Alumni VolumeNotes 3, Summer 2014 St. Mary’s, North East & St. Alphonsus College, Suffield The Redemptorists’ priceless treasure

he Redemptorists have been Keenan were serving as given a priceless treasure in the with the U.S. Army in . Ticon of Our Lady of Perpetual The Redemptorists in invit- Help. In 2016 we celebrate the 150th ed them to preach a solemn novena anniversary of the restoration of Our for Perpetual Help. The parish in Lady of Perpetual for public vener- Brooklyn shipped boxes of novena ation. In 1866 Pope Pius IX com- booklets and other materials to Bel- manded the Redemptorists to “make fast. One year later 10,000 people Perpetual Help known.” Surely no were attending six services a week. papal command has been taken more From Belfast the Perpetual No- seriously. vena quickly spread to , Today the of Perpetual Help , , and throughout may be the most frequently copied . After the war Irish Re- work of art in the world. It is Mary’s demptorists carried the Perpetu- most popular title and most popular al Novena to England, Wales, and devotion. and on to and Sri The Redemptorists of the Bal- Lanka. timore Province have been in the In 1946 American sailors stationed Today the Perpetual Novena devo- forefront of making Perpetual Help in the asked their Re- tions that Father Keenan and Father known. Two years after the icon was demptorist to have novena Meighan brought to Belfast have placed above the altar at San Al- devotions the way they remembered spread throughout the world, reach- fonso in , America’s first cop- them from Mission Church. Those ing millions every week. ies of the icon were enthroned at St. novena services spread throughout Our in Brazil estab- Mary’s in Annapolis and in five oth- the Philippines, where our shrine lished novenas in Campo Grande er American Redemptorist churches. of Our Lady of Perpetual Help and Curitiba, where 30,000 now at- Devotion to this wonder-working in Baclaran now has more than tend weekly services. icon spread rapidly across the Unit- 100,000 devotees attending their The Perpetual Help Center, be- ed States. In 1870 the Redemptor- Wednesday novena. gun in the Bronx in the 1930s, sent ists established Mission Church in In 1922 Father James Barron, our thousands of Perpetual Help pack- Boston, dedicated to the Mother of provincial, assigned a number of Re- ages throughout the world: boxes of Perpetual Help. In 1939 Father Jo- demptorists whose sole ministry was novena booklets, prayer cards, rosa- seph Manton, one of America’s great to spread devotion to Perpetual Help ries, and other devotional articles. preachers, arrived at Mission Church by preaching novenas and installing The Perpetual Help Center and the to preach the novena. They then had the in churches. The Perpetual Province were very in- four novena services, but within a Help team continued into the early volved in the restoration of the icon short while those four services grew 1960s. in Rome. to eleven, with 20,000 people com- During World War II Fathers The independent center closed in ing for the novena. Mathew Meighan and Thomas continued on page 2 North East graduating class of 1964

Top row: Eddie Hernandez, a social Second row: Joe Olive, a mission- Ron Bonneau, 25 years as a mission- worker; Kenny Cross, married and liv- ary in Brazil for a short while, mar- ary in Paraguay, with Jim Gilmour a ing in New Jersey; Joe Hattley; Pete ried in Southern , died a director of ministry for the McHugh, corporate lawyer, married few years ago; George Behr, bank of Metuchen, N.J., soon to be with one son president in Baltimore, volunteer ac- Novice Master in Third row: Frank Kuhl; Jay Snel- countant at Sacred Heart, Baltimore; First row: Jodie Ronaldson; Larry linger from our parish in Ilchester, Manny Rodriquez, spent his entire Seiger; Tom Fitzgerald, high school now living in Port Jervis, New York; priesthood in or Domini- teacher in Newburgh, New York, mar- Sean Dwyer; John Didden, a school can Republic, presently Provincial in ried with two children; Tom Mack- principal from Long Island; Norm Puerto Rico and coordinator of the iewicz; Don Scully, worked for elec- Bennett, Puerto Rico for five years, American Region of the Con- tric company, has four children and Dominican Republic for five years, gregation; Rich Kowalczyk, married, grandchildren, lives on Staten Island; Trappist for three years, lawyer in Baltimore, volunteered legal Charlie McDonald, in Bra- Boston for four years and Brooklyn for work for the C.Ss.R., presently retired zil, vocation director, rector in Lan- 22 years, where he has done amaz- in West Virginia, hosts gatherings of caster, Philadelphia, and Manhattan, ing work with the Chinese alumni in his house in West Virginia; now working at OLPH, Brooklyn. n continued from page 1 the last editor of that magazine, Perpetual Help and the gift of 2009, but the Baltimore Province which was another victim of the the icon. continues the work of the Center digital age. Certainly devotion to Our Lady through our advancement office. And every mission preached of Perpetual Help is part of being At the same time Perpetual Help in the United States ends with a Redemptorist. n magazine was begun. I was sadly a Mass in honor of Our Lady of 2 | Alumni Notes, Summer 2014 From left to right, Father Manny Rodriquez, Provincial in Puerto Rico; Joe Mandu, who joined the Brazilian army after leaving Suffield; Father Norman Bennett, stationed in Brooklyn; Father Peter Gennaro, now stationed in Asunción, Para- guay; and Auri Taveira, part of the class of 1967. Joe trained for the Brazilian Special Forces in the Amazon. He is the re- tired superintendent of Intelligence for Brazil (the Brazilian CIA). He and his wife have two children and three grandchil- dren. Father Peter works with Marriage Encounter and Retrouvaille throughout Latin America.

Letters from our alumni

It was great to see my classmate photo from the grad- we now have five wonderful children. Who would uation class of 1973 (what a handsome group, and I have thought I would get married at the age of 46? think we were still wearing our freshman jackets). I I have a stepdaughter, Lisa Marie, who is ap- have been living in South Bend, Indiana, since I left proaching 30 and lives in Salt Lake City; Isabelle the Mount back Marie is 12; Samuel in 1979. I think Keep us informed Joseph is 9; Evalyn about the “guys” all Rose is 7; and Mary the time and the How about it? Let us know what you are doing. Send me Grace is 4. days spent at the your fondest and funniest memories of North East. Better At work they call seminaries. yet, send me some pictures. Or scan them and send me the me Tony Randall, I have been sing- pictures as an attachment to your e-mail. Tell us what prof but I guess you are ing in several lo- most influenced you. Maybe you could send me a picture of never too old to start cal musicals and for you and your family. Keep those letters coming. things new. Thank church choirs. I have —Father John Murray, [email protected] you for the article worked as a credit from Ken Berg- manager for truck- er. I did not realize ing companies and he has been living banks and for the last eight years for Lock Joint Tube. so close to me. I have a new family now, but the Re- We do tubing for hospital beds, exercise equipment, demptorists will always be my family as well. school tables and chairs, Ford trucks, and so much I have lost touch with so many classmates and more. friends, but the Alumni Newsletter brings back so My life took a big twist back in 2000 when I pro- many fond memories. Who knows, as there might be posed to and married a beautiful local girl, Trish someday another Becker joining the Redemptorists. n Walz. The last 14 years have been my happiest, and —Gary Becker Alumni Notes, Summer 2014 | 3 Profile: Ed Twomey

Ed Twomey was priesthood in 2004. special Latin classes ordained a priest in 1961 He was dispensed with Father “Scooter” and came to Brazil in and married in the Bill Smith. He never 1963. He was missioned Church. He has “two called Ed or Jack by in many of our houses grandchildren without their names but simply in Mato Grosso du Sul: ever having been a “boy” and “other boy.” Miranda, Aquiduana, father.” He is step- Ed had six marvelous Campo Grande. He father to his wife’s three years at Esopus and then spent 22 years in adult children and their always wanted to go to Curitiba, including nine children. All of them Brazil. He still considers years at Perpetual Help live happily in Campo himself a Redemptorist Parish. He was Vice- Grande. (we do too), and it Provincial in Campo Ed was 70 and fully Ed Twomey affects his spirituality, Grande (1981-89). After retired when he left the his outlook on life, and Provincial he spent four Redemptorists. He stays years in North East his lifelong friendships. years at Perpetual Help in close contact with his after graduating from Most importantly, Ed in Campo Grande. Redemptorist friends in Cathedral High School wants to tell us all that He “ran out of gas” Brazil and in the States. in Boston. He and he is “well now.” n and left the ministerial Ed spent just two Jack Monaghan had

Eight novices were invested in their Redemptorist habits at the in Toronto, , on Friday, May 16. From left to right, they are (back row) Ako Walker, Trinidad; Garvey Blanc, Dominica; Michael Cunningham, Bethpage, New York; Sydney Beckers, France; Alfredo Rodriguez, Mexico; Huy Vu, Houston; (front row) Alfredo Medina, Mexico; Father Ray Douziech, C.Ss.R., Assistant Novice Director; Father Gary Lauenstein, C.Ss.R., Novice Director; and Chung Tran, Seattle.

St. Mary’s reunion: July 25–27, 2014 nce again Mercyhurst North The schedule will remain the devotions in the grotto, we will East will welcome St. Mary’s same as before. On Friday after- gather for a barbecue and gab fest. OSeminary alumni home for a noon, settle into your room in the Although the formal reunion three-day reunion celebration from town houses, dorm suites, or the concludes with Mass and lunch on Friday, July 25, to Sunday, July 27, former priests’ house, then greet Sunday morning, you can enjoy an 2014. your fellow alumni at a welcoming afternoon boat ride on Lake Erie. In the same Redemptorist spir- evening reception. Accommodations will be also it seen during reunions in 1998, On Saturday, following break- available for Thursday and Sunday 2006, and 2010, the alumni and fast, we will celebrate the liturgy evenings. their families can renew old friend- in the chapel, then enjoy lunch in For more information, e-mail ships, share cherished memories, the refectory and a free afternoon Jack Breslin at [email protected], and celebrate our common heritage (e.g., a softball game for forev- call him at 914-632-9805, or visit fostered at North East. er-young athletes). After OLPH smsreunion2014.com/. n 4 | Alumni Notes, Summer 2014