It is with sadness that the Center for Migration Studies (CMS) announces the passing of Fr. Lydio F. Tomasi, C.S., on February 1, 2024, at the St. Raphael House in Bassano del Grappa, Italy. Fr. Lydio entered the Missionaries of Saint Charles-Scalabrinians in 1957 and was ordained to the priesthood in 1962.

After the founding of the Center for Migration Studies by his brother, Cardinal Silvano M. Tomasi, Fr. Lydio served as its executive director for over 30 years, developing the institution in important ways. He organized the annual conference, In Defense of the Alien, held in Washington, D.C., which focused on U.S. migration and refugee law and policy.