and attended St. Joseph Elementary School 1937-45, St. Mary’s High School, Berkeley 1945-48, and St. Anthony Seminary, Santa Barbara 1948-49.
Responding to a call to Religious Life, he attended the Franciscan Novitiate and San Luis Rey College, San Luis Rey, 1949-54, and Franciscan Theological Seminary, Santa Barbara, 1954-58, graduating with a BA in Theology in 1958. He later pursued post graduate studies at the University of Portland and the University of San Francisco.
Fr. Cardoza was ordained a Franciscan priest (OFM) for the California Province on December 21,1957, at Old Mission Santa Barbara, by Most Rev. Alden Bell.
He served in various parishes in Arizona, Washington, Oregon, and Utah, and as retreat master in the Franciscan Renewal Center, Scottsdale, Ariz.
In 1967 he entered the Air Force as Chaplan to the Military Archdiocese. He served as Air Force Chaplain in many bases in the United States, as well as South Vietnam, Germany, and England, and lastly March Air Force Base in Riverside. He retired from the Air Force in 1988 with the rank of Colonel, transferirng from the Diocese of Salt Lake City to the Diocese of San Bernardino, and was incardinated in 1991 by Most Rev. Phillip F. Straling.
In his retiring years, he continued priestly ministry at St. Thomas the Apostle, Riverside and at St. Vincent Ferrer, Menifee.
Funeral Mass was on December 20 at St. Thomas the Apostle Church, Riverside and internment was at Riverside National Cemetery, Riverside.