Bishop Quinn to receive award October 9
By Herald staff
Bishop Emeritus Francis A. Quinn will receive the Giovanni Martinelli Award for his social and humanitarian work following the 12:10 p.m. Mass in the Cathedral of the Blessed Sacrament in downtown Sacramento on Friday, Oct. 9.
A delegation of civic and religious leaders from Lucca, Italy, will be in Sacramento to present the award to the retired bishop. The award is named for the late mayor of Lucca, Dr. Giovanni Martinelli, who was known for his humanitarian efforts.
The bishop was nominated for the award by members of the Tuscany Club of California, according to its president, Rino Bertini, a member of St. Mary Parish in Sacramento.
“Dr. Martinelli always took care of sick people without money and was a great humanitarian,” Bertini said. “When he died, the city of Lucca designated the award for people around the world who were carrying out similar good works.”
Club members nominated Bishop Quinn” because of his work with Native Americans and the poor, and because he is dedicated to walking in the footsteps of St. Francis of Assisi,” Bertini said.
Archbishop Benvenuto Italo Castellani of Lucca will preside at the Mass and Bishop Quinn will be the concelebrant. Rosemarie Bertini, Italian language teacher at St. Francis High School in Sacramento, and students from her class will sing and read at the Mass. Pete Rossi will sing “Ave Maria.”
The acting mayor of Lucca, Lido Moschini, Archbishop Castellani, and others from the delegation will present the award to Bishop Quinn and be available to greet guests followingthe Mass.
Bishop Quinn told The Herald that his maternal grandfather, Giovanni Giuseppe Chierici, was born in Lucca and immigrated to the United States with his family. “I’m very honored to receive this award, because I had the chance once to visit Lucca, which is a walled city from the Roman Empire times,” he said. “It’s a place that I’m honored to have connections with and a place that holds much family history for me.”
