Mayor Mike Purzycki was joined Sunday by elected officials and religious leaders to dedicate a portion of the 1700 block of West Ninth Street as “Rev. Roberto Balducelli Way.” The ceremony honoring the late pastor of St. Anthony’s Church, who passed away in August 2013 one day shy of his 100^th birthday, came on the last day of the 2024 St. Anthony’s Italian Festival.

The Mayor issued a Proclamation declaring Sunday, June 16, 2024, as “Rev. Roberto Balducelli Day” in Wilmington and officially recognized the 100^th anniversary of the parish and the 50^th anniversary of the Italian Festival itself. “If there is anyone who embodies this notion of the father, it is Roberto Balducelli,” said Mayor Purzycki on Sunday, which was also Father’s Day.