Planned giving is about caring for the people and places you love

Legacy Gift Society launches;

First Three Gifts Value $300,000+

The Hudson Catholic Legacy Gift Society is born with the announcement of the first three gifts, therefore entrants, to the Legacy Gift Society. While these gifts will remain anonymous for now, suffice to say that the first was from a member of the Class of '73, who challenged another classmate to match his intention, which was then taken up. Each of these first two planned gifts for $100,000 each will come from the estates of the donors, as part of their Last Will and Testament.

The matching donors would like for their Legacy Gifts to serve as a springboard for a rather unique class gift, in concert with their class's upcoming celebration of their 50^th anniversary reunion in 2023. They now invite other classmates to join them in building a seven-figure pledge for their class gift.

The third gift comes from a member of the Hall of Fame Class of '68 who has made his intention known that Hudson Catholic, as beneficiary, will receive a percentage of the retirement account in his estate, along with a Qualified Annuity. In declaring so, he stated that he felt it his duty to do so, as a member of the first graduating class of the school. This is quite a significant development, given that he recalls receiving a letter of rejection from Hudson Catholic when he applied to enroll which, at some near later point, was reversed, the circumstances around which are now as murky as the pond at Lincoln Park. 

These three commitments representing our first Legacy Gifts are valued in excess of $300,000 and will begin to build a future financial bulwark to sustain Hudson Catholic for the next 60 years.

To join the Legacy Gift Society, contact gferrari@hudoncatholic.org.

Charitable giving is part of living a happy life.

And when you live a happy life, you live longer.

Catching Up With Our Pioneer Girls

We caught up with Casey Mamora '10, who we knew as Danielle Lourenco back in the day. Casey explained to us “I typically go by my middle name, Casey. Most people from high school know me as Casey, and I actually just legally switched my middle name to my first name.” Okay, glad that’s settled.

“Just like Jary, Carvajal ['10], I married a fellow Hawk, Michael Marmora ‘09, on July 4^th, 2021. We met at Hudson but didn’t really speak much in high school. It was only after I graduated that our paths crossed. Or should I say re-crossed? We dated for nearly ten years, and finally tied the knot in 2021, and I just changed my last name too, so I am now Casey Marmora! Michael’s been a practicing dentist in Morris/Sussex for the last few years.” The Happy Hawk couple resides in Jersey City.

Casey has been in the education field for nearly eight years, certified as an elementary teacher, presently teaching in Clifton, her favorite grade being the 2nd.

“Although I may have had only one official year at Hudson, I always felt like a part of the family, having done the co-ed drama club for all four years of high school. The drama club memories I made there are some that I will cherish for a lifetime! Special shout-out to Rob Astudillo (’06) for making it so special!” 

Casey ended with “Thank you so much for inquiring about my wonderful, busy life! It means a great deal that you are trying to connect with the Pioneer girls.”

The Happy Hawks, Casey Lourenco '10 & Michael Marmora '09

What’s with “All That Jazz?”

The Hudson Catholic Drama Club will be performing Chicago (the teen edition) for this year's musical production.

Performances are slated for May 19^th and 20th, 2023. 

Hawk Football at 5-2

DePaul 38, Hudson Catholic 20 

Delbarton 21, Hudson Catholic 14

Next up: Pope John

Save the Date!

Hudson Catholic Gala & Hall of Fame Inductions

Thursday, March 30, 2023

at The Liberty House, Jersey City

Reunion ‘72

Register at hawkalumni.org 

Sunday, October 23,2022, 4:00-8:00 PM

Edwards Steak House

(your host, Pat Donnelly '86)

239 Marin Blvd, Jersey City

29th Alumni Mass of Remembrance

November 6^th  10am

In the Rocky Pope Gymnasium

on the Hudson Catholic Campus

Saturday, November 19th 7pm

Ticket Info at

hudsoncatholic.org/altano

All proceeds to benefit the programs and offerings of

Hudson Catholic Regional High School

Alumni Spotlight

Our Floridian alumni

In the immediate aftermath of Hurricane Ian, we reached out to a good number of our alumni residing in parts of Florida that were hit directly by the monster storm -- to inquire about their safety.

We received a number of responses, among them, some Hawks who were elsewhere when the storm hit -- Mark Lott ’68 was vacationing in the Hawaiian Islands (and headed in the direction of the Black Shamrock Tavern in Honolulu, J.J. Nieburh ’88, Proprietor), Steve Bulwicz ’70 was in Minnesota, and Rob Bertolini ’79 was back in New Jersey.

Among those who were hunkered down in the not-so-Sunshine State, Mr. Jim Gannon, Pioneer Faculty, reported he and wife Peggy were ok in Naples, but without power and water, and with minor damage to their home.

Steve Williams ’70, from Palm Coast thanked us for asking, then reported that the storm was “right over me now. Very slow moving. No power loss. No roof leaks yet. Should blow over by early evening.”

Pat Fay ’87, from Naples, said ”Thank you so much for checking on us, me and the family are ok,” before adding “lots of damage, but the house structure is ok. Go Hawks!” Wow! That is one tenacious and spirited Hawk!

Jim Solensky '70, from Port Charlotte, replied with "Thanks for your concern. I've lived in southwest Florida for 25 years. I thought hurricane Charlie in '04 (with it's 160mph and embedded tornadoes) set the bar for storms. I was wrong. Ian was much worse mostly because it lasted 5 times longer. It was ferocious and mean and angry. We came out fairly decently, but you can't walk down any street without seeing old oaks and pines with 20 inch trunks just snapped in two...some resting on peoples roofs. We didn't have the storm surge that was forecast."

Giving us the all-clear sign were Rocco Filerino ’80 in Clearwater, Fred Carrolli ’79 in Naples, Ron O’Koren ’73 in Leesburg, Mike Abreu ’94 and Jose Montalvo ’89 in Orlando, Bob Sismilich ‘70 and John D’Alusio ’73 in Bradenton, and Nick Calderaro ‘69 in Ave Maria.

Ralph Viray ‘86 of Pensacola thanked Hudson Catholic for our prayers and for reaching out, told us his family and he are fine, but that some of his good friends and family were devastated by Ian, and asked us to please keep them in our prayers.

Our South Carolina Alumni

From Rich Buchiccio ’83 of Summerville, who was in Philadelphia, trying to get home on the day before Ian hit South Carolina: “After four canceled flights to Charleston, finally got a flight to Charlotte. Got a rental car and drove three hours to Charleston Airport to pick up my car. Airport was closed, but parking deck was still open. Winds are over 50-60 mph right now, but some gusts have been recorded at 80+.” Rich made it home and followed up to tell us that this was “our 5th hurricane since we moved here and only the 2nd to hit land. Our house survived another one and no damage. Thanks for thinking of us!”

John Robinson ‘71’, from Charleston, let us know that “the good Lord gave us a pass on Ian and we are safe and sound. Thanks for thinking of us.” Robert Trott, father of Ryan Trott ’00, reported from Murrells Inlet that “all is well in SC. We only had heavy rain & 40mph wind.” 

We pray for those affected by the storm that they may recover and emerge from their hardship. Whatever their experience has been, it is noteworthy that a Hawk’s response always began with “Thank you for thinking of us.”

Our Hawk Clergy (vol.2)

Reverend Monsignor Charles Antonicelli ’79 is pastor of Our Lady of Mercy Parish in Potomac, MD. He was ordained to the Roman Catholic Priesthood for the Archdiocese of Washington on June 26, 1993, and was named a Chaplain to His Holiness Pope Benedict XVI in April 2006, with the title “Reverend Monsignor.” 

He attended Boston College to obtain a B.A. degree in political science, then went on to The Catholic University of America, Columbus School of Law, where he earned his J.D. He returned to New Jersey as Assistant Corporation Counsel of the City of Jersey City, and practiced private law into 1988. That’s when things got interesting.

That year, he received his calling to the priesthood and was accepted as a seminarian for the Archdiocese of Washington. He then attended the Pontifical North American College in Rome, receiving bachelor of sacred theology (S.T.B.) and license of sacred theology (S.T.L.) degrees in moral theology at the Pontifical University of Saint Thomas Aquinas. He served as a Chaplain Candidate in the U.S. Naval Reserve in Europe, 1989-90, retiring with the rank of Lieutenant JG. And he was ordained a deacon in Saint Peter’s Basilica, Vatican City, on April 30, 1992.

His parish assignments, all in the DC metro area, progressed as parochial vicar from the Shrine of the Most Blessed Sacrament, to Saint Andrew Apostle Parish in Silver Spring, MD; Saint Joseph on Capitol Hill Parish; Saint Thomas Apostle Parish; Saint Patrick Parish, Rockville, MD; and Annunciation Parish.

During his time in DC, Monsignor Charles earned his license in canon law degree (J.C.L.) from The Catholic University of America, and has served in various roles at the Archdiocese of Washington: Vice Chancellor (1998-2006), Judge, Metropolitan Tribunal (2002-present), Episcopal Vicar for Canonical Services (2008-2019), and Adjutant Judicial Vicar, Metropolitan Tribunal (2011-present).

He has been an Adjunct Professor for The Catholic University of America, School of Law, and has served as Executive Director at the Pope John Paul II Cultural Foundation, and as Vice President for Mission for Catholic Charities.

Reverend Frank Fano '97 found his vocational calling to the priesthood at Holy Rosary Church. Today, he is Parochial Vicar at Our Lady of Mt. Carmel in Ridgewood,NJ. After graduating Hudson Catholic, he studied Music Performance at the Manhattan School of Music and completed a degree in organ performance from Montclair State University. He studied Theology and Pastoral Ministry at Immaculate Conception Seminary in South Orange, following which he was ordained to the priesthood at the Cathedral-Basilica of the Sacred Heart, Newark on May 28, 2011. Father Frank has served at St. Helen Parish in Westfield before moving on to OLMC where he remains today. He is very much focused on how to make Church matter to people, those who may be far from God, as well as for those who believe that Christ is truly alive. His vision is for his parish to become a place where the Good News of Jesus Christ is simply proclaimed, lived, and shared.

In the last issue, we profiled Rev. Dmytro Dnistrian ’79. In the interim, we were able to delve into the archives and unearth a photo that ran in the old Alumni Accipiter print magazine that captured Rev. Dmytro’s Ordination Day. In the photo below, Rev. Dmytro is flanked by his parents, Rose & Dmytro, and his equally-esteemed brothers, Steven '82 and Joe '85. The Dnistrian family brought great life to the Hudson Catholic community.

The ranks of our Alumni Clergy has grown to 13 priests. Last issue we omitted Rev. Thomas Wisniewski '72, who passed away in April of this year. Please write to identify anyone we have inadvertently omitted from our lists at advancement@hudsoncatholic.org

The Changing Neighborhood

This is the new 75-81 Jordan Avenue overlooking Hudson Catholic. Seven stories / 35 rental units. Our view of New York now belongs to this building, representing the price of progress for a neighborhood that had grown tired. Some of us remember watching the World Trade Center being built from the 328 lecture hall. Today, the WTC, 328, and the view are all just memories. But new life is breathing into McGinley Square as the Jersey City renaissance is making its way from the waterfront to the western part of the city.

BTLv69 Focus on '69

1965 Acceptance Letter mailed to incoming Freshmen of the

Class of '69

The Back Story to the creation of the Sign of Faith

Bill Drewes ’69 recently posted on the Hudson Catholic Regional High School Friends FB site: “I hope everyone realizes the HC emblem was designed by Paul Campbell ’69.

As we explained to Bill, our official story of the creation of the Sign of Faith credits no specific student or students for contributions surely made by students. So, we got word back to Paul Campbell and asked for his memory and input. In the meantime, classmate Bob Stroebel sent along a photo of Bob Schwartz ‘69, Brother Benedict, and Paul Campbell ’69 presenting the school shield that they painted.

Campbell came back with thanks to Bill D. for his wonderful memory. He then offered that Brother Benedict volunteered him for that project. ”Developing the logo was fun because we kept an eye on not having too many cooks in the kitchen. My main role was sketching the emblem drafts as the project progressed and cleaning up the details. Most of the directions came from above. [But] I’ve always wanted the Hawk to be in the top right corner to fly.” Paul was thrilled to be asked about this bit of Hawk History and to have played a role in it. “This flash into the past brings back fine memories,” he said.

Bob Schwartz ‘69, Brother Benedict, Paul Campbell ’69

Hawk Pennant and Basketball Booster Button

Commentator of the day

Annual Athletic Pocket Schedule

Did You Know?

The Site of Hudson Catholic belonged to girls long before a school came along

Every Hawk knows our brick motif. But few venture around to inspect the Tuers Avenue side of the school building, where this plaque, denoting the historical relevance of the site on which our school is built, has displayed since the school opened.

Readers Respond

After reading about one parent's appeal to provide a post-game meal for the football team, one alum wanted everyone to know that the team is provided with a nutritious meal before each game, usually a hot meal, and that such meals have been provided for the past 23 years.

Upon reading of the Hall of Fame announcements, George Bailey '80 wrote to say that he was a Frosh when Steve Dzitko was a senior and "could not ask for a better role model in Track & Field......learned a lot just by watching him......he was very involved with freshmen  and we practiced together.....always time for us and everyone and was a pseudo coach to us and an extension of Coaches Lenczuk and Becht."

PJ Leonard '82 was pleased to see classmate Jim DeRogatis featured in Alumni Spotlight and pulled his Hawk Yearbook out to send us a photo highlighting 'DeRo' as the Editor in Chief that year. 

A good coach sees in you what you have yet to see in yourself.

-- The Coaches Journal

Michael Skea '74

Your Trusted Real Estate Advisor at the Jersey Shore