Excerpt taken from the November 15th edition of the Catholic Standard & Times:
The winner of the Philadelphia Archdiocese's Bicentennial logo contest is Daniel J. Cellucci, Communications Director for Catholic Leadership Institute. “I was completely honored,” said Cellucci, a member of St. Thomas of Villanova Parish in Rosemont. The Philadelphia Archdiocese’s bicentennial year opens Easter Sunday, April 8, 2007, and closes April 13, 2008.
The Philadelphia Archdiocese’s bicentennial year opens Easter Sunday, April 8, 2007, and closes April 13, 2008.
Cellucci’s logo was one of more than 200 entries submitted in the contest. It will be the official logo of the anniversary celebration, and appear on banners, posters, stationary and other materials to promote all the events of the year.
He said his motivation to enter the contest was aligned with a primary CLI goal: “God gives everybody gifts and talents, and it’s our call to use them.” What better way to use his talents “in service to the Church,” added Cellucci, who enjoys experimenting with graphic design in his spare time.
His concept for the logo was the incorporation of the bicentennial theme, “Serving the People of God, in the Beginning, Now and Always” with two significant moments he has personally experienced in the Archdiocese.
The first, he said, was during the installation Mass of Cardinal Justin Rigali, then Archbishop Rigali, on October 7, 2003: “He greeted all the different cultures of Philadelphia in their native tongue. I just remember being not only impressed with him in his ability to be able to do that, but also [realizing] how blessed we are to have all those different cultures in the diocese – what a wonderful richness that is for us – and that it should be celebrated.”
With that in mind, Cellucci designed a circle depicting a multitude of people of “different shapes, colors and sizes [who] represent the diversity not only in culture, but in the ages we have here in Philadelphia.”
Those figures represent “the people of God,” he said.
The second significant historical moment for Cellucci was the Prayer on the Parkway celebration on Sept. 18, 2005 – the Eucharistic Holy Hour Cardinal Rigali led on Philadelphia’s Benjamin Franklin Parkway.
That “was just a really proud time to be Catholic in Philadelphia,” Cellucci said.
 The center of the logo is a depiction of the Eucharist, capturing the essence of Prayer on the Parkway “and the people around it form a monstrance, to remind us that we should always be in adoration of our Lord, both through Eucharistic Adoration, itself, but also through daily witness in our lives.”
The number “200,” inscribed vertically in the center of the depiction of the Eucharist, represents the diocese’s focus on the Eucharist for 200 years, which will continue “as we go forward as an Archdiocese,” he added.
When Catholics look at his work, what does Cellucci hope they see?
“I would hope that they see themselves as a part of this wonderful community…as connected to this wonderful Church we have here in Philadelphia – and that they make that commitment to serve Christ with the gifts and talents that He’s given them.”
The coming bicentennial of the Philadelphia Archdiocese will be “another exciting time to be a Catholic,” Cellucci said.
Noting Cellucci’s winning entry, bicentennial event chairman, Rev. Joseph McLoone said, “I certainly congratulate him on the time, effort and care that he put into the logo, which expresses well what we were trying to communicate…that the Church is 200 years old – that it’s both young and old – and growing.
“It’s really vibrant,” he said of Cellucci’s work. “The…people of God are represented. The cross...Jesus Christ…is central to all that we have been doing for the last 200 years, and…continue to do.”
For Cellucci, the ultimate aim of the logo is to convey that “it’s a great gift to be Catholic.”
He added, “In this bicentennial year coming up, let’s stand up and be excited about it, celebrate it, and let other people see the excitement in our faces. And hopefully, they’ll want to find out what all the excitement’s about.”
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