This year, the Annual Golf Outing to support our work in Capuchin Formation was coupled with the first St. Fidelis Alumni reunion on FRI-SAT, August 6th-7th. The turnout was tremendous given the resurgence of pandemic concerns, but the weather cooperated and the events both on the 
Golf Course and on the Picnic Grounds provided plenty of opportunity for bringing back fond memories and provoking questions like "Who are you?" and "Is that you?" It's been forty years since the last class graduated from the High School. That was 1981, even though the school closed its doors in June 1980. The men who left as juniors were able to return after a year spent in their local high schools to receive the last degrees the school conferred. Among them was soon-to-be affiliate David Schaffner who directs and animates the St. Fidelis Alumni. Dave was Editor-in-Chief of the Fidelian, the school's newspaper, when it produced its last issue in 1980, and the article he co-wrote in that final edition relays a great history of the 100 years of St. Fidelis' heritage (the edition we have was even signed by Dave and by Jeff Dauses!). We've placed it online. For those who may not know how precious it was to many of the friars who lived, prayed, studied and played there, you may get a glimpse of an important part of our Province story.
We've put together a video of photos (embedded below) from the Golf Outing and also from the Alumni reunion the next day. The songs used for the Saturday morning Mass celebrated by Provincial Fr. Tom Betz ('75) at St. Catherine Church in Wildwood (Allison Park) were very familiar to the alumni. Two of Fr. Bernard Finerty's compositions (God Is and How Good the Lord) and Fr. Pascal Schaller's ubiquitous (even today) Peace Prayer of St. Francis are used as the soundtrack for the video, led by the music group of alumni Br. Bob Herrick ('73), David Green ('72), Fr. John Petrikovic ('72) and Rege Franz ('71).
Some of the Class of 1970 which includes our brothers friars Dan Mindling and Jim Froehlich (though Jim wasn't able to make it) had the opportunity for a very limited tour of the former St. Fidelis property on Sunday, August 8th. One place they requested of the current staff of Summit Academy to see was the old chapel. Coincidentally, Joe Quinn ('69) sent a link to alumnus Don Lankiewicz ('70) of the obituary of the architect who designed the chapel. He passed way on August 4th (!), a few days before their visit. The link to the obituary of Casimir J. "Bud" Pellegrini, Jr. 
reads, in part: "His architectural works include residential projects, major renovations to Pittsburgh Public Schools, and many projects for the Roman Catholic Diocese of Pittsburgh, including St. Fidelis Chapel, Herman; Calvary Cemetery Oratory, Greenfield; St. Anthony Home for Exceptional Children, Oakmont; the churches and schools at both Our Lady of Loretto, Brookline and North American Martyrs, Monroeville; St. James Church, Sewickley; the Chapel at Mount Assisi Convent, Bellevue; and major renovations to St. Mary Mercy Church, downtown Pittsburgh and Most Holy Name, Troy Hill." An inspiring twist of providence. He designed a place that, for a bit more than 15 years, was a place where many of us found the Lord in gratitude and in consolation. Here are some of the photos Don took on the class' walk around where Bud's work can be glimpsed and appreciated.
While we're at St. Fidelis, one last word: While the Class of '70 looked around the friars' plot of St. Mary Cemetery, Herman, PA, Don spotted the tombstone of a seminarian among the friars' stones: Francis Negron, 1920-1934 . For those friars who have walked the cemetery and wondered about who this young man was, we found this clipping from the monthly magazine published by the friars, The Capuchin Home Journal, of June 1934. The young man is lying with the greats, though it is sad to think that the expense of transporting his body back to Utuado would have been too costly to consider and that his family had to mourn his loss from afar . . .
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