Genuario’s spiritual home is at St. Lucy’s Church

Dennis A. Genuario

2023 Italian Heritage Award

Dennis Genuario was born in Newark to a loving Italian American family.

He lived with his parents Anthony and Anna Genuario and his brother Walter Genuario. He graduated Barringer High School in 1967 and graduated from Rutgers University-Newark Campus in 1971 with a degree in economics.

Dennis served in the New Jersey National Guard from 1970 – 1976 in the 250th Signal Battalion based initially in Orange and then relocated to South Plainfield.

Dennis has been employed with the NJ Manufacturers Insurance Co. for 50 years.

His spiritual home has been at St. Lucy’s Church in Newark, where the Genuario family has worshiped for more than 125 years. St. Lucy’s is an Italian National

Church and has been the center of Italian culture in New Jersey for 150 years.

Dennis has been a member of the St. Lucy Guard of Honor for more than 30 years. As a member of the Guard of Honor, he has helped organize and participate in the Feast of St. Gerard Maiella.

The Guard of Honor are the guardians of keeping the beautiful traditions and devotion to St. Gerard alive and thriving. St. Gerard is the patron saint of expectant mothers and women praying to become mothers. This year is the 124th anniversary of the St. Gerard’s Feast which is celebrated on Oct. 16 each year at St. Lucy’s Church.

St. Lucy’s welcomes devotees of St. Gerard from all over the world praying to become mothers.

As a Guard of Honor member, he has witnessed many petitions from women and couples praying to conceive a child. He has also witnessed the miracle of these same devotees returning to the Feast of St. Gerard with an infant child giving thanks to St. Gerard for his blessings. offer a variety of vegan dishes!

Dennis and his wife, Edith, have witnessed this miracle themselves, praying to St. Gerard everyday for five years and being blessed with a daughter, Toni Genuario – the greatest blessing the Lord could bestow on them.

Dennis has been blessed to be able to continue his devotion to St. Gerard with his family for three generations at St. Lucy allowing him to continue to promote, protect and preserve our Italian heritage, culture and traditions.

He is extremely proud of his Italian Heritage and vows to continue to keep Italian heritage, culture and traditions thriving.