The 20th annual Columbus Day Communion Mass and Breakfast on Oct. 10 will honor Rev. Richard DeLillio, OSFS, a noted leader in the Oblates and philanthropic community.
Bishop W. Francis Malooly, Bishop of the Catholic Diocese of Wilmington, will be principal celebrant of Mass starting at 7:30 a.m. at St. Anthony’s Roman Catholic Church, 901 N. DuPont St., Wilmington, Del. Following Mass, breakfast will be served at Padua Academy. The event will wrap up just after 10 a.m.
Honoree Rev. DeLillio has held a variety of key ministry roles in his career as an Oblate, including faculty
and leadership positions at Salesianum School; director of vocations for the Wilmington-Philadelphia Province of the Oblates, director of the Oblate Pastoral Field Program, and Deacon Program. He also served as founding president of Nativity Preparatory School of Wilmington.
He has held many academic and leadership roles at Catholic University of America (CUA) in Washington, D.C., including professor of homiletics, chair of the Doctorate of Ministry Committee, and Pastoral Center coordinator. He recently returned to CUA as a clinical associate faculty member in the discipline of Preaching and Pastoral Studies.
He is the author of multiple academic articles and creative works. He also writes the livetodaywell.org blog, published weekly and containing opportunities for reflection and spiritual enrichment for the spiritual journey in the Salesian tradition. He has given retreats for families in Australia, India, and South Africa and in the United States. He is chairman of the Development Committee for Support Our Aging Religious (S.O.A.R) raising funds for retired religious across the United States.
Since its inception, the Columbus Day Breakfast has provided funds for key projects at St. Anthony’s. The installation of the SmartBoard electronic teaching tools throughout St. Anthony of Padua Grade School was largely made possible with funds raised by the breakfast.
St. Anthony of Padua is considered the center of Italian-American culture in Delaware, and is a vibrant faith community engaged in numerous educational and community service ministries. The noted church, a Delaware and national historic landmark, was dedicated in 1926.
The Oblates of St. Francis de Sales are a community of men rooted in teachings of the “gentleman saint,” Francis
de Sales, a noted 16th century French priest who eventually rose to be named Catholic Bishop of Geneva, Switzerland. Today, the Oblates’ regional presence includes nearly 200 priests and brothers, and the order’s Wilmington-Philadelphia Province is headquartered in Wilmington.
HOW TO ATTEND
Please contact Treasurer Mike Malchione to reserve a table or individual tickets. Call (302) 652-4194, Ext. 122, or e-mail: mmalchione@dossnet.com.