What do a nightclub director, weatherman, sous chef, and a Catholic priest all have in common?
It’s not the start of a bad joke; all four (and 36 others) were honored recently as Atlantic City Weekly’s Top 40 Under 40.
And the Catholic priest? The city’s pastor of the Parish of Saint Monica, Father Jon Thomas.
The annual awards, given to honorees selected by the staff of Atlantic City Weekly and the Atlantic City Junior Chamber of Commerce, are “given to men and women who have not yet reached middle age, yet somehow have managed to make their presence known in a variety of positive ways.” In its selection of Father Thomas, 35 years old, the selection committee noted his parish’s outreach to the larger community; his interfaith efforts with local Muslim and Jewish leadership; and his leadership in parish liturgies for Atlantic City’s labor and business communities.
Father Thomas and his fellow recipients were honored twice: once in a casual setting at Harrah’s Resort on March 14, and a grand-style awards ceremony at Premier at Borgata Hotel Casino & Spa.