The Royal Lancer Vol.1 No.1

TheRoyalLancer

THE FRIENDS OF BISHOP MCDEVITT

WhoaretheFriendsofBishopMcDevitt?Well,ifyou’rereadingthis,most likelyYOUare!Thoseofuscurrentlyservingontheleadershipteamare strivingtodevelopnewtraditionstohonortheold,aswellasnewopportunities forengagementtohelpallofuskeepalivethelessonswelearnedandthegifts wereceivedasaresultofourmembershipintheBishopMcDevittHighSchool family.

InfulfillmentofourinitialMissionStatement,whichappearsonourwebsite, ourcurrentemphasesareonannualevents,suchastheinductionceremonies forourHallofFameandotherhonorsandreunionsofvariouskinds,alongwith financialsponsorshipforstudentsandfamilieswhoseeducationalaspirations havebeenadverselyaffectedbytheclosureofourAlmaMater.

Alsoinprogressareemergingprojects,suchasthecurationoftheMcDevitt memorabiliacollectionthatcurrentlyisbeingstoredandultimatelywillbe publiclydisplayedatSt.RaymondofPenafortparish. FollowusonFacebook, Twitter,InstagramandLinkedInandonourwebsite(foundonthebottomof eachpage)tolearnmoreaboutwhatwe’redoingandabouthowyou,too,can helpkeeptheMcDevittmissionandspiritalive

Message from the Friends of Bishop McDevitt p.5

Upcoming

The Friends of Bishop McDevitt

OUR HISTORY DISPLAYED

Oneofthemostaskedquestionsoverthelastyearhasbeen“What willhappentoourschoolhistoryandmemorabilia?"Therewere manyideasfloatedandplanspresented,howevertherewaslittle followuporhelpfromanyone.WhenthedoorsofMcDevittwere closedinJunewewerenotgivenaccesstothebuildinguntillate August.Bythenwecameupwithaplantomoveeverythingwe couldtoSt Raymondwhereweweregivenstoragespace

Webelievethiswastheperfectsolutionforseveralreasons.First, St.Raymondwasoneoftheoriginal14McDevittfeederparishes andmanyalumniattendedthatparishschool.Second,Fr.Chris Walsh(ourlastschoolminister)isthepastoratSt.Raymondand hasbeenabigfriendofMcDevittandwasalsothespiritualguide forourstudentsoverthelasttumultuousyearsofourschool's history

Sowhatistheplan?Wehavebeenorganizingtheitemsand creatinganinventoryofwhatwehave.Eventuallytherewillbe displaysbuiltthatwillshowcasethehistoryofBishopMcDevitt. Nothinghasbeenformallydecidedyet,butweforeseedisplaysof schoolhistory,athletics,activities,etc. Also,theremaybespace foralumnieventstoheheldinthesamespaceasthedisplays. Staytuned.

In case you missed the news, on February 8 it was officially announced that Arcadia University has entered into an agreement with the Archdiocese of Philadelphia to purchase Bishop McDevitt and the entire property that it sits on The 18 acre property includes a four story building, along with athletic fields and a parking lot. It was reported that the sale of the building and property was for $6.5 million.

In a February 8 joint statement, the Archdiocese and the university said the agreement of sale was a beneficial one from both an educational and community perspective. We shall see.

ALUMNI MEMORIAL MASS

The Friends of Bishop McDevitt was happy to continue the tradition of holding the annual Bishop McDevitt Alumni Memorial Mass The mass was held on Saturday November 6, 2021 at Saint Raymond of Penafort Church and was celebrated by Father Chris Walsh and Deacon George Corwell '63 We had over 50 alumni and former McDevitt students in attendance many of who participated in the mass by reading, alter servers, and presenting the gifts. We also had Donnie Hammond '95 lead us in singing our Alma mater at the conclusion of mass.

A post mass reception was held downstairs in the St. Raymond parish hall with the Class of 1976 (pictured) having the biggest turnout. We promise to keep the tradition of having this mass and remembering our deceased alumni each year.

Save the Date: Upcoming Events

The Northern Lights band, who include Bishop McDevitt alumni Blaise Brugger '74, Ron Capone '75, Biff Coyne '75, and Pat Kaufmann '75, will be performing at LuLu Country Club on Saturday, May 14, 7:00 pm. More information will be posted on social media.

We are planning a Friends of Bishop McDevitt night and pregame tailgate at a Philadelphia Phillies this Spring.

This event is tentatively scheduled for the Saturday May 21 game against the Los Angeles Dodgers at 6:00PM.

More information ticket sales and tailgate location will be available when plans are finalized. Please email us with any questions: friendsofbishopmcdevitt@gmail.com

AMessagefromtheFriendsofBishopMcDevitt

How do we want Bishop McDevitt High School to be remembered? We believe the answer to this question is up to all of our alumni and supporters.

The Friends of Bishop McDevitt was organized to help keep the Lancer spirit alive and strong and we need your help. Specifically we need your ideas, volunteers for class contacts and also your support whether that is financially or as simple as attending events. Please contact us if you would like to help us keep the McDevitt flame burning bright for years to come.

PleasecontactusorfollowtheFriendsofBishopMcDevitt onoursocialmediabyclickingontheiconsbelow.