Milli Grazia a tutti.  A million thanks for your confidence, trust and support having electing me “Il Presedenti” de Padre Giovanni Papallo Lodge, numeno due, sei, occho, quatro.

I am both honored and humbled by your selection.  I am equally happy about the choice of the new officers that you have made.  I look forward to working with them in the coming months. Placing the job of running, this Lodge, on our collective shoulders, is a daunting challenge.  Just filling the shoes of our predecessors will be no easy task.

In fact, just filling the size 14 shoes of our new Immediate Past President, Mr. Anthony (Hey Tony!) DiChiara will be a Herculean undertaking.  I would like to thank our former First Lady, Terri DiChiara for her past two years of service.  I must also thank all past Committee Chairs/Members for a job well done.   A special thank you to Camille Annichiarico and the Committee who worked tirelessly putting together the March 21st Installation.  

In addition, I plan to follow in their footsteps and stand on the shoulders of our past presidents.  To each of you, I say thank you and look to you for guidance, advice and assistance in fulfilling OSIA‘s motto of; “Liberty, Equality, Fraternity.”   I hope to expand that to include; “Harmony, Tradition and Family. “ 

Under the past two years, Lodge membership grew to unprecedented heights.  Moreover, our bank accounts have sustained equal growth, too.  Nevertheless, we must continue to spend our funds wisely.  Charitable donations, one of the main missions of OSIA Lodges, will continue to receive our support and funding.  We will continue to provide College Scholarships to worthy and scholastically eligible young women and men.  We must continue to host Cultural and Heritage Events.  We will also plan, participate and initiate:  Memorial Masses, Parades, Pageants, Picnics, Festivals, Street Fairs, and Car Shows and expand our Newsletter, Internet and Web services.

Under the new and newly elected administration, if we accomplish half of what we did these past two years, we will be mildly successful.

However, the New Year brings new challenges.  We must maintain our current membership rolls.  We must find new members, to build upon our past successes and we must locate former members, bringing them back to the Lodge to insure future successes.

We must continue to bring the Lodge On-Line and In-Line with the new and ever changing computer technology.  I will strengthen and support our current Standing Committees.  I plan to redesign the Executive and Financial Committees.  In addition, I will establish a St. Patrick’s Day Parade Committee (for all of our Italian/Irish American members.)  In addition, I hope to partner with Local Lodges in events and activities.
 
We must increase Member support and participation at Fr. John Papallo Lodge events.  If you do not golf, come to the dinner.  If you do not want to go to a dinner, come to a Play.  You are encouraged to join with us at our Church services (Memorial Mass, St. Joseph’s Day or St. Francis of Assisi.)  We have many occasions, to participate in for every member.  This year we should plan a visit, closer to home, to the Garibaldi-Meucci Museum on Staten Island.  Perhaps in 2012, a visit, closer to our hearts!  How about Venice, Italy during Carnevale?  We can plan it as a fundraiser or just plan to have some fun.  Any volunteers? 

This Lodge is not just my Lodge.  It’s not just your Lodge.  It’s everybody’s Lodge.  Our success and yes (failure) depends on everybody’s level of involvement.  If you wish us to continue, we will.  If you don’t, we won’t.

In closing, I want to thank my family.  My wife Diane of 36 years, our new First Lady, my daughters Andrea and Son-In-Law Jamie LaMaida, Jillian and my grandchildren, Alexa, Nicholas and Julianna.

They are my first family. I hope to make the Fr. John Papallo Lodge my second family.  Throughout my life, I have lived by a few simple words, “Do More, Do Better.”  My first family knows these words well.  I will try to do more and do better for my second family.