I’ll start by asking for prayers for the repose of the
soul of a good friend of mine, Fr. Joe Brennan, S.J. Fr. Brennan passed away on
October 17 at Columbiere, the Jesuit retirement home in Michigan. In the announcement to the faculty, Fr.
Caruso wrote, “In
1990, after a sabbatical at Marquette University, Joe moved to Chicago where he
worked at St. Ignatius College Prep until 2010. In addition to student
counseling, he was a faculty chaplain and a sacramental minister.
In addition to counseling students,
Joe used his gifts for the benefit of the Society. He was rector of St.
Xavier High School (1983-1989) and St. Ignatius College Prep (1990-1997 and
2003-2009). He was also a Chicago Province Consultor (1986-1992).”
Rest in Peace, Fr. Joe.
On a happier note, 5 alumni classes
met for their respective reunions in September and October. The 50-year reunion of the class of 1965 was
held in September, and was very well attended.
A growing number of class-members
had been meeting monthly to prepare for the big event, and some suggested that
they might continue to meet regularly because they enjoyed the company of their
“old” friends.
Additionally, the classes of ’70,
’75, ’80 and ’85 reunited in October, exchanging stories of their life-experiences,
I had the opportunity to visit with many, reliving some memories of events that
we shared, usually at an athletic contest.
In the spring of ’70 was I was the varsity baseball coach, and I was the
sophomore basketball coach for members of the class of ’75.
Finally I was excited to read about the success of the football
team. Because of my age (None of your
business!) and the distance that I live from Downtown Chicago, I wasn’t able to
attend any of the games, but this year’s team had a far more successful
win-loss record than we had the last season before our 40-year hiatus from football
competition in 1962. This year’s team
was 6 wins and 6 losses with a 4 and 2 record in league play, and it included
an opportunity to play in the post-season IHSA tournament. In 1962, we would have given anything to have
a “.500” record. (You can read all about
the 1962 football season in the 1963 Ignatius yearbook…if you can find one.)
In an earlier blog, I recounted the obstacles we had to
deal with then, such as having to practice at Grant Park everyday and having 4
varsity coaches instead of the 9 on the present day staff. Now the team has practice fields on or near
campus, but, as the old adage says, “Comparisons are odious.”
In conclusion, congratulations to the players and staff
in the football program.
