate and professed vows in 1938. He studied at Don Bosco College, then taught in the high school seminary. He prepared for priesthood at Don Bosco Seminary in Newton and was ordained Dec. 18, 1948. Burial was in Myrtle Hill Cemetery in Tampa.