Every year Our Lady of Angels in Bay Ridge holds its Annual Joseph A. and Marge Moran Memorial Golf Classic, where current and former parishioners come together to support their beloved church, even this year when flooding rains kept golfers off the greens.
You can credit Harry D’Onofrio for that.
The longtime parishioner spearheads the committee that organizes the outing.
“Harry is a friend that you would want on your side in anything and he is a pastor’s dream come true,” said Father Kevin Abels, pastor at OLA.
While this is every golfer’s nightmare, D’Onofrio still managed to make the day a success.
“Seeing everybody coming out on a day, where there is flooding, you can’t get here, it took people two or three hours but they still got here today,” D’Onofrio said.
D’Onofrio believes the parish has been showing up for him ever since day one.
“I became a parishioner of Our Lady of Angels back in 2001,” D’Onofrio said. “We closed on our house two days before 9/11.”
He was working on Wall street on September 11th. He said OLA helped him get through one of the toughest times of his life.
“I don’t think I could’ve made it today without the church,” D’Onofrio said. “We would go every day. Just pray and hope that some families could find closure.”
Now the parish can count on him to help in any way he can, whether it’s here at the golf outing or in church as a eucharistic minister, helping the boy scouts.
“I always wanted to be the person to give back,” D’Onofrio said. “I was always taught from my parents at an early age- service before self.”
While it was a rough start for the golf outing D’Onofrio and his committee aced it, even though no one actually golfed, they still raised about $28,000 dollars for the church.
Now you know Harry D’onofrio from Our Lady of Angels and how he makes up the Pulse of the Parish.