Ambition, commitment, resilience: Monteleonesi merit standing out
TORONTO – It is Banquet season in Toronto’s many “Italian communities”. social-cultural associations, organizations – whether singly or in “federations” – meet to re-enforce their familial or town of origin ties. There is the ever-present meal to surpass the previous years’ in quality and abundance; music to entice “the tripping of the light fantastic” and the celebration of success achieved or vested in youth for later achievement.
Such occasions for the Monteleone Community of Toronto have come to resemble the festivities associated with grand triumphs accorded to celebrated generals in the Roman Republic of Antiquity. It is a compliment, for several reasons. In terms of participants, ambience and recognition of success for a people who left a place of origin so far away to raise families, integrate themselves in strange environment where, by sheer dint of effort, resilience in the face of challenges, a spirit of innovation and ambition, they have emerged as leaders in the larger Canadian community. Of course, that would/should be a source of pride for them, the country that spawned them and even more for the one that has adopted them as its own.
As I scanned the room and met with some of the “guests”, I was struck by the number of individuals who have achieved the highest ranks of recognition in their field (private enterprise, academic renown, community service, national financial leadership, medical research and innovation): bright curious and admired – if not envied – by their colleagues and competitors. Canada needs more of them/us.
I wondered if the parents of Lorenzo Morra and Carmelina Liscio, two émigrés from that Medieval town of Monteleone in the Apennines of (currently) Puglia ever thought that one of their [grand]children, Dr. Dante Morra, would emerge as a leader in the field of Medicine and Medical Research that would revolutionize the way Health care can and ought to be delivered.
Yet, here we were, November 8th, 2025, extolling the virtues and accomplishments of a youngish professional whose work has turned the delivery of patient-centred care in hospitals in the Greater GTA and beyond on its head. Reading his prodigious curriculum vitae is a dizzying exercise (read here his bio prepared by Len Lombardi, treasurer, and Lui Nunno, president), suffice for now, to say that during his tenure as the inaugural Chief of Staff at Trillium Health Partners, one of Canada’s largest academically affiliated hospitals, he oversaw 1,400 physicians and professional staff.
When his sister introduced him, one could sense a beam of pleasure radiating form the tables where his immediate family, friends and colleagues were seated, as an aside, by the way, Monteleone being a small, but rich in historical significance, commune suggests everyone in the hall must have been a relative.
The president Gino Nunno, together with his team have worked hard and long to give voice to the cultural patrimony of the town. They outdid themselves last Saturday.
Here below is a photogallery from the event (photos: Corriere Canadese)
