Welcome
to Christendom's Alumni E-Zine. If you have information that
you would like to share with your fellow alumni, send it to
the Grapevine Editor, Tom McFadden, at tmcfaddenjr@yahoo.com
The
Grapevine Online is uploaded on the First Friday of 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.
November
5, 2005 edition of The
Grapevine Online
Class
Notes / Calendar of Events / Links
to Stories / Prior
issues
There
are lots and lots of pictures in this issue so please be patient
and wait!!!
Class
notes
Erin
and Phil Menke were married on October 1 in Fryburg,
PA! They're living happily in Warrenton, VA.
Matt
and Theresa Bush Pierce announce the birth of their
fourth baby on August 11, Joseph Benedict. Although they have
no picture of him for the Vine, they do say that he is very
cute.
Christendom
alumni were well represented in the New Haven Road Race (5K)
on Labor Day. Pictured are: Tom Lee, Marcia Lee, Liz (Higby)
Kelly '99, Brendon Kelly, Pat Haggerty with Moira, Alison
(Lee) McCormack, Joseph McCormack, Nancy (Lee)Bauer '96
, Liam Kelly, Robyn Lee '01, Joseph McCormack . Pictured
below.
Angela
Ferri '05 wants to check in with ya'll: I just wanted
to submit a little update on my whereabouts and whatabouts
to the Christendom Grapevine. I have been keeping busy back
in my homeland, fulltime in school and planning Sergio`s and
my wedding!!! We have set a date for our wedding: June 24th
2006. I am studying for my Masters and Licentiate in Canon
Law at St. Paul`s University at Ottawa, Ontario (that`s Canada
for all those ignorant of what`s north of the States!) The
classes are really great, though it was a bit intimidating
at first being one of 3 females in a class of 12 priests!
I am the baby of the class, by leagues! And they all remind
me of this daily, in good faith of course. Its a 3-yr program,
but Serge and I will probably be living in VA after we`re
married so I don`t know yet where this Canon Law road leads
or ends; I am willing to find this out on God`s time. Its
nice being so close to home after my years at C-dom. Sergio
finishes up at Christendom in December and he`s looking into
some great career opportunites with the US Gov`t. In the meantime
he can keep a watchful eye on my little brother Ben, now attending
Christendom. We all miss Lisa and Quinn and baby Xavier who
have moved back to California. Its not the same without them
around; no crazy red-headed leprachaun-like Beekwilders to
be entertained by!
"Guess
who I met at Dulles Airport last weekend?" asks Elizabeth
Kish. "Country superstar Keith Urban! I met him at
the Starbucks counter in Terminal D. He was down visiting
his alleged girlfriend Nicole Kidman who was shooting a movie
in DC. Cool huh?"
Robert
and Kristin (Starcher) Brown, both of 2002, are expecting
their first child, due March 22, 2006.
A
few Christendom alumna (Sophia Cuddeback, Lesly Bratt,
and Lorraine Podlinsek) traveled down to Maryland this
month for a Tannahill Weaver's concert in Rockville. The lads
of the band charmed the Christendom crowd with their Scottish
accents and witty story-telling (their music was fabulous,
too). Also present were several sisters of alumni (Hilary
Schafer, Elizabeth Fraser, Claire Bratt, and Madeline Podlinsek)
and two alumni children (Magdalena and Paulina Cuddeback).
Elizabeth Fraser was even persuaded to do some Scottish dancing,
and afterward, the band kindly posed for a photoshoot with
all the ladies.
Kateri
Schmidt '05 checks in with some moving news. Apparentlly,
due in part to the color of her hair, and due in part to the
wetness on the road and the deer in the headlights, she no
longer can brag about the beautiful Honda she once drove.
But, she is so happy to announce the birth of her new car,
a new PT Cruiser. She can now be seen better by those pesky
deer and she recently had BlondeStar
activated to help her in any situation.
According
to one young McNeely girl, Megan McNeely Jalsevac '03 and
the Wonderboy '03 had a baby girl on November 2. The baby
weighed in at 8lbs 6oz and her name is Colette Dymphna Mary
Wondergirl Jalsevac.
Mary
(McFadden ’98) and Jonathan Brand hosted The First
Annual “Tour de Vin” in Charlottesville, Virginia
on the weekend of October 15th. The goal was to enjoy a moderate
bike ride and sample many Virginia wines. On a glorious Fall
day, after a later departure and a flat tire, participants
biked 20 hilly miles, stopping at only two wineries. “There
was too much biking and not enough wine drinking,” quipped
Michael McFadden. Daniel (DJ) Corey, who had promised
to wear a bright yellow biking outfit, but arrived in time
only for the evening festivities and two winery visits (by
car) the next day said, “Hey, if you were smart like
me you would have come up with an excuse to miss the 20-mile
bike ride and still drink the wine.” Mary and Jonathan
enjoyed using their bicycle-built-for-two and catching many
(envious?) stares from passing drivers. They look forward
to next year’s route, which they have already scoped
out – ten miles and six wineries – a better ratio.
Elizabeth
Llyod would like to announce the future marriage of Michael
Miller and Isabel Lloyd. The wedding will probably be in summer
of 2028 although they have not set an exact date. The proud
parents are Mike and Kaylie (Minick) Miller and Nathaniel
and Liz (Hendricks) Lloyd. They look forward to being
in-laws and are so glad that Michael and Isabel met and fell
in love over this Homecoming weekend! Don't they make a cute
couple?
Ducky "The Don" Higby (pictured below) now
works at Christendom College as a Kitchen Associate. He likes
his position and is thoroughly enjoying making food for the
fine students of Christendom.
John
and Jaehne Farris (Krestyn) have had a very eventful time
since leaving the Christendom fold. At present, they have
been married just over a year, and Jaehne is currently pregnant
with their first child. And John is currently deployed in
Operation Iraqi Freedom, assigned as the US military adviser
to Iraq’s first brigade-level military detention and
interrogation facility (in the new regime, obviously). He
would like to inform all that he has been nothing but impressed
with the new members of the Iraqi Army, who continually prove
themselves on the streets of Baghdad. He asks for the prayers
of all in the Christendom family, and encourages anybody who
is willing to write him or anyone currently deployed. John
and Jaehne promise to submit to the Grapevine again after
the birth of their child, who is due in April. Their address
in Baghdad: SPC Jack Farris, HHT 1/71 CAVALRY (S2), 1/10 BCT,
10 MTN, TF
COBRA, APO
AE 09376
Patricia
(Thompson) Coffey and Decaf Matt Coffey wanted everyone
to know that they welcomed a little "Coffey Bean"
into the world on Oct 6 at 7:12 pm. They have an adorable
little girl named Lucy Anne (she has a double name in true
southern fashion....Patricia is from Tennessee); she has a
head FULL of dark hair, and has deep blue eyes. So far, parenting
is a lot of fun, while their apartment grows continually more
and more messy! In true Coffee fashion, she tends to keep
her parents up at night.
By the
grace of God, the graduate formerly known as Katy Jenkins
('05) may now call herself Mrs. Adam Hochschild, having
married that gentleman on Saturday, October 22nd, at noon,
in a solemn Nuptial Mass according to the Tridentine rite,
in St. Louis, Missouri. She does not yet have any digital
photos of herself and the groom together, but having promised
wedding pictures . . . 
This
one is of herself and her father practicing the march down
the aisle right before the ceremony, while in the foreground
Ida Friemoth ('05) and her sisters rush around wildly. Ariel
Lynch can be seen behind Capt. Jenkins' shoulder. The Very
Reverend Dom Daniel Augustine Oppenheimer, CRNJ, celebrated
the wedding; his order's website can be viewed at www.canonsregular.com.
This is
from Michele LaPalm Velasco: In the past month, I kinda
started a new job at XM Satellite Radio (in Washington, DC).
“Kinda” because I have actually been working there
for the past four years through a management consulting firm,
and now I am working directly for XM as a finance executive.
Anyhow, I can offer all my friends and family special access
to the XM Friends & Family website where a variety of
XM radios can be bought at half price -- or obtained for free
-- with a 6 month subscription commitment. In case any of
my Christendom friends and family is interested, go to http://friends.xmradio.com
and enter my address michele.velasco@xmradio.com
as the Sponsor Email Address to gain access. These are absolutely
the best discounts one can get on the radios. Feel free to
drop me a note and say hi too!
Christendom
Alumni Mike & Mark Wallacavage, John Corrigan and Bjorn
Lundberg enjoyed traditional English ales with Joseph Pearce
on his recent visit to the International Institute for Culture
to lecture on "Tales and Ales of Merrie Ole England."
Well
Quinn, Lisa, and Xavier Beekwilder all enjoyed a festive Halloween
in Sacramento, California. After successfully negotiating
boarders and a 3,000 mile road trip for Quinn the family is
setting up residence in there new home. More news to follow.
A
couple of alumni attended Jake and Jessica Morgan Meza's wedding
on October 15. From left to right...let's see if it can be
done: Amy and Bob Hambleton, Tom and Anne Francis, James
and Mary Rice, John and Sofia Cuddeback, Joe Meza and Corrine
Accettullo, Hottie, Zakers, Heather Hambleton, Siobhan O'Connor,
Heendog, Marc Perrington, Hoss and Angela Hambleton, Lizzie
Rice, Trish Metzger, Brandon Vaughan, Mara Mirus, Anita Torzala,
Tom Hambleton, Maggie Bolger, Daniel Wright, Helen Almeter,
Candic Meza, Anna Schiavone, Danny Schneible, Adrienne Allesandro,
Christy Coiy, Amber Massett, Jimmy Blankenship, and Frank
O'Reilly. Of course, Jake and Jessica are in the middle.
In
case you haven’t already heard, John Paul Bodoh (“John”)
was born to Greg and Michelle (Miller) Bodoh on August
25th. His siblings, Tommy and Renée can’t get
enough of him, and Mom and Dad think he’s pretty cool,
too.
Pearse
Marschner ('01), on a fulbright in a dark land, has decorated
his Damascus cell with icons of hesychasts and dry bones from
the hills that constitute the border with Lebanon. Not wasting
his time in idle pursuits, he is pursuing the question of
"What went wrong?" one level deeper. He hopes that
the barely respirant other lung might be able to shine some
of its mystical darkness on the question. Did a Nestorian
Jedi think he could train a certain young Qureishi with whom
the force was strong? Did the pupil turn to the dark side?
Did John of Damascus write "The Clash of Civilizations"
in 800 A.D? Is Pearse's French good enough to read Alain Besancon?
Stay tuned... Or tune into his blog: yankinsyria.tblog.com
Homecoming
2005 Roundup
