Dr. Tom DiEnna ’96 (pictured with his sons Mason ’26, Brendan ’24, and Dylan ’29) is one of a growing number of Holy Ghost Prep alums who have decided their alma mater is the perfect place for their sons to go to high school, too.
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Tom DiEnna ’96 and Gene Giordano ’89 are part of a growing number of Holy Ghost Prep alums who have decided their alma mater is the perfect place for their sons to go to high school, too.
Bill Doherty
The halls of Cornwells Hall weren’t quite the same at the start of the 2025-26 school year, after three iconic Holy Ghost Prep employees—Beth Bruno, Pat Esposito, and Tony Chapman ’71—retired over the summer. The trio of Cornwells Hall giants worked a combined 99 years during their distinguished careers at Holy Ghost Prep.
The late Fran Nick coached the HGP soccer team from 1989–2007 and led the Firebirds to a PIAA Class 2A championship in 1992. Nick compiled a 285110-36 record as the Firebirds coach and won five PIAA District One Class 2A championships (1992, 1993, 2001, 2003, and 2007).
Now retired, Frank Weiss ’69 can reflect on a full life that included an HGP hoops career featuring a mention in Sports Illustrated, two Bucks County scoring titles, Ghost’s all-time career scoring record (1,487 points), and the praise of those who said he “put Holy Ghost on the map” with his outstanding play. Weiss’ life after Ghost featured an abundance of fascinating assignments, brushes with famous people, and banquet circuit—ready stories. He developed relationships with generals, a football legend, and volatile Hall of Fame basketball coach Bob Knight, for whom Weiss played during his sophomore year at West Point.
Matteo DiCicco, Guru Patel, Jacob and Jonathan Hackman, Corum Mo, and Anthony Marrero—all members of Holy Ghost Prep’s Class of 2025—truly blossomed during their four years on campus. They all left their mark at Ghost and are clearly prepared for what’s next.
WITH THE HOLIDAYS fast approaching, it’s natural to think about family, and we certainly do that in this issue of Holy Ghost Prep Magazine.
The “Like Father, Like Sons” cover story of this issue features Tom DiEnna ’96 and Gene Giordano ’89, who are part of a growing number of Holy Ghost Prep alums who have decided their alma mater is the perfect place for their sons to go to high school, too.
This issue also features three iconic Holy Ghost Prep “family” members—Beth Bruno, Pat Esposito, and Tony Chapman ’71—who retired after a combined 99 years of excellence working at the school. In addition, this issue includes a profile of the late Fran Nick, a beloved individual who coached the HGP soccer team from 1989–2007 and led the Firebirds to a PIAA Class 2A championship in 1992.
And with this year drawing to a close, I hope that the peace and joy of Christmas is with your family this December and throughout the coming year.”
Beth, Pat, Tony, and Fran all lived our school’s selfless Spiritan charism, allowing them to positively impact thousands of young men’s lives during their time at Ghost.
As always, the issue includes campus, athletic, and alumni news as well as feature stories on current students who are excelling in the ever-changing learning environment here at HGP.
We hope you enjoy this issue. Send us an email to keep in touch. And with the year drawing to a close, I hope that the peace and joy of Christmas is with your family this December and throughout the coming year.
In One Heart and One Mind,
Gregory J. Geruson ’79, President @presgjg Instagram.com/ggeruson
Holy Ghost Prep Magazine
Issue 12, Fall 2025
Holy Ghost Prep Magazine is published twice yearly by Holy Ghost’s Office of Communications and is distributed to alumni, parents, and friends of Holy Ghost Preparatory School.
EDITOR
Bill Doherty
CONTRIBUTING WRITERS
Michael Bradley
Bill Doherty
PROOFREADER
David Caruso
CONTRIBUTING PHOTOGRAPHERS
Douglas Benedict, Academic
Image
Catalano Studio
Jonathan Gilbert
Lisa Varley
Holy Ghost Prep’s Executive Team
PRESIDENT
Gregory J. Geruson ’79
PRINCIPAL
Kevin Burke
EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR OF DEVELOPMENT
Matt Dwyer
CHIEF FINANCIAL OFFICER
Tom Aschenbrenner P’27
DIRECTOR OF COMMUNICATIONS
Bill Doherty
DIRECTOR OF IT AND
STRATEGIC INITIATIVES
Michael Jacobs ’01
DIRECTOR OF ENROLLMENT
MANAGEMENT
Justin Goulet ’99
DESIGN
Karp Graphic Design
HOLY GHOST
PREPARATORY SCHOOL
2429 Bristol Pike
Bensalem, PA 19020
215.639.2102
I wanted to follow in my dad’s footsteps”
—NICK GIORDANO ’26
BY MICHAEL BRADLEY
When Holy Ghost Prep alum Tom DiEnna ’96 was dating his future wife, Briar, and things started to progress beyond the preliminary stages, talk shifted—as it inevitably does—to what might happen if they got married and had children. As the two exchanged their ideas and dreams, DiEnna had one absolute must.
“I said, ‘If we have boys, they’re going to Holy Ghost,’” he says.
It wasn’t an ultimatum. Instead, it was an indication of how much DiEnna loves Ghost and what it did for him. He wanted to make sure that if he had sons, they would be able to benefit from the school’s influence and ability to build strong young men in the classroom, in the athletic arena, and through the school’s Spiritan charism and commitment to service.
“Most of what stands out to me is the time I spent with my friends,” says DiEnna, who played primarily soccer and basketball at HGP. “I don’t remember the scores of games, but I remember celebrating wins with my classmates and the feelings I had before and after games.”
DiEnna was serious about sending his sons to Ghost, and that is evident in the three children who have gone—or are going—there. Brendan graduated from HGP in 2024 and is now at Boston College, Mason is a senior this year, and Dylan began his Holy Ghost Prep journey in late August as a freshman.
“Seeing them with their friends and their commitment to the school and their pride in it is great,” says DiEnna, who serves as the assistant medical director of the emergency department at Doylestown Hospital. “If I ever thought of sending them anywhere else, they would have gotten mad or laughed at me.”
The DiEnnas are not the only father-son combinations to attend Ghost. Many other HGP graduates have decided their alma mater is perfect for the next generation. One is Gene Giordano ’89, whose son, Nick, is a senior this year. Gene is one of five boys who graduated from Holy Ghost Prep—the record for most brothers who are HGP alumni—and he remains strongly connected to the school.
“Post-graduation, I came to appreciate the experience I had and the friends I made,” Giordano says. “I had some struggles there, but it built character. I still hold a lot of the values I learned at Ghost.”
Nick is the youngest of the three Giordano children, and while his older brother, Eugene, didn’t attend Holy Ghost (he graduated from MaST Community Charter), Nick grew up going to HGP basketball games with his father and spending time with the Ghost students who were friends with his sister, Grace.
“I wanted to follow in my dad’s footsteps,” he says.
More than that, he noticed how close his sister’s friends were and how they supported each other. He wanted to attend Holy Ghost Prep to experience that type of togetherness.
“When I saw them, they would tell me about the brotherhood,” Nick says. “I really wanted to be part of that.”
After spending more than three years at the school, Nick knows exactly what they were talking about. The term is not a cliché or a sales pitch. It’s part of everyday life at Holy Ghost.
“The brotherhood means you are with people for four years and spend every day with them,” Nick says. “They feel like family, whether they are classmates or teammates.”
Gene’s oldest brother, Paul, graduated from Holy Ghost in 1976, and his mother was “very involved” with the school. She was president of the Mothers’ Guild a couple times,
and Gene “was always dragged” to events at the school, particularly track and cross-country meets, since all four of his brothers were on those teams.
The Giordano family ran a fruit and produce stand at Ninth and Washington Streets in South Philadelphia that opened in the early 1900s. Gene worked there as a youth and developed a work ethic that served him at Ghost and beyond.
Though his brothers were runners, Giordano played basketball and was part of teams that reached the PIAA District One finals twice and made it to the PIAA state final four in 1988 and ’89. Giordano is a member of the Holy Ghost Athletic Hall of Fame, but he is even more proud of the close friends he made on those teams and that he is still in touch with them. And he had the privilege of playing for the legendary Tony Chapman ’71, who taught his players about a lot more than just basketball.
“We were like a family,” he says. “Coach Chapman pounded that into us. It was all about the team culture. We had to act and look and dress like gentlemen. He instilled that in us, and we adhered to it. We followed him like ducks in a row. When we went to road games, we wore ties and jackets. No other teams did that.”
This year, Giordano is the HGP Fathers’ Association president, an honor he cherishes but one that has brought him plenty of ribbing from his friends.
“They all joke that if they only knew how I acted in high school, there’s no way they would have allowed me to [be president],” he says with a laugh.
As Nick continues his senior year at Ghost, where he runs track and cross-country, he thinks about the end of his time at the school. While the beginning of one’s college career is always exciting, Nick knows it will not be easy to say goodbye to his classmates and to Ghost.
“I think it will be very hard,” he says. “I will definitely keep in touch with all my friends. I don’t want to leave, to be honest with you. I love it so much.
“The school has prepared me very well. I am getting a top-class education. It will all be worth it.”
Sometimes, Nick will look at his father’s 1989 yearbook and “see the funny pictures.” One day, his son could be doing the same thing. Nick isn’t looking that far into the future. He just wants to enjoy the moment.
“I wake up every morning excited to go to school.”
When it came time for Brendan DiEnna to apply to high school as his days at Our Lady of Grace in Penndel came to an end, the process was quite streamlined.
“I only applied to Holy Ghost,” he says. “That’s where I wanted to go. That’s where my parents wanted me to go.”
When Tom would attend alumni events, he would often bring his sons with him. And if that didn’t sell them on Holy Ghost Prep, he made sure to fortify that impact with stories about his time there.
And the fun with his friends continues. Tom is in such close touch with his HGP classmates that they compete in a fantasy football league every year. Even though Brendan is only a yearplus removed from his time at Ghost, he stays in regular contact with his classmates and can’t imagine that will change.
He certainly maximized his Holy Ghost experience. Brendan was student government treasurer, president of the National Honor Society, and captain of the track and cross-country teams his junior and senior years. He capped his four years by winning the Ted Grabowski Award as the top scholar-athlete, received a medal for excellence in science, and graduated summa cum laude.
“It was an amazing experience,” he says. “I would totally do it again if I had the chance. When I was at Ghost, I felt the people cared about me and what I cared about. If I had a problem, there was always someone to talk to, whether it was a teacher, a coach, or a principal.”
His brother, Mason, is having a similarly positive experience, and he echoes a refrain about the teachers at Ghost. They instruct. They have high expectations. And they will allow students to figure things out. Help is always available, but they place a premium on independent thought and the ability to handle challenges that arise.
“The teachers are awesome,” Mason says. “They give you a lot of freedom. I was told they prepare you well for college. Now, I see that they do prepare you.”
Like his older brother, Mason had no desire to think about going anywhere else for high school. He shadowed his brother at Ghost, and that was all he needed. During his time at HGP, he has played soccer and lacrosse, and he ran track his freshman year. But his experiences have gone well beyond the athletic realm. Last year, he was able to take part in his first prom, which was held at the Camden Aquarium. Afterward, several of his friends and their dates
There are reasons aplenty that a growing number of HGP alums are sending their sons to Ghost. One of them is that the school is actively pursuing them as part of HGP’s “Be First” program, an early decision program for students entering eighth grade. Students are invited to “Be First” at Holy Ghost Prep based on their seventh grade practice test score, or because the student is a legacy applicant to HGP—either the son of a Holy Ghost Prep alum or the younger brother of a current Ghost student. Students who take part in “Be First” will complete the normal steps of the admissions process, with acceptance decisions provided by the start of eighth grade rather than just before Christmas.
went back to the DiEnnas’ house to continue the festivities.
“It was the best time ever,” Mason says. “We had so much fun.”
Mason has particularly enjoyed his history classes at Ghost, but this year he is taking courses in HGP’s Business Institute. He expects this experience will help him decide what he wants to major in when he gets to college. Even if he chooses another major, the work he does at Holy Ghost is interesting and rewarding.
“We have smaller classes of usually 15 or 20 students,” he says. “There’s a lot of work, and it’s fast-paced. Teachers try to keep you updated and in the loop. They make you prepare on your own. When I was talking to [Brendan], he said it’s a lot like college.”
Last year, Dylan shadowed Mason and developed the same desire to attend Holy Ghost that his brothers—and father—had. He has heard his father’s stories about his time at HGP and thinks it is “cool” listening to them. His Ghost journey is just beginning, but Dylan is confident he will feel the same way after graduation as the rest of his family does.
“I saw how nice the teachers were and how strong the community was,” Dylan says. “I could tell how close [Mason] and his friends were.”
It’s a good bet his children may be saying that about him some day.
A frequent contributor to Holy Ghost Prep Magazine, Michael Bradley is a professor in the communication department at Villanova University.
BY BILL DOHERTY
The halls of Cornwells Hall weren’t quite the same at the start of the 2025-26 school year after three iconic Holy Ghost Prep employees— Beth Bruno, Pat Esposito, and Tony Chapman ’71—retired over the summer.
The trio of Cornwells Hall giants worked a combined 99 years during their distinguished careers at Holy Ghost Prep: Bruno (21 years), Esposito (29 years), and Chapman (49 years).
“For nearly 100 combined years, we have been blessed to have Beth Bruno, Pat Esposito, and Tony Chapman at Holy Ghost Prep,” said Holy Ghost Prep president Gregory J. Geruson ’79. “The number of young men’s lives that the three of them have positively affected is truly remarkable.”
Bruno was looking for an opportunity to teach all boys in a competitive, private school environment and found everything she was looking for at HGP.
“I enjoyed the fact that all of the teachers are here for the kids,” says Bruno. “The school had a level of professionalism that was difficult to find. The freedom given to me to reach out for my potential as a teacher was gratifying.”
Bruno continued to be innovative throughout her two-plus decades at Ghost— designing the STEM Tower labs, helping HGP’s National Science Honor Society expand its influence by establishing the annual Red Cross blood drive and middle school STEM Challenge, expanding anatomy and physiology to full-year courses to help Ghost students better ascertain their future plans, and starting HGP’s Medical Institute along with Dr. Pete Bidey ’00, dean of the osteopathic medicine program at Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine.
“I have tremendous respect for Beth based on her excellence as a teacher and as a visionary department chair. Beth really cared about her students. She enthusiastically embraced the challenges of teaching freshman biology. She did the initial heavy lifting to set students up for future success in the sciences. Beth also seamlessly embraced the challenge of teaching college-level AP biology and anatomy and physiology classes. Here her efforts put students on the path to success as they advance into biological and medicinal areas of study in college,” says Dr. Bill Pitts, a member of the Holy Ghost Prep science department faculty.
“Beth always looked to innovate and improve the science department. She was significantly involved in the design of HGP’s STEM Tower. She successfully integrated engineering and computer science into the department and created a collegial atmosphere of cooperation. She spearheaded efforts for HGP to host a middle school science day, which supports both good science practices and HGP recruiting. She also established the ‘Lab Rat’ awards, which recognize students who have demonstrated a passion for science. Perhaps most importantly, she facilitated the establishment of the Medical Institute by partnering with Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine. This institute is a part of what makes HGP such a special place. Beth’s love of teaching and her vision for a better future transformed HGP in so many ways.”
“Mrs. Bruno was loved by her students and colleagues,” says Holy Ghost Prep principal Kevin Burke. “She has immense passion for science and an impressive ability to connect her expertise with learners at all levels.”
In retirement, Bruno will continue to push herself to learn new things. Her current retirement wish list includes whale watching in Alaska, seeing the San Diego Zoo, visiting the Galapagos Islands, further tracing her ancestry
through various archives, and finishing several quilts that she has started. Given the fact that she is a lifelong learner, Beth’s retirement list of things to do and places to visit with her husband, Tom, is certain to grow.
Pat Esposito’s career running the school’s main office began in July of 1996. Her sons Joe (a Class of 1996 HGP graduate) and Jim (a Class of 1997 graduate) were both Ghost students at that time, and a main office job opened up.
“I asked the Headmaster [her brother, Rev. Jim McCloskey, C.S. Sp. ’70] if I could apply and, luckily, I was offered the job,” says Esposito.
The rest is history as Esposito worked with four different principals in her 29 years at Holy Ghost Prep: Paul Pomeroy, Michael O’Toole, Jeff Danilak, and Kevin Burke.
“Being able to work with Mrs. Esposito was a gift that I did not deserve,” says Burke. “Her knowledge of ‘all things HGP’ helped me join this community seamlessly. In the main office, her hard work and commitment to our students, faculty, and parents allowed her to manage so many different things. We wish her the best in retirement.”
Esposito enjoyed working for each of the four principals as Holy Ghost Prep became her second home.
“The best part of working at HGP is the people,” says Esposito. “Everyone is nice … the students, faculty, and staff. It’s like working with your friends.”
Esposito made friends aplenty during her time at Ghost.
“Pat Esposito embodied everything that we stand for—a humble, hard-working person, incredibly dedicated to the mission of the school, focused on being a servant leader to all, and always knowing the Holy Spirit helped guide her in all that she does,” says Geruson. “She was an exceptional employee who loved the school and helped make HGP the family it is.”
Esposito took it easy with her husband, Joe, for the first summer of her retirement, spending lots of time at the beach in Brigantine, N.J., with their grandchildren and playing miniature golf and bocce.
Her bocce opponents better not underestimate Esposito.
“I’m a real pro,” she says.
Speaking of pros, Chapman was just that during his incredible 49-year tenure at Holy Ghost Prep. When he graduated from La Salle College in 1975, teaching jobs were few and far between. He worked for the second semester of 1975-76 at Our Lady of Grace in Penndel before Francis X. Hanley, the HGP headmaster, contacted him.
“He ‘created’ a job for me at HGP,” Chapman recalls. “No faculty left, he just moved some people around to get me on the staff.”
Chapman was initially hired to teach two classes of English grammar and three social studies classes—which he did until 1989-90, when he became HGP’s dean of students while still teaching two social studies classes.
“The best thing about HGP was the students,” says Chapman. “Faculty were great, parents overall great, but what made me happy was being a factor in the lives of the students.”
John Fitzpatrick ’89, a longtime theology and Latin teacher at Holy Ghost, believes that Chapman served as the school’s “rudder” over his 49 years of service.
“We can now see all the fingerprints Tony left behind from molding and shaping this institution and this community into what it is today, and we are filled with a profound sense of gratitude to both him and his beautiful family,” says Fitzpatrick. “We are so thankful that he kept us on course all these years.”
Chapman, of course, also made an impact on the HGP basketball program, compiling a mind-boggling 928-321
“For nearly 100 combined years, we have been blessed to have Beth Bruno, Pat Esposito, and Tony Chapman at Holy Ghost Prep.”
—Gregory J. Geruson ’79 President, Holy Ghost Prep
record during his storied coaching career at HGP. During his tenure, the Firebirds won 23 Bicentennial Athletic League (BAL) titles, nine District One crowns, and two Eastern state titles. The gym in HGP’s Firebird Fieldhouse, of course, is named Chapman Arena in his honor.
“Tony was a once-in-a-generation employee—someone so committed to HGP that it was a part of him,” says Geruson. “He spent more time at Holy Ghost than anything else he has done in his life. His love of the school and its students was profound. His commitment to his colleagues was ever-present. His connection to alumni and especially the basketball alumni is forever. When we write the next history of HGP, there’ll be a chapter on Tony Chapman.”
One of only six high school basketball coaches in Pennsylvania history to reach the 900-win plateau, Chapman thinks the key to his coaching success at Ghost was his ability to adapt, as well as the talent of his players and his assistant coaches.
“We played according to the talent we had. I never had a ‘system’ and tried to fit the players to the system. The key was to adapt the style of play to the players we had,” says Chapman. “I had some very talented players over the years who were smart, cooperative, and competitive. And when choosing assistant coaches, I tried to surround myself with great people who could really relate to the players.”
Chapman realizes that he will need to tap into his trademark adaptability in retirement, too.
“I am hoping just to totally relax for one year—do more with my immediate family, watch my twin grandsons, read,” says Chapman. “After a year, I will evaluate and see what would be best for myself and my family.”
BY MICHAEL BRADLEY
Terry Visconto ’93 thought he was being a leader. The younger players on Holy Ghost Prep’s 1992 soccer team were goofing off, and Visconto figured that it was his job as a co-captain to settle them down.
He did it—with some rather, ahem, colorful language.
Fran Nick didn’t like that. At all.
“He was a no-nonsense guy,” Visconto says.
Nick appreciated the gesture of leadership, but he wasn’t happy with the soundtrack. So he told the team that after its next game, the players would run “25 hills” on campus.
When the Firebirds returned to school after the next match, which was on the road, the players gathered their belongings and began to head home.
Nick wasn’t having it.
“He said, ‘Where are you going? You owe me some hills—from Visconto,’” Terry says, laughing at the memory.
That was how it was if you played for Nick, who coached HGP from 1989–2007 and posted a 285-110-36 lifetime record. You played by the rules. His rules. And you won. Big. Nick’s teams captured five PIAA District One Class 2A titles, and in ’92—the fall of Visconto’s senior year—Holy Ghost Prep earned the state title, with a 1-0 win over Quaker Valley.
If anyone could have predicted Nick’s success, it was Bill Gallagher, his predecessor as Holy Ghost Prep’s varsity coach. (Nick served as the JV coach during Gallagher’s last two years at HGP.)
“I recruited Fran for the job with the hope that he would replace me as head coach when I moved to a legal career because he was such a knowledgeable and enthusiastic soccer coach and 100% dedicated to Holy Ghost and our soccer program,” says Gallagher.
Nick grew up playing for the legendary Lighthouse soccer program in Northeast Philadelphia and passed along the lessons he learned on those tough fields to his Ghost teams. He stressed conditioning over everything else and wanted his players to be unselfish and committed completely to the team.
“He had a passion for soccer,” says Nick’s daughter, Tricia Graff, who coaches JV soccer at Ghost. “Soccer was part of our family. He lived it. He had a camaraderie with other coaches and ‘my boys,’ as he called his players.”
Nick’s five children played soccer, and his wife of 53 years, Lea, was the quintessential team mom. “As much as I had five children of my own, when soccer started I had 24 more,” she says. Nick drew energy from coaching, and anyone who knew him understood how devoted he was to it. When Tricia announced that she was getting married, Fran told her she had to do it before mid-August, when soccer tryouts began.
“That’s why my wedding anniversary is August 11,” she says. Nick, who died in 2017 at the age of 73 after a nine-month bout with cancer, began at Holy Ghost coaching the JV team, and after retiring from directing the varsity side, he took on the freshman squad. He was less intense about his work with the ninth graders and would even travel some in season, but when he was with the varsity, Nick was all about soccer. “You never did anything during soccer season,” Lea says.
That fit Nick’s personality. He was a stern man, although not unable to laugh and joke. It was just hard sometimes to tell when he wasn’t serious. He worked as an engineer at the Navy Yard, beginning as a “boilermaker” and eventually working on nuclear submarines. He reached the GS15 level, the top of the federal pay food chain and reserved for the most skilled workers, as well as the highest security clearance, according to his son, Joe. As can happen with teenage boys, Nick’s professional life got somewhat garbled in translation, and many Holy Ghost students thought he was actually in the Navy or—even better—a CIA operative.
“There were always rumors like that going around,” says Greg Winther ’02, a standout player at Ghost who
went on to play soccer at Villanova University. “We knew he was in the Navy and worked on submarines.”
It’s easy to understand how Nick’s players revered him and might have expected him to have some sort of top-secret, high-level government position. He had something of an outsized image around the school, even later in his life, when he worked in the Holy Ghost Prep alumni office helping to raise funds. He succeeded in a pursuit with which he had no experience thanks to his reputation and the relationships he made during his time coaching. People didn’t want to disappoint him, and his great love for the school and the respect he earned made him the perfect person to ask alums to support HGP.
Tony Nucera ’89, whose soccer career ended the season before Nick took over the varsity team, got to know the family by playing with Fran’s son, Chris ’88, and built a strong relationship with the Nicks over nearly 40 years. He watched closely as Nick directed the Firebird team. For him, Nick was a tremendous role model.
“He was very smart and tactical,” Nucera says. “He was an intense man with great integrity. He had a big heart and had high expectations of you as a person and a player.”
“He was an intense man with great integrity. He had a big heart and had high expectations of you as a person and a player.”
—TONY NUCERA ’89
Every summer, Nick would choose a word that would serve as a theme for the upcoming season. “It might be ‘victory’ or ‘gentlemen,’ and he would use it constantly,” Lea says. As the Firebirds marched toward their 1992 state crown, a journey that included a Bicentennial League championship, a win over Christopher Dock Mennonite in the District One title game, and eventually the triumph over Quaker Valley, which had toppled Ghost in the 1991 PIAA final, the players adopted “Valhalla” as their battle cry, according to Visconto.
Valhalla is the great hall where fallen warriors are welcomed after their death, and Nick referenced it often. He also delivered some fiery (at times) pregame speeches to prepare the players for a game, but he wasn’t one for yelling or profanity. And once everybody got on the bus for a road game, they needed to behave because Lea made each trip with them. One season, Nick had the boys pray the rosary on the bus. On other occasions, the team would sing “God Bless America,” according to Lea. It might seem hokey to some, but the players loved it and it helped build their affection for him.
“My children play soccer now, and I pass along to them what I learned
from Coach Nick,” Visconto says.
But boys aren’t always going to be perfect, and there were times when Nick would tire of a player’s antics—no matter how good a player he might have been—and toss him out of practice. “He’d always welcome them back,” Lea says. Nick had a tattoo of a crab on his shoulder, and when the players saw it, they nicknamed him “Seafood Franny,” a play on the old Seafood Shanty restaurant. They asked him why he had it, and he would say, “I could tell you, but I would have to kill you,” according to Lea.
“They thought he was a spy,” she says.
Nick wasn’t bothered by the nickname, and he didn’t get upset by criticism, either. At the end of each season, he would give players index cards and ask them to write their feelings about the season and about him. If the reviews weren’t necessarily good, Nick didn’t get angry.
It’s hard to imagine he would. These were his guys, the teams he worked so hard to build. And he made sure everybody played in almost every game, even the most important ones.
But Nick’s real varsity team was his family, which he and Lea nurtured and reared on Ogden Avenue, right around the corner from Holy Ghost Prep. Though tough, Nick never failed to show his love and commitment. Seven family members certainly crowded the house, and a steady stream of friends and extended family members also filtered through. Nick was one of 11, and Tricia estimates she has “35 first cousins.” The five Nick children have produced 13 kids of their own, and Lea is greatgrandmother to five.
“It was busy,” Tricia says about the house. “It’s tacky to compare it to the show Full House, but someone was always knocking on the door, and
it was always open. Friends were extended family.”
Nick was serious about soccer with his children, too. His grandfather played the sport. So did his father. He stayed in shape by lifting and running 5Ks, and he made sure his children learned the game and trained the right way. Joe remembers being “three or four years old” and juggling a soccer ball in the garage with his brothers during the winter. “Soccer season never ended,” he says. “I played about 340 days a year.” Players had to prepare for tryouts each season by training for the “elements,” a grueling series of physical fitness tests designed to see who was serious enough about soccer to play for Nick. And he was always coaching. One time when Nick was driving, Joe was in the front seat, and he put the visor down to block the sun. Nick put it back up and said, “What are you going to do when the ball is in the air and you have to head it?” In other words: Toughen up.
After Nick retired from the Navy Yard and from coaching, he and Lea were able to travel. The first
stop was Disney World, which was a dream of Lea’s. They also went to Hawaii, Alaska, and North and South Dakota. The Nicks owned a house in Albrightsville, in the Poconos, and the family enjoyed skiing. Well, everybody but Lea. “I liked staying in and drinking hot cocoa and watching them,” she says.
One time, Tricia was skiing down a slope and saw a man lying in the snow. When she got to the bottom, she had to wait for her father. She told her about the man, and he said, “Yeah, that was me.” Nick had been bruised by his fall, but went right back up to the top for another run. Nick also loved his garden, and he would cut the grass in a criss-cross pattern to make it look nicer. “He was always involved in something,” Lea says.
Mostly he was involved at Holy Ghost.
“He loved Ghost,” Lea says. “At one point, he was cutting the grass and lining the fields there. He took care of the uniforms. He did love Ghost.”
And there is no question the school loved him back.
>> Next up: DIANE GARFORTH
This Fran Nick feature is the latest in a series of pieces on HGP icons. In the next issue of Holy Ghost Prep Magazine, we will profile Diane Garforth, a talented English teacher who was part of the Holy Ghost Prep faculty from 1982 until she passed away in May 2005 after a courageous battle with cancer. During her HGP career, she inspired countless students to love literature and to become much better writers. The Diane Garforth Medal for Excellence in English is presented each spring at graduation to honor her memory.
By Michael Bradley
When Frank Weiss was in eighth grade and preparing to enter Holy Ghost Prep, his father had a frank discussion with him about college.
“He told me I would have to get to college on my brains or brawn because he didn’t have the money,” says Weiss, a 1969 Holy Ghost Prep alum. “I said, ‘I’ll get there on both.’”
He was right. Thanks to the basketball skills he honed while at Ghost—and a strong academic record—Weiss had plenty of collegiate options that did not require parental contributions. He eventually settled on the U.S. Military Academy, a move that presaged a 30year army career and enough stories to fill a streaming service program lineup.
“Holy Ghost changed my life,” Weiss says. “It brought me from a young guy to a basketball scholarship.”
Now retired and living just north of Dallas, Weiss can reflect on a full life that included an HGP hoops career featuring a mention in Sports Illustrated, two Bucks County scoring titles, Ghost’s all-time career scoring record (1,487 points), and the praise of those who said he “put Holy Ghost on the map” with his outstanding play.
“He was by far the best player on the team, if not one of the best players in the area his senior year,” says legendary former Holy Ghost basketball coach Tony Chapman ’71. “He averaged 27 points a game.”
Weiss’ life after college featured an abundance of fascinating
assignments, brushes with famous people, and banquet circuit–ready stories. He developed relationships with generals, a football legend, and volatile Hall of Fame basketball coach Bob Knight, for whom Weiss played during his sophomore year at West Point.
He describes his experiences with great enthusiasm, and listening to them one wonders how someone could have packed so much into one life—which is still going strong, despite two new knees, a bad back, and a fresh set of teeth.
Weiss’ journey began in West Philadelphia, where his family lived until he was seven. They moved to the Somerton section of Northeast Philly and St. Christopher parish, where he was an altar boy and began playing basketball in seventh grade.
Weiss’ father worked for 40 years for the Philadelphia Gas Works, and he had three sisters—Anna Marie, who was older, and Kathy and Mary Lou, who were younger—whom he used to “help” babysit.
“They would get scared at around 11 o’clock at night, so I would go down and help them,” Weiss says. “I would make a few extra bucks and get some free food.”
Weiss applied to Holy Ghost Prep and St. Joseph’s Prep, but St. Joe’s was further away from his home and cost more money than Ghost. Plus, Holy Ghost “was very attractive,” according to Weiss. He began at Ghost in 1965 and would take a school bus every morning, but it only went as far as the city limit, so he had to hitchhike the rest of the way. “Hitchhiking was easy back then,” he says. When he
and friends got their driver’s licenses as juniors and seniors, they would carpool.
Weiss was fortunate to have the older hoops players at Ghost welcome him his freshman season and help him with his shot and understanding of the game. He sat on the varsity bench his first year, and head coach Bob Custer played him in a few games, long after the outcomes were decided.
He saw more time as a sophomore but gained greater notoriety as a junior and senior, when he was a focal point of the offense and a standout in the Suburban Catholic League. By then, Tom Kaczor had taken over as head coach, and though his stern methods might be criticized now, according to Chapman he understood one thing clearly.
“For the team to play at its peak, [Weiss] had to get the ball,” Chapman says.
“Everybody realized that.”
Weiss topped 50 points four different times his senior year, including 59 against St. Pius X. Two nights after that outburst, he put up 42 against Lansdale Catholic, a performance that led then-sophomore Charlie Gindele ’71 to send a notice to Sports Illustrated about the binge that landed Weiss in the “Faces in the Crowd” section of the magazine. “After
that, I got 200 letters from schools interested in me,” Weiss says.
Gindele was a sophomore manager of the team and also kept statistics during games. He recalled seeing mention of other high schoolers’ exploits in SI and decided to write a letter to the magazine detailing the big weekend. A couple weeks later, someone at the magazine called Ghost to verify Gindele’s claim. “Somebody at the school asked me, ‘Did you send a letter to Sports Illustrated about Frank Weiss?’” Gindele recalls. The school forwarded a head shot to the magazine, and the item about Weiss’ points explosion appeared in the February 3, 1969 issue that featured hockey legend Bobby Orr on the cover. “It was a great coup, pulling that off,” Gindele says.
Despite the notoriety, Weiss didn’t walk the school halls with a bloated ego and an entourage. He worked hard and treated people with respect. That resonated with other Holy Ghost students, particularly Chapman.
“He had every reason to be cocky in school, but he wasn’t,” Chapman says. “He was down to earth, and his discipline carried him through his life.
“He was an inspiration for me for his hard work. I never played basketball until I got to Holy Ghost and seeing him off the court and what
“HOLY GHOST CHANGED MY LIFE. IT BROUGHT ME FROM A YOUNG GUY TO A BASKETBALL SCHOLARSHIP.”
—Frank Weiss ’69
he did in the off-season had such an impact on me.”
Weiss received serious recruiting attention from Saint Joseph’s, Princeton, Brown, and Dartmouth. He visited Virginia and Roanoke, but “the kids all had long hair,” and that wasn’t what he wanted. Weiss was set to attend Philadelphia Textile, but after he put up 35 in a high school all-star game, he received a phone call that reset his course.
Legendary coach Bob Knight was on the line, and he wanted Weiss at West Point.
Before he led Indiana to three national titles, Knight spent six years as Army’s head coach. The day after seeing Weiss in that all-star game, Knight came to his house and invited him to take a recruiting visit to West Point. “It was immaculate,” Weiss says of the campus. “It looked great.” Weiss committed to become a Cadet, and though he spent only one year—197071—playing for Knight, he had quite an experience with the coach.
Freshmen were ineligible to play NCAA basketball in 1969, so Weiss didn’t encounter Knight until he was a sophomore. But he had broken his wrist the summer before and was in a cast for six months. He would show up at practice, and Knight would throw him out.
“He would say, ‘Get rid of that cast,’” Weiss says. “I’d go to the doctor, and he’d say I couldn’t take it off. I told him Coach Knight said it had to come off. The doctor said, ‘I’ll take care of Knight.’ He was a colonel.”
When Weiss got back onto the court, he was a deep reserve. That didn’t mean Knight didn’t ride him. One time at practice, he failed to prevent a teammate from scoring during a drill,
and Knight yelled, “Your sister could have stopped him!” Weiss stared at the coach and replied, “Which one?” The gym became silent. “People didn’t talk back to him,” Weiss says. “He looked at me and said, ‘Get back in line.’”
After Knight bolted for Indiana, Weiss stayed at Army and played for Knight’s successor, Dan Dougherty, at West Point. Weiss played in 12 games as a junior and was a regular in 1972-73, when he averaged 5.6 points and 4.2 rebounds per game. His basketball career at West Point may not have been remarkable, but what he accomplished after it was certainly noteworthy.
He spent more than a decade as an engineer, working for Ford Motor Company and Amoco, all the while remaining in the army reserves. Amoco laid him off in 1984, and he went into the army full time at Camp Mabry in Austin, Tex “taking care of generals.”
Weiss spent four years at Fort Sam Houston in San Antonio before heading to Notre Dame in 1988
New Holy Ghost Prep alum Adrien “Ace” Varella took a serious run at the Firebirds all-time scoring mark over the past four seasons, but Frank Weiss ’69 remains atop the charts. Making Weiss’ eyepopping 1,487 career points even more impressive is the fact that he did it before the existence of the three-point line. Here’s the updated list of HGP’s 1,000-point scorers:
FRANK WEISS ’69 / 1,487 points
ACE VARELLA ’25 / 1,244 points
CHUCK MITCHELL ’71 / 1,212 points
TERRY MURPHY ’85 / 1,189 points
LENWOOD GREENWOOD ’04 / 1,114 points
GENE GIORDANO ’89 / 1,093 points
RICK MORGAN ’88 / 1,088 points
BRIAN MCKEOGH ’92 / 1,035 points
to serve as an associate professor and to teach students in the ROTC program. While there, he met Notre Dame football coach Lou Holtz and basketball boss Digger Phelps, who lived behind him and would run with Weiss. Weiss says Holtz used to come to his classes and “loved seeing the cadets.” When Desert Storm/ Desert Shield began two years later, Weiss—who by then was a lieutenant colonel—was summoned to the Pentagon, and when the war ended, he helped direct the draw-down of the Army. “We trimmed 30 percent of all units,” he says.
After two more positions at the Pentagon, Weiss returned to West Point in 1996 to lead its admissions team. He worked with recruiters from all over the world to fill incoming classes and served under former classmate General John Abizaid, who was the Commandant of Cadets and eventually became a four-star general. On July 1, 1999, he retired, “30 years to the day after I started as a cadet,” says Weiss, who describes his military
career as “cadet to colonel.”
“I asked [Abizaid] if he would administer my retirement oath,” Weiss says.
After ending his military career, Weiss worked for the Census Bureau in Las Vegas and Arizona. “I had a ball,” he says. These days, he lives in Celina, just north of Dallas. When he was at Fort Sam Houston, he “fell in love with the [Texas] weather.” Celina is a booming area, and it keeps him relatively close to his four children and 11 grandchildren. Weiss is walking again after his knee and back surgeries. “They got messed up from my jumping out of airplanes and running in the army, six or seven miles a day,” he says.
Weiss isn’t running anymore, but the mileage he has accumulated during his life is substantial—and impressive.
And proof that he indeed had the brains and brawn necessary to succeed.
By Bill Doherty
Matteo DiCicco, Guru Patel, Jacob and Jonathan Hackman, Corum Mo, and Anthony Marrero—all members of Holy Ghost Prep’s Class of 2025—truly blossomed during their four years on campus. They all left their mark at Ghost and are clearly prepared for what’s next.
When Holy Ghost Prep needed to put its best foot forward over the past few years, the school often called on Matteo DiCicco ’25 to lend a helping hand.
And why not?
A fixture in the Holy Ghost Prep admissions office during his high school years, DiCicco was comfortable no matter what the task—whether that was giving campus tours to visiting VIPs or talking to a room full of prospective families about how he had blossomed over the course of his time at Ghost.
“Matteo was an integral part of the admissions office, and my go-to guy for campus tours. One of the many things I admired about Matteo was his ability to connect with both parents and potential students,” says Kim Massari, Holy Ghost Prep’s manager of admissions operations. “He loved speaking of his experiences at HGP. You could feel the love he has for our school, as well as the pride he had for being a student at Ghost. Matteo grew so much over the past four years. I’m so proud of the wonderful young man he has become.”
When he arrived at Holy Ghost Prep from Our Lady of Calvary, DiCicco thought he would graduate from Ghost in four years and then maybe enlist in the military. But over the course of his time at HGP, DiCicco rubbed elbows on a daily basis with classmates with lofty career aspirations. His competitive nature kicked in and, by his sophomore year, DiCicco had set a new goal for himself: getting into West Point to study at the U.S. Military Academy.
DiCicco approached HGP’s assistant director of college guidance, Grace Opdyke, as a sophomore with his goal of admission to West Point.
“I told him that there was a lot of work to be done. He replied, ‘When do I start?’ From that day Matteo worked harder than any student I’ve known to reach his goal,” says Opdyke. “He’s selfless, humble, and dedicated, all qualities necessary to serve in our armed forces. If I were to describe the perfect
individual whom I would want protecting and serving my country, that would be Matteo DiCicco.”
While still a sophomore at Ghost, DiCicco met David Monigal from the West Point Admissions Field Force, who was immediately impressed with the young man’s maturity, intelligence, and budding leadership skills. An honor roll regular who graduated with a 4.12 GPA, DiCicco was a three-year captain of the lacrosse team, a member of student government, a roving reporter on the HGPTV broadcasts, and an invaluable member of the admissions office.
DiCicco went through the arduous process of applying to West Point and pursuing the necessary endorsements from then-Pennsylvania senators Bob Casey and John Fetterman, as well as from Brendan Boyle, a representative for Pennsylvania’s second congressional district in Northeast Philadelphia.
This past February, while stuck in traffic as he was heading to Philadelphia International Airport to board a flight for his Spiritan Immersion trip to Ireland, DiCicco received the official word that he was heading to West Point.
“For once, an I-95 traffic jam served a really good purpose,” he says. “Because I was able to share the unforgettable moment of getting into West Point in real time with my parents. It’s a moment I’ll never forget.”
The joyous DiCicco, still in the car, emailed
“I told him that there was a lot of work to be done. He replied, ‘When do I start’?”
— GRACE OPDYKE
Opdyke and said: “We did it!” Touched by yet another example of DiCicco’s humility, Opdyke quickly emailed back: “No, you did it! I just got to share the amazing ride.”
DiCicco, who shared Holy Ghost Prep’s coveted School Spirit Award at graduation with Christian Henn, began his West Point experience in late June. In four years, he will receive a bachelor of science degree in mechanical engineering and will be a second lieutenant in the U.S. Army. He will serve a minimum of five years in the Army.
“Matteo will be a selfless, inspirational, humble, memorable, and beloved leader,” says Monigal. “All those around Matteo will be better people for having known him. I know I am.”
GURU PATEL
Pennsylvania State University
Medicine
Unlike most teenagers, Guru Patel graduated from Holy Ghost Prep this past spring with strong connections in the medical field and tons of firsthand experience observing surgeries and performing lab research at top-shelf hospitals.
Patel, one of the top students in HGP’s Class of 2025, shows no signs of slowing down as he is now enrolled in the Penn State accelerated program, a cooperative program run by Thomas Jefferson University’s Sidney Kimmel Medical College (SKMC) and Pennsylvania State University. This program will allow Patel to earn both his B.S. and M.D. degrees in seven years—spending three years at Penn State’s
University Park campus and then four years at SKMC.
“I want to be a surgeon, possibly a plastic surgeon, and Holy Ghost Prep has opened so many doors for me,” says Patel.
In particular, three Holy Ghost Prep alums have helped Patel foster his passion for medicine. Rob Skalicky ’78, a board-certified plastic surgeon and the president and founder of the Bucks County–based Modern Aesthetic Plastic Surgery, allowed Patel to serve as an operating room scrub tech, observing countless plastic surgeries in the process.
Patel’s participation in Holy Ghost Prep’s Medical Institute allowed him to meet HGP Class of 2000 alum Peter Bidey, DO, MSEd, FACOFP, who serves as dean of the osteopathic medical program at Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine and as a physician at the Hassan Family Medicine Center.
Then during the college application process, Holy Ghost Prep president Greg Geruson ’79 connected Patel with Joseph Majdan, M.D., FACP, FCPP, a 1966 Holy Ghost Prep graduate who served as an associate professor of medicine and director of clinical proficiency mediation at the Thomas Jefferson University’s Sidney Kimmel Medical College at Thomas Jefferson University (where Patel will earn his medical degree).
“Mr. Geruson took an interest in me and has done so much for my career trajectory by introducing me to Dr. Skalicky and Dr. Majdan,” says Patel, who graduated from Ghost with 4.732 GPA (he took 15 AP courses) and a perfect 36 score on the ACT. “Thanks to him, I have more personal connections in the medical field than most average teenagers do.”
Patel took full advantage of everything that Holy Ghost had to offer, including the willingness of HGP alums to help him. He’s already in-network—the HGP alumni network, that is—even though he won’t be a
“Guru is one of the hardest workers I have ever taught.”
— JUSTIN GOULET ’99
doctor for seven more years.
“Guru is a highly motivated young man who truly excelled as a student at Holy Ghost Prep,” says AnnMarie Reteneller, director of college guidance at HGP.
“Guru is a quietly confident young man with many gifts and talents.”
His in-school activities at Ghost included running track and crosscountry, establishing a CPR training program, serving as the Chemistry Olympiad co- founder/president and Physics Olympiad co-founder/vice president, participating in Mathletes, serving as an Unum House leader, and playing on Holy Ghost Prep’s first-ever varsity volleyball team last spring.
Rochester Institute of Technology
Computer Science
“Guru is one of the hardest workers I have ever taught,” says Justin Goulet ’99, who taught Patel in three different English classes at Ghost. “Even when faced with a challenge in the classroom, Guru stepped up his game and succeeded, never afraid to ask for help or guidance along the way.”
Outside of school, Patel’s accomplishments were incredible as well. In addition to working in Skalicky’s office, Patel was a nursing home/hospice volunteering team leader at Chandler Hall, obtained his private pilot’s license at Northeast Philadelphia Airport, participated in the Shriners Hospital Research Program, and participated in a research lab internship at Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia.
“Guru is one of the most motivated students I have ever met,” says Thomas Saxton ’95, who had Patel as a student in his AP United States Government and Politics class. “He can do whatever he wants in life.”
Twins Jacob and Jonathan Hackman initially didn’t plan on attending Rochester Institute of Technology (RIT) together, but the technical nature of their fields of study resulted in their college lists being quite similar.
As they narrowed down their college choices, their two finalists—RIT and Worcester Polytechnic Institute—were, you guessed it, identical.
Mechanical Engineering
“Our college lists ended up being 10-12 schools long, with around eight or nine schools being the same,” says Jonathan. “As we visited the schools and narrowed down our options based on what we liked and didn’t like, the same schools were standing out. Then at the end, by pure chance, we both ended up deciding to attend RIT.”
The similarities between the two Hackman brothers go beyond the same hair and eye color. Both graduated summa cum laude from Holy Ghost Prep. Both starred on the HGP robotics team. Both were Eagle Scouts. And when asked which two Ghost teachers knew them best, they named the same two teachers: Kevin Bushek ’04 and Luke Profy ’17.
Holy Ghost Prep also gave them the space to explore their differences. Jacob played guitar, while Jonathan played saxophone. While Jacob stopped playing after freshman year, Jonathan continued
“Holy Ghost Prep truly met the educational needs of our sons.”
— FELICIA HACKMAN
with the saxophone through senior year, even performing with the Firebird Pops. Jacob took an interest in archery, while Jonathan enjoyed playing Magic: The Gathering.
Attending RIT with your twin means always having family, a friend, and a piece of home nearby. The Hackman brothers are able to support each other, even as they explore different majors and career possibilities.
But they are giving each other some space too.
“Jacob and I are rooming separately for a number of small reasons,” Jonathan says. “The biggest reason for us, however, is that we have never been in separate bedrooms in the past 18 years. Eventually, you learn to get sick of being around a copy of yourself and want to meet someone new and try something new.”
Jacob, who is older than Jonathan by one minute, is majoring in computer science with an accelerated master’s degree in software engineering.
“My ultimate goal after college is to get my footing in the tech industry as a software engineer, while also still pursuing my own personal projects to keep learning and expanding my knowledge of the field,” says Jacob, who cites the school’s renowned co-op program, ranked sixth in the country, as another key reason that he chose RIT.
Jonathan’s major is mechanical engineering and, like his brother, he will seek an accelerated master’s degree—although Jonathan’s will be in mechanical engineering.
“My ultimate goal after college is to work in space exploration (rockets, rovers, etc.) and at some point I would like to go back to school for a degree in higher level mathematics; specifically I would like to learn more in the field of combinatorics,” says Jonathan.
The departures of Jonathan and Jacob from Ghost mark the end of an era of sorts on Bristol Pike, as they were the last of the five Hackman brothers to graduate from HGP. Stephen ’17 holds a B.A. in history from Duquesne University and is employed by SEI Private Trust Company in Oaks, Pa.; Michael ’19 graduated with a degree in business management from St. Francis (Pa.) University and now serves as deposit operations associate at Webster Bank in Southington, Ct.; and Gabriel ’21 recently graduated
with a bachelor of science degree in neuroscience from the University of Scranton and is actively pursuing opportunities in the med-tech industry.
“Holy Ghost Prep truly met the educational needs of our sons. Each of our boys learns differently and, over the 12 years they spent at Holy Ghost, we felt the teachers genuinely embraced their individual learning styles,” says Felicia Hackman. “Sometimes learning came easily, and other times there were challenges, but Holy Ghost was consistently there to support them through those challenges, ensuring they were successful and well prepared for college.”
In a Holy Ghost Prep Class of 2025 that was chock-full of big personalities, Corum Mo emerged as a quiet leader—serving as the secretary of student government, the president of National Honor Society, and a captain on HGP’s inaugural varsity volleyball team.
“Corum’s ability to communicate effectively, organize events, and motivate others has earned him respect and trust from both students and faculty at Holy Ghost Prep,” says AnnMarie Reteneller, director of college guidance at Ghost. “He always brought energy and focus to our student government team.
“Corum seeks out challenges and strives to be the best. His drive for excellence and his ability to connect with others and build community makes him not only a strong student but also a natural leader, which will help him thrive at the University of Miami.”
The qualities that Reteneller references didn’t go unnoticed by the faculty and administrators at Ghost. At the HGP Class of 2025 commencement ceremony on May 31, Mo was a multi-medal winner, receiving a medal for excellence in writing by the English department, being chosen co-winner of the National Honor Society Service Medal (along with
“Corum approaches challenges head-on and genuinely wants to learn and succeed.”
— ANNMARIE RETENELLER P’22
CORUM MO
University of Miami
Finance and Accounting
Anthony Marrero), and receiving a silver cup for graduating summa cum laude from Ghost.
“Holy Ghost prepared me extremely well for college,” says Mo. “At Ghost, I built a sense of independence and responsibility. With the free periods, I knew I had to use my time wisely doing homework. Furthermore, Ghost’s rigorous curriculum has prepared me well for college. I had to learn to manage my time well, something that will serve me well at Miami.”
Mo, who graduated with a 4.596 GPA, was accepted at a number of the nation’s top business schools, but his final three choices were all in the Sunshine State: the University of Miami, the University of Florida, and Florida State University. He ultimately chose the University of Miami, where he is majoring in finance and accounting.
“I wanted to go further for college to experience a different environment and explore new places,” says Mo. “I chose Miami because I thought it would be the best school for my major. Their rigorous curriculum would help prepare me for the real world. I also chose Miami because of its location. Since the University of Miami is close to a big city, Miami offers strong career opportunities with their countless internships. I ultimately chose Miami because of the opportunities they have, setting me up for my career after college.
“I chose this major because I like to work with numbers and want to learn more about how money works. My ultimate goal after college is to pass the CFA (Chartered Financial Analyst) or the CPA (Certified Public Accountant) exam. After that I would like to land a job from one of my internships or at a Big 4 accounting firm.”
Mo possesses an impressive combo platter of
smarts, leadership, reliability, and a sense of humor that will serve him well at Miami as he pursues his lofty goals in business. His sense of humor was on full display last January when he wowed the “Mr. Firebird” competition with his lip-sync skills (he was Elton John to Mrs. Reteneller’s Kiki Dee). His willingness to put himself out there was evident when HGP started volleyball as a new varsity sport last spring and Mo, the team’s right-side hitter, was chosen as one of the tri-captains.
“Ghost taught me to be adaptable. Many times at Ghost, plans wouldn’t go our way and my peers would look to me for direction,” says Mo. “I learned to work on the fly and with time constraints. I also led by example. When your peers see you putting in the work and energy, it will motivate them to put in the same effort as you.”
Mo has begun life at Miami feeling perfectly prepped for the challenges ahead—thanks to his leadership and time management skills as well as the ability to write and think critically that he left Ghost armed with.
“Corum approaches challenges head-on and genuinely wants to learn and succeed,” says Reteneller. “He will take advantage of all of the opportunities that Miami has to offer.
“I cannot wait to see where the next chapter takes Corum, and I have no doubts that he will achieve great success at Miami and in life” recalls highly successful former Holy Ghost Prep rowing coach” Allison Boehm.
In sports, the ability to react to less-thanideal situations, often described as mental toughness and resilience, is indeed a strong indicator and predictor of future success.
That was certainly the case for Anthony Marrero.
“In the last fall rowing race of his freshman year, Anthony fell off his seat and kept rowing to get the boat across the finish line to win the race,” recalls Holy Ghost Prep rowing coach Allison Boehm.
The toughness, leadership, and never-say-die attitude that Marrero displayed that day resulted in many successes over the rest of his rowing career at Ghost.
“Notre Dame rowing is going to continue to flourish with Anthony there,” recalls highly successful former Holy Ghost Prep rowing coach Allison Boehm.
Marrero, the first HGP rower in the program’s 10-year history to be named to the USRowing Scholastic Honor Roll, rowed for Ghost in national and international races at the Head of the Charles in Boston, Mass.; USRowing Youth National Championships in Sarasota, Fla.; and Scholastic Rowing Association of America races in both Camden, N.J. and Oak Ridge, Tenn. He also raced with friends in the summer of 2024 at the international Royal Canadian Henley Regatta in Ontario, Canada.
University of Notre Dame
Economics
When asked what made him such a good teammate over the past four years at HGP, Boehm cited Marrero’s heart, patience, and steadiness.
“He was so kind to all of his teammates, and especially the younger ones. He would take time to teach them on the erg and in the weight room. He also helped them with their homework and studied with them,” says Boehm. “Anthony has been solid and consistent for four years, working hard, good attitude, caring, focused, driven, and always having fun with his friends and family.”
Marrero has displayed his leadership skills in a variety of ways during his time at Ghost—serving as a three-year captain on the rowing team, the special events chair for National Honors Society, a senior retreat leader twice, and the Unum House leader of Laval. His classmates voted for Marrero to deliver the salutatorian address during this past spring’s HGP Class of 2025 graduation ceremony.
To be considered for salutatorian, Ghost students must earn distinguished or first honors, be an active member of the graduating class, and must submit an essay.
Marrero was certainly a deserving selection. One of the top students in HGP’s Class of 2025, Marrero will study economics at the University of Notre Dame. He was a member of HGP’s National Honor Society as well as Mu Alpha Theta (Math Honors Society), the Science National Honors Society, Rho Kappa (Social Studies Honors Society), the English National Honors Society, and the National Junior Classical League (Latin Honors Society).
During graduation week, Marrero received the Legacy Cup Award for rowing and was one of two cowinners of the National Honor Society Medal (given to the NHS member with the most service hours), along with classmate Corum Mo.
Marrero is continuing his rowing career at Notre Dame, one of the nation’s top club teams that won the 2024 American Collegiate Rowing Association national championship.
“I love everything about Notre Dame,” says Marrero. “Rowing, while not Division 1, is a really competitive club team. Notre Dame’s academic success and alumni connections are second to none. Along with their school spirit (of course, the football games) and their religious integration, it is the perfect school for me.”
Boehm believes that the Fighting Irish program will bring out the best in Marrero.
“Notre Dame rowing is going to continue to flourish with Anthony there,” she says. “I look forward to seeing him win many races, build relationships, and have fun doing what he loves. I can see his 2K times getting faster and his deadlifts breaking school records.
“The sky’s the limit for Anthony.”
Holy Ghost Prep’s Class of 2025 is a group of unique and talented individuals who excelled in the classroom, on the stage, in laboratories, in community service efforts, and on the playing fields.
Upon graduation, this accomplished group of 99 students is continuing their academic careers at 47 different schools in 14 different states and Ireland.
The Class of 2025’s collective talents did not go unnoticed as they received a combined $43,176,583 in scholarships, the highest total in school history.
“Holy Ghost Prep’s Class of 2025 is a special class. The wonderful array of college admissions offers that Holy Ghost’s Class of 2025 received is a reflection of the students’ many talents in and out of the classroom,” says AnnMarie Reteneller, Holy Ghost Prep’s director of college guidance. “As the world of college admissions becomes more competitive every year, it is a source of pride that colleges recognize Holy Ghost’s excellent academic preparation and the significant contributions that our graduates are poised to make to their college communities.”
Kevin Burke, principal of Holy Ghost Prep, says: “The Class of 2025 left an indelible mark on Holy Ghost Prep. It’s a credit to them, their parents, our teachers, and our College Guidance Office. They are undoubtedly prepared to make a difference within their next communities, just as they have done in ours.”
The students in Holy Ghost Prep’s Class of 2025 headed to the schools shown at right (listed alphabetically):
University
Aviation Institute of Maintenance
Boston College
Bucks County Community College
Case Western Reserve University
Clemson University
Coastal Carolina University
Commonwealth University
DeSales University
Drexel University
Duquesne University
Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University
Holy Family University
Iona University
Kent State University
Lafayette College
Lehigh University
Louisiana State University
Manhattan University
Misericordia University
Millersville University
Pennsylvania College of Technology
Pennsylvania State University
Quinnipiac University
Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute
Rochester Institute of Technology
Rowan University
Rutgers University
Saint Joseph’s University
Temple University
The College of New Jersey
Thomas Jefferson University
United States Military Academy at West Point
University College Dublin, Ireland
University of Alabama
University of Dayton
University of Delaware
University of Miami (Fla.)
University of Notre Dame
University of Pittsburgh
University of Scranton
University of Tampa
Villanova University
West Virginia University
Wheaton College
Widener University
Worcester Polytechnic Institute
HOLY
GHOST
PREP graduated 99 seniors at its commencement exercises on Saturday, May 31 on the campus lawn behind Cornwells Hall.
During the ceremony, students were recognized for their accomplishments and were reminded of the lessons learned at Ghost by valedictorian Rob Loper, whose ever-present camera captured so many memorable Holy Ghost Prep moments. Loper weaved video and photography terms throughout his speech and thanked Holy Ghost for helping the Class of 2025 to see the bigger picture. Just before the end of his speech, Loper took out his cell phone to capture one final Ghost memory: a pair of stage selfies with the HGP Class of 2025.
“Let’s remember the laughs, the weird moments, the wins,
the growth,” said Loper, as he set up the speech’s selfie finale. “Let’s be proud of the friendships, the brotherhood, and the journey. Let’s thank our parents who lit the way, the faculty who set the scene. And when we look back and rewind the tapes, let’s always remember one thing … let’s smile.”
Besides Loper, the other featured graduation speakers were salutatorian Anthony Marrero, Holy Ghost Prep president Gregory J. Geruson ’79, and Marty Connor ’82, CFO at Toll Brothers and the outgoing chair of Holy Ghost Prep’s Board of Trustees.
“But before you leave HGP to begin authoring life’s next chapter, I want to offer you one piece of advice. And it’s a really simple piece of advice: Stay connected—never lose that sense of community and brotherhood that is Holy Ghost Prep,” Geruson urged the graduates. “It is not as easy to do as it sounds. Friends move, life changes, career opportunities unfold. But you are a remarkably close group. My prayer for you is that it always remains that way.”
Marrero kicked the day off in style with a speech that outlined the four early identifiers of a Holy Ghost Prep student (a school ID card, an HGP email address, a key card, and HGP merch) and described how those four things opened the doors to a Holy Ghost Prep education and friendships/memories that will last a lifetime.
Connor, a man who has forged an award-winning career thanks to his mastery of numbers, gave the HGP graduates
some useful advice, all in the form of numbers, such as “911” (telling them to not be afraid to ask for help in college) and “your mother’s cell phone number” (urging the Ghost grads to call their moms from college rather than texting).
The ceremonies were dedicated to Rev. Chris McDermott, C.S.Sp., an incredible man who passed away on April 2 at the age of 73. To keep Father Chris a part of Holy Ghost Prep’s commencement services forever, the school renamed the performing arts medal in his honor (Father Chris founded and built HGP’s musical theater program). The first recipient of the Father Chris McDermott Medal for Excellence in Performing Arts was Rocky Ball.
Holy Ghost Prep will hold its annual commencement exercises for the Class of 2026 on May 30 on the Clock Tower lawn.
MARK WHARTENBY, a mission-driven educator and a proven leader in the Holy Ghost Prep community, has been named HGP’s new dean of students.
Whartenby has held multiple leadership positions during his 15 years at Holy Ghost Prep, serving as the Director of Campus Ministry, the Director of Spiritan Learning, and as an integral part of the foundation of Unum and HGP’s house system. In addition, he has taught theology and has been an assistant lacrosse coach during his time at Ghost. Prior to Ghost, Whartenby was a teacher and athletic director for 11 years at Conwell-Egan High School.
He replaces Tony Chapman ’71, who retired after 49 years of working at Holy Ghost Prep. HGP is thankful to Chapman for his lifetime of service to Ghost and for giving school leadership a heads-up during the 2024-25 school year about his plans to retire—allowing the school to be thoughtful about how the Student Life office should be structured to best serve the student body.
“Mark will employ his highly effective style of empowering HGP students to lead while holding them accountable, encouraging students to succeed, and teaching them to live the Spiritan values we hold dear by demonstrating them himself every day,” says Holy Ghost Prep principal Kevin Burke.
In addition to discipline, Whartenby will also oversee all aspects of student life at Holy Ghost—making sure that clubs and extracurricular activities continue to thrive and that students continue to learn and make lifelong connections within these after-school activities.
IN A LANDMARK moment for the school, Holy Ghost Prep received a transformative gift from The Howley Foundation that will provide scholarship support to deserving students. This generous commitment establishes a new partnership that will enhance the school’s ability to offer a Holy Ghost Prep education to students of all economic backgrounds. Over the next 10-year period, this commitment will surpass $2.1 million dollars in financial aid scholarships.
The Howley Foundation, founded by Nick and Lorie Howley in 2003, believes in the power of education to change lives and the importance of creating opportunities for qualified, deserving students throughout the region, regardless of economic background.
The Howley Scholars Program provides meaningful tuition assistance to approximately 1,150 high school and middle school students, predominantly in Cleveland and Philadelphia, as well as to more than 500 college students all over the United States.
“We are so grateful for this extraordinary gift from The Howley Foundation and the Howley family,” says Holy Ghost Prep president Gregory J. Geruson ’79. “Their generosity and confidence in our institution will enable us to achieve new heights and enhance our enrollment initiatives as a Spiritan School.
We are blessed to have The Howley Foundation as a committed partner.”
The Howley Scholars Program will provide four scholarship awards every year to students in each of Holy Ghost Prep’s ninth through 12th grades. On Sept. 29, HGP welcomed four key members of The Howley Foundation—co-founder and trustee Lorie Howley, president and chief operating officer Halle Martin, executive director of the Philadelphia office Meg Howley, and director of the Cleveland office Allison Busser—to award the first four Howley scholarships to HGP students Jayden Wong, Colin Remy, Mingyao Lu, and Christian Sabatini (all members of Ghost’s Class of 2029).
Moving forward, four additional Howley Scholars will be selected each year based on academic achievement and potential to serve as leaders while attending Holy Ghost Prep. The recipients will be selected during the course of the HGP admissions process.
“It’s been a great experience to work with Meg Howley and her team at The Howley Foundation on acceptance into the scholars program,” says Matt Dwyer, executive director of development at Holy Ghost Prep. “We appreciate this partnership and look forward to the life-changing impact it will have on our students.”
Nick Howley is excited about the partnership with Holy Ghost Prep, saying: “I am grateful for the strong academic and character-building experience I had in school. Our foundation aims to give similar opportunities to students who would not otherwise have had them. We are excited to work with Holy Ghost Prep to be able to provide such opportunities.”
NINE HOLY GHOST Prep seniors have earned recognition in the 71st annual National Merit® Scholarship Program.
Marcel Chattopadhyay has been named a semifinalist for the 2026 National Merit® Scholarship Program. The semifinalists are among 16,000 students nationwide chosen to compete for the National Merit Finalist level and Merit Scholarship Competition. Students qualify for semifinalist recognition by their 2024 PSAT results.
The nationwide pool of semifinalists, representing less than one percent of U.S. high school seniors, includes the highest-scoring entrants in each state. Chattopadhyay has the opportunity to continue in the competition for some 6,870 National Merit® scholarships that will be awarded in the spring of 2026.
An additional eight Holy Ghost Prep students have been selected as commended students. They are Ryan Boyle, Sean Garvey, Jack Houseman, Xyrus Mangapit, Brendan Meehan, Matthew Pienkowski, Mathew Riendeau, and Henry Walsh. These students are being recognized for the exceptional academic promise demonstrated by their outstanding performance on the qualifying test used for this program. Commended students are in the top 3–4% of all test takers.
“I am extremely proud of these nine Holy Ghost students who were recognized by the 2026 National Merit® Scholarship Program,” said Holy Ghost Prep president Gregory J. Geruson ’79. “This remarkable accomplishment is a testament to the diligence and determination that each of these students puts toward their academics.”
Holy Ghost Prep recognized these nine outstanding students at the school’s morning meeting on September 17.
“We are proud of these young men, not just for this recognition as a National Merit® Scholar, but for their commitment to their overall academic excellence,” says Holy Ghost Prep principal Kevin Burke.
HOLY GHOST PREP senior JJ McDonough went from Bristol Pike to Broadway this past summer and had the time of his life. At last spring’s Philadelphia Independence Awards (PIA), McDonough was selected to represent the PIA at the National High School Musical Theatre Awards®, also known as the Jimmy Awards®. He spent a week this summer on Broadway, getting professional coaching.
The week culminated with the 16th annual Jimmy Awards®, named after legendary theater producer/ owner Jimmy Nederlander, on June 23 at the Minskoff Theatre in New York City. Tony Award–nominated actor/singer Josh Groban served as host and presented the Jimmy Awards®, the Tony Awards for teenagers.
McDonough was one of the night’s big winners, winning an Outstanding Performance in an Ensemble Award and a $2,500 cash scholarship.
“I can’t stress how big a deal this is for JJ … This is the national competition for high school musical theater,” says Jessica Moffa, the award-winning drama coordinator at Holy Ghost Prep. “For JJ to win a Jimmy Award® is absolutely amazing. It doesn’t get any bigger in the world of high school musical theater.”
DURING HIS TIME at Holy Ghost Prep, senior Jude Ringen has discovered his passion for science.
This past summer, Ringen fed that passion by taking advantage of two incredible learning opportunities—earning a spot in the week-long High School Summer Program at the Pa. Biotechnology Center (PABC) with the Hepatitis B Foundation and Blumberg Institute and also doing an internship at Greene Street Pharmaceuticals.
During the highly selective two-week program at the Biotech Center, Ringen worked alongside Dr. Patrick Romano to create and synthesize the protein responsible for the early detection of liver cancer.
Ringen, the first HGP student to be accepted into this program, is hoping to create a connection between Holy Ghost and the PABC.
“Through this experience, I hope to get more students at HGP involved with the efforts of the PABC and hopefully bring people from PABC into Ghost to get students excited about opportunities like these,” he says.
In addition, Ringen interned this past summer at Greene Street Pharmaceuticals, a company that makes transdermal patches. His specific project was to work on a seven-day patch for the drug tizanidine, which helps treat muscle spasms in people diagnosed with certain neurological conditions such as multiple sclerosis, stroke, and spinal cord injury.
“The internship was truly the most in-depth and hands-on experience any young scientist like me could participate in,” says Ringen. “This outstanding summer learning opportunity happened because of the incredible teachers at Ghost. The teachers here encourage every student at HGP to strive for their best selves and to never stop pushing for what they can achieve.”
A 4.573 GPA student with a near-perfect ACT score of 34 (36 is perfect), Ringen intends to major in biology with plans to pursue a career in medicine. He is in the midst of applying to some of the nation’s finest universities.
“Jude will bring knowledge, experience, curiosity, and excitement to the university community he ultimately chooses,” says Grace Opdyke, Holy Ghost Prep’s assistant director of college guidance.
MOST REVEREND CHRISTOPHER Cooke, an auxiliary bishop for the Archdiocese of Philadelphia, visited Holy Ghost Prep and celebrated Mass in the Firebird Fieldhouse on October 2.
The Mass—which celebrated both the Feast of Claude Poulart des Places, the first founder of the Spiritans, as well as the Feast of Guardian Angels— was a beautiful ceremony.
Making the Mass even more special was the fact that Bishop Cooke concelebrated it with Rev. Daniel Sormani, C.S.Sp., and deacons Matt Ruele and Chuck Dern. Dern is a 1980 Holy Ghost Prep graduate.
Bishop Cooke’s homily focused on the role of guardian angels in everyone’s lives and how they help us in everyday situations and ultimately help us get to eternal life. To illustrate to the students how guardian angels help in everyday life, Bishop Cooke told a story about hiking to the top of Mount Greylock, the tallest peak in the state of Massachusetts. On his descent down the mountain, it suddenly got dark and cold and he couldn’t clearly see the path down—until his guardian angel and the light of his cell phone screen helped him get back on the path.
Bishop Cooke used this tale to urge the entire Holy Ghost Prep student body to put their faith and trust in their guardian angels and the Lord as they navigate their high school years and begin to chart their futures.
AFTER AN EXTENSIVE search, Tom Aschenbrenner has been selected as Holy Ghost Prep’s next chief financial officer (CFO), effective November 10.
Aschenbrenner has extensive financial management experience, having spent the past 25-plus years at PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC), with the majority of the time as finance director of PwC’s private business. Prior to his tenure at PwC, he spent two years at Motorola in their global sales finance group and also served as controller for the Philadelphia 76ers for three seasons. He currently serves on the St. Ignatius Parish finance council and chairs the finance committee for the Schools of Special Education in the Archdiocese of Philadelphia. He knows Holy Ghost Prep’s Spiritan charism well, as he and his wife, Dorothy, are current parents of a Holy Ghost student; their son Tommy is a member of HGP’s Class of 2027.
“I am truly excited to be joining the Holy Ghost Prep community, and am grateful to join Greg and his leadership team as HGP’s next CFO,” says Aschenbrenner. “I look forward to supporting the Spiritan mission of HGP, and contributing to the school’s ongoing success by helping ensure HGP’s continued strength and sustainability.”
Holy Ghost Prep president Gregory J. Geruson ’79 says: “I was impressed by Tom’s experience, enthusiasm, and energy about taking on a new challenge here at Ghost, his clear and genuine connection with our Spiritan mission, and his very personable nature. Tom is a smart, likable, articulate, and confident leader who will make our already strong leadership team here at Holy Ghost Prep even stronger.”
Aschenbrenner was chosen as the culmination of an extensive search conducted by the school’s search committee: Geruson; executive team members Michael Jacobs ’01 and Justin Goulet ’99; HGP’s controller Jeannine Chimbos; Board of Trustees chair Ellen Rusnak P ’18; current Board member Sean O’Hara P ’16, ’21; and former Board member Bob Watters ’81.
Aschenbrenner graduated magna cum laude from King’s College in Wilkes-Barre, Pa. with an accounting degree and is a member of the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants (AICPA) and the Pennsylvania Institute of Certified Public Accountants (PICPA).
Tom and Dorothy are members of St. Ignatius of Antioch Parish in Yardley, Pa. In addition to their son Tommy ’27, they have three other children: Emily, Sara, and Henry. Aschenbrenner is an avid Philadelphia sports fan and enjoys coaching his son’s U12 baseball team as well as his CYO basketball team.
HOLY GHOST PREP welcomed 10 new employees for the 2025-26 academic year. The collective credentials of the new employees are truly impressive, and HGP is excited to have each and every one of them on the team:
Tracy Boedewig, an HGP parent, brings 30 years of teaching experience to our science department, where she will replace Beth Bruno (who retired in July).
Gabriella Merlino joins our math department after previously serving as a math teacher and the math department chair at Villa Joseph Marie.
Anthony Magallanes replaces Justin Goulet in the English department. He has eight years of teaching experience, most recently at Little Flower, and has been a member of the HGP coaching staffs in basketball and baseball.
Joseph Wilson brings a decade of teaching experience to our social studies department, where he will replace Dr. Tom Saxton (whose family relocated to North Carolina).
Arturo Ruiz Mautino joins our world language department as a Spanish teacher after spending the past six years as a Spanish instructor at Cornell University.
Saramarie Bittmann, an HGP parent and an administrative professional with strong experience in Catholic education and ministry, takes over as the main office’s administrative assistant, replacing Christine Rittenmeyer.
Kathleen Matthews is HGP’s new assistant director of counseling, replacing Allison Boehm. She brings 10-plus years of supporting student growth and well-being to the department.
Rev. Godfrey Mgonja, C.S.Sp., is the newest member of Holy Ghost Prep’s theology department and Campus Ministry team.
Anthony Triplett joined Holy Ghost Prep as the school’s new music director. A trombonist and educator, Triplett has previously taught music at Valley Forge Military Academy, Father Judge, and Germantown Academy.
Bryan Powers is HGP’s director of development operations. He will manage the school’s constituent database and will support the development department’s work in annual giving, events, capital campaigns, and major gifts.
ON MAY 31, Holy Ghost Prep welcomed back over twenty Class of 1975 alumni and their guests for the celebration of the group’s 50th Reunion. The daylong celebration included taking part in the graduation ceremony, tours of campus, reminiscing about the state basketball title, and a special cocktail reception and dinner.
FYI: The 50-year Reunion for HGP’s Class of 1976 will take place on May 30, 2026.
ON SEPT. 27, members of Holy Ghost Prep’s Class of 1985 gathered for a 40-year reunion. They toured campus and then headed to Chickie & Pete’s in the Parx Casino, where they traded HGP memories and spent some quality time with recently retired Ghost icon Tony Chapman ’71.
Volunteer TO BE A CLASS AGENT. DO YOU KEEP IN TOUCH WITH YOUR HGP CLASSMATES ON A REGULAR BASIS? IF SO, WE NEED YOU. PLEASE CONTACT MATT DWYER AT mdwyer@holyghostprep.org TO BECOME A CLASS AGENT.
DURING THE COMMENCEMENT exercises on May 31, Marty Connor ’82, chief financial officer of Toll Brothers, Inc. and outgoing chair of the Holy Ghost Prep Board of Trustees, knew that he was giving the commencement address to the Holy Ghost Prep Class of 2025.
But what Connor didn’t know was that Holy Ghost Prep president Gregory J. Geruson ’79 had an additional surprise for him: presenting him with the Reverend James P. McCloskey, C.S.Sp. ’70 Award.
The award is given to “an alumnus whose profound generosity, commitment, and support demonstrates a unique understanding of the mission of Holy Ghost Prep.”
Connor was certainly a deserving recipient.
“Finance committee member, chair of the finance committee, and eventual chair of the Board of Trustees, Marty has been one of the most loyal and engaged alums the school has ever had,” says Geruson. “His keen financial mind and his shrewd counsel and advice have helped put the school in the strongest financial position.”
After graduating from Holy Ghost in 1986, Connor went on to the University of Notre Dame and then joined the accounting firm of Ernst and Young, where he spent more than 20 years of service including his time as a partner in the audit and advisory business services practice.
Since 2010, Connor has been the chief financial officer of Toll Brothers, the nation’s leading builder of luxury homes. He is a three-time recipient of the Homebuilder CFO of the Year award from Institutional Investor magazine and is a sought-after expert in the industry.
Sr. Mary Dacey, a beloved former Holy Ghost Prep Board member who passed away in January, once aptly described Connor by saying: “Marty has the mind of a business genius, the soul of a disciple, and the whimsical heart of a leprechaun.”
During his tenure on the HGP Board, Connor’s leadership skills and incredible business acumen have played a vital role in leading Ghost through two successful fundraising campaigns— the most recent one being “Tradition Rising,” which resulted in the building of the state-of-the-art Duaime Athletic Complex and an increase in the endowment from $5 million to $8 million. Connor was also a driving force behind the successful completion of Holy Ghost Prep’s Vision 2020 strategic plan, a $7.5-million campaign that transformed the school’s facilities in the areas of STEM, the performing arts, and athletics.
Fellow Board member and the school’s new Board chair Ellen Rusnak P’18 said of him: “Having served alongside Marty, I’ve seen firsthand how his skilled leadership, faith, and great sense of humor have strengthened the school in so many ways—and how he exemplifies what it means to be one of our most devoted and impactful alumni.”
Connor joins an illustrious group of McCloskey Award winners:
2002 Fr. James McCloskey ’70
2003 Leonard Moss ’50
2004 John Buettler ’64
2005 Joseph Blaston ’70
2006 Joseph Quinlan ’71
2007 Frank Guarrieri ’70
2008 Anthony Geonnotti ’76
2009 John Mundy ’65
2010 Anthony Naccarato ’84
2011 Thomas Holt ’81
2013 Fr. Jeffrey Duaime ’76
2016 John Di Paolo ’87
2017 Bob Watters ’81
2018 Tony Chapman ’71
2019 Vincent Profy ’65
2021 Gregory Nowak ’77
2022 Jerry Stahlecker ’83
2023 John Fitzpatrick ’89
2024 George Graffy ’82
HOLY GHOST PREP’S second annual New York City Alumni Happy Hour event at Bella Union in Manhattan on Sept. 10 was well attended. HGP alums were able to reconnect with old friends, hear about some of the great things happening at HGP, and network with their peers who also live and work in the Big Apple.
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AFTER EARNING 2025 first-team All–Big East Conference honors for Seton Hall University as a sophomore, Holy Ghost Prep alum Aiden Robbins ’23 entered the transfer portal and chose the University of Texas over Texas A&M and Tennessee.
College baseball players can be drafted after their junior season. So if Robbins can post strong numbers at Texas, an SEC school (the SEC is considered the strongest baseball conference in the nation), his 2026 Major League Baseball draft stock will rise considerably.
Robbins is very much on the radar of MLB scouts. He emerged as one of the top hitters in college baseball last season as a sophomore—his .422 batting average for Seton Hall ranked sixth nationally and his .537 on-base percentage ranked fifth. And while he matched his 2024 season total with six home runs in 2025, Robbins boosted his slugging percentage from .512 to .652 by hitting 19 doubles, thanks to burgeoning gap-to-gap power. An excellent contact hitter with a strikeout rate of 15.7 percent and a chase rate below 20 percent, Robbins had more walks (44) than strikeouts (32) last season. He also stole 20 bases in 21 attempts for Seton Hall as a sophomore.
He followed up his Seton Hall success by starring in the Cape Cod League this past summer. Robbins led the Cape Cod League in batting average (.307) and OPS (.936). In 101 at-bats, he also had six doubles, six home runs, and 14 RBI.
“Aiden’s success comes as no surprise to anyone who’s been around him,” says Holy Ghost Prep baseball coach Greg Olenski ’10. “What he accomplished at Seton Hall and this summer in the Cape Cod League, winning the batting title against elite competition, is a direct reflection of his work ethic, competitiveness, and overall consistency. He’s earned every bit of it.”
Olenski believes Robbins was wise to bet on himself by moving from Seton Hall to Texas and that he has all of the attributes to excel this upcoming spring in the SEC.
“Aiden’s character makeup and approach are what separate him,” says Olenski. “He has a calm confidence in the box, controls the zone, and consistently barrels high-level pitching. His ability to adjust mid-at-bat and drive the ball to all fields shows a level of maturity that translates to pro baseball. With the move to Texas and the challenge of SEC competition, he’s only going to keep proving he’s one of the most advanced hitters in the country.”
SIX FORMER HOLY Ghost Prep alums will be inducted into the HGP Athletic Hall of Fame on Saturday, January 31, 2026 at the Bensalem Township Golf Course.
The six former standouts that comprise the newest HGP Athletic Hall of Fame induction class are:
Dan Connell ’14 / cross-country
Christian Kardish ’14 / track and field
Ryan Manney ’04 / soccer, basketball, lacrosse
Colin O’Neill ’13 / soccer
Joe Sharp ’74 / basketball
Tommy Seravalli ’10 / ice hockey
ON APRIL 25, seven members of HGP’s Class of 2025 officially signed to continue their academic and athletic careers at the collegiate level:
Ethan Beede / DeSales University / soccer
Michael Cancelliere / Thomas Jefferson University / soccer
Anthony Jesiolowski / Temple University / rowing
Tom Nahill / University of Scranton / basketball
Jacob-Daniel Summerfield / Rochester Institute of Technology / E-sports
Ace Varella / Misericordia University / basketball
Andrew Yates / Iona University / rowing
ON SEPT. 30, the Philadelphia Catholic League’s Board of Governors officially announced Holy Ghost Prep as its newest league member, beginning with the 2026-27 school year.
The Philadelphia Catholic League (PCL) is the state’s best and most well-known league—and its reputation extends beyond Pennsylvania’s borders, thanks to its rich history. Holy Ghost Prep’s move to the PCL will bolster its athletic reputation and associate it with schools that have similar missions and goals.
“We are thrilled to join the Philadelphia Catholic League, and we are so appreciative of the opportunity. The PCL is a league of mission-driven schools, all with the common bond of our Catholic identity. The traditions and reputation of the PCL are unmatched,” says Holy Ghost Prep president Gregory J. Geruson ’79.
“For HGP, this is one of the next major initiatives in our Strategic Plan 2025-2030. Our vision for Holy Ghost Prep is always focused on aspiring for more and on enhancing the student experience. Becoming a member of the PCL beautifully aligns with that vision and our Spiritan charism.”
Starting next school year, Holy Ghost Prep will compete in the Philadelphia Catholic League in 12 sports: baseball, basketball, bowling, cross-country, golf, indoor track and field, lacrosse, outdoor track and field, soccer, swimming, tennis, and volleyball. HGP’s three other varsity sports (ice hockey, rowing, and Ultimate Frisbee) are not PIAA sports, but will obviously continue to compete against some of the PCL teams as well.
“The Philadelphia Catholic League is excited to welcome Holy Ghost Prep as a new member of the PCL,” says Brian King ’97, chair of the PCL and president of Father Judge High School. “Their commitment to the student-athlete experience, like-minded focus on Catholic beliefs, and on-campus facilities will further strengthen the best league in the entire state.”
After playing an independent schedule since the 2020-21 school year, the move to the Philadelphia Catholic League will allow HGP’s student-athletes to compete for league titles and for All-Catholic recognition.
“We believe this is one of the biggest moments in the history of HGP athletics,” says Holy Ghost Prep athletic director Craig Conlin. “For our Holy Ghost Prep community, joining the Philadelphia Catholic League means stepping onto a bigger stage where tradition, competition, and community run deep. It’s an opportunity to honor the legacy of Ghost athletics while competing for PCL championships, our student-athletes earning All-Catholic honors, creating new rivalries, and continuing to represent Holy Ghost Prep with pride, sportsmanship, and grit.”
HOLY GHOST PREP senior Cillian Binder was named to the USRowing Scholastic Honor Roll.
The USRowing Scholastic Honor Roll program has been in existence since 1992. It recognizes high school seniors for their outstanding academic achievements, success on the water, and involvement in the community and school. Applicants must be USRowing members, have rowed or coxed at least one year, and successfully competed at or above the regional level.
Binder certainly meets all of that criteria for this national recognition. He rows yearround (even the summer) and still maintains a 4.572 GPA. He is captain of the Holy Ghost Prep rowing team and also an Eagle Scout.
“Cillian is a captain on the HGP rowing team and sets the tone for our program in and out of the water,” says Holy Ghost Prep rowing coach John Boehm. “A true student-athlete, his dedication to rowing and his academics is second to none.”
Binder, one of just 115 high school senior rowers (boys and girls) to make the USRowing Scholastic Honor Roll, will continue the annual trend of HGP rowers signing to continue their rowing careers in college.
A top-flight student with an interest in studying actuarial science in college, Binder is being actively recruited by a number of collegiate rowing programs.
This marks the second straight year that the Holy Ghost Prep rowing program has had a student-athlete named to the USRowing Scholastic Honor Roll. Anthony Marrero, a 2025 HGP grad who is now a freshman at the University of Notre Dame and a member of the Fighting Irish’s rowing team, was chosen last year.
Please take a moment to send us information for the next issue of Holy Ghost Prep Magazine We would love to hear from you, and we are all interested in what you are doing with your life. Please send information (including high-res photos) to Bill Doherty, director of communications, at wdoherty@holyghostprep.org .
Annual giving is the lifeblood of Holy Ghost Prep, providing tangible, bottom-line support to the school’s key priority areas. But the act of giving to our annual fund, no matter the size of your gift, is what matters. Annual fund participation is a vote of confidence in Holy Ghost Prep’s leadership and its current direction, and sets an example to others.
An unrestricted gift to the Firebird Fund allows us to:
> Direct funds to the area(s) of greatest need
> Invest in the professional development of our faculty/staff
> Continue to provide cutting-edge programming
To preserve our place as one of the premier independent Catholic schools in the state, Holy Ghost Prep needs the generous financial support of its alumni, parents, and friends on an annual basis.
Simply use the giving envelope in this issue of the magazine or visit www. holyghostprep.org/onlinegiving to make an annual fund gift today.
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John McDonnell published his 43rd book on Amazon in October. Funny Shorts 7 is part of his popular series of short comic plays, which have been produced in theaters across the United States and the UK. McDonnell has also published books of humorous fiction, horror short stories, and a historical fiction series, Rose of Skibbereen, which is about Irish immigrants to Philadelphia. He is retired from a career in corporate communications and journalism, and lives in Doylestown with his wife of 43 years, Anita. He has four children and four grandchildren. His books are available on Amazon at https://www.amazon.com/author/johnmcdonnell.
Bob Barber and his wife, Mary Beth, celebrated a journey through Italy that coincided with the historic election of Pope Leo XIV. During their visit to Rome they had a chance to meet up with Father Jeff Duaime ’76 and check out the Holy
Mike Carragher, president and CEO of the Massachusetts-based civil engineering consulting and design firm VHB, was honored this fall with the American Council of Engineering Companies (ACEC) Distinguished Service Award for his extraordinary dedication to advancing ACEC and the engineering profession.
Don Furmanski was chosen as one of Penn State University’s 2025 Outstanding Engineering Alumni. A 1987 graduate of Penn State with a bachelor of science in electrical engineering, Furmanski is vice president of sales and business development for AMETEK, Inc.’s Aerospace & Defense Division, where he leads a global team delivering advanced technology solutions across civil and military aerospace, ground vehicle, naval, and space platforms.
In a vote of the entire Holy Ghost Prep faculty and staff, John Fitzpatrick was selected as the third annual winner of the John Buettler ’64 Outstanding Spiritan Educator Award. This award recognizes excellence in teaching and honors someone who models the values of our Spiritan ethos. Fitzpatrick is a deserving recipient of this honor for so many reasons, including his decades of inspired work in the classroom and in serving others, most notably during the annual West Virginia Spiritan Immersion service trip. Congrats to Fitz (center), pictured here with last year’s winner Justin Goulet ’99 (left) and HGP’s dean of academics Patrick Hoelzle ’01 (right), on this well-deserved honor.
After 20-plus years as an educator, Matthew Jones was named the Head of Lower School at York Country Day School in York, Pa. York Country Day School serves students from pre-K through 12th grade
through a partnership with York College. Currently, Jones lives in Lititz, Pa. with his wife, Katie, his daughter, Ryan (7), and his son, Kai (5).
Brian Michael and Andrew Weicker cowrote a history of the Frankford Yellow Jackets, Philadelphia’s first team in the National Football League. The Yellow Jackets rose from a sandlot team to NFL champions in a few short years. Michael is a northeast Philadelphia native and graduate of the University of Pennsylvania and the London School of Economics. He is the founder of PhilliesNation.com and Shibe Vintage Sports, a Philly-based sports retailer that sells unique vintage-style shirts, hats, and memorabilia.
After graduating together from St. Andrew’s School and Holy Ghost Prep, Carlo Duffy and Mark Featherstone reunited this past year as students at MIT. Featherstone graduated in May 2025 with a
1. John McDonnell ’69
2. Mike Carragher ’80
3. Don Furmanski ’83
4. John Fitzpatrick ’89
5. Matthew Jones ’97
6. Brian Michael ’99 and Andrew Weicker
7. Carlo Duffy and Mark Featherstone ’17
8. James Nycz ’17
9. Kyle Cartin ’17
master’s degree in supply chain management, and Duffy is on track to graduate in 2026 with a PhD in social & engineering systems.
James Nycz is now deputy press secretary for the Senate Foreign Relations Committee Democrats. He was previously a special assistant in the Bureau of Global Public Affairs at the State Department.
In mid-October, Kyle Cartin gave a group of Holy Ghost Prep administrators a private tour of PNC Park in Pittsburgh. Cartin, manager of premium and corporate partnerships for the Pittsburgh Pirates, had seen on social media that the HGP group was in the Steel City for a professional development trip to Duquesne University. He reached out and connected with the group and offered them a tour.
Zach Posivak started his first year of medical school at the Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine this fall. Posivak holds a biology degree from Villanova University.
Connor Blimm was recognized for his three years of service as manager for the Villanova basketball team during the Senior Day ceremony on March 1. Blimm graduated in May with a degree in economics and minors in statistics and Irish studies. He interned for the second straight summer with the United States Golf Association (USGA) in merchandising. He hopes to land a full-time job with the USGA.
Nicholas Benson completed his Firefighter II classes and is a volunteer firefighter at four of the local Bensalem firehouses; while away at college (East Stroudsburg University), he volunteers at their local
1. Nicholas Benson ’22
2. Matt Goldenbaum ’23
3. Lucas Benson ’24
4. Thomas Conoscenti ’24 and Greydon El-Habr ’25
firehouse. As a member of the Delta Chi fraternity, he was appointed treasurer. He was also accepted into the Order of Omega, a leadership fraternity honors society. Benson was nominated for and is pursuing the Dale Carnegie Scholars Program.
Former HGP star pitcher Matt Goldenbaum transferred to Creighton University from the University of South Florida. He is excited to be reunited with former South Florida head coach Billy Mohl, who is now an assistant coach at Creighton. Goldenbaum showed outstanding velocity on the mound last spring for the Bulls (clocking mid-90s on his fastball and topping out at 97) and is poised for great things at Creighton.
2024–2025
While working on his college studies online in the spring 2025 semester, Lucas Benson chose to fit in his passion for equestrian riding. He was working for Marketmoor LLC in Ocala, Fla., with the opportunity to show at the World Equestrian Center. On March 1, 2025 (his birthday), he competed in the two-feet, six-inches non pro Hunter Derby and came in first place among 30plus riders/competitors. Then on March 29, Benson competed in the Adult/Child Equitation and claimed Reserve Champion (2nd place overall).
Thomas Conoscenti ’24 and Greydon El-Habr ’25 are rowing together again at Clemson University. The two were previously teammates on the Holy Ghost Prep rowing team.
In July, over 100 Holy Ghost Prep alumni, current parents, and alumni parents flocked to the Inlet in North Wildwood for the first annual “Firebirds at the Beach” event. It was a great night and the start of a new tradition for the HGP community! Look for details about next year’s “Firebirds at the Beach” event in early 2026.
The Pennsylvania Educational Improvement Tax Credit (EITC) program is quickly becoming a popular way for many Holy Ghost Prep families and businesses to contribute scholarship dollars to our school. In the past few years, Holy Ghost Prep has gone from $50,000 in annual EITC support to over $1,000,000 in the current fiscal year. Individuals have taken advantage of this opportunity by making a direct donation to a Holy Ghost Prep Special Purpose Entity (SPE) created for this program. Donors will receive 90% credit for that donation toward their annual Pa. tax bill. Holy Ghost Prep uses those dollars to provide scholarships to students with financial need and/or students living within the boundaries of an underperforming school district as determined by the Pennsylvania Department of Education.
Don’t let another year go by without directing your tax dollars to Holy Ghost Prep! Here’s what two of our EITC donors are saying:
“My Pennsylvania tax dollars now go to Holy Ghost to support our students—and the process was extraordinarily simple!”
—BOB WATTERS ’81
“I have been participating in the Pa. tax credit program for the past four years and just renewed my commitment for two more years. I would highly recommend this program to anyone who is thinking about joining.”
—TOM MCMANUS ’86, P’20, P’24
To learn more about using your Pa. tax dollars to help HGP students reach their goals, please contact Matt Dwyer, Executive Director of Development, at mdwyer@holyghostprep.org or 215.352.6956.
Holy Ghost Prep Magazine Office of Communications
2429 Bristol Pike Bensalem, PA 19020
www.holyghostprep.org
The Holy Ghost Prep success stories you read in this magazine don’t happen by accident.
With a 9-to-1 student-to-faculty ratio, our unmatched faculty gets to personally know each student, as well as his hopes and dreams. All of our graduates go to college, so students leave Ghost perfectly equipped to make those dreams come true.
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