Fr. William Alfred Wilder, OP (1935-2025)

Fr. William Alfred Wilder, OP, was born in New Mexico on April 4, 1935. After a brief illness, he died at Our Lady of Wisdom in New Orleans, Louisiana, on February 4, 2025.

Fr. Alfred received a B.A. and M.A. from Harvard University, a philosophy degree from the Dominican House of Studies, a theology degree from St. Rose, and a Ph.D. from Fordham University.

Fr. Alfred joined the Province of St. Albert the Great, completing his novitiate at St. Peter Martyr Priory in Winona, Minnesota, in 1959. He professed simple vows at St. Peter Martyr on August 31, 1959, and solemn vows at the Dominican House of Studies in River Forest, Illinois, on August 31, 1962.

Fr. Alfred was ordained to the diaconate and priesthood at St. Rose in Dubuque, Iowa, on December 8, 1965, and June 5, 1965, respectively.

He joined the Province of St. Martin de Porres when it was formed on December 8, 1979.

For Fr. Alfred’s first assignment, he was a professor at St. Rose Priory. Next, he was a professor at Wadham Hall in Ogdensburg, New York. Fr. Alfred then embarked on the longest ministry of his lifetime, serving as a professor at the Angelicum in Rome from 1975 through 2010. During his time at the Angelicum, he served as the Dean of Theology and the Vicar General of the Order for the Monastery of Nuns at Fatima. He also served as prior and subprior on multiple occasions.

During the summers in Rome, Fr. Alfred returned to the United States to assist at St. Joseph Parish in Ponchatoula, Louisiana. After returning permanently to the United States, Fr. Alfred’s final ministerial assignment was serving as chaplain for the Dominican Sisters of St. Cecilia in Nashville, Tennessee. In 2020, he went on limited service and resided at St. Dominic Priory in New Orleans, later moving to Our Lady of Wisdom, where he remained until his death.