Meet Fr. Joe Davanzo

By Jackie Giacone                     

Watching him celebrate mass and greeting parishioners afterward, it is hard to imagine Father Joe Davanzo doing anything else. But upon graduation from St. John’s University with a B.S. degree in Accounting, Fr. Joe joined one of the top accounting firms in Manhattan . He became a CPA at Ernst and Whinney (now Ernst and Young) where he worked as an auditor. After a few years there he worked as a financial analyst for Amerada Hess Corp.  

While moving up the corporate ladder, Fr. Joe’s thoughts were never far from the church. He credits his family for instilling in him a strong foundation of faith. Growing up in Rosedale, Queens , he, along with his parents, brother and two sisters were active in St. Clare’s parish. His family lived across the street from the church and they had the opportunity to really get to know the priests who served there. Fr. Joe was an altar server, and during his high school and college years worked in the rectory as a receptionist. “This is where the seeds of my vocation were sown,” he explains. “I worked there several days a week and observed the priests and had constant interaction with them. I saw the way they lived, worked, served and the way they interacted with people. I could see myself doing this type of work.”  

The mid-1990’s were a time of corporate downsizing for many companies. During this time Fr. Joe contemplated how the possibility of perhaps losing his job would affect his life. He came to the realization that he would not be upset if he lost his job, and that he could not see himself in the world of finance for the rest of his life.  

During this time he also met a seminarian from the Diocese of Brooklyn who had been assigned at St. Clare’s to do his “pastoral” year at the parish. (This is an “internship” year for seminarians.) “I had many opportunities to talk with him and get to know him,” says Fr. Joe. “I asked questions about how he arrived at his decision to enter the seminary. He really de-mystified it for me, explaining it in terms I could relate to.” To assist the parish seminarian, the pastor at St. Clare’s formed a support group for him. Fr. Joe was a member of the group. “We had one meeting at the Seminary of the Immaculate Conception in Lloyd Harbor , and I had the chance to meet other seminarians,” says Fr. Joe looking back. “I found them to be nice, regular people and I was impressed.”  

“During this time the many seeds of my vocation grew and intersected, and this led to my decision to enter the Seminary,” explains Fr. Joe. His decision to become a priest was particularly solidified after his own “pastoral” year in 1994 -1995 at Our Lady Queen of Martyrs in Centerport, where Monsignor Peter Ryan was his mentor. It was here he had a taste of parish life by working with the family mass committee, teaching religious education classes, bringing communion to the sick and assisting in the planning of liturgical celebrations.  

Father Davanzo was ordained in 1997 and assigned to St. Hugh of Lincoln in Huntington Station . After a five-year assignment, he went on to serve St. Joseph ’s parish in Kings Park for three years. And now, his work at St. Agnes brings him closer to the people who instilled in him a love of God – his family. “For the first time in 12 years I am near my family. They live in Valley Stream, Garden City, East Hills and Wantagh . It is nice to be near them.”  

“I am very happy to be here,” continued Father Davanzo. “This is a large parish and I am busier than I’ve ever been before. I am the moderator of the Respect Life Group and the Parish Liturgy Committee. I will also be active at the school, visiting the seventh and eighth grade students. In addition to my duties as a parish priest, I also work with the Diocesan Office of Worship as coordinator of liturgical events that take place in the cathedral.”

“I’m also very happy to live here because of the priests in the rectory. Among priests, Msgr. Kelly has a wonderful reputation as pastor. Msgr. Brennan and I were in St. John’s University at the same time, and I knew him there. Fr. Stephen and I were classmates at the Seminary. We were ordained together after having spent 5 years in formation. I knew Fr. Jaime when he was still a deacon at St. Anthony of Padua in East Northport, the parish right next door to me, while I was at St. Joseph ’s in Kings Park

Fr. Joe has met so many parishioners here at St. Agnes and is looking forward to meeting so many more. Remembering all the names will be a great challenge, but he’ll try. “I’m so happy and impressed to see so many young families and children coming to church each weekend. It’s very encouraging for the future of the parish and the Church as a whole. And I’m looking forward to several years of serving the people here.”