The Tablet . Stories | Diocese of Brooklyn

The Tablet's Centennial Dinner

Program

April 11, 2008 - Marriott Hotel Near the

Brooklyn Bridge

Cocktails and reception - 6 p.m.

Dinner - 7 p.m.

Master of Ceremonies
Reverend Monsignor Michael J. Hardiman

Invocation
Reverend James K. Cunningham

National Anthem
Sheila Wilkinson

St. Francis de Sales Award Recipients
Joseph H. Farrell
Conway, Farrell, Curtin, and Kelly, PC

Rev. Monsignor Michael J. Hardiman
Chairman - Tablet Board of Directors, 1996-2007

Special presentation to:
Frank DeRosa
Associate Publisher

Dinner

Guest Speaker
His Eminence John Cardinal Foley
Grand Master
Equestrian Order of the Holy Sepulchre of Jerusalem and
Former President
Pontifical Council
For Social Communications

Closing Remarks and Benediction
Most Reverend Nicholas DiMarzio
Bishop of Brooklyn

Tablet Dinner Scene

St. Francis College, Brooklyn was represented by both the outgoing – Dr. Frank Macchiarola — and the incoming president – Brendan Duggan.

Catholic New York, the archdiocesan bi-weekly, sent three staffers, all Tablet alumni – Editor John Woods, Business Manager Matthew Schiller, and Mary Gregory, who worked in the business department.

Dr. Geraldine Chapey, the newly re-elected member of the New York State Board of Regents, attended with her daughter, also Dr. Geraldine Chapey. They are parishioners at St. Francis de Sales, Belle Harbor.

Two priests celebrating golden jubilees and who have ties to The Tablet were there. Msgr. Howard Basler, a former Associate Editor and columnist with 40 years of association with the paper, was joined by his classmate, Msgr. Edward Breen, a former member of the board of directors who delivered the homily at The Tablet’s Centennial Mass on Feb. 24.

Other members of the diocesan hierarchy who showed up included Auxiliary Bishop Ignatius A. Catanello, who led the delegation from Holy Family parish, Fresh Meadows, and retired Auxiliary Bishop Joseph M. Sullivan, who sat with St. Patrick’s, Bay Ridge.

At the Our Lady of Mount Carmel, Williamsburg, table was Gerald Costello, the founding Editor of Catholic New York, who is now serving as acting director of The Christophers, which is doing a search for an executive director after the retirement of Dennis Heaney.

The Seminary of the Immaculate Conception bought a table. Among the guests were Deacons Patrick Longalong and James Rodriguez, both of whom will be ordained for the Diocese of Brooklyn in a few weeks.

Martin Cottingham, director of The Great Irish Fair, was accompanied by his wife, Kathleen. They’re from Holy Name parish, Park Slope.

Principal John Lorenzetti hosted a table of faculty members and friends of St. Edmund’s H.S., Sheepshead Bay, a high school where they’re actually expanding facilities to meet the demands of students.

Former Brooklyn Dodger, Joe Pignatano, who is chairing The Tablet’s celebrity golf classic this summer along with his wife, Nancy, was a guest of The Tablet.

Diocesan Archives sent its director Joseph Coen and the assistant director, Patrick McNamara, who penned the history of The Tablet that was distributed that evening. A limited number of books are still available and are available free of charge by writing to The Tablet, 310 Prospect Park West, Brooklyn, NY, 11215. The work was underwritten by a grant from the diocesan Alive in Hope Foundation.

At the Catholic Charities table was its executive director, Robert Seibel.

Noticeably absent were the members of the diocesan Propagation of the Faith Office, whose director, Father John Brogan, a good friend of The Tablet, was buried that morning. A column by Father Brogan about St. Patrick’s Day appeared in the paper less than a month ago.

It was nice to see Neil Cawley, former director of the diocesan Human Resource Office. He’s now a member of the law staff of Towers Perrin. His wife, Christine, is a current member of The Tablet’s board of directors.

Msgr. Peter Finn, a former director of the Archdiocesan Communications Office under Cardinal O’Connor, was another visitor from across the river.

St. Sebastian’s parish, Woodside, led all parishes with two tables and a third from its school, to support Msgr. Michael Hardiman, former chairman of The Tablet’s board of directors. Msgr. Hardiman, who emceed the dinner, was a surprise recipient of The Tablet’s St. Francis de Sales Award for his outstanding contribution to the diocesan weekly.

The lay recipient of the St. Francis de Sales Award was Joseph Farrell, managing partner of the law firm of Conway, Farrell and Curtin. He was honored for his dedicated support of The Tablet’s annual Bishops’ Celebrity Golf Classic. Joe explained that he always has had special devotion to St. Francis de Sales since he is a member of the parish of the same name in Belle Harbor.

Former Tablet reporters seen were Matthew Monahan, now director of communication for the New York City Dept. of Construction and Design, and Jerry Cronin, who along with his wife Miriam, are awaiting the birth of their second child. They live in St. Rose of Lima parish, Rockaway Beach.

Also nice to see recently retired Msgr. Charles Boccio, pastor emeritus of Immaculate Conception, Astoria, who was up from his retirement home in Florida.

Msgr. Peter Zendzian and Father Thomas Machalski were part of an all-Polish group of Knights and Ladies of the Holy Sepulchre.

Almost 100 members of the Knights and Ladies of the Holy Sepulchre responded to the invitation to support The Tablet and to hear their Grand Master, Cardinal John P. Foley, the main speaker. Seated on the dais were Raymond Teatum, Lieutenant for the Eastern Regency, and Jane Ann McGettrick, a member of Our Lady of Mount Carmel parish, Astoria, and a member of the dinner committee.

Martin Moran, president of the Martin P. Moran fundraising company, had the best keepsake of the evening – a Tablet history book signed by all members of the dais. He presented it to The Tablet for safe keeping in our archives. It will accompany a similar book that he put together at The Tablet’s 75th Anniversary Dinner.

A special presentation to Associate Publisher Frank DeRosa, who is celebrating his 50th anniversary working for the diocese, was mixed up because the gift was still locked in a hotel security room. After the dinner, it was retrieved and presented to Mr. DeRosa and his wife, Lilianne. Mr. DeRosa was the only attendee who could also claim he was present at The Tablet’s 50th Anniversary Dinner in 1958 at Downtown Brooklyn’s Hotel St. George.

Robert Fortunata, a graduate of St. Francis College, was the Brooklyn Marriott’s point man back in 1998 when The Tablet celebrated its 90th anniversary dinner, the first large social event at the then newly opened hotel. As luck would have it, he recently returned to the Marriott’s staff and very ably coordinated the Centennial Dinner.