REGIS

REGIS HIGH SCHOOL | p a g e 4 SPRING 2007 | page 5
A Letter from the
Regis Alumni Board
In less than a full year’s worth of
meetings, the tack that the Alumni
Board is taking in service of our
fellow Regians is becoming apparent.
Our meetings primarily cover those
social events, outreach and volunteer
efforts that speak to the experience of
being “men for others” long after our
graduation from Regis. We’ve tended,
thus far, to confine our discussion to
practical concerns of planning and
outreach over the coming few quarters.
It is in this vein that we have covered
so much ground already in reshaping and lending our support to a
number of events.
In an effort to help continue the intellectual connection of alumni
to Regis, the Board will make a concerted effort to advertise “The
Classroom Revisited” at Regis on April 21st. Participants will be able
to choose a few courses from among 20 offerings by Regis faculty
and alumni across a variety of fields including foreign language,
film, theology, etc.
Additionally, at the urging of the Board, the Alumni office continues
to gather reading lists and syllabi for a sampling of current courses
offered to Regis students for posting to the alumni section of the
website. These materials will give some insight into the evolving
subject matter making up the Regis curriculum, and may also serve
to spark interest in the texts being studied. Further, the Alumni
Board has advised Regis to have its technology staff determine the
feasibility of adding capability to the website for alumni to post their
literary and academic work of interest for public viewing.
The next “Beyond the Quad” program, featuring Regians in the
entertainment industry, will take place in Los Angeles on April
17th. Though the event is not open to the public, the minutes will
be subsequently submitted for publication in the RAN. We welcome
suggestions for future topics to be addressed in the “Beyond the
Quad” series.
Early board discussions of a possible retreat program for alumni
have taken root. Planning is underway for a “Day of Reflection.”
Fr. Mike Holleran ’67, Fr. Judge ‘80, Tom Hickey ’53, and Bernie
Kilkelly ’78 are working together on the event which will focus on
Adult Christianity. We expect the retreat to occur on a Saturday in
September after Labor Day. The day will run from about 9am to 3pm
and be comprised of a general session and guest speaker followed
by smaller, break-out groups in the afternoon. Each small group will
be lead by a priest or other qualified individual and focus on any
of several possible topics including: family issues, bereavement,
estrangement from the church, etc. The board welcomes ideas for
future retreat topics.
With respect to existing, annual events, the Golden Owls event
will continue this year in its usual, mass and brunch format. We
anticipate having a greater time period between the Golden Owls
and this year’s 50th Reunion (for ’57) to strengthen attendance at the
former. The Golden Owl members of the Board will be advertising
the event to their classmates as it approaches.
The Alumni/Senior event will be held as a breakfast on Monday,
May 7th featuring presentations by alumni and staff. The breakfast
will be a welcoming of the graduating senior class into the alumni
ranks and those interested in participating should reach out to the
Alumni office or members of the Board.
The Board discussed the format of the Deo Et Patriae celebration,
which will be similar to last year’s reception. It is expected that this
practical solution to the growing ranks of Order of the Owl members
will be able to accommodate both those who prefer a sit-down dinner
experience as well as those who would prefer to mingle during the
shorter program.
The 2007 Regis Alumni Basketball League season is now underway.
Play started in February and continues through April playoffs. The
RABL, in addition to the regular games, also features a family day on
March 31st at Regis with a slate of games and a reception.
Discussions of the methods by which alumni are keeping in touch
with fellow Regians have lead to us to recommend making greater
use of Regis website for facilitating email listserves and virtual
communities to bolster those existing offline and to complement
the efforts of successful alumni groups like the Regis Business
Network and Regis Bar Association. Such an effort would have to
wait until the end of the academic year at the earliest, but alumni
may presently make use of the online Alumni Database.
As always, we welcome input from all alumni on ways to be of better
service to the Regis community.
Chris Nooney ‘00
Member of the Board
Regis Alumni Association
Regis Alumni Board
Mr. J. Kenneth Hickman ’46, jkenhickman@verizon.net
Mr. Andrew J. Hernon ’49, hernon0613@earthlink.net
Mr. Thomas J. Hickey ’53, tjhickey@warpdriveonline.com
Mr. John M. Morriss ’55, jmorriss11@optonline.net
Mr. John F. Tweedy ’63, john.tweedy@verizon.net
Rev. Michael Holleran ’67, celestial49@msn.com
Mr. William J. O’Connell ’74, billo@bestweb.net
Mr. Bernard J. Kilkelly ’78, bjkilkelly@gmail.com
Mr. William G. Passannante ’80, wpassannante@andersonkill.com
Mr. Richard W. Morgner ’88, richard.morgner@millerbuckfire.com
Mr. James F. Donohue ’90, jdonohue@wrhambrecht.com
Mr. John P. Morris ’98, johnpmorris@gmail.com
Mr. Christopher J. Nooney ’00, chrisnooney@optonline.net
A Pilgrimage for Our
Children’s Future (or what I learned by failing)…
By Chris Lowney ‘76
On a rainy August morning, I started walking from the French border
(and Pyrenees foothills) toward Santiago de Compostela in northwest
Spain, one of Christendom’s most famous pilgrimage sites as the
traditional resting place of St. James the Apostle.
Devoted RAN readers may recall that, before leaving, I sought pledgesper-mile-walked
to benefit various education and healthcare charities
in the developing world (most of them Jesuit-sponsored, like Jesuit
Refugee Services). Because of Regis’s nascent relationship with St.
Aloysius Gonzaga secondary school, all pledges I received from
Regians were allocated to St. Al’s. This relatively new school, located
in one of Africa’s worst slum districts in Nairobi (Kenya), is offering a
wonderful secondary education to AIDS orphans, under the auspices of
the Christian Life Communities, which are rooted in the Jesuit, Ignatian
tradition.
I planned to walk the 500 miles in under thirty days, averaging about
17 miles a day. I carried my belongings in a backpack, slept in bunks at
50-bed pilgrim hostels, blogged from internet cafes, hand-washed my
clothes each night, ate lots of bread and cheese drank Spanish wines,
attended mass at medieval Churches, walked by headlamp very early
most mornings, and befriended fellow pilgrims from Argentina, Japan,
across Europe, and elsewhere.
I had little doubt I would make it all the way to Santiago. After all, as a
Regis graduate and former investment banker, I’m all about “can do”
and “Type A” and “strong to endure, daring though skies be dark.” But
by mile 225, I was sitting in medical center at Carrion de los Condes
with one badly ulcerated foot blister, a fever, and a respiratory infection
requiring a course of antibiotics. Santiago or bust? Bust.
My trek had gone exactly according to plan; unfortunately for my ego,
however, it just hadn’t gone according to my plan. It’s God’s world, not
mine. And much though I behave otherwise, I’m not in control of this
world. That was one of many lessons learned (well, re-learned) during
my wonderful 225-mile trek. Here’s another lesson learned: be grateful.
Let me share my prayers of gratitude with you:
For a beautiful journey: My last day of walking (post-ulcerated-blister but
pre-respiratory crisis) was both my most painful and happiest. I knew
my foot condition would prevent me from finishing. So, for once, I wasn’t
thinking about clocking extra miles and getting ahead of schedule.
Instead, I was grateful for the day, happy to be alive. I was gifted with
one more day to walk, look at the beautiful landscape, chat with passersby,
and admire the handiwork of medieval Church-builders.
For generous Regians: Regians of various generations, from around the
U.S. and as far away as Hong Kong, donated enough money to support
ten students at St. Al’s for a year (about $8000). I’m hoping that some
of them will continue to do so (and that others of you may join us going
forward). What a testament to the true spirit of Regis that we alumni as
a group are helping to educate through our donations not only our own
“protégés” at 84th Street, but some of the world’s neediest children in
Africa.
For the Regis administration: When I first floated the idea of soliciting
pledges for St. Al’s from Regis alumni, I told Fr. Judge and Jim Buggy
that I would (reluctantly) understand that they may not want to publicize
a pledge drive that could conceivably “cannibalize” alumni donations to
Regis. They completely brushed aside that concern and supported the
idea unhesitatingly. I’m grateful for their “abundance mentality,” their
embrace of gospel mystery that, “give, and it will be given to you; good
measure, pressed down, shaken together, running over, will be put into
your lap.” Amen. What we give comes back to us, if not in our pockets,
then surely in our hearts.
For Regis students and faculty: Regis students have themselves raised
about $7,000 to support St. Al’s students through various ingenious
fundraising activities. They are also actively and insightfully discussing
and learning about this modern plague of AIDS in Africa.
For the St. Al’s students: the real heroes of this pilgrim story are, of
course, the students of St. Aloysius Gonzaga, who are determined to
make a better life for themselves and therefore walk forward with hope
and optimism, despite lacking even the most basic life amenities that
you and I take utterly for granted.
For those who are lifting me up and carrying me forward: As I trekked
toward Santiago, I was well aware that many thousands of my medieval
Christian ancestors had died during this same journey and lie buried all
along the route. I very palpably felt I was carrying their hopes forward
as I went. Now others are, metaphorically, carrying me forward on the
journey I couldn’t complete: three recent Boston College graduates, for
example, will this Spring undertake the same pilgrimage to Santiago to
raise money for the same causes I supported.
God is good. We have today. Let’s be thankful for how much we have
rather than resentful over what little we lack.
Brother Regians and friends, would you be willing to commit to join
me in supporting not only our successor students at Regis, but also
these students at St. Al’s? We alumni and students are already sending
approximately 20 St. Al’s students to school: could we keep doing at
least this much or more? Please email me (chrislowney@verizon.net)
if you are willing to pledge ongoing support. Or, perhaps you yourself
want to mount a pilgrimage to Santiago or anywhere else (from the NY
subway system or to Mt. Everest!) that could become a “pilgrimage for
our children’s future” (www.pocf.org). Trekking to Santiago was one of
the best things I’ve ever done; I’ll definitely try it again, and would be
happy to share my practical learnings with any other Regian.