alumni newsletter july 2012
TRANSCRIPT
JULY 2012 SAINT PATRICK’S ALUMNI NEWSLETTER
Alumni Newsletter
Catholic Diocese
Of
Peoria
100 Harvey St. Washington, IL 61571
309-444-4345
Website: stpatswashington.com Email: [email protected]
Dear Alumni:
We have some very exciting news to share with our parish and alumni community!
St. Patrick School was the recipient of a wonderful donation of a science lab that is now located in Room 402,
Mrs. Christine Kapraun’s classroom! The science lab was given to the school through the generosity of the Math, Science,
& Engineering Department at Illinois Central College. ICC is upgrading its science lab and graciously donated its former
lab to us. This kindness saved us a tremendous amount of money as the tables are made of wood and have solid slate tops!
They even came with chairs!
A special note of thanks goes to Mr. Joseph Bergman, St. Patrick School parent and professor of Chemistry at
ICC, and to Mrs. Kathleen (Opsomer) Schlack, who worked with Mr. Bergman to make this dream come true! We are
also grateful to Mr. Tom Pilat, former Academy of Our Lady/Spalding Institute/Peoria Notre Dame High School science
teacher, who is now the Math, Science, & Engineering Department Chairperson at ICC. Mr. Pilat worked with me and my
staff to finalize the arrangements of moving the lab under the supervision of St. Pat’s maintenance workers, Mr. Don Jones
and Mr. Ralph Longbucco. Another round of thanks goes to the following St. Patrick parish and school families who as-
sisted in the move: John Grillot, Nick Volk, Tom Mark, Jerry Jarboe, Joe Bergman, Joe Cave, Miles Walsh, Jim Johnson,
Gary Sleister, Scott Ozella, William Wike, Marv Schneider, and Amy Sears.
The school is planning an open house this fall to introduce our parish and school communities and alumni to this
new addition at St. Patrick School! Watch for the date!
Dr. Sharon Weiss, Principal
Dear Alumni:
There is a great deal of good news for our parish and school this summer. First, of course, is the assignment of Father John
Steffen as the new Parochial Vicar. Congratulations to Father John on his recent ordination and assignment to St. Patrick
and St. Monica (East Peoria) Churches. His background as educator, lawyer, theologian, and musician will enhance every
facet of our parish.
Education remains a very strong parish ministry. This past year the parish provided outstanding adult education programs
through the faith formation programs. In addition, this year the Council for American Private Education nominated St.
Patrick School as one of 38 private elementary, middle, and secondary schools in the nation for U.S. Department of Educa-
tion consideration as a Blue Ribbon School. The Department will determine the winners in November. Our CCD reli-
gious education program also remains strong due to the faithful dedication of the parish’s volunteer teachers. Enrollments
of both the school and CCD programs will exceed last year’s.
Most of all, the number of new parishioners, increased reverence during and after Mass, and increased participation in the
Sacrament of Confession all indicate a vibrant parish centered on the Sacraments. The Eucharist is both the foundation
and the summit of St. Patrick Parish.
Father John and I pray for the parishioners and you all each evening at the Holy Hour. Please pray for us that we may be
worthy of our vocations as Pastor and Parochial Vicar.
Msgr. John J. Prendergast
Pastor
Rachal Edwards, 1988
I have quite a few fond memories from grade school. Some that come to mind include playing scooter soccer in the gym with Mr.
O’Neill as our gym teacher. During Friday morning Mass, while sitting on the pews, we would ‘write’ with our finger spelling
words and sentences and try not to get caught. And lastly, singing with the class, Oh! Oh! Oh! How good is the Lord while Sr. Irene
Marie (I think) played the piano.
For the past 5 years, I had been working at a non-profit education reform company based out of Baltimore, MD. The experiences of
creating a curriculum from the ground up, coaching coaches throughout the United States and Guam, and managing a $61M grant
were tremendous. It definitely prepared me for a new adventure that I just embarked on in late April as I became the Director of
Professional Learning for the Alexandria City Public School District (VA). Not only is it nice to be back in public education; but
living just 10 minutes from Washington, D.C. is amazing! This area of the country is proving to be fantastic with lots of things to
do. My parents, Paul and Chris Edwards, continue to reside in their home in Washington, although retirement is knocking on the
door so only time will tell if they will continue to live in the area. Josh, my older brother and class of ’86, and his wife Gabrielle also
live in Washington and are wonderful, amazing parents to my four nieces and nephews. My younger brother Jordan is almost fin-
ished with his Bachelor’s degree, works for Stark Excavating, and resides in Bloomington.
WHO’S WHERE, DOING WHAT NOW?
Did you know...
Ruth (Driver) Phillips, 1959
I remember Fr. Schubert visiting classes and saying Mass. He was very kind. My favorite teacher was Sister Mary Jane. We liked
her so much my youngest sister was named after her. I also remember a class picnic at Detweiller Park and a bus trip to New Salem
Park, cheerleading for 8th grade basketball, playing dodge ball and jump rope during recess. On Fridays, my mom took my sister
Gail and me to Jim’s Drive In for lunch.
I am married to Richard Phillips. We just celebrated our 48th wedding anniversary. We have 3 grown sons, 3 granddaughters, and 2
great–granddaughters. I just retired from Peoria's Methodist Hospital as a registered nurse and Rick is also retired from steamfitting.
My siblings are as follows: Gail (Driver) Zuniga is retired and lives in Clovis, CA. Mary Jane (Driver) Burtsfield lives in Washing-
ton and works for Kroger. David Driver lives in South Carolina. Mark lives in Cape Coral, Florida. Ed lives in Peoria and is a chef
at Jim’s Steak House.
I can be reached by email at [email protected] or by mail at 26855 Cooper Rd, Morton IL 61550. My phone number is 309-
266-7689. I enjoy reading the newsletter.
A new monument was just dedicated on the square. It features six plaques commemorating different historic events in Washington.
It is constructed out of paving bricks from the historic Washington brick streets and limestone extracted from the Baylor home that
was demolished last fall. The historic Baylor home, in disrepair, sat across from Washington High School. The WCHS school
board bought the home and had it demolished, making much needed parking spaces available for the students.
St. Pat’s has been nominated as a 2012 US Department of Education Blue Ribbon School. Only schools nationally ranked in the
top 15% of both English Language Arts and Mathematics may apply. It is quite an honor!
There is a special little 2nd grade girl at St. Patrick’s named Grace Jenkins. She became a patient at St. Jude Children’s Hospital in
Memphis in July 2011 and returned home this spring. Although she was not able to attend school, she kept in touch by skyping
and received numerous cards and gifts from her classroom. Many parish members helped in organizing dinners and fundraisers for
the family. T-shirts were printed up saying “Amazing Grace” as she is truly amazing!
A group of Washington Community High School alumni has organized a trivia night in hopes of funding $500 scholarships for
WCHS band and chorus students. They have awarded four $500 music scholarships to date, 2 in 2011 and 2 in 2012. One of the
organizers is Mike Godar, a 1970 St. Pat’s graduate. Trivia night will begin again this fall. For more information, contact Mike at
Several members of the class of 1969 are interested in putting together an informal reunion in the Washington area sometime next
year. We are asking any members of the class who would be interested in attending to contact Bill Noirot at billnoirot
@hotmail.com, Dee Dee (Winn) Heiser at [email protected], or Larry Miller at [email protected].
Did you know… (cont.)
If you have had an address change, please complete and return this form to St. Pat’s School, 100 Harvey, Washington, IL 61571. You may also email the information to: [email protected].
Name:
Address:
City/State/Zip:
Two WCHS band members marched in this past Macy’s Thanksgiving Day parade. One was Dani Boley, a 2009 St. Pat’s gradu-
ate and daughter of Frank Boley (1978). She traveled to New York to be a part of the Great American Marching Band.
Mrs. Kay Grillot and the seventh grade students from St. Patrick School met with Congressman Aaron Schock via telephone on
Friday, January 20. The students helped to deliver baby food and formula to three area social service agencies commemorating
Roe v. Wade. This is the 39th year for the Baby Food Project sponsored by the Tazewell County Right to Life.
Congratulations to two graduating alumni high school seniors. Julia Williams was selected Peoria Journal Star’s Cross County
Runner of the Year this past fall. In addition to this honor, she was Washington’s co-valedictorian. The 2011 WCHS Homecom-
ing Queen was awarded to Jordyn Hofer. Jordyn and Julia were 2008 graduates of St. Patrick’s.
St. Patrick School’s Spanish teacher, Amanda Barbour, was awarded a PNC Foundation FirstGrant on January 26, 2012. Senor-
ita Barbour’s grant was one of 29, from over 100 applications that was awarded by the Foundation for her creative project to
“enhance student learning and exposure to Spanish culture.”
The Missouri Department of Elementary and Secondary Education selected Jennifer (Johnston) Baker Santee of Hazelwood High
School as a state-level finalist for the Presidential Award for Excellence in Mathematics and Science Teaching program. This
prestigious award recognizes outstanding contributions as a teacher of mathematics in Missouri. Jenny graduated from St. Pat-
rick’s in 1977.
Congratulations to St. Patrick School teacher and girls' basketball coach, Mr. Kurt Draeger. Mr. Draeger was recently named the
Illinois Basketball Coaches' Association District #18 Coach of the Year for junior high basketball. Coach Draeger led the 8th
grade girls' basketball team to a 3rd place finish at the IESA State Tournament in December.
Congratulations to the following 2012 graduates who received awards. Collin Harrell received the Mark Burroughs Sportsman-
ship Award. Emily Cassulo received the Josephine Goebel Sportsmanship Award. Sydney Bina received the American Legion
Female Athlete of the Year, and Luke Strong received as the male athlete. Sydney also won the Angie Linsley Outstanding Vol-
leyball Player Award. The Evan Knoblauch Track Memorial Award was given to Francesca Boley (daughter of Frank Boley, (a
1978 graduate). Francesca also received the YWCA and American Legion Scholastic Awards. The Spirit Award was presented
to Austin McMurray, who also won the Knights of Columbus Christian Male Student Award. The Female Student Christian
Award was given to Kathryn Serangeli. The Annette & Charles Maibach Religious Education Scholarship Award was given to
Ethan Sajko. Two teachers, Mrs. Doreen Shipman and Mrs. Rebecca Moran, received the 4th Annual Noe Excellence in Teach-
ing Award. New this year was the Kathy Werstein Athletic Volunteer Award. The first recipient of this award was long-time
volunteer Larry Mueller. Congratulations to everyone!
Each spring, the St. Pat’s Seniors Group has a plant sale. The money raised helps fund various parish needs. This group is an off
-shoot of our Hospitality Team and is headed by Mrs. Dee Otten. Some of the other plant sale assistants have been Mrs. Earla
Tenuta, Mrs. Beth Doolan, Mrs. Harriet Venzon, Mrs. Mary Otten, Mrs. Pinky Riffle, Mrs. Rose Raher, Mrs. Carol Lee, Mrs.
Phyllis Birkner, and Mrs. Eileen Orr. Approximately $500.00 was raised this year.
For 3 years in a row, Mr. Wes Kanaga, father of Ashley (2002) and Jonathan (2004), won 1st place in the United Motorcoach
Association Maintenance Award. He works at Peoria Charter Coach.
This year’s graduating class at St. Pat’s had 19 students, 5 of which will be going on to Peoria Notre Dame High School. The
2012 First Communion class included 68 children. The Confirmation class this spring contained 52 confirmands.
St. Patrick School
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Washington, IL 61571
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ALUMNI
NEWSLETTER
JULY 2012
Please keep in your prayers those who have recently passed away: Mr. Eugene Burroughs, Mrs. Florence Lorengo Mat-
thews, Mrs. Nancy Bearce, Mrs. Joan O’Dea, Mrs. Agnes O’Neill, Mrs. Lisa Thieme, Mr. William Killoran, Mrs. Donna
Lee, Mrs. Patricia Honegger, Dan Smith (1956), Mary Paula Knott (1966), Steve Lorengo (1963), and Bob Scherer (1966).
Also, this fall a former student, Thomas Sawchuk, age 11, died unexpectedly. Thomas was the son of Gina (Paluska) Bar-
clay (1984) and grandson of Tom Paluska (1958). May all the families find peace in knowing God’s grace.
For 40 years, Sister Mary Ann Schmitz tended to the minds and souls of the children at St. Pat’s. To honor her, the gym of
St. Patrick School was named after her. A plaque now hangs in the Sister Mary Ann Schmitz Gymnasium near the place
where she sat to greet the students and their families. Many of you remember that corner of the gym. Other members of the
Sisters of Mary of the Presentation as well as former Pastor Father Robert Hughes, traveled the many miles to celebrate in
the dedication. While the parishioners demonstrated their gratitude to Sister when she left in 2003, they wanted to do more.
It was decided to dedicate the gym to her because she was instrumental in developing extra curricular activities.
A new group has been formed at St. Patrick Parish. It is called the 20/30 Young Adult group and includes more than 75
Catholics in their 20s and 30s - some married, some single. They gather for prayer and fellowship and often dinner. St.
Pat’s former parochial vicar, Father Ryan Bredemeyer, was instrumental in getting this group organized soon after he joined
St. Patrick’s. Now, Father John Steffen, St. Pat’s new parochial vicar, will begin where Fr. Ryan left off. Plans call for the
ministry to expand to service and recreation projects. A Facebook site (20/30 at St. Pat’s) keeps members informed, but
there is still communication the old-fashioned way—at Mass each weekend.
A HUGE welcome to our newest parochial vicar! We are so proud that Bishop Jenky chose St. Patrick Parish and St.
Monica Parish as the first assignment for Father John Steffen. Father John’s home is Fairbury, IL. He is an educator, hav-
ing taught English Literature at Streator High School; a lawyer, having practiced civil law in Pontiac, IL; and a theologian,
having graduated from the Pontifical College Josephinum in Columbus, OH. In addition to literature, law, and theology,
Father John also enjoys music and counts a piano as part of his “household goods” which he moved into the rectory. Father
John is a convert to the Catholic Church having been raised in a good Christian home with a solid love of God and neighbor
nurtured in the Apostolic Christian Church. Father John brings a multifaceted and rich educational and religious back-
ground; and the school and parish are very happy to have him.
As of June, Monsignor Prendergast is pastor for St. Monica’s in East Peoria as well at St. Pat’s, but keeping residence here.
Father John is also in residence here.