“It’s the tremendous feeling of gratitude when you get to serve in the good Lord’s Church… that’s what drives me. You don’t seek recognition or rewards, you just do it because you feel good doing it.”
Like many of the men he works with, Biscardi’s call was originally to the priesthood. While in high school, Biscardi began formation with the Franciscans. Though he eventually decided religious life was not for him, the formation experience gave Biscardi a “firm grounding in the Catholic faith.”
“I always had a deep appreciation for the priesthood from my early childhood,” said Biscardi.
Even though he didn’t enter the priesthood, Biscardi would remain very close to it. John Gennaro, now the vice president of vocations at the Serra Club of Toronto West, introduced him to the Serra Club, and he’s been with it ever since.
About 10 years into his work with Serra Club, Biscardi founded the Ordinandi Dinner — though the first dinner 21 years ago might be unrecognizable if compared to the event’s grandeur today. It began when an ordinandi Biscardi knew asked him for financial assistance for the ordination process, to which he replied, “Why don’t you come to our club and get the whole class to join you?”
Biscardi arranged the first dinner with that class, and “it just got bigger and bigger every year.” This past March, the Ordinandi Dinner drew a record crowd of 1,900 to celebrate the ordination of a new group of priests for dioceses across Canada. The event has become so large, explained Biscardi, that they won’t be able to continue growing unless it moves to an even bigger venue. The dinner is still primarily organized by the Biscardi family and Serra Club each year.
Among his other Church-related activities, Biscardi sits on the board of directors for Southdown Institute, Manresa Jesuit Retreat Centre and St. Bernard Clairvaux parish in north Toronto.
The Serra Club of Toronto Downtown was also honoured at the annual convention with the Blessed Junipero Serra Award for its dedication to promoting vocations. The club organizes an annual vocations fair, which began five years ago under the vision of Zinnia Milburn, the downtown club's vice president of vocations. This year’s fair had representatives from 32 different religious orders.
Serra honours Ordinandi Dinner founder
By Luc Rinaldi, The Catholic RegisterTORONTO — After more than 30 years with Serra Club, Mario Biscardi has been awarded the Harry J. O’Haire Award for exemplary dedication to the organization and its mission of promoting and fostering vocations to the priesthood and religious life.
The award, the club’s highest honour presented annually to one member of Serra International, pays homage to Biscardi for more than three decades of service to the club, which includes the formation of five different Serra Clubs and the founding of the annual Ordinandi Dinner in Toronto, among other accomplishments.
Biscardi received the award, named after the first president of the Serra Club, on July 8 in Ottawa during this year’s Serra International convention.
“It was just a tremendous shock,” said Biscardi, who lives in Toronto. “It’s a real honour and privilege. But you can’t help but feel humbled and modest.
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