Fr. Ezio Marchetto
Cardinal Donald Wuerl recently announced the appointment of Father Ezio Marchetto, C.S., as the Pastor of the Holy Rosary Church, the Italian parish in our Nation’s Capitol. Father Lydio Tomasi, who had been the pastor since January 2006, has become “Pastor Emeritus.”
Fr. Ezio Marchetto was born in Arzignano, Vicenza, on September 27, 1955. He spent his youth in Chiampo, Vicenza. He entered the minor seminary of Bassano del Grappa in 1966 and followed the seminary formation first in Cermenate, Como, and then in Loreto for his novitiate year. In 1975 he made his first religious profession in the Congregation of the Missionaries of St. Charles-Scalabrinians. Fr. Ezio then moved to Rome where he completed his studies at the Pontifical Gregorian University obtaining, in 1997, a licentiate in philosophy. Fr. Ezio left Italy in 1977 to move to New York to study English and then in 1978 he arrived in Toronto, Canada to begin the study of theology. In 1981 he obtained a licentiate in theology.
Fr. Ezio was ordained a priest in his hometown of Chiampo on September 12, 1982 and immediately after the ordination he was sent to Portugal for the study of the Portuguese language and culture. In June 1983 he graduated in languages from the University of Lisbon.
In 1982 he returned to Toronto as chaplain of St. Antony’s parish. In this period Fr Ezio developed his involvement in the media and works as editor of the Italian magazine “La Parola,” and took part in various radio programs and collaborates with The Multicultural Historical Society of Ontario and the Italian-Canadian Symposium.
In 1988 he was sent to New York City as Associate Director of the Center for Migration Studies where he remained for five years taking care of the various publications and conferences.
In 1993, P. Ezio returned to Toronto, and after three years as chaplain of St. Matthew’s parish, he was appointed pastor of St. Antony’s community. In early 2007 he was recalled to New York with the appointment of Director of the Development Office of the Scalabrini International Migration Network (SIMN) with two locations, one in New York and one in Brussels. He also served as official observer at the United Nations on issues of international migration.
At the end of his term, in 2009, Fr. Ezio was assigned to Our Lady of the Divine Love Mission of in Laval Quebec, and in June 2013 the Scalabrinian Provincial Superior assigned him to Holy Rosary Church.
Holy Rosary Church, which was founded in December 1913, celebrates its Centennial this year with a series of events at Casa Italiana and a High Mass and Gala scheduled for December 8.
