Catholic Lawyers Guild of Kings County honors Margherita Racanelli for Shrove Tuesday

February 27, 2024 Robert Abruzzese, Courthouse Editor

The Catholic Lawyers Guild honored Margherita Racanelli, a court attorney referee in Surrogate’s Court as part of its Shrove Tuesday celebration. Racanelli (center) was presented with a plaque by Gregory Cerchione and Hon. Betsey Jean-Jacques, president of the Guild.
Photos: Robert Abruzzese/Brooklyn Eagle

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The Catholic Lawyers Guild of Kings County recently held its annual Shrove Tuesday Mass and celebration, a time-honored event that brought together members of the legal community to honor one of their own, Margherita Racanelli.

Racanelli, a trustee at the Brooklyn Bar Association and an court attorney at the Kings County Supreme Court, was recognized for her significant contributions to the legal profession and her service within the court system.

From left: Hon. Bernard Graham, Hon. Dineen Riviezzo, Ellyn Kravitz and Hon. Miriam Cyrulnik.

“This is a time-honored tradition and I can’t believe how many of you got out of the courthouse, but we’re here to celebrate someone pretty special,” said Hon. Betsey Jean-Jacques, president of the Catholic Lawyers Guild.

Gregory LaSpina (left) and Hon. Lawrence Knipel, administrative judge of the Kings County Supreme Court, Civil Term.

Racanelli’s legal career is distinguished by her tenure at the Queens District Attorney’s Office, her valuable work in private practice, and her dedicated service as the principal law clerk to Hon. Michael Pesce since 2010. In 2015, she was promoted to associate court attorney in the Guardianship Department, further solidifying her reputation as a skilled and compassionate legal professional. Currently, she serves as a court attorney referee in Surrogate’s Court working with Surrogate Judges Hon. Bernard Graham and Hon. Rosemarie Montalbano.

Pictured from left to right: Joseph Rosato, president of the Brooklyn Bar Association, Very Rev. Patrick Keating, Margherita Racanelli, Hon. Betsey Jean-Jacques, Gregory Cerchione, and Yolanda Guadagnoli, president of the Columbian Lawyers Association of Kings County.

The event, held despite concerns of a possible blizzard, was a testament to the resilience and commitment of the Guild’s members. Gregory Cerchione, reflecting on the celebration, expressed gratitude for the community’s support and emphasized the importance of faith and goodwill during the Lenten season. He also paid tribute to Father Peter Mahoney, the Guild’s spiritual moderator for over two decades, whose recent passing was deeply felt by all in attendance.

From left: Joseph Rosato, president of the Brooklyn Bar Association, Margherita Racanelli, Hon. Betsey Jean-Jacques, and Gregory Cerchione.

“He was our spiritual moderator for over 20 years, a stalwart for our organization,” Cerchione said of Father Mahoney, who died on Jan. 12, 2024. “When I was worried about the weather, I thought, it wouldn’t matter what the weather conditions were like, he would have been here. He was with us in the freezing cold during all of our blessings of the Christmas Creche outside of the courthouse. He was at all of our Red Masses going back to 1997. I ask that you all hold him in your good thoughts and prayers. I’m just grateful that he blessed us and graced us for so many years.”

From left: Hon. Betsey Jean-Jacques, Hon. Rosemarie Montalbano, Hon. Joy Campanelli, Gregory LaSpina, and Sarah Moore.

Judge Jean-Jacques, the Guild’s president, shared her personal connection with Racanelli, highlighting the latter’s role in the Surrogate’s Court and her ability to navigate complex cases with grace and efficiency. Racanelli’s work, particularly in situations requiring sensitivity and careful judgment, was praised as embodying the spirit of service and compassion that the Guild seeks to celebrate.

From left: Bruno Codispoti, Yolanda Guadagnoli, Hon. Nancy Sunshine, Hon. Jeffrey Sunshine, Gregory Cerchione, and Dominick Napoletano, president-elect of the NYS Bar Association.

“A lot of times we’d be in a position where people were in serious situations. and she was able to bridge the gap so that court evaluators could find a way to get things done,” Judge Jean-Jacques said. “Having her be the recipient of this award speaks to the joy we feel today. Today we are recharging our souls and she is the person who embodies that.”

Shrove Tuesday, observed by Christians around the world, serves as a day of repentance and festivity before the solemn Lenten season begins on Ash Wednesday. It is a day for self-examination, confession, and the last celebration before the period of fasting and spiritual discipline leading up to Easter. The association of pancakes with Shrove Tuesday is rooted in the tradition of using up rich foods before the fasting season of Lent, emphasizing a return to simpler, less indulgent meals.