By John Alexander
MANHASSET, N.Y. — After taking a mulligan due to inclement weather last month, the much-anticipated 27th Annual Bishop’s Golf Classic finally had its day at the North Hills Country Club.
Last month’s outing, on July 21, was canceled halfway through the event after severe thunderstorms caused a power outage.
North Hills, located in Manhasset, New York, rescheduled the outing to conclude on Monday, August 22. The event saw participants hit the greens for the final nine holes of the annual golf classic, which raises funds for and awareness of charities that support the mission of the Catholic Church in the Diocese of Brooklyn.
This year’s theme was education, and the beneficiary was Cristo Rey Brooklyn High School, which partners with families to “educate deserving young people from underserved communities to become men and women of faith, purpose, and service.”
Over the past 26 years, the Bishop’s Golf Classic has raised more than $1.7 million for worthy causes throughout the diocese.
DeSales Media Chief Executive Officer Bill Maier welcomed guests to the awards presentation and made the room laugh with his opening line: “Time flies, it seems we were just here.”
He thanked everyone for coming back and explained that the golf outing began 27 years ago as a fundraiser for The Tablet and added that the true roots of DeSales Media Group, which is the ministry that produces The Tablet, are firmly planted in education and that the commitment continues today within the Diocese of Brooklyn.
Bishop Robert J. Brennan explained how important the mission of DeSales is in the world of media and communications.
He also thanked this year’s honorees, Bishop Emeritus Nicholas DiMarzio and Robert B. Catell.
“Everything goes back over Bishop DiMarzio’s 18 years here,” explained Bishop Brennan. “I walk in here now and have the fortunate job of building on that. Thank you, Bishop DiMarzio, for your vision and all your sacrifices.”
Bishop Brennan also called Catell an old friend and said that he was “a great support and a great counsel to me.”
Currents News anchor Christine Persichette hosted the awards ceremony.
“This is the first time I’m working for a Catholic news station, and my mother told me, ‘Christine, I’ve never been so proud of you.’ ”
Bishop Emeritus DiMarzio was this year’s clerical honoree. He told The Tablet that it was wonderful to participate in the DeSales annual golf outing with the purpose of giving to charity.
“This is a guaranteed $100,000 that they will donate to some charity, and this year it’s Cristo Rey Brooklyn High School,” he said. “It’s great that it’s going to a school that has been established here in Brooklyn, and this funding is going to help them quite a bit.”
Catell, the former chairman of the Brooklyn Chamber of Commerce and chief executive officer of KeySpan Corporation and KeySpan Energy Delivery, was the lay honoree.
Catell also serves as chairman of the board of Cristo Rey Brooklyn High School. He told The Tablet that he was truly honored to be recognized this year, especially in the company of Bishop DiMarzio, whom he credited with having had the original vision for Cristo Rey.
“He has done so much in his time as Bishop of Brooklyn, and he has always made it a cause to always help those people in need of help,” Catell said. “It started with his work on behalf of immigrants and then Cristo Rey. In fact, Cristo Rey high school would not be here if it wasn’t for Bishop DiMarzio.”
Catell also thanked DeSales Media Group for all its efforts and all the funds and support that they have given to Cristo Rey, including the $100,000 check that was presented to the school at this year’s event.
So you might say that while the July 21 outing was a washout, the re-do was a hole-in-one.