Marian Shrine’s Annual Gala Dinner Set for Thursday, March 26, 2026
STONY POINT, NY, UNITED STATES, February 3, 2026 /EINPresswire.com/ — A powerful voice for faith in the national media and a thought leader in the Catholic community, Newsmax Television anchor Tom Basile will receive the “ANIMAS” Community Award from the National Shrine of Mary Help of Christians. The ANIMAS Award draws its inspiration from Saint John Bosco’s motto in Latin “Da Mihi Animas” meaning “Give Me Souls.”
The ANIMAS award recognizes both lay and ordained members of the Catholic faith who have gone above and beyond in service to the community. Father Jim McKenna, SDB, the Assistant Alumni Engagement director at Don Bosco Prep, will be recognized alongside Basile during the Shrine’s annual gala dinner on Thursday, March 26.
Father Manny Gallo, SDB, Director of The National Shrine of Mary Help of Christians, said, “It is a great honor for the National Shrine that Fr. James McKenna, who served as Director of the Shrine for ten years, and Tom Basile, who is a generous benefactor to the Shrine, who more deeply encountered Christ and His Mother in the hours spent at the Shrine in prayer and reflection, have accepted this award.”
“I thank Father Jim for the witness he continues to give as a faithful son of Don Bosco. In a special way I want to recognize Tom Basile for the faith, witness and courage he continues to demonstrate through his voice in media as a news anchor, journalist and author. It is a blessing to name these two men as the first recipients of Animas Award since we have been designated as The National Shrine of Mary Help of Christians by the USCCB,” said Father Manny Gallo, SDB.
Basile, a voice in the media on faith and freedom topics, hosts Newsmax’s “America Right Now,” which includes his longstanding, popular “Faith in America” segment that highlights issues impacting America’s faith communities and the people who are living examples of biblical truth.
“My objective in public life has always been to ensure that our faith in Christ is never hidden, but a guiding light for our national conversation as we navigate the significant challenges of our time,” said Tom Basile, who holds the rank of Knight Commander with Star in the Order of the Holy Sepulchre of Jerusalem and is a former Lieutenancy Councilor for the Order’s Eastern Lieutenancy of the United States. “I’ve spent many hours in prayer at the Marian Shrine, and I am deeply humbled by this recognition. The Shrine is an incredibly special, peaceful place where we can prayerfully encounter the Blessed Mother’s grace and strength.”
During the 2025 Papal Conclave, Basile spent nearly two weeks in Rome anchoring Newsmax’s live coverage of the election of Pope Leo XIV. Basile has also written extensively on faith topics for major publications. During his time with SiriusXM Radio, he was a frequent host and contributor to The Catholic Channel.
In 2008, Basile represented the office of the US Chief of Protocol to the Vatican Delegation during the visit of His Holiness Pope Benedict XVI to New York. He also served as a White House liaison to the Holy See for the President’s 2002 meeting with Pope John Paul II at the Vatican.
Basile served for eight years as a member of the Town Board of the Town of Stony Point. Six as Deputy Town Supervisor. The National Shrine of Mary Help of Christians is located in the historic Hudson Valley Town. Now a resident of Knoxville, Tennessee he is a member of St. John Neumann Parish and Knights of Columbus Ted H. Denning, Jr. Council 8781.
This year’s gala dinner will be held on Thursday, March 26 at 6:00pm at Fr. Lee Banquet Hall, 174 Filors Lane, Stony Point, NY 10980. Tickets for the gala dinner, priced at $200 per person, can be purchased by emailing Donna@MarianShrine.org. Proceeds of this event will support the work of the Salesians of Don Bosco at the Marian Shrine.
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Bob Driscoll
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