Alumni Sunday, September 18, 2016

Alumni Sunday 2016

Our Annual Alumni Sunday event will be held at Blessed Trinity Church on Sunday, September 18, 2016, beginning with Mass at 10:00 a.m. We look forward to welcoming all alumni, especially those celebrating significant anniversaries. A reception in St Charles Hall following the Mass provides an ideal opportunity to view or display school photos and memorabilia, reminisce and renew old acquaintances. As in past years, we ask those who are able to bring a food item to share at the reception.

 Honoring Our Deceased Members

As part of our Annual Mass we pause to remember all deceased alumni and faculty. The names of graduates who have passed away since last year’s Mass will be read. We will be remembering Clayton Arthur “Clate” Steinwachs, ’30 – who until his death on January 1, 2016, at the age of 99 was our oldest living alumni – as well as Dorothy B. Moll Sheehan, ’38; Sister Patricia Reen, ’45; James R. Hartzell, ’46; Joan M. Dengler Linde, ’48; Francis “Fritzi” Nicklas, ’60; Jeanne O’Connor Lupke, ’64; Anne Marie Gampp LaPorta, ’64; Stephen R. Besch, ’65; Michael S. Faraci,’66; Mary F. Gampp, ’66; Maureen M. Sheehan Cook, ’74; and Sister Thomas Aquinas Lennon, a faculty member from 1951-60. May they rest in peace. Please inform the Committee if you are aware of other recent Alumni or faculty deaths so that we may include them as well.

Alumni Raffle

In conjunction with the September 18 gathering, we are sponsoring our Seventh BT Alumni Raffle for the purpose of raising funds to help pay for restoration and maintenance of Blessed Trinity’s Landmark Church. In addition to an annual contribution to the church, half of the raffle’s net proceeds are returned as prize money, divided between two winners. Last year was our most successful effort yet, resulting in the largest donation to the Church and the largest money prizes: $650.00 each to winners Jane Feldman and Amy Vasco.

Since 2009, Alumni fundraising efforts have resulted in contributions totaling $10,900.00 to the church’s “Under This Roof Fund.” On October 13, 2015, the church’s pastor, Rev. George L. Reger, wrote: “Our Parish Community remains very appreciative of your dedication and the Committee’s fundraising activities on its behalf …. Please convey our thankfulness for the generosity of the school alumni to your membership as a whole, and know that each of you will be remembered in the prayers sung and recited in this church.” We add our thanks for your past participation and your individual contributions to the church, and we ask that you again help us to promote this fundraiser.

The drawing will take place at the reception following the Alumni Mass. You don’t need to be present to win, but you DO need to return your completed ticket stubs and check payable to “Blessed Trinity Alumni” no later than September 12, 2016. Tickets are $5.00 each or six (6) for $25.00. To obtain raffle tickets, contact Jerry Powers at 716-656-8657 or powersj2004 [at] aol [dot] com. Winners will be notified by mail and identified on this web page and on the Blessed Trinity School Alumni Facebook page.

Church Tour Opportunity

Since 2011, Blessed Trinity has made a concerted effort to promote its Landmark church as a destination site for tourists. A dedicated team of volunteer docents (including several alumni) help visitors appreciate the architectural features and religious symbolism displayed in our Landmark building. There will be a special 30 minute tour for alumni and friends beginning at 9:30 AM on September 18. Please assemble in front of the church. (In the event of inclement weather, wait in the front vestibule).

Keeping in Touch: The All-Class Reception

The Alumni Committee continues to provide a time and place for you to reunite with former classmates and neighbors each year. No RSVP is required for the reception, so we can’t tell you who’s coming. Bobbe Schmelzer Lukasik maintains our database and will be happy to provide whatever information we have for your classmates and friends, enabling you to reach out and organize your own personal “reunion within the reunion.” In 2014, the members of the class of ’64 brought an anniversary cake and put together a display of class memorabilia. Our committee stands ready to assist any of the anniversary classes who have their own ideas for personalizing the occasion.

The Alumni Committee maintains this School Alumni page on the Church web site, www.blessedtrinitybuffalo.org, as well as our Facebook page, “Blessed Trinity School Alumni.” Both provide class news (if you submit it) and information on scheduled events and activities. We encourage you to “like” us on Facebook and share your memories or class photos. (Thanks to Facebook, Ray Gabner, ’62, Teri Cook Harris, ’69, Michael Massey, Debbie Dayton Gonzalez and Dave Maloney, all Class of ’71; and Robin Zeisz Hochulski and Susan Loftus of the Class of ’75 have found us). If you have difficulty posting to the Facebook page or would like to add something to the web site, contact the BT Web Diva, Margaret Stiffler Dick (’59), at 716-832-2540. 

Every year we lose contact with some of our members when their post office forwarding notifications expire. Please notify Bobbe Lukasik of address changes or use the contact feature of the web site as Lynn Maurer, ’67 and Dolly Huffnagle, ’71 did. The same goes for email addresses. Unlike the post office, your provider won’t forward our emails.

We hope you will plan to join us on Sunday, September 18, 2016.  If you have any questions or comments, contact: Bud Dick at 716-832-2540 or mnbdick [at] roadrunner [dot] com or Bobbe (Schmelzer) Lukasik at 716-863-6923 or bertababe2 [at] yahoo [dot] com.