On April 30, I reported that The Sons of Italy Commission for Social Justice (CSJ/OSIA) in a finely phrased letter strongly objected to St. Agnes Church's sponsorship of their recent "Tony Soprano's Retirement Party" Fund-Raiser.

It was startling that a Church, as an advocate of high moral standards, would use as a "theme" for a Fund Raiser, a TV show that glorifies criminality, violence, misogyny, children's disrespect for their parents, ethnic denigration, etc, etc...

Today, Dona De Sanctis, Deputy Executive Director, Sons of Italy reports that it has received a very polite letter of explanation and a full  apology from Msgr. James Choma of St. Agnes Church in Clark, N.J.

In his reply, Father Choma said he had been concerned and wary of this production, but was assured by his Italian American parishioners and the show's producer that it was good clean fun.  "After 10 minutes into the performance," Father Choma writes, "my jaw dropped.  The program was indeed offensive and off-color to say the least.... I was mortified and those present knew I was not pleased."

Father Choma's letter concludes with a sincere apology and states, "I can assure you that St. Agnes Parish will not be caught in a dilemma like this again as long as I am pastor.  The theater group is banned from any future St. Agnes functions."

Father Choma is taking several steps further.  First, he distributed a letter from him in Sunday's bulletin to his parishoners, in which he apologized for the event.

Also, he offers to council any other group that is considering using this interactive dinner theater to discourage them from supporting this theater company. He can be reached at 732/388 7852 or frjim@comcast.net

The Sons of Italy thanked Father Choma for his sincere apologies and understanding.

Our sincere thanks to OSIA/CSJ for intervening on behalf of the Italian American Community.

Might I suggest, if it has not already been done, that both the OSIA/CSJ letter, and
Father Choma's response, be communicated to the Archbishop of New Jersey, and surrounding Archdiocesan Centers, (or even nationally) with the request, for them to forewarn all their church priests of this potential "dilemma".