MANHATTAN — The Cathedral Club of Brooklyn held its 120th anniversary dinner at the Sheraton New York Times Square Hotel in Manhattan on Feb. 6.
At the event, the Catholic lay organization for the Diocese of Brooklyn honored Thomas J. Grech, the president and CEO of the Queens Chamber of Commerce.
Grech, who grew up in Astoria, has led the largest business association in Queens since 2015.
When addressing the guests, Grech spoke about being the first in his family to attend college. He also recognized the impact of his Catholic upbringing and education.
He attended schools in Rockville Centre, L.I., including St. Agnes Cathedral School and St. Pius X Preparatory Seminary. He graduated from the University of Scranton, a Jesuit college in Pennsylvania, and earned his MBA at Manhattan College.
At the end of his speech, Grech asked club members to rise to thank all the clergy present in the room.
FDNY Commissioner Daniel Nigro was the keynote speaker. He also spoke about the value of Catholic education, as his granddaughter attends Holy Cross H.S. in Flushing.
The Cathedral Club aims to promote the interests of the church. Proceeds from the dinner supported the Club’s scholarship grants, which fund scholarships awarded to Catholic high school students in Brooklyn and Queens.
Cathedral Club President Brian Long spoke about the Club’s mission.
“What we do as a group is we address Catholic issues addressing the church, in a socialized setting — different social events, Christmas parties, golf outings and we raise money.”
Bishop Nicholas DiMarzio was given the Lifetime Achievement Award.
Tim Harfmann contributed to this report.