Share
Italian-American Herald
The 23rd annual Columbus Day Communion Mass and Breakfast will be held on Oct. 14, beginning with a 7:30 a.m. Mass at St. Anthony of Padua Church, with Bishop W. Francis Malooly, bishop of the Catholic Diocese of Wilmington, serving as principal celebrant.
The homilist will be the Very Rev. Lewis Fiorelli, OSFS, recently installed as Provincial of the Wilmington-Philadelphia Province of the Oblates of St. Francis de Sales. Following the Mass, the breakfast will be held at the Cafetorium of Padua Academy. The event will wrap up just after 10 a.m.
This year’s recipient of the Rev. Roberto Balducelli, OSFS, Memorial Award will be Robert F. Martinelli, CEO and president of Today Media, a family-owned media company that specializes in regional publications, events, websites and custom communications that help people get the most out of living in their communities.
Martinelli started in the second-generation family business in 1982 as publisher of Delaware Today magazine, which celebrates its 57th birthday this year. In 1996, Rob started Main Line Today magazine, and in September 2014 Today Media launched the Delaware Business Times, serving the Delaware market with local business information in print, online and in-person with numerous events.
Today Media has been publishing the Delaware Valley Italian American Herald for the past five years.
Martinelli holds a law degree and is admitted to the New York State Bar, but does not currently practice. He is a graduate of Holy Cross College in Massachusetts and Pace University School of Law in New York. He is a member of the Past Presidents’ Council of the City and Regional Magazine Association, the largest trade organization for city and regional magazines. He served as the group’s president in 2003, and in 2012 he received the Lifetime Achievement Award from the organization.
His community involvement includes Big Brothers/Big Sisters of Delaware, where he is a past president and now sits on the Board of Directors. He is president of the Today Media Charitable Foundation, which runs the “Best Of” parties for the local magazines. These parties have raised hundreds of thousands of dollars for children’s charities and cultural arts groups. In July 2000, he received the Delaware State Chapter of the March of Dimes Medal of Honor — its highest award for service and commitment, and in November 2000 the Jane Maroney Advocacy Award in recognition of tireless efforts in advocacy for Delaware’s mothers and babies.
He was named Man of the Year in 2014 by the Christopher Columbus Monument Committee. He is also a member of the Board of Trustees and Nominating Committee of Christiana Care, and a member of the board of the Pete du Pont Freedom Foundation.
Martinelli is a patron of Italian-American culture, as evidenced by his leadership role in ensuring the Delaware Valley Italian-American Herald continues to flourish, and in his service as a Board member and Past President of the Delaware’s Societá da Vinci.
He is married to Alice; has a daughter Christen, a graduate of Delaware Law School of Widener University who is practicing law in New Jersey; and a stepdaughter Jackie, who has a master’s degree in broadcast journalism and is with CBS “60 Minutes.”
To reserve tickets or a table at the event, contact Mike Malchione at mmalchione@dossnet.com, or call (302) 652-4194, Ext. 122. Reservations are also accepted online at: https://squareup.com/store/sapgs. IAH
Premier Digital Partners
