Caritas Gala

WHIPPANY  Catholic Charities in the Diocese of Paterson will honor five people at its annual Caritas Gala to be held Saturday, Nov. 4, at the Birchwood Manor here.

At the gala, Father Patrick O’Donovan will receive the Bishop’s Award; Msgr. Herbert Tillyer will receive the Straight & Narrow Award; Donna Fico will receive the Catholic Family & Community Services Award; and Diane and Kevin Cavanagh, will receive the Department for Persons with Disabilities Award.

Tim Potter, the Diocese’s director of development, said, “Father Paddy has been an ongoing and committed supporter of the work of Catholic Charities. Just as important is his advocacy for the poor and the marginalized. Through his example, he has encouraged others to be good stewards of their time, talent and financial resources by participating in the mission of Catholic Charities in the Paterson Diocese.”
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Father Patrick O’Donovan, pastor of Notre Dame of Mount Carmel Parish in Cedar Knolls, was born in Bruff, County Limerick, Ireland. He studied at St. Patrick National School and St. Muchins College, Limerick, before completing his studies for the priesthood at St. Patrick College, Carlow, Ireland. He was ordained to the priesthood on June 10, 1972 in the Cathedral of the Assumption in Carlow, and celebrated his first Mass of Thanksgiving the following day in his home parish, Ss. Peter and Paul in Bruff.

He dreamed of one day serving as a priest in the U.S. since his father was employed here for a time. Recognizing these blessings, “I decided it was time to give back to the good people in the U.S. through priestly service,” said Father Paddy. Father Paddy’s first assignment in the U. S. was at St. Joseph Parish, Newton, serving as parochial vicar as well as teaching theology part-time at Pope John XXIII High School, Sparta. In 1977 he was appointed parochial vicar of St. Patrick, Chatham, where he was also moderator of the youth ministry program.

He received his master’s degree in education from Fordham University, the Bronx, N.Y. in 1979. He left St. Patrick’s in 1991 when he was appointed to serve as Campus Minister at Drew University in Madison and the Madison-Florham Park campus of Fairleigh Dickinson University. From 1996 to 2015, he served as pastor of the Church of Christ the King, New Vernon, before becoming pastor of Notre Dame Parish. He serves as chaplain for the N.J. Professional Golf Association and has given back to numerous causes including Catholic Charities, Kindred Hospice, Visiting Nurses Association, and has advocated for the poor, marginalized and forgotten.
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“It is truly a pleasure for Straight & Narrow to honor Msgr. Herbert Tillyer as a Caritas Award recipient,” said Sam Pirozzi, executive director of Straight & Narrow. “Msgr. Tillyer, a board member, has been a consistent and fundamental cornerstone of the development of our organization since the early 1970s. His continued support has allowed us to become a leader in the substance abuse treatment. His vision and knowledge has provided the agency with the professional and spiritual guidance needed to work with the life and death disease of addiction. He has been there to guide the agency in its expansion of treatment services and enhance the quality of services provided while maintaining the core mission of Catholic Charities: ‘providing help — creating hope.’ ”

Msgr. Tillyer is pastor of St. Peter the Apostle Parish in Parsippany. His first assignment was at St. Virgil Parish, Morris Plains, after he was ordained in 1968 by Bishop Lawrence Casey. He was then assigned to Paterson Catholic High School. Bishop Casey assigned him as the temporary Vice Chancellor in 1974. Under Bishop Rodimer, he was appointed in 1977 as the Chancellor of the Diocese and then in 1999 as the Vicar General. His “temporary” service at the Diocese was complete in 2005 after 31 years working for three bishops. In 1986, he became a pastor of St. Paul Parish in Prospect Park. His assignment as pastor of St. Peter the Apostle Parish began in 1994.
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“The Department for Persons with Disabilities family is proud to honor Diane and Kevin Cavanagh at the 2017 Caritas Gala,” said Scott Milliken, DPD’s executive director. “Diane Cavanagh has been a member of DPD’s board of trustees for more than 15 years. Throughout her tenure, she has exhibited the tenets of Catholic social teaching, serving people with intellectual and developmental disabilities with dignity and pride. Under her guidance, DPD expanded its Gruenert Center and put greater focus on individuals with autism. When DPD opened the Gruenert Center Special Needs Program, Diane was there to help get this program off the ground. Both Diane and Kevin are active in their communities and are dedicated to helping those in need.”

Kevin Cavanagh serves as Chief Financial Officer at McGivney, Kluger & Cook, Florham Park, and Diane Cavanagh is a professor in the Department of Special Education at East Stroudsburg University, Pa. They live in Andover, and have four children. Parishioners of Our Lady of the Lake (OLL) in Sparta, their children attended Rev. Brown School and Pope John XXIII High School, Sparta. At their parish, they served in the pre Cana program and Family Promise. He is past grand knight of Marquette Council 588 and presently serves on the OLL Parish Advisory Board. She is past president of the Columbiettes, and presently is an Extraordinary Minister of Holy Communion. She has served on the boards of DPD, Pocono Parents of Children with Down Syndrome, Equi-Librium and as a volunteer for Pennsylvania Special Olympics and Pocono Buddy Walk.
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Chris Barton, executive director of Catholic Family & Community Services, said, “Donna Fico has been a driving force behind the explosive growth and development for Eva’s Village and has been the champion for public awareness of the Eva’s Village programs. Directly, and indirectly, Donna has changed thousands of lives using her gifts and talents to serve the poor and vulnerable.”

Fico is Vice President, Supportive Services, at Eva’s Village in Paterson. Earlier, she had served as executive director of Tri-County Scholarship Fund. She worked closely with schools and students receiving assistance and was inspired to help them receive an education that changed their lives. She worked at the former Paterson Catholic High School (1997 — 2002) as Director of Development, which fueled her desire to pursue teaching. Prior to joining Eva’s Village in 2007, she took a five-year hiatus from fundraising and received her master’s degree in education. She has served as a member of the faculty at the former Bayley-Ellard High School, Madison; Morris Catholic High School, Denville, and St. Brendan School, Clifton.

She first joined Eva’s Village as Chief Marketing Officer, responsible for a departmental reorganization. In 2012 she became the Director of Marketing and Education, establishing a child care department and culinary training school. In 2015 her role shifted to Senior Director of Program and Resource Development.

She is a former president of the Association for Fundraising Professionals, N.J. Chapter. Fico is a member of Corpus Christi Parish, Chatham Twp. and sings in the choir. She lives in Madison, with her husband and two daughters. She considers her work in social services to be a blessing and is grateful for the opportunity to have a career which allows her to intimately experience the Corporal Works of Mercy. [Information/tickets: Chris Brancato,

[email protected] or (973) 406-1104.]