St. Patrick’s Committee of Holyoke Honors the Rev. Fr. Robert Gentile

HOLYOKE — The St. Patrick’s Committee of Holyoke announced that its 58th Citizenship Award winner is the Rev. Fr. Robert Gentile Jr. The Citizenship Award is presented annually to a person or organization that may be of non-Irish descent and has made substantial contributions to the parade and/or the parade committee.

Gentile has been a long-time friend to the St. Patrick’s Committee of Holyoke, both providing spiritual guidance to the committee and being a long-time supporter for parade weekend.

While pastor of Holyoke’s Blessed Sacrament School and Parish, Gentile encouraged students to participate in the many celebrations of the famous Holyoke St. Patrick’s Road Race and Parade. Whether it was managing water stations and cheering on the thousands of runners, encouraging students to enter (and sometimes win) the annual Grand Colleen Float Design Contest, and marching with students and parishioners in the Parade, his support for the committee and its events has helped to ensure that these community traditions will continue.

Gentile served as interim chaplain to the St. Patrick’s Committee, and to this day, although he now serves as pastor of Ste. Rose de Lima Parish in Chicopee, he continues to provide spiritual guidance and friendship to the committee.

In 2003, Gentile was ordained to priesthood in the Diocese of Springfield. After ordination, his first assignment was at St. Thomas in the Apostle Church in West Springfield as the parochial vicar, where he served for 33 months. That assignment concluded when he was asked to become the new pastor of Blessed Sacrament in Holyoke. He served that parish from May 2006 until March 2024, when he began his assignment at Ste. Rose de Lima.

“I’m honored that Father Bob will be marching in the 72nd Holyoke St. Patrick’s Parade as its Citizenship Award recipient,” said John Beaulieu, parade president. “Father Bob’s service to his parishioners and his community is well-known and appreciated throughout Western Massachusetts. We are grateful to the contributions he has made to the parade and support he has given to my fellow committee members. As his parishioner, I’m especially grateful for his spiritual guidance.”

Added Gentile, “I have the greatest job — God does all the work, and I get all the credit. Thank you to the St. Patrick’s Committee of Holyoke for this great honor. I look forward to marching again in the Holyoke St. Patrick’s Parade.”

The 72nd Holyoke St. Patrick’s Parade will be held on Sunday, March 23, 2025, and the 48th Holyoke St. Patrick’s Road Race will be held on Saturday, March 22, 2025.