Awards Dinner

Monsignor Joseph Donnelly was born and raised in the north end of Waterbury in St. Thomas Parish. He is the oldest of seven children. His parents were strong believers in the value of Catholic education and worked to send all their children to Catholic schools. Msgr. Donnelly graduated from St. Thomas School in 1960 and from Sacred Heart High School in 1964. Considering a vocation to priesthood in the Church, he entered St. Thomas Seminary in Bloomfield, CT and completed his college education at St. Bonaventure University in Olean, NY. He was then assigned to complete his education and formation for priesthood at the North American College and the Gregorian University in Rome. Msgr. Donnelly was ordained at St. Peter’s Basilica in Rome in 1971.

Monsignor then returned to the United States and the Archdiocese of Hartford. He began his priestly ministry at St. Anthony Parish in Prospect (1972-1977) before being assigned as the spiritual director at St. Thomas Seminary in Bloomfield (1977-1984). He then was asked to join the formation faculty of the North American College in Rome where he served as Vice-Rector from 1984-1989.

When he returned to the United States, he was given a sabbatical at Weston School of Theology in Boston before being assigned as pastor of St. Bridget Parish in Manchester (1990-2003). In 2003, he returned to the Waterbury area as Pastor of Sacred Heart Parish in Southbury and ministered there until he retired from active ministry in 2021. During that time, Monsignor was asked by the Archbishop to chair the Board of Directors of St. Vincent DePaul Mission of Greater Waterbury. He served in that capacity for twelve years leading the significant development of that ministry of the Church for the poor and needy of the greater Waterbury area. Presently, Monsignor lives in Southington, teaches and leads retreats, and serves as chair of the Board of Directors of the Brian Gibbons Waterbury Homeless Outreach, which serves the unhoused in the Waterbury area.

Mark Lombardo was born and raised in Waterbury. He attended John F. Kennedy High School and attended the University of Massachusetts Amherst. He graduated UMass with a degree in Turfgrass Management and went on to become the Assistant Superintendent at Ridgewood Country Club in Danbury, CT. In 2007, Mark joined the City of Waterbury Parks Department as the Horticulturist, then in 2013 he was promoted to Supervisor of Parks and Golf Courses. In 2014, he became the City’s Tree Warden. Mark is currently the Deputy Director of Public Works for the City of Waterbury. In his role, he oversees several bureaus that encompass the Public Works Department. 

Mark is a current board member of Brass City Harvest and the Christopher D. Corbett Memorial Fund. He is a member of the United Way Campaign Leadership Committee for City of Waterbury employees. He received the 2015 Government Services Award given by the Waterbury Neighborhood Council and in 2018 received the United Way Organized Labor Community Service Award. He is on the Executive Board of the City of Waterbury Management Union in addition to being Past President of the Connecticut Parks Association. 

Mark is an active parishioner at the Basilica of the Immaculate Conception. Mark was active at Blessed Sacrament School for many years while his daughter Carly attended Pre-K through 8th grade. He assisted in creating the Father’s Club and formed an Athletic Department. He helped coach basketball and volunteered for many of the functions at the school. Mark assisted with the transition from Blessed Sacrament School to Catholic Academy of Waterbury. He was a member of the Blessed Sacrament School Board for seven years and then served on the board at Catholic Academy.

Jeffrey A. Hunter, Sr. was born in 1963 in Berkeley Heights - Waterbury, CT, the eighth of fourteen children of the late Melvin & Minnie Hunter. At an early age he was involved in the Wilson Follow through Afterschool program and the Berkeley Knights drum corp. He was educated in the Waterbury Public School system a graduate of Crosby High School, Class of 1982, where he excelled in Basketball earning numerous of City, NVL, and State Honors. Jeffrey was awarded a full scholarship to Post College for Basketball.

During his years at Post College, he played on the Men’s Varsity Basketball team, earning the honors of All-New England Regional 21 Conference 1st Team. Jeffrey graduated from Post in 1984 earning a degree in Liberal Arts & Science.

Upon graduation, Jeffrey was employed by Domino’s Pizza as a manager for 5 years; he was then hired by the City of Waterbury Education Department as a Substitute Teacher in 1984, a position he held for 11 years. Jeffrey would continue working in the school system, becoming the Junior Varsity Basketball Coach at Wilby High School for 17 years, and serve as a Mentor in the Waterbury School system. Jeffrey is currently the Crossing Guard & Transportation Coordinator for the City of Waterbury.

Jeffrey is a member of Goodwill Lodge of Elks, Waterbury Black Democrat Club, Waterbury Mentoring Program, Board of Trustees, Male Chorus President at Zion Baptist Church, and Waterbury Board of Alderman.

Jeffrey and JJ Jackson, organized J & J INC. which Jeffrey is the President, the J & J Motto is and will always be: GIVING BACK TO THE COMMUNITY! A few community events: Feed the Homeless in the Park, scholarships awarded every year to one senior from every high school in Waterbury, food drives, etc… Jeffrey received several Community Service Awards. In May of 2013 he was instrumental gathering the African American Community to participate in Waterbury’s 1st Annual Gathering Festival at Library Park.

Jeffrey is married to Denise A. Hunter, and the proud father of 5 children, 5 grandchildren, and 11 siblings.    

Jeffrey’s goal in life is to help any and/or everybody, his motto is IF I CAN HELP A FEW, I CAN SAVE A COMMUNITY or die trying.

Carl T. Parks was born in 1952 in Maine before moving to Connecticut and eventually Waterbury in 1975. Having a large family consisting of 9 children, Carl’s father was a diligent provider who owned a construction company; Carl followed in his father’s footsteps, foregoing the opportunity to run track in college, and became a carpenter right out of high school, a trade that is still a part of him to this day.

Carl began his coaching legacy as a volunteer for the Town Plot Sports Association, where his sons participated in multiple athletics programs. Carl coached both instructional and competitive travel soccer for years, but found his niche in the gym with basketball. Carl spent over a decade coaching in both the middle school and high school leagues, continuing when his older son decided to follow in his footsteps as a coach. He was a part of multiple championship-winning teams, but that paled in comparison to the impact that he had on multiple young men whom he coached.

While Carl is well-known for coaching, his service to the parochial school community began with St. Mary School Children’s Theater; he played a major part in the set crews that developed and ran sets for numerous shows. Carl also contributed to a variety of construction projects for St. Mary School while his sons attended as students.

Carl had a couple coaching stints with SMS, first as head coach for his younger son’s varsity team and later joining his older son with both the junior varsity and varsity teams for numerous years. While SMS merged with Blessed Sacrament and became CAW, Carl continued to be an integral part of both the basketball program and school community to this day, serving in a number of roles. However, through all of those roles, the mainstay is Carl’s dedication to the parochial school community and positively impacting everyone with whom he interacts. He holds his boys to the highest standards, ensuring they put their studies ahead of sports, making them true scholar-athletes. Carl and his wife, Jessica, reside in Wolcott. Carl is the proud dad of SMS alumni Eric (‘97) and Jonathan (‘99), and grandpa of Benny, CAW Class of 2033.

Deborah Pisciotti is the Kindergarten teacher at Catholic Academy of Waterbury. She has been a teacher in the Archdiocese of Hartford for over thirty years. Debbie is a lifelong resident of Waterbury. She is a graduate of Sacred Heart High School. Debbie received a Bachelor’s Degree in History, with a minor in English from Trinity College in Vermont and her Master’s Degree in Education from the University of Bridgeport. Her teaching career began at St. Francis School in Naugatuck. She then joined the Catholic Academy family from its inception. She has spent her career in early childhood education, 27 of those years in Kindergarten. Students in her class grow not only in academics, but also in character, values, and compassion for others. As a devout Catholic, Debbie considers it a privilege to promote faith and to set the foundation of religion, in order to establish a lifelong relationship with God in her students. Debbie serves as Lead Teacher and co-chair on the New England Association of Schools and Colleges team at CAW. She also is an active member of several committees including Safety and Advancement, STREAM Coordinator and Mentor. Debbie truly enjoys spending time with her family and friends.

Dominique (“Dom”) Gianna Dalessio stood at the beginning of her story, starting on the day of her birth, October 29, 1999, diving into every chapter with the youthful exuberance befitting her generation, but also with the maturity and grace of a much older soul, belying her age in numerical years.

Dom, 20, of Bethlehem, entered into the gates of heaven on Tuesday, April 28, at St. Mary’s Hospital, surrounded by her loving family, from injuries sustained in an automobile accident.

She was born in Waterbury and was the beloved daughter of Joseph and Deborah (Pronovost) Dalessio of Bethlehem, with whom she lived. She graduated from St. Mary’s Grammar School in 2013 and Chase Collegiate High School, class of 2017. She attended Central Connecticut State University and Naugatuck Valley Community College, studying criminal Psychology and Civil Rights Law. Her upcoming summer plate was full after receiving three internship opportunities in the law field. Dominique would have made a good lawyer because she enjoyed arguing! Against her mother’s wishes and better judgment, in fact, Dom had a tattoo inscribed on her shoulder in Arabic. Translated, it read, “I was nurtured by her love,” and, after all, what mother could disagree with that?

She was a remarkable, charismatic, and hard-working young woman, having been employed at Champs Sportswear and Kay Jewelers at the Brass Mill Center Mall, in addition to holding a position at RGIS Inventory and, during the COVID-19 pandemic, Instacart.

Dom took enormous pride in every activity, whether as an altar server at the Church of the Nativity in Bethlehem, to the black belt she earned after years of diligent study at the Charland Institute of Karate in Watertown. She knew that wherever she was on any rung of life’s ladder, it was also important to turn around and give someone a hand up to the next step, as had been done for her along the way. We will particularly recall this virtue, including the way she treated people as they treated her: she simply liked you for you.

An animal aficionado and sports enthusiast, Dominique played softball and basketball for St. Mary’s, Chase Collegiate, and East Mountain; soccer for East Mountain, and volleyball for Chase Collegiate and on the travel team. She danced for a decade with the City of Waterbury and the Sunshine Dance Academy. Dom especially adored her cat, Katie, and dog, Duke. Duke already misses their car rides together; for him, a day wasn’t complete without a ride with Dom to pick up some bacon for him (and a coffee and sandwich for her).

Her giggle and laugh were infectious, always noticeable when she spent time at the beach, listening to music, dancing, shopping, or working out. She had a deep and abiding faith in God and special admiration for Mother Teresa of Calcutta. Due to the never-ending curiosity, love, and inquisitiveness she retained toward religion, Deacon Dan at the Church of the Nativity pegged her as the first female Catholic bishop. She was also a communicant of the Basilica of the Immaculate Conception.

She was a fixture at her mother’s hair salon, Debbie’s Doo’s, located in Waterbury’s East End, throughout her entire life. She and her brother Dylan were a part of the Debbie’s Doo’s family, adding more layers to those who will miss her spirit.

Her family treasures and appreciates the impact their little girl had on the world. Being a “Waterbury girl” is something of which Dominique was proud. Her cousins believe that Waterburians are lucky to have grown up in the Brass City and promise Dom’s legacy will be one of faith and continued connections.

Besides her parents, she leaves to cherish her memory her brother, Dylan Dalessio, and cousin Mariah Manzano, both of Bethlehem, and Dylan’s girlfriend, Katherine Rice of West Haven; her maternal grandparents, Edward and Claire (Beaulieu) Pronovost of Waterbury; a host of aunts, uncles, and cousins, including Michael Pronovost and Edward Pronovost II, of Waterbury; Alicia Pronovost and her partner, Lisa Corner of New Jersey; Gerald Dalessio Jr. and Gina Dalessio, of Waterbury, and Carmen Dalessio and his wife Linda of Wolcott. She was predeceased by her paternal grandparents, Gerald and Theresa (Trezza) Dalessio and her aunt Lynn Pronovost.

Ed Generali has been a lifelong Catholic school educator, serving for 48 years as teacher, counselor, coach, and administrator. He received a BA from the University of Connecticut as well as MS and 6th year degrees from Southern Connecticut State University. He has also been heavily involved in the community, volunteering for the Special Olympics, St. Vincent de Paul Society, and currently the Jonnycake Center of Westerly, RI. He also founded the Margaret M. Generali Foundation in memory of his deceased wife, which awards grants annually to educators in Waterbury.

Ed spent 42 years as a high school basketball coach, 36 as a head coach, 5 with the Sacred Heart boys, 3 with the Holy Cross girls, and 28 with the Holy Cross boys. His teams compiled 649 wins,13 NVL titles, 9 appearances in the State Championship finals, 3 State Championships, and twice his teams were voted Number 1 in the State, ‘95 and ‘00.

Through the years, he has garnered several awards and honors including, Anderson Boys’ Club Coach of the Year 1984, New Haven Tap-off Club coach of the Year 1995, Special Olympics special Recognition Award 1998, NEACAC Outstanding College Counselor in Connecticut 2000, Olympian of the Year 2002, Anderson Boys’ Club Educator of the Year 2005, CHSCA Boys’ Basketball Coach of the Year and Region 1 NHSCA Coach of the Year and National Coach Finalist in 2009, Induction to the New Haven Tap-Off Club Hall of Fame 2010, the Holy Cross High School Hall of Honor 2017 and the CIAC Boys’ Basketball Lifetime Achievement Award 2023. In addition to these honors the basketball court at Holy Cross High School was named for him in 2017.

Although Ed feels as though Waterbury runs deep in his veins, he currently resides in Westerly, Rhode Island with his wife Robyn.