Deceased: 2018-03-23
Diocese: SOCIETY OF ST. SULPICE
ICTE Fall: 2003
Rev. James Stephen Tucker died on March 23, 2018. He was born on April 14, 1943 in Detroit, MI to Joseph and Mary (Perinovic) Tucker. His brothers, John, Charles, and Robert, and his parents are deceased.
Father Tucker was ordained for the Archdiocese of Los Angeles on April 26, 1969. He did both his undergraduate studies in philosophy (1961 – 1965) and his theological studies (1965 – 1969) at Saint John’s Seminary, Camarillo, CA. He went on to do an M.A. degree in psychology at California State University, Sacramento, CA, in 1977. From 1979 – 1983, he earned the M.S. and then Ph.D. in clinical psychology at the Pacific Graduate School of Psychology, Palo Alto, CA. Even though Father Tucker was not trained in a Sulpician seminary, he was drawn to the Society for its ministry of formation. He was admitted to the Society in 1979.
His first Sulpician assignment was to the college faculty of Saint Mary’s Seminary, Catonsville, MD, from 1975-1977. There he served as the coordinator of the liturgical and spiritual life program and was Director of Recruitment. He then went west to what was then Saint Patrick’s College, Mountain View, CA, from 1978-1981 to serve as Director of Recruitment, Director of Admissions, and Director of Public Relations.
He was in residence at Saint Joseph’s College, Mountain View, CA, (1981- 1984), formerly Saint Patrick’s College, while completing his doctorate in clinical psychology. After completing his doctorate, he became a part-time faculty member of Saint Joseph’s College from 1983-1991 to serve as the staff psychologist and Director of Admissions. During these years, he also served as therapist for the priests on sabbatical attending the Vatican II Institute at Saint Patrick’s Seminary.
While at Saint Joseph’s College, Father Tucker established a clinical office to serve the needs of priests and religious within Northern California. This office, along with all its contents, was totally destroyed by the Loma Prieta earthquake on October 17, 1989. Following the eventual destruction of Saint Joseph’s College as a result of the earthquake, he was invited to become the Director of Pastoral Services for the Diocese of San Jose, CA from 1991-2004.
He went to serve the growing church in the Southwest by assuming a position on the formation faculty of Assumption Seminary, San Antonio, TX, from 2004-2012.
Father Tucker died on March 23 in his home in San Antonio. His body was flown back to Baltimore where the Mass of Resurrection was celebrated in the chapel of Villa Olier on March 28.
