March 25, 2025

OBITUARY: Father Vitor M. Oliveira

REGIONAL
Staff report

LUDLOW – Father Vitor Oliveira, the former, longtime pastor of Our Lady of Fatima Parish in Ludlow, died Saturday, March 22. He was 80 years old.

The son of the late Joao and Conceicao Oliveira, he was born in Setubal, Portugal on Dec. 26, 1944. After serving in the Portuguese Air Force, he attended Seminario Dos Olivais. With the help of his uncle, Father Joel Oliveira, he came to the United States and attended St. John’s Seminary in Brighton, Mass. He was ordained May 19, 1973 in the  the Archdiocese of Boston. He celebrated his first Mass at St. Anthony Parish in Cambridge and later served in Quebec, Canada and the Diocese of Newark, N.J. before coming to the Diocese of Springfield.

He was the pastor of Our Lady of Fatima Parish in Ludlow, where he served for more than 30 years until his retirement in 2021. Father Oliveira had an extensive creche collection which he shared with the parish and wider community. The mangers, which he collected from around the world, are on display at the Fatima museum, located on the church campus. It was featured in the Christmas 2023 edition of The Catholic Mirror.

Father Oliveira said that even as the Nativities show the diversity and uniqueness of those countries and people, they also demonstrate “how important the birth of Jesus is to humanity.” And all of them embody one important lesson.

“To me, it’s the simplicity of the Divinity: Mary, Joseph, and the baby. They are beautiful to me; they were always in my heart and are in my heart,” he said.

Father Oliveira is survived by his aunt Amalia Oliveira and his cousins Ana Cristina Pereira and Goncalo Pereira, all in Portugal. He also leaves his beloved dog, Jake.

Visitation will be Wednesday, March 26, at Our Lady of Fatima Church, 438 Winsor Street, Ludlow from 4-7 p.m., concluding with a bi-lingual Rosary Service.

A Mass of Christian Burial will be celebrated by Bishop William D. Byrne on Thursday, March 27 at 11 a.m. in the church. Entombment will follow in Most Holy Redeemer Mausoleum at the Gate of Heaven Cemetery, Tinkham Road in Springfield.