St. Joseph's Seminary Dinner to Honor Msgr. Finn, Mauro Romita

Msgr. Peter G. Finn, rector of St. Joseph's Seminary from 2001 to 2007, and Mauro C. Romita, member of the seminary's board of trustees, will be honored at the 10th annual St. Joseph's Seminary Dinner.

The dinner will take place at the seminary in Dunwoodie on Tuesday, Sept. 30, at 6 p.m. Earlier in the month the seminary will commence its 112th year of priestly formation.

Cardinal Egan is the honorary dinner chairman. Welcoming guests will be Auxiliary Bishop Gerald T. Walsh, rector of St. Joseph's Seminary and vicar of development for the archdiocese.

Msgr. Finn, who is now co—regional vicar of Staten Island and pastor of Blessed Sacrament parish there, studied at St. Joseph's Seminary, was ordained to the priesthood in 1965 and was named a monsignor in 1986. From 1974 to 1976, he was a district superintendent for schools on Staten Island and associate superintendent of schools for the archdiocese. He was principal of Msgr. Farrell High School, Staten Island, 1977—1983. He served as director of communications for the archdiocese from 1983 to 1989. From 1989 to 2001, he was pastor of St. JosephÐSt. Thomas parish on Staten Island. He is currently a member of the Priests' Council and the Board of Consultors of the archdiocese.

Mauro C. Romita is a longtime member of the seminary's board of trustees and development committee. A resident of Pelham Manor, he is chief operating officer of the Castle Oil Corporation, the largest independent owner—operator of petroleum terminals and distributor of fuel oil in the metropolitan area. A member of the American Association of the Sovereign Military Order of Malta, he is a recipient of the Ellis Island Foundation's Medal of Honor. He and his wife, Camille, are the parents of three grown children.

Dinner chairpersons are Lisa D'Urso of Manhattan and Kevin J. Keane of White Plains. Ms. D'Urso is a member of the board of trustees of St. Patrick's Cathedral. Keane, who is managing partner of O'Connor, Davies, Munns and Dobbins, is on the boards of the Westchester Community College Foundation and the Inner—City Scholarship Fund, Westchester Division.

Dr. Jennifer Pascual, director of music at St. Patrick's Cathedral and professor of music at Dunwoodie, will offer a musical interlude for the guests. She is the current holder of the Msgr. Richard B. Curtin and Rev. Anthony D. Sorgie Chair in Sacred Music, an academic chair in place at St. Joseph's.

Mark Ackermann, executive director of the Archdiocese's Office of the Papal Visit, will make a special presentation to Bishop Walsh commemorating the visit of Pope Benedict XVI to St. Joseph's on April 19. The Holy Father met with young people with disabilities in the seminary's chapel and led a rally with more than 30,000 seminarians and young people on Dunwoodie's backfield.

The event will begin with a reception in the seminary cloister at 6 p.m., followed by dinner in the refectory at 7:30 p.m.

Tickets: $500; tables, $5,000. Reservations: Jeannie Stapleton Smith, (914) 968—6200, ext. 8292.

Return to CNY Homepage