Cathedral Club holds annual memorial service

The prestigious Cathedral Club of Brooklyn, which was founded in the Brooklyn Catholic Diocese on March 1, 1900, held its annual memorial mass at Our Lady of Angels Church, Fourth Avenue and 73rd Street, on Saturday morning, Nov. 16. For many years prior, this service was held at the Sacred Heart Chapel on the magnificent grounds of the former Visitation Monastery at 8209 Ridge Boulevard, which was established there in 1903.

Upon entering and leaving OLA, a piper and drummer from Xaverian H.S. played near the entrance to the church and members of the Knights of the Equestrian Order of the Holy Sepulchre of Jerusalem served as the honor guard for the procession of  Bishop Robert Brennan, the priests, altar servers and Cathedral Club officers and members.

In addition to Bishop Brennan, who serves as the club’s spiritual director, the mass  was co-celebrated by Father Kevin  Abels, the club chaplain, pastor of OLA and nearby St. Andrew the Apostle Church.

The memorial tribute concluded with closing remarks by Cathedral Club President William Neri. Immediately following the mass, a Communion breakfast was held at the Bay Ridge Manor.

Other current officers include Vice President Harry D’Onofrio, Treasurer Richie Re and Recording Secretary Maureen  McHugh.

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On Wednesday, Nov. 20, in commemoration of the 500th anniversary of Florentine explorer Giovanni da Verrazzano arriving in New York Bay on April 17, 1524, and the 60th anniversary of the opening of the Verrazzano Bridge, the Bay Ridge Historical Society invited Lisa Ackerman, the executive director of the Columbus Citizens Foundation, to give an illustrative presentation and discussion on Verrazzano’s historic voyage into the New York harbor and the coast of North America. She also spoke about his early life in the Florentine, which later became a province of a unified Italy.

Thomas McCarthy is the president of the Society, fellow Bay Ridge historian and author Henry Stewart is the first vice president and retired teacher and photographer Tom Hilton is the second vice president. For more details about the Society, click on their Facebook pages or visit BayRidgeHistory.com.