FOUR TO RECEIVE

                                                          PAPAL HONORS

            Pope John Paul II has named four laymen associated with the Diocese of Brooklyn to receive papal honors, it was announced this week by Bishop Thomas V. Daily.

The Bishop said that the title Knight of St. Gregory the Great will be bestowed on Joseph E. Geoghan and John F. O’Hara, both of  whom “have distinguished themselves by serving the Diocese diligently for many years.”

Chosen to receive the title Gentleman of His Holiness are Thomas A. DeStefano, the executive director of Catholic Charities, and Frank DeRosa, director of the Public Information Office and the Associate Publisher of The Tablet, the Bishop said.

Bishop Daily will present the honors at a Vespers service in St. James Cathedral Basilica in downtown Brooklyn on Sunday, Dec. 8, at 5 p.m.

The men named Knights of St. Gregory have volunteered their services to the Diocese or many years.

Mr. Geoghan, the retired general counsel of the Union Carbide Corporation, was a founding member of the Diocesan Finance Council and served on the Diocesan Education Commission. He has been a key advisor to Bishop Daily on other diocesan projects.

A member of the Diocesan Budget Committee for more than 20 years, Mr. O’Hara served on the committee that oversaw the development of the Immaculate Conception Center in Douglaston. He is also on the Catholic Cemeteries Committee and the board of directors of The Tablet. A trustee of St. Ephrem’s parish, Dyker Heights, he is retired from Metropolitan Life.

The two selected to be Gentlemen of His Holiness are longtime employees of the Diocese, Bishop Daily said.

The first lay director of Catholic Charities, Mr. DeStefano has initiated numerous human service programs during his 23 years in the position, including housing for low income families, mentally ill homeless and AIDS patients, family support centers and services for homebound adults. He has served on State and City human service commissions and has chaired the State Council of Catholic Charities Directors.

In addition to serving as the diocesan spokesman since l970 and The Tablet’s Associate Publisher for almost five years, Mr. DeRosa served on the Communications Committee of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, is past chairman of the Tri-State Catholic Committee on Radio and Television and has hosted a television program, “Point of View.”

The title Gentleman of His Holiness carries with it membership in the Holy Father’s official household. When Pope Paul VI reorganized the Papal Court in l968, the post was established to honor individuals who earned the special recognition of the papacy.

One other person in the Brooklyn Diocese held the title since it was created. Theobald During, who was the retired associate director of the Department of Finance when he died Jan. 1, was named a Gentleman of His Holiness in l994.

The Dec. 8 Vespers will mark the second time this year that Bishop Daily has presided at a papal honors ceremony. In June, 16 persons were cited, including four Knights of St. Gregory and two who were inducted into the Order of Pope St. Sylvester. The Pro Ecclesia et Pontifice Medal was presented to five Sisters, two Brothers and three lay persons.