Welcome to Christendom's Alumni E-Zine. If you have information that you would like to share with your fellow alumni, send it to Tom McFadden at tmcfadden@christendom.edu.

The Grapevine Online will be uploaded, depending on the amount of information sent to the editor, every month. It will have a couple of sections (when information is available), namely, Class Notes (your basic information on alumni babies, weddings, jobs, etc.), Calendar of Events, and Links to various recent stories about Christendom College and/or the Alumni of Christendom.

August 2004 edition of The Grapevine Online

Class Notes / Calendar of Events / Links to Stories / Prior issues

Click here for the NEW Print Edition - for spouses at home to read

Class notes

On July 24, Paul Wonderboy Jalsevac '03 married Meg McNeely (proud Associate of Arts graduate of 2003). Of course, the wedding and reception were wonderful, and no wonder, since Meg did the majority of the planning herself. They have now moved on to the wonderful world of Michigan, where Paul will begin his second year at Ave Maria School of Law, and Meg will be working at the Ave Maria Foundation. As many of our readers may remember, Paul was injured in a serious car accident (his fault) on March 4, 2001, and was not expected to live through the first night at the hospital. But he did, due mostly to the fact that, although unbenownst to him at the time, he is the wonderboy. If you don't remember the story, you can read it on our news archive by clicking HERE. Paul is still awaiting the entrance to Christendom College to be named "The Paul Jalsevac Memorial Entrance" with a nice bronze statue of himself overlooking the road. But while he awaits this great moment, he is just happy that the College put a statue of Our Lady (which he refers to as Our Lady of Jalsevac) at the entrance to keep people safe. Anyways, back to the wedding. It was very well attended, seeing as how the lovely couple was married in Christendom's Chapel of Christ the King and the reception was held in town at the firehall. Gumby was there, as was Stinky Nick, and recent graduate Alistair Maitland. Heather Tansey, Larissa Fedoryka, and Claire Jensen were bridesmaids and Niall O'Donnell was a groomsman. This was the 21st of the planned 29 alumni weddings during this Summer fo Love 2004.

Jennifer Coleman '04 is to become Mrs. Brian Kelly today, August 6. (wedding number 25)

Mike and Anne (Fraser) Schmittino are expecting their first baby.

IML is AWOL this issue.

John Hofbauer, class of 1989, recently accepted a Full Time faculty position at Mount Saint Mary College in Newburgh, New York. He will be teaching Logic and Existentialism. He has held teaching positions at Fordham University and Caldwell College prior to this appointment. He received both his Masters and Doctoral degrees from Fordham University, New York. He presently resides in Woodcliff Lake, New Jersey with his wife, Buena, and their six children.

On July 30th, alumni Alexander and Danylo Fedoryka and Joe Crosby of the band Scythian made their movie debut in "The Village" directed by the supernaturally freaky M. Night Shyamalan (Sixth Sense, Signs). Sporting the 1800's look, the lads can be seen prancing about in the background of several scenes in the film as various different village folk. Most notably, Danylo can't be missed in the wedding scene where he figures prominently as a dancer and Lex in the last scene standing in the doorway looking at a sickly Joaquin Phoenix. They pretty much had the time of their lives on the incredible set, made some great friends, and broke into the Philly music scene, and wanted to thank Mike Wallacavage '89 for twisting their collective arm into going to the open call. The movie has drummed up some media interest so look for articles on Scythian in this Friday's Weekender section of the Washington Post (August 6) and as a featured "Up-and-coming" DC band in this month's edition of "On Tap", DC's biggest nightlife publication. Look for the new album to be released later this month. As always, you can find all upcoming Scythian shows and gossip at www.scythianmusic.com.

John Paul Jansen and Steven Storey visited John Issigonis and Sandy Rogers in historic Williamsburg, Virginia on August 3rd, 2004. They can be seen in the picture on the right at their first stop - Busch Gardens and the famed Apollo's Chariot.

Joan O'Reilly is looking for other cotillion girls to ride with once she gets her new
pony and sidesaddle. The (Sean and Brenda Davis) O'Reillys left the AZ desert for Front Royal upscale town living, and you can only guess what was used as a bribe to pull up the little girl's roots.

Andy O'Neill ('99) won 3rd place in the Pennsylvania State Championships, Black Belt Brazilian Jiu-jitsu devision, despite lacking an actual black belt. He and Ben Hatke (2000) have been invited to compete in the IKF (International Kempo Federation) World Championships in Morocco, and will hopefully be attending this February.

Chuck Shunk wanted everyone to know about his new website, www.firstphilosophy.net. The website itself is not as polished as he would like, but oh well. The site is intended to be a place where Christendom students or grads can go for a bit of intellectual discussion. Actually, it's what's known as a "wiki" which means that anyone who goes to the site can also edit it as well. He is using it as a sort of a temporary scratch pad where he can work on ideas for essays that he would like to write. People can come and comment on or even edit his essays as they see fit. He already has a few friends who have started their own essays on the site as well, and he'd love for more people with an itch to write to participate. There is also a bulletin board on the site for back-and-forth discussion on Thomistic topics. To the left is a a picture of Chuck and Anita's two children, Teresa and Damien. Damien was born September 26th of last year.

Mark Sullivan and Celeste Allen ('98) were married February 14, 2004 at Saint Paul Cathedral in Pittsburgh, PA. It took a Capuchin priest and a convent of Poor Clares to bring this California girl and New Jersey boy together. They received a Papal Blessing while honeymooning in Rome. To contact them, please send an email to: celesteandmark@verizon.net

Greg Settducati (pronounced such-a-hottie) '03 sends his greetings: "I would like to inform the Grapevine community that I have switched employment from Smith Barney to the Frank Spicer Insurance Agency. I have my license in Property & Casualty Insurance, and so I can now quote y'all on your home and auto insurance through Erie Insurance Group. Erie has competitive rates for the average to above average risk. If any one would like to hear a quote on home, auto, umbrella, commercial, and/or life insurance I can be reached at 703-385-5100. If any one is interested in applying for a position for Mr. Spicer's Agency they can also call the above number or send their resume to erieinsurance@aol.com.

Lorrie and Jim Grumblatt are overjoyed to announce the birth of Lilyanne Cecilia at 0708 hrs. July 12, 2004. She weighed 9 lbs. 9.7 oz., has curly dark hair, is about 20 in. long, and cries when anyone but mom holds her. Mom and baby are fine;they just need to find some room for the new addition. The grand total is now 6: 3 boys and 3 girls.

Ducky Higby '03 and the Prime Minister of Information Joe Hans '02 stopped by the Grapevine's office recently. They are both doing well. Apparently, they were chillin' with their peeps at Ryan and Katherine Callaghan's house in Manassas. Ducky has moved ahead in the world, going from a grave digger to a chef, well, a prep cook at Foxwoods Casino and Resort in CT. He is about to graduate from culinary school and should end up being the big fromage (chef) in about three years. Joe Hans is still teaching at Cardinal Spellman High School up in the Big Apple. He has also started to get his Bronx accent back. Kinda funny.

Brendan & Mary Ann (Hester) Gaffney '93 are excited to announce the birth of Fiona Alexandra Marie. She was born on July 13th, 2004 at 10:03am via Mary Ann's 5th c-section... thank God for morphine! She was 2 weeks early and weighed in at 6lbs 12.4ozs, 19 1/2ins. and is in great form. The names of their other children are Bridget (8), Gillian (6), Brendan (4), & Roisin (2) - that's pronounced Rosheen

Cathy Malo recently moved to her ancestral homeland of Maine. She lives in Lewiston, 45 minutes north of Portland, and would love for anyone living in Maine to contact her, and for old chums who are vacationing in/traveling through/wanting to vacation in Maine to look her up. cmalo@juno.com or 207-783-2374.

Michael and Mollie (Urban) Charba will be transferring from Tulsa to the Houston area in several months; Michael's employer CITGO is relocating its corporate headquarters. Before they (and their seven children!) move, they would love to hear from people living in the area regarding churches, schools, home schooling, shopping, restaurants, builders, neighborhoods, realtors, etc. Please call (918) 254-9282 or e-mail mcharba@juno.com

2004 Student Achievement Award winner Thomas Cole reports that he has kept himself quite busy since graduation with buying a car ('98 Ford Contour), traveling about, and preparing for his stint as a High School Teacher at Holy Family Academy in Manassas, Va this fall. His travels have taken him from Quebec to Georgia to Wisconsin for everything from a wedding (Storey/Watson) to observing a reenactment on the Plains of Abraham to simply visiting folks. With regard to the High School position, come September he will be teaching History, Latin, Literature, Algebra, and Moral Theology, (and of course, etiquette) in addtion to caring for the school's sacristy.

Pictured on the left are Kate (Murrell, '98) and Joe Pride with Genevieve (2 yrs.) & John Joseph (Jack- 4 1/2 mos.).

Mr. John Paul Schafer '03 and Miss Katie Almeter '03 are engaged! The date is set for June 25, 2005, that is, after his first year of Law School. Needless to say, they are very excited and would appreciate everyone's prayers for them.

Jamie Dresch '04 and alumnus Craig Spiering are now happily planning on getting married: engaged. The story goes a little like this: "Craig was out to sea for two months (he is a photographer for the Navy). Once he got back, we decided to meet in Manassas (that hub of culture) for a few hours Monday night. After chatting about Italy (where he was for about a week of his time out at sea) and what he had missed here in VA, he said he had gotten me something in Sorrento. It was the ring and I said yes (well actually I think I said something like, "you caught me off guard!" but then I accepted with joy)." They are planning to get married next August, but they cannot set a date until Craig returns from his six month deployment in March.

On Tuesday, July 27 Tony Raes and Wife gave birth to their second son CALEB ROLAND RAES at 3:45 pm. He weighed 6lbs 9 oz and was 19.5 inches long. They are extremely glad Caleb waited until Tuesday to make his appearance since they got back from Toronto on Sunday. Both Anthony and his brother Mark were groomsmen at a wedding there for a neighbor of theirs who married a "city" girl about to go "country"... Caleb was slightly over two weeks early but you would never know it - he is so alert and of course the delight of his big brother. Gavin loves giving him kisses, patting his head and when the opportunity arises to hold him (supervised of course). Overall Caleb is a hit - the "baby" as Gavin calls him has a very protective big brother already.

Dave and Joan Marra ('88 and '89) say thanks to everyone for all the prayers for their newest addition to the family. Angela came through her surgeries and is thriving. Pictured to the left are Catherine (14), Jospeh (11), Monica (10), Peter (8), Timothy (7), Christina (6), Michael (4), Joanne (2), Angela (3 mo.).

Although they haven't sent anything into the Grapevine for quite a while, it is time for a general update on Brendan and Susan McGuire: After getting married in Columbus, Ohio on January 3, 2004, Brendan and Susan lived in NY where Brendan was working for the Legionaries of Christ. In June, however, they moved to St. Louis, MO, where Brendan has received an appointment as a Graduate Fellow at SLU. Susan is applying for various jobs and enjoying the fact that she is back in the Midwest. Brendan completed his first graduate course on August 5, and they are looking forward to a trip to Lake Erie for a little time with the Erwin clan before fall classes start up. Their new address is: 1295 Enderbury Drive, Apt. 9, St. Louis, MO 63125. They are also getting a new phone number soon. By the way--Brendan and Susan are very proud of their new adopted state for passing, just this week, the first amendment to a state constitution banning gay marriage. Hurrah!

Robyn Lee '02 is listed in the book, More Award-Winning Science Fair Projects by Julianne Blair Bochinski (John Wiley & Sons, Inc.) for two of her high school science fair projects. She is listed under student consultants, page xi, for her projects, "A Study of the Presence of Bacteria in Moist Disposable Towelettes" (page 179) and "The Efficacy of Oral Rinses on the Accumulation of Bacteria in the Mouth" (page 182). She will be available for book signing at Homecoming.

Mrs. Mary (Corcoran) Biros has a bun in the oven. She thinks it may be a Cinnamon bun. Anyways, it will be done Feb 3rd, she says.

Don '03 and Cathy (Garrett) '03 Goodman are expecting a little baby boy this October.

Calendar of events

October 2, 2004: Homecoming

October 9, 2004: Library Dedication

top of page

Press Releases and Campus News: http://www.christendom.edu/news/releases.shtml

top of page

Stories

Scythian, Gettin' Jiggy With It
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A42508-2004Aug5.html

By Fritz Hahn
Washington Post Staff Writer

IT'S A LONG way from busking for gas money in Old Town Alexandria to appearing in M. Night Shyamalan's latest thriller, "The Village," but that's the story of the local Celtic band Scythian (Sith-ee-yin). Throw in a taping of the upcoming "Real World" series in Philadelphia and a new weekly gig at the popular Chinatown pub Fado (808 Seventh St. NW; 202-789-0066), and it begins to sound more like a fairy tale.

On paper, Scythian is a traditional Irish group: the lineup includes two classically trained fiddlers, and the twenty-something musicians play accordion, guitar, electric bass and mandolin. In concert, though, Scythian proves to be one of Washington's most energetic and eclectic bands.

One night at Fado mixes spirited takes on traditional rebel tunes like "Come Out Ye Black and Tans" and covers of Irish punks-with-pennywhistles the Pogues with klezmer-influenced versions of Squirrel Nut Zippers' "Hell" and They Might Be Giants' "Istanbul (Not Constantinople)"; a Celtic-tinged interpretation of Charlie Daniels's "The Devil Went Down to Georgia"; a careening, double-time "Danny Boy"; and a take on "Wild Thing" that features a fiddle singing over the familiar, thumping bass line.

"It's been a big struggle for us," says guitarist-accordionist-vocalist Danylo Fedoryka. "We've played 40 bars in one year, and got a lot of experience, but the first thing we're asked is, 'Can you play the typical covers?' We say 'No, we want to present something that's different.' " Between songs, the band leads the crowd in drinking games, toasts friends and passes tambourines around for audience members who want to play along. Things may get a bit hokey -- especially if you cringe at audience-participation numbers like "The Wild Rover" -- but the band's enthusiasm is contagious, and shows seem to end with everyone dancing, jumping around or hoisting glasses.

Despite their modern influences, it was traditional jigs and reels that helped Scythian land spots in "The Village." At a casting call last year, a crew member "liked their look," so the Fedoryka brothers (Danylo and fiddler-vocalist Alex) and fiddler Joe Crosby scored roles as extras -- with the promise of an on-screen musical performance. While director Shyamalan ultimately went with solo piano music in the film instead of Celtic tunes, all got varying bits of screen time as extras in the titular village, and more importantly, networking during the two-month shoot helped the band get slots at well-known Philadelphia pubs like Finnegan's Wake and the Plough and Stars, where MTV requested the band perform during the taping of an episode of "The Real World."

"The whole reason we went is because we wanted to play music [in the film], but even though we didn't get in the movie as musicians, we got more than we ever imagined," Alex Fedoryka says.

The four members of Scythian were introduced to music at a young age. Alex and Danylo began studying violin and piano, respectively, at 3. Crosby picked up violin at 5, which is when drummer Alex "Animal" Culdell began performing with his father, a Scottish piper. The Fedorykas are an especially musical family. All 10 children learned to play an instrument, and their mother Irene graduated from Juilliard. Alex went to Japan to study the Suzuki method, and the family ensemble performed at venues such as the Kennedy Center and Wolf Trap.

But, Alex explains, he eventually grew tired of "rigid" classical music and lost his passion for the violin. It was Celtic music that lured him back.

"About four years ago . . . I was staying over at our buddy Pat Kilroy's, and he gave me some CDs with great [Celtic] fiddlers -- Eileen Ivers, Frankie Gavin," Alex says. "I'd never heard anything like it. I'd only heard the sing-song Irish [pub] music, but as soon as I heard [the fiddlers], I went home and learned everything off the CDs. Like a month later, I got my brother and said, 'You've got to listen to these tunes.' He learned guitar so he could play them, and it was his idea to start busking for gas money."

Setting up outside the Torpedo Factory art center, the Fedoryka brothers were later joined by Crosby, who they've known since they were children -- their fathers, immigrants from Ukraine and Austria, are friends who earned doctorates together. As they played for dollar bills and spare change, the trio began to explore folk music beyond the Irish style picked up from newly discovered CDs. Not only did playing on the street make them tighter, practiced performers, it honed a certain style of stagecraft.

"As a street musician, you have to do anything you can to get people to stop for a second," Alex says. "We started out playing Irish music, threw in some bluegrass, then some Gypsy-type stuff and Ukrainian music -- whatever could keep people standing there and keep a crowd."

They began interacting with the passersby, giving egg-size shakers to children and encouraging them to play along.

Says Danylo: "We got people from toddlers to 90-year-old people to punk skaters coming up to us. There's something about the Irish music that people gravitated towards, and we gravitated towards, and eventually it became our own sound."

To learn more about Irish music, Alex spent four months in Ireland in 2002, watching and experimenting. "My sister was living in Dublin for a couple years," he says, "so I hung out in Dublin long enough to make friends with people, but I was playing in rock bands, I was playing in Gypsy bands, some straight-up singer-songwriter rock bands.

"I'd go to all kinds of [jam] sessions. I busked a lot. I met a lot of young traditional musicians. There's a revival of the driving Celtic rhythms, and I got caught up in that."

Scythian continues to be one of the hardest-working bands on the Irish pub circuit. Friday, for example, they're at Finn Mac Cool's (713 Eighth St. SE; 202-547-7100). Thursday, it's back to Fado. On Aug. 13, Scythian plays the Maryland BBQ Bash in Bel Air. Then Aug. 17, the band makes its debut at Iota (2832 Wilson Blvd., Arlington; 703-522-8340), heads back to Fado two days later, then has a weekend engagement at Flanagan's (7637 Old Georgetown Rd., Bethesda; 301-986-1007). A new album should be released in a few weeks.

"We're aware that there's something going on, and we're having a tremendous amount of fun, but we don't know where this is taking us," Alex says. "We're not focusing on one thing. It started with Celtic music, but then we got into the Jewish music, and as soon as people hear that, they start doing leg kicks. Bluegrass has a different feel, but the end result is always the same. . . . What I want is the feel of a village square dance or a country dance, where people can get together, they can drink, they can dance and not care if they make fools of themselves. The point is just to have a good time."