May 24, 2010
On
Sunday, May 23, nearly 150 alumni and friends gathered in St.
Thomas More Church on the Queens campus for the concelebrated
Alumni Mass. Rev. Donald J. Harrington, C.M., President of St.
John’s University served as the principal celebrant.
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During his homily, which reflected the liturgical themes of the
Feast of Pentecost, Fr. Harrington reminded everyone that, “We
find the extraordinary presence of the Holy Spirit in everyday
things and experiences. The gifts of the Holy Spirit manifest
themselves in different people in different ways.” He urged the
worshippers to, “…discern the presence of the Spirit in one
another, and discern the Spirit in our own lives. If we do that, we
can change the world.”
Following Mass, guests strolled to Montgoris Dining Hall for the
final event of Alumni Reunion Celebration 2010, a traditional
Champagne Brunch.
“As
St. John’s alumni we have so much to be proud of,” said Robert Wile
’99SVC, Vice President and Chief of Staff, Office of the President
and Chief Advancement Officer of St. John’s University. “Each in
our own way, we have contributed to the fabric of this great
university that means so much to us. We are, and forever will be, a
part of the life and history of St. John’s, as it will always be a
part of our own.”
Fr. Harrington thanked the alumni for their ongoing support of
St. John’s, noting that while St. John’s has grown is so many
different ways, “…our mission has not changed, and we continue to
remain totally faithful to our mission, which is to provide a high
quality education to our students and render service to the poor.
It is because of the generosity and goodness of so many of you that
we continue to be able to do that. I thank you for all that you do,
and I also thank you for embodying our mission every day in ways
that tell the story of St. John’s.”
A
special feature of the event was the presentation of commemorative
medals to members of the Class of 1970 in recognition of the 40th
anniversary of their graduation from the University.
For Michael Anglin ’70CBA, ’79MBA, his affection for St. John’s
is manifest on a variety of levels. In addition to being a double
alumnus, he was also a member of the faculty for a number of years.
“It’s great to be here today and have God smiling on me and my
fellow anniversary celebrants,” he said. “I appreciate all of the
gifts that I got from my time at St. John’s. The University
has always been important to me, and still is.”
“St. John’s means a lot to me,” agreed Gerard F. Kelly, Jr.
’70Ed, ’82MBA. “I’ve been back occasionally and I’ve watched the
University grow in so many ways. I made a lot of friends here, and
I’ve seen my nieces and nephews go here, so for me, St. John’s is a
family affair. Especially today, at this brunch, it’s nice to be
recognized.”
A
number of graduates of St. John’s former campus location on
Schermerhorn Street came back to alma mater to share
memories with friends who had been an important part of their
student days.
“I went to school on Schermerhorn Street,” said Sr. Angela
Palermo, R.D.C. ’50UC. “I was a Chemistry major, one of the very
few women who were enrolled in that major at the time. After I
graduated, I decided to answer God’s call and enter the
convent Being here [in St. Thomas More Church] is gorgeous!
The mosaics on the walls are so magnificent. I love St. John’s and
I’m so glad I came today.”
Col. Robert W. Molyneux, Jr. ’60C traveled from Hawaii for the
exclusive purpose of reconnecting with familiar faces from the
past. “This event gives me an opportunity to see old friends, and
I’m definitely here for the people,” he said. “St. John’s is
important to me because the education that we got here was truly
amazing. I’m not just speaking about book learning, because
the University is so much more than that. For so many of us, St.
John’s gave us the tools of the trade to succeed in life.”