– Carrying on a tradition started by the later Mater Dei High School teacher Thomas Murray several decades ago, a Mass of Remembrance was held at Mary Mother of God Church Saturday in recognition of all the deceased graduates of the high school dating from the first graduating class in 1965.
Monsignor Michael Walsh, former pastor of St. Mary’s, was celebrant of the mass, assisted by Deacon Marty McMahon of St. Mary’s. The organist was Diane Testa and the Cantor, Jackie Ross.
Both graduates and parents of deceased graduates participated in the mass, and refreshments were served after mass to enable those coming from a distance to reunite and spend time with former classmates and friends.
The Mass of Remembrance Committee, which has organized the program for several years, is headed by Cathy Daniels, class of ’79, Tom Dooley, Class of ’65, and Mari Campanella Kovach, class of ’78.
The Hospitality committee included Ellen Poole, class of ’72, Maria Miele Scribner, class of ’83 and Annmarie Golding McCarthy, Class of ‘80
Jim Shaw, Class of ‘76 played the bagpipes both before the start of the mass and as the clergy processed into church.
During his homily Monsignor Walsh praised the alumni for their remembrance of those who have died, and offered all prayers during the mass for those included in the Memorial Necrology as well as those who have died and may not have been included.
Ms. Kovach also extended an invitation to all who wish to provide updated information to the Mater Dei Prep Memorial Necrology to e-mail her at deckhill@comcast.net.
After the Final Blessing, the names of those listed in the school’s Memorial Necrology were read along with their graduation years. The list also included the school’s administrators who had died, including founding Principal Mother Bede Loob, OSF, and principals Father William Lynch, S.J., John V. Lonergan, Sr. Mary Hugh Brady and Frank Poleski, as well as Assistant Principal Frank Outwater. Mr. Poleski was the last principal included in the necrology, after his death in the past year.
Included among the 97 faculty members who are included in the Necrology is the originator of the mass, Thomas Murray, 25 teaching sisters, three doctors, and three priests. The Doctors include Dr. John Cahill, Dr. Frank DeRobbio, and Doc. Keiber and the priests include Monsignor John T Muthig, Father Steve Duffy, and Fr. Paul Gluth. Among the other faculty members is Susan Shelton Houghtaling, who was also a Mater Dei graduate in the Class of 1967.
The Necrology included 329 alumni who have died from the graduating classes between the 1965 to 2015.
Those reading the Necrology were Ellen Poole, ’72, Mari Campanella Kovach, ’78, Dr. Ken Dugan, ’65. Kathy Smith Logan ’66, Muriel Smith, whose daughter Kathy graduated in 1974, Jim Keating, ’76, Pat Ryan, ’82, and Tom Dooley, ’65.
