The Order Sons and Daughters of Italy in America’s Grand Lodge of Illinois and Wisconsin held its 48th Biennium State Convention on June 15 at the Edward Hotel Chicago in Rosemont. Grand lodge officers elected at the convention for the biennium 2019-2021 are Paul Loparco, president; Frank Schiro, first vice president; James LasCola, orator; Anna DeLuca, recording secretary; Maria Mancini, financial secretary; Carl Busateri, treasurer; Joseph Dentice, historian; and the Rev. John Belmonte, S.J., chaplain. Grand lodge trustees are Margurite Rowley, Giacomo Mancini, Elia Kress, Carol Hatley, Gino Montalbano and Joseph Santoro. Delegates to the convention were members elected by …

The Rev. Michael P. Caruso and Larry Wert were the guests of honor when the Justinian Society of Lawyers hosts its annual installation and awards dinner on Sept. 12 at the Palmer House Hilton. For details, call 708-338-0760. The following officers were formally installed at the event: Natalie M. Petric (president), Judge Regina A. Scannicchio (first vice president), Dion U. Davi (second vice president), Bruno R. Massaro (third vice president), Michael D. Pisano (treasurer) and Brian T. Monico (secretary). The following profiles were provided by the organization: Fr. Michael P. Caruso, SJ — Award of Excellence The Rev. Michael P. …

The Sicilian American Cultural Association celebrated its 25th anniversary with a gala Medal of Merit luncheon on Sept. 8 at Belvedere Banquets in Elk Grove Village. All past presidents and Medal of Merit recipients were honored at the event, along with this year’s honorees, Joseph and Martha Monastero and Katherine Amari O’Dell. For details, call 773-454-4710. The following profiles of this year’s Medal of Merit recipients were provided by the organization: Joseph Monastero Joseph Monastero was born in Philadelphia on Sept. 21, 1930, and returned to Caccamo, Italy, in 1932. He completed Liceo Classico in Palermo, returned to the United …

A pair of Illinois Italian Americans were among this year’s recipients of the Ellis Island Medal of Honor. Attorney Enrico J. Mirabelli, corporate executive Sergio “Satch” Pecori and 90 others received their medals during a May 11 ceremony on Ellis Island. Mirabelli is a family law attorney with more than 37 years of experience. He served for 10 years on the Illinois State Bar Association’s Board of Governors and has served on the ISBA General Assembly and Family Law Section Council. Mirabelli has been honored by the Chicago Volunteer Legal Services Corporation, John Marshall Law School, National Center for Exploited …

The Cook County Board recently honored the passing of Dominic DiFrisco with a resolution sponsored by Commissioner Peter Silvestri. On hand were (from left) Commissioner John Daley, daughter Nina Mariano, grandson Pasquale Gianni, widow Carol Loverde, Silvestri and Pressident Toni Preckwinkle. The resolution reads as follows: WHEREAS, on April 27, 2019, Almighty God in His infinite wisdom called Dominic DiFrisco from our midst; and WHEREAS, Dominic DiFrisco was the beloved husband of Carol (nee Loverde) and loving father of Nina (Robert) Mariano; and WHEREAS, Dominic DiFrisco was the proud grandfather of Pasquale Gianni and fond brother of Carmela Soricelli of …

A wide range of Italian classes for both children and adults will be available across the Chicago area this fall. The Italian Cultural Center at Casa Italia offers classes for children between the ages of 5 and 13 at locations across the Chicago area. Adult Italian classes ranging from beginning to advanced are taught at the Casa. Private lessons for children and adults also are available. (708-345-5933, www.casaitaliachicago.org) ItalCultura offers a range of language and cultural courses at the Italian Cultural Institute in downtown Chicago. In addition to group classes ranging from beginner to advanced levels, courses and workshops cover …

Antonio Romanucci has been installed as the 66th president of the Illinois Trial Lawyers Association, and Frank Sommario has been sworn in as the secretary of the National Italian American Bar Association. Romanucci and Sommario are partners in the Chicago-based law firm of Romanucci & Blandin. Romanucci has been an active member of the Illinois Trial Lawyers Association since 1995. He was elected to the Board of Managers in 2003 and has served on ITLA’s Executive Committee as well as ITLA’s Nominating Committee. He is a past president of the Justinian Society of Lawyers and the founder of the Justinian’s …

Film aficionados have hungered for the return of Casa Italia’s beloved feast of Italian cinema, and the wait is finally over. The Casa’s 2019 Italian film series will reboot on Sept. 13 and run for seven glorious Fridays. The host of this year’s series will be Pam DeFiglio, a veteran Chicago editor, columnist and arts critic. The following film descriptions were provided by Casa Italia: Sept. 13 — Un Paese Quasi Perfetto (An Almost Perfect Town) (2016) — Pietramezzana offers stunning mountain scenery, but all the jobs have left town. To save it, residents deploy improbable and highly comic schemes, …

Ron Ricchio was among the top 50 mortgage brokers in the country last year in terms of total loan volume, according to Scottsman’s Guide, a national residential and commercial publication. The ranking places him at the pinnacle of a profession that includes thousands of brokers nationwide. Ricchio was ranked among the best mortgage lenders in 2018 by #BorrowWisely, the top 350 originators in the country in 2016 by National Mortgage News, and the top 200 originators in the country in 2010, 2011 and 2014 by Origination News. A broker since 1991, Ricchio is president of Chicagoland Home Mortgage Services in …

Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker’s administration has appointed Westchester attorney Mauro Glorioso as executive director and general counsel of the Illinois Property Tax Appeal Board. Glorioso has served the PTAB in a number of capacities, most recently as chairman. Prior to that he was a member of the statewide five-member board, and before that he served as an administrative law judge at the agency. “I am honored by the administration’s confidence in me,” Glorioso says. The executive director is responsible for running the day-to-day operations of the agency, which assures that real property assessments are fair and uniform.