Theology On Tap: "Who is Jesus? Does it Make a Difference?" October 21, 2010

The Catholic Fellowship (http://www.cfnetwork.org) and the Diocese of Brooklyn are happy to announce a series of upcoming talks held at the Cathedral of Basilica of St. James in downtown Brooklyn. Everyone is invited to attend, and we encourage young adults in their 20s, 30s and 40s to participate as well as neighboring college\university\graduate students.

Please join us on Thursday October 21st from 7:30pm-9:30pm for our kickoff Theology On Tap event title "Who is Jesus? Does it Make a Difference?" Food and drinks will be available (21+ for alcohol to be served). Our guest speaker will be Paul Tonna. Please see below a bio of Mr. Tonna.

Venue:
Cathedral Basilica of St. James
Lower Church
Corner of Jay Street & Cathedral Place
Brooklyn, NY 11201
http://www.brooklyncathedral.net

Directions: Take the M, N, R, 2, 3, 4 or 5 to Court Street-Borough Hall Station. Take the A, C or F to Jay Street-Borough Hall Station. For directions by car, go to http://brooklyncathedral.net/html/directions.htm.

Contact: Toan Chu at catholicfellowship@ymail.com or at 917.653.2140.

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Guest Speaker Bio:

Paul Tonna serves as Molloy College’s Executive Director for The Energeia Partnership, a leadership academy dedicated to identifying and addressing the serious, complex and multi-dimensional issues challenging the Long Island region and is the CEO of Professional Evaluation Medical Group, a preventive health care company headquartered in Hicksville, New York.

Mr. Tonna served from 1994 to 2005 as a Suffolk County Legislator and for three years, 2000, 2001, and 2002, his fellow legislators chose him to lead the Suffolk County Legislature as its Presiding Officer. During Legislator Tonna’s 12 years of elected office, he had been a strong advocate for the poor, homeless and marginalized on Long Island, affordable housing, labor organizations and the environment. He sponsored, co-sponsored, and passed numerous laws and/or initiatives including: ground breaking non-smoking legislation; innovative programs focused on eliminating child poverty and homelessness; legislation designed to elevate the standard of living for all Suffolk County residents and innovative Greenways Funds to protect open space, farmlands and parklands.

Paul Tonna is a strong advocate of immigrants working and living on Long Island. The 2003 award-winning film documentary Farmingville chronicled some of those efforts. He has appeared on numerous radio and TV shows including: Lou Dobbs, CNN; The Oxygen Network; LI Telecare; The Rosie O’Donnell Show; News 12 Long Island; NBC News 4 and PBS WLIW 21.

Mr. Tonna is an Adjunct Professor in Theology & Religious Studies at St. John’s University. He serves as Vice-Chairman of The Long Island Regional Planning Board; Trustee of the Long Island State Parks & Recreation Commission and Public Trustee of the Stationary Engineer’s Industry Stabilization Fund. Mr. Tonna is a board member of: LI Medical Center Foundation, Advanced Energy Research & Technology Center, The Long Island Index, The Health & Welfare Council of LI and Erase Racism’s College of Advisors. Mr. Tonna serves as a founding director of Empire National Bank and a Commissioner of the South Huntington Water District.

Paul Tonna has received many awards and honors including: Molloy College’s Caritas Medal; St. John’s University St. Vincent De Paul Medal; Suffolk County Human Rights Commission Legislator of the Year; National Association of Social Workers Public Citizen of the Year; Habitat for Humanity Man of the Year; The Nature Conservancy’s Conservation Award Recipient; Networking Magazine’s David Award and Long Island Business News 50 Around 50 Award.

Mr. Tonna earned an undergraduate degree in philosophy from New York University, a Masters of Arts degree in theology from Immaculate Conception Seminary and conducted doctoral studies in systematic theology at Fordham University.

Paul Tonna resides in Huntington, New York with his wife Carol and his children: Peter, Paul, John, Grace, Mary, Carolann, Joseph and Lucy.

Official Website: http://www.cfnetwork.org