On retreat and in real estate, Cardone builds community
By Christie L. Chicoine
CS&T Staff Writer
As the father of 10, Dominic Cardone has witnessed many miracles in his life. But one moment that remains special is to him occurred 10 years ago when a man he invited to go on retreat with him went to confession after 30 years without the sacrament.
That incident made Cardone, now 50 and the co-chair of the advisory board of the Franciscan Spiritual Center in Aston, realize that “we can all touch each other’s lives through Christ’s love.”
Cardone, who is also a real estate broker and a member of St. Thomas the Apostle Parish in Glen Mills, continues to marvel at that grace-filled moment. [For a list of retreat houses and lenten retreats across the Archdiocese, see page 27.]
“He was totally a man of God” and a daily Mass attendee, Cardone said. “He came on retreat because I had invited him. For him to say to me, ‘This is the first time I’ve gone to confession in 30 years, I was like, ‘Whoa. Wasn’t that fantastic?’ I was absolutely shocked.”
More than a decade later, the man continues to receives the sacrament of reconciliation on a regular basis, Cardone said.
For 20 years, Cardone has made retreats with other men from St. Thomas the Apostle Parish and environs. Cardone considers his annual retreat a personal obligation. “We’re all heading, hopefully, to holiness,” he said, adding that a retreat is simply “a stop on the way that helps to keep you on the path.”
Prayer, he said, is the linchpin. “You can’t go on retreat and not address prayer in your life. If you’re looking for a way to have a prayerful relationship with Jesus or with God, a retreat will help you in that regard. Prayer is there, always.”
For those who have always wanted to take a retreat but for whatever reason have never made the leap, “Just do it,” Cardone said. “Do it on blind faith.
“Make a commitment to go on retreat. Keep an open mind and an open heart. Don’t have the expectation that something dramatic is going to happen.”
Those who use time constraints as an excuse for not making a retreat might want to reassess how they budget their time. “Don’t wait until you have the time” to go on retreat, or you never will, Cardone said. “I made the commitment, and sometimes I ‘can’t do it’— but I’ve done it for 20 consecutive years. It’s important to set aside some time, to slow down” and to “take inventory,” Cardone said.
Discussing his relationship with God at the annual retreat is rewarding to Cardone. “How often is it that men discuss their relationships with God with other men? We’re not talking about sports, we’re not talking about politics.” The restraints that society places on such dialogue is, fortunately, not present at a retreat, he said.
Cardone commended the Sisters of St. Francis of Philadelphia, who sponsor the Franciscan Spirituality Center, for the spirituality and holiness they exhibit throughout the retreats. He added that he and his fellow retreatants joke that “all we do is pray and eat when on retreat.”
According to Cardone, “the goodness builds” throughout the retreat because “you’ve decided to give Him time. Jesus is always there for you. When you don’t slow down, you’re not taking the opportunity to communicate with Him.”
Upon exiting the retreat house, Cardone feels an overwhelming sense of happiness, and contentment because “I’ve made contact in a special way with the Lord.”
He added: “Love is not that complicated; neither is faith.”
A native of New York, Cardone met his wife, Elizabeth (formerly McManus, a native of the Archdiocese of Philadelphia) at Georgetown University in Washington, D.C., where he received a bachelor’s degree in economics and she received a bachelor’s degree in English.
“My wife is a saint, a helper, a guardian angel to everyone,” he said.
They are the proud parents of Christina, 27; Anthony, 25; Peter, 23; Elizabeth, 22; twins Maria and Teresa, 20 (triplet Angela died in childbirth); Chiara, 17; John, 16; Joseph, 13 and Frances, 10.
Cardone considers his Catholic faith, family, parish and career as major contributors to his happiness and contentment.
“The high point of my week is going to Sunday Mass,” he said. Being among his fellow parishioners promotes a sense of community and belonging.
“I just love being able to be with them. There’s a little bit of sadness in my heart because it happens so quickly, and we all don’t stay around for hours on Sunday.”
He savors a similar feeling at his family’s dinner table. Although the number who remain at the table may dwindle, depending on which Cardone child has homework to finish, if Dominic Cardone had it his way, he would stay at the table all night catching up with his family members.
“Dinner lingers and lingers,” he said.
“We share our thoughts, our experiences, our loves, our sadness, whatever is going on in our lives.”
And the contributions run the gamut: “a lot of ruckus, loud behavior, jokes and teasing, and sometimes some problems and arguments, but it’s such an important time of day.” When Cardone can’t be home for dinner, it’s a great regret, he said.
The president-elect of the Pennsylvania Association of Realtors, Cardone is a real estate broker with Prudential Fox & Roach Realtors in Media, licensed in Pennsylvania, New Jersey and Delaware.
A past president of the Delaware Valley Realtors Association, Cardone is also a lecturer, and a certified instructor at various real estate schools.
At the National Association of Realtors, he currently serves on the professional standards committee, which addresses realtors’ code of ethics.
“Real estate is a wonderful career,” Cardone said. “It’s community-centered, and it’s serving people in a beautiful, basic need — finding housing.”
Because real estate is a 24/7 job, Cardone said, he has one hobby outside work — his fellow Cardones. “My family is my golf.”
CS&T Staff Writer Christie L. Chicoine can be reached at (215) 587-2468 or cchicoin@adphila.org.