Members of the Western Dominican Province were deeply saddened by the death of Fr. Albert Felice-Pace, O.P., on October 21, 2025, his 90th birthday.

Fr. Albert was born in the town of Hamrun on the island of Malta to Salvatore and Vincenza (Bonnici) Felice-Pace. After completing high school in Hamrun, he received the Dominican habit as a novice in Rabat, Malta in 1953, and made his simple profession the following year. He studied philosophy and theology at St. Thomas Aquinas College in Rabat, and was ordained in Valletta, Malta, on April 2, 1960.

Hearing that the Dominicans in California needed assistance, he and his good friend, Fr. David Farrugia, O.P., volunteered to go. Upon arrival in California, Fr. Albert was made the associate pastor at St. Mary Magdalen Church in Berkeley for a year, then served in the same role at St. Dominic’s Church in Los Angeles until 1969. It was in Los Angeles, as a campus minister at Occidental College, that Fr. Albert first experienced ministry to university students.

After serving as Master of Students and Lecturer in Pastoral Theology for the friars in formation at the Priory of St. Albert the Great in Oakland, Fr. Albert became the co-director and campus minister at St. Andrew’s Catholic Campus Ministry at the University of California, Riverside. He also served there as the religious superior, and as the Director of Adult Education and the Charismatic Renewal for the Diocese of Bakersfield. 

Having become a naturalized citizen of the United States in 1973, he transfiliated from the Province of Malta to the Province of the Most Holy Name of Jesus in 1979. For over 25 years, Fr. Albert served as the director of the Catholic campus ministries at Arizona State University, the University of Arizona, the University of Oregon and University of Nevada in Las Vegas. During this time, in addition to earning an MA in Religious Education from the University of San Francisco, he served as the Director of the Frank J. Lewis Institute for New Campus Ministers (1993-96), as a member of the Executive Board of the National Catholic Campus Ministry Association (1996-2002) and on the Executive Board of the National Diocesan Directors of Campus Ministry (1998-2002). He received the Forsyth Award for Outstanding Service to Campus Ministry in 1995, and in 2012 published An Abridged History of Catholic Campus Ministry.

In addition to his ministry, Fr. Albert served his Dominican brothers as the provincial promoter for campus ministry, as a member of the provincial council, and as the local superior of various communities. He was a beloved father-figure, brother, mentor, and pastor to many. Whenever he was asked, “Fr. Albert, how are you,” he always smiled and said, “I am Blessed.”

He is survived by his brothers, Salvatore and Richard and sister-in-law, Gemma; his sister Carmen (Azzopardi) and brother-in-law, John; brother-in-law Alfred Pollacco and sister-in-law Josephine (Minuti) Felice-Pace, as well as many nieces and nephews.

Memorial and Funeral arrangements are as follows:

Sunday, November 2, 2025
7:00pm -- Vigil at Guardian Angel Cathedral in Las Vegas, NV (302 Cathedral Way)

Monday, November 3, 2025
10:30am -- Funeral Mass at Guardian Angel Cathedral in Las Vegas, NV

Wednesday, November 5, 2025
10:00am -- Burial at St. Dominic Cemetery in Benicia, CA (585 Hillcrest Avenue)

To make a gift in memory of Fr. Albert Felice-Pace, O.P., please click the button below and you will be directed to the UNLV Catholic Newman Center