MCHS 50th Anniversaryy Celebration Plans Announced Great, consistent numbers for AP Scholars, Illinois State Scholars, college scholarships, and National Merit Recognition. Excellence across a brilliant college prep curriculum, including academics, athletics and fine arts. An unparalleled record for Service in the South Suburbs, as well as generous parent groups and a successful and storied alumni. It would be easy to come up with 50 reasons to celebrate the outstanding tradition at Marian Catholic High School. Instead, as the Southland’s finest academic institution turns 50 with the 2008-2009 school year, let’s take pride in a brilliant past and future with the Marian Catholic 50th Anniversary celebration! While plans begin unofficially with a Sept. 5 football showdown at rival Bloom Township and an Anniversary Mass with Cardinal George highlights the official September 6 Kickoff Celebration on campus, events are planned throughout the year to commemorate 50 outstanding years.
An afternoon carnival-type atmosphere, including events on Marian’s new stadium FieldTurf™, will precede the Anniversary Mass, while an adult social for Marian alumni, families and friends will follow. Many of the year’s events will focus on alumni and the past, honoring the pioneers cultivated a great tradition of Teaching Scholars with a Soul. Meanwhile, celebration activities will also center around current Marian students who will carry on the proud tradition as Marian embarks on its next successful half-century. The celebration year will culminate with a gala planned at the School of the Art Institute Ballroom in Chicago on April 25, while reunions, alumni gatherings and traditional Marian events will take on a flavor of the 50th Anniversary throughout the school year.
The Search is on to Find and Invite Sisters and Former MCHS Faculty – By Allen Marazas ’64
HELP Wanted! One of the goals of the 50th Anniversary Committees has been to involve the largest number of our Marian Community in this celebration as possible. This includes those teachers and staff who have retired or moved on from Marian to other positions or fields. When we began, it didn’t seem too formidable. After all, we had staff directories with addresses and phone numbers that went back thirty years or so and if that failed, we could fall back on the old reliable yearbook. Right? Guess again! Our first task was to assemble a list of all the former teachers and staff because there was no list with all their names. Mary Margaret Flanagan volunteered to assemble this list. If she’d known what she had started maybe she would have found something else to do. Sister Mary Blaise said she would track down all of the Dominicans who had
taught here over the years. This too, proved to be tougher than we anticipated. In the early years, the staff directories did not always include everybody. Yearbooks are great for pictures but short on other information like addresses and phone numbers, even lacking first names in some cases. You’d think the Dominicans would be easy because they all live in the same place: Springfield. Well, first of all, they don’t. They can, at times, be found in a number of locations, states, countries and continents. Some of the first sisters at Marian have passed away and some have left the order. After several weeks of digging we had our list – over 400 names! Add this to our current staff of over 120, and we had an invitation list of over 500 names. It’s amazing how far and wide our former teachers have traveled. Most have moved more than once, some have married, some have divorced. Mary Margaret turned to her
computer and began the search on-line. Next she turned to human sources and began asking, “Do you remember so and so, do you know where they are, do you know who might know?” Sister Judith Anne, former MCHS principal, enthusiastically joined the search and contributed several hard-to find addresses. Finally after much hard work, a mailing list was confirmed! But the list of those we are still seeking remains too long. So now we’re counting on you to help us. If you know the whereabouts of any of these people, please contact Mary Margret Flanagan mflanagan@marianchs. com. What a wonderful possibility: the opportunity to once again be with many of these people who have so profoundly influenced and inspired us. So please help us make it happen.
This is your invitation to our September 6, 50th Anniversary Celebration! PLEASE SAVE THIS SECTION