Caritas awards gala

WHIPPANY  Catholic Charities presented awards on Nov. 3 to two staff members, a parish and a family for their longtime dedication and efforts “toiling tirelessly and joyfully” to assist its agencies in giving much-needed help and hope to the poor and marginalized at the 2018 Caritas Gala at the Birchwood Manor here.

At the annual dinner-dance fundraiser, Catholic Charities recognized the following honorees with awards: Corpus Christi Parish, Chatham Township, and Msgr. James Mahoney, its pastor, with the Bishop’s Award; Anna DeMolli, director of Child Education Services for Straight & Narrow, the agency’s substance-abuse-treatment program in Paterson, with the DPD Award; Carlos Roldan, director of the food pantry at the Father English Community Center, Paterson, with the Catholic Family & Community Services (CFCS) Award; and the Murray family with the Department of Persons with Disabilities’ (DPD) Award.

In his welcome, Scott Milliken, CEO of Catholic Charities, thanked the audience from around the Diocese and beyond for their attendance and support. “I join everyone here tonight in thanking each of you honored for your contributions to the most vulnerable in our community. I want to thank you — our wonderful staff and volunteers, religious and vendors — for your generous contributions to Catholic Charities through direct donations and through funds collected through the Bishop’s Annual Appeal each year. You enable us to better serve thousands of those in need of help with addictions and disabilities; those needing food and shelter and clothing; assisting our veterans; improving child welfare; and assisting with health care and those dealing with tragedies, facing homelessness or with just no hope. We here at Catholic Charities in our Diocese provide that hope,” he said.

In his invocation, Msgr. Herbert Tillyer, Catholic Charities board president and pastor of St. Peter the Apostle Parish, Parsippany, prayed, “We re-commit ourselves to sacrificially helping our brothers and sisters, who are physically and sometimes spiritually disadvantaged.” The priest asked God to bless the staff, volunteers, donors and clients at Catholic Charities.

Before the awards ceremony, Chris Brancato, development director of Catholic Charities, told the audience, “We thank Bishop Serratelli and the wonderful people of the Diocese, our sponsors and the many people who came out to the Caritas Gala. The 2018 Caritas honorees represent Christ’s love for us all. The Catholic Charities family is truly blessed.”

Bishop Serratelli presented the Bishop’s Award to Corpus Christi, led by Msgr. Mahoney, who also serves as diocesan vicar general and moderator of the Curia, and Father Lemmuel Camacho, Corpus Christi’s parochial vicar. The parish held the annual Casey Golf Classic in support of DPD for more than 35 years. Corpus Christi also supports Catholic Charities in hands-on projects, such as food and clothing drives and raising funds. Also, parishioners give of their time and resources with many of the agency’s outreaches, while Msgr. Mahoney “has quietly, yet significantly,” supported Catholic Charities, according to the gala program.

“Msgr. Mahoney, your parish is dedicated to Corpus Christi: the Body of Christ. Under your wise and compassionate leadership, your parish, by its generous and continued outreach to so many, is truly bread for those in need,” Bishop Serratelli said.

In response, Msgr. Mahoney thanked Catholic Charities and Bishop Serratelli for the award and the Corpus Christi staff and parishioners for their passion and commitment to help the disadvantaged.

“The essential nature of Corpus Christi is support for Catholic Charities and for all those who are in need. It’s a privilege to serve those who are poor,” Msgr. Mahoney said.

Sam Pirozzi, executive director of Straight & Narrow, and Dharmesh Parikh, its chief financial officer, presented the Straight & Narrow Award to DeMolli. In 1995, Straight & Narrow started a day-care center, “allowing mothers to focus on their treatment needs, while their children are safely cared for.” Within a year, it started to enroll its 3- and 4-year-olds in the Early Childhood Education Program, directed by DeMolli. In 2010, DeMolli, who has 46 years of experience in education in various roles, joined the Straight & Narrow staff to manage its two day-care centers, Parikh said.

“Anna is an outstanding leader with a clear vision and is well-respected among the administration, her staff and the parents of the children. Dr. DeMolli, thank you so much for your time and contributions, allowing us to transform the day-care centers into what they are today,” Parikh said.

In response, DeMolli thanked Catholic Charities for the “wonderful” award. She told the audience, “Our schools house a growing nation. Inside those walls, we are nurturing a culture and we are building a society.” Schools also instill values, such as “promoting human dignity, everyone’s welfare and the common good like compassion, caring, justice, empathy, and respect for self and others.” In her talk, the wife of Bruce DeMolli, the former N.J. State Deputy of the Knights of Columbus, challenged the audience to help promote these values.

Chris Barton, executive director of CFCS, presented the CFCS Award to Roldan, who has been director of the Father English Food Pantry for more than 25 years. Today, it serves up to 125 clients each day. Roldan picks up donations, meets clients in need and coordinates with other agencies. He also led the recovery of the Father English Food Pantry after it was destroyed by fire in November 2017, by ensuring that no clients went hungry.

“For more than 25 years, Carlos has had the needs of the community and the food pantry at his attention, taking the pantry from a mere closet to a mini-grocery store and transforming the pantry from a hand-out to a dignified shopping experience,” Barton said. “Carlos embraces those who are poor and those in need and welcomes them into the food pantry. We are proud to have you as part of our Catholic Charities family,” she said.

Roldan explained that his commitment to the poor originated from having gone to bed hungry at eight-years-old in his native Colom­bia. “We are not just giving a bag of food; we are creating hope. I was chosen to do this and I’m happy to do it. I’m proud of being part of Catholic Charities,” Roldan said.

Joanna Miller, DPD’s associate executive director, presented the DPD Award to the Murray family. The family has drawn inspiration from little Jimmie, and his parents, Kit and James. As a young boy, Jimmie sustained brain damage and was cared for in Woodbine State Home, until he died in his teens in 1969. Two years later, Father John Wehrlen, DPD’s founder, named the agency’s first home, Murray House, after Jimmie. Today, Murray House is the longest running group home in N.J.

For five generations, the Murrays have supported DPD’s programs and other Catholic Charities initiatives. Family members chair the annual Murray House dinner-dance and have served on many boards, including Jimmie’s brother, Dennis, past board member at DPD and current vice president of Catholic Charities’ Board of Trustees; another brother, Joseph, who volunteered at Father English; and his brother-in-law Albert, past member of CFCS’s board. Their late sister, Marilyn, volunteered at DePaul Catholic High School, Wayne, and St. Philip the Apostle Parish, Clifton. Today, a new generation of Murrays has been volunteering and raising funds for the cause. “The Murray family is an amazing family. An unprecedented five generations have provided help and hope for those in need,” Miller said.

Dennis Murray, who spoke for his family, said, “The spirit of advocacy that started with Jim and Kit remains with us today with the values that they taught us: that a strong faith in God is paramount for living a good life; that family always comes first; and that there is always someone who needs help. The Murray family is honored to be a small part of the ongoing compassionate work of Catholic Charities.”