From his humble beginnings at St. Gerard Parochial School, Msgr. Dino Lorenzetti has accomplished a great deal in the service of Our Lord and others. He graduated from Hutchinson Central High School and went on to receive a degree at the Chown Business School of Canisius College. His education continued when he entered Christ the King Seminary which was located at St. Bonaventure University in Olean, NY at that time.
Dino J. Lorenzetti was born July 23, 1921 and with a mere 20 years of life under his belt, began his time of service to our country in the U.S. Army Air Corps during WWII from 1941 to 1945. He served in the United States, Africa and Italy.
On May 30, 1953, he was ordained to the priesthood. He served as Associate Pastor at Holy Cross, Buffalo, Our Lady of Lourdes, Buffalo, St. Mary of Sorrows, Buffalo, Christ the King, Snyder, and St. Louis, Buffalo. In addition to his assignments as associate pastor and later pastor for several parishes, he served as the director of the diocesan Office of Family Life for nearly 20 years. Msgr. Lorenzetti also served on the advisory board of the National Family Life Bureau, was a moderator for the Foundation of International Cooperation and for the Diocesan Guild of Catholic Physicians, a member of the New York State Catholic Committee and was active on the Interfaith Committee for the Buffalo Diocese. He also lectured for the Air Force, Army and Navy in the Alaskan Command on education and family life. In January of 1968 he was given the Papal Honor of Very Reverend Monsignor.
Msgr. Lorenzetti went on to become Pastor at Holy Cross, in Buffalo from July 1968 to June 1975. He then became the Pastor of Our Lady of the Sacred Heart in Orchard Park from March 1977 to July 1996. He officially retired in 1996 however he has remained very active. Msgr. Lorenzetti lives at the O'Hara Residence for retired priests but travels the diocese to celebrate Mass and offer spiritual guidance; lightening the burden of his fellow priests whenever and wherever he is needed.
In 1992 Msgr. Lorenzetti received the Cure of Ars Award from Christ the King Seminary. This award celebrates the care of souls in the spirit of St. John Vianney who was the pastor, or Cure, of a small town in France called Ars. Msgr. Lorenzetti has been dedicated to the care of souls for 56 years and he shows no sign of slowing down. Among other distinctions, he has received the St. John Neumann Award from the Federation of Catholic School Parents, the Judge John D. Hillery Scholarship Foundation Award, the St. Christopher Award from the Catholic Youth Organization, the Spirit of Mercy Award from Mount Mercy Academy and the Mater Christi Award from Immaculata Academy. On January 28, 2010, he was awarded the Bishop's Medal at the Making a Difference Dinner celebrating Catholic Schools. This award is well deserved as Msgr. Lorenzetti has influenced the lives of so many Catholic School Children in such a positive way.
Both his parents are deceased and Msgr. Lorenzetti has a brother and a sister. Both are married with children. He has many hobbies including travel, reading and being interested in just about everything and everyone whom he encounters.
"The best part of my priesthood," Msgr. Lorenzetti shares, "would be administrating the Sacraments, preaching and witnessing the gospel to the best of my ability." He continues, "To a vocation candidate I would say that in my 56 years in Priesthood, I have had many challenges and attractions to the married life, yet in no way would I exchange the joy of my vocation for any other."
A man who has been blessed with many years of life, Msgr. Dino Lorenzetti uses those years to bring God's people closer to Him. When preaching at Mass, he is often heard saying, "I love all you beautiful people!" - and he really means it! He has a great sense of humor and is always positive and optimistic. Msgr. David LiPuma recently remarked that, "Msgr. Lorenzetti is the kind of priest that others look up to and say, ‘That's the kind of priest I want to be!'" He truly believes and lives the ideal that it is better to serve than to be served.