Biography of Reverend Monsignor Jamie J. GigantielloPrior to studying for the priesthood, Monsignor Jamie J. Gigantiello received a business degree from Baruch College and graduated from the Culinary Institute of America. For ten years, he worked in New York City's hotel industry in various managerial positions. He taught cooking and hotel management at Erasmus Hall High School for three years before entering Immaculate Conception Seminary in Huntington, New York.After his ordination in 1995, Msgr. Jamie served as parochial vicar at St. Patrick's Parish, Bay Ridge, Brooklyn. Five years later, he was assigned to Mary Queen of Heaven Parish, where he served as parochial vicar for two years before being installed as pastor in April 2002. Msgr. Jamie became pastor of St. Bernard Parish in 2013. In 2017, he was installed as the pastor of the now-combined parish of Our Lady of Mt. Carmel and the Annunciation of the B.V.M. in Williamsburg, Brooklyn, where he currently serves and runs the great Feast of the Giglio!In addition to his parish responsibilities as pastor, Msgr. Jamie was named vicar for development by Bishop Nicholas DiMarzio. The Development Office under the direction of Msgr. Jamie oversees all stewardship, fundraising, and advancement for the Diocese of Brooklyn, its Catholic schools, academies, parishes, and affiliated corporations. As vicar for development, Monsignor oversees the Catholic Foundation for Brooklyn and Queens, including the Annual Catholic Appeal and Generations of Faith as well as Futures in Education, the Catholic school scholarship program in Brooklyn and Queens. He spearheaded the successful Generations of Faith Capital Campaign that raised more than $100 million for the Diocese of Brooklyn.Msgr. Jamie remains active in numerous diocesan, community, and citywide organizations and events. He continues to serve on the coordinating committee for the annual Bishop's Christmas Luncheon and is chairman of the board of the Emmaus Center of Williamsburg, an arts and cultural center focused on evangelization in Brooklyn's oldest opera house. He has served on a variety of civic and not-for-profit boards. Following September 11, 2001, the New York City Police Department made him an honorary chaplain in recognition of his work at Ground Zero, and he continues to receive numerous awards for his outstanding community leadership. Monsignor ministers as chaplain to the NYC Taxi and Limousine Commission, and the New York City Office of Emergency Management, and he was recently sworn in as chaplain of the New York City Fire Department with the rank of deputy chief. He also serves as spiritual moderator for the Equestrian Order of the Knights and Ladies of the Holy Sepulchre and chaplain to local chapters of the Knights of Columbus, the Columbiettes, and Lions Club.Msgr. Jamie assisted in coordinating the arrival and departure ceremonies for both H.H. Benedict XVI and H.H. Francis at the John F. Kennedy International Airport during their visits to New York City. He was also one of the leading members of Bishop DiMarzio's committee that raised funds for the Italian Chapel dedicated at the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception in Washington, DC. For the last ten years, Msgr. Jamie has been the host of his own cooking show, Breaking Bread, on Net TV, which has won two Telly Awards for DeSales Media.
