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Ursuline Celebrates 75 Years
URSULINE 75 YEARS
Celebrates
Janet Reynolds
Beginning with a commemorative Mass in April, 2021, Ursuline Academy marked its 75th Anniversary with a series of events, gatherings, and speakers. Here’s a look back at some of the highlights:
Commemorative Mass at St. Cecilia Parish, Boston April 17, 2021
To kick off the anniversary, a commemorative Mass was celebrated by Fr. John Unni, at the historic St. Cecilia Parish in Boston on Saturday, April 17, 2021. Even in the midst of the pandemic, our students led us in song, alumnae read from the lectern, and some of our most cherished community members, including Sr. Angela Krippendorf ’59 OSU, were in attendance.
As Ursuline prepared to celebrate 75 years, we began a project to capture oral histories of some of our alumnae on video to preserve the memories and historical perspectives of Ursuline Academy’s earliest students. A short retrospective, “Tribute to 75 Years and Beyond” was produced, stretching back to Ursuline’s days on Arlington Street in Boston. A highlight of the production was the interview of two members of our very first graduating class in 1947, and their reflections on attending a brand-new Ursuline Academy. The video may be viewed on YouTube at www.youtube.com/user/UrsulineAcademyMA.
Speaker Series April 2021 – February 2022
From the very beginning, our anniversary committee planned a speaker series over the course of the year to educate and engage the community. The series was a unique opportunity to share informative and inspirational topics with the entire community and to promote dialogue on important issues. During the course of the year, Ursuline Academy hosted eight virtual speaker events with a broad range of subjects, and engaged with alumnae and community members throughout the U.S. Most of these programs were recorded and are available to watch on our website. April, 2021: Reverend James Martin. Fr. Martin, a Jesuit priest, editor at large of America magazine, and bestselling author, joined us to discuss his new book, Learning to Pray: A Guide for Everyone.
May, 2021: Panel Discussion – From Brescia to Dedham. Three panelists joined us for an interactive discussion on how the settings that formed Ursuline Academy’s heritage – the town of Brescia, Italy; the Charlestown neighborhood of
Boston; and Arlington Street and Dedham, MA – contributed to the rich history of the Ursulines, culminating in the Ursuline Academy of today. June, 2021: Mark Shriver. Mark K. Shriver, Chief Strategy Officer at Save the Children, former member of the Maryland House of Delegates, author and nephew of President John F. Kennedy, shared stories from his inspirational memoir, A Good Man: Rediscovering My Father, Sargent Shriver.
September, 2021: Federal Hill Farm – From Skinner Estate to Ursuline
Academy. Sally Seufert Holmes ’71 led us through the history of the Skinner Estate and how it evolved into the convent and Ursuline Academy of today. Ursuline was pleased to join with the Dedham Historical Society to present this program. October, 2021: Dr. Ellen Geminiani. Ursuline Academy alumna Dr. Ellen Geminiani, MD, ’79, a physician in the Sports Medicine Division at Boston Children’s Hospital, spoke about injury prevention relating to student-athletes. December, 2021: Molly Burhans. Molly Burhans, executive director and founder of GoodLands, a social enterprise at the forefront of geospatial information policy, standards, and security related to the Catholic Church, spoke on the topic of faith-based, impact-driven property use and management.
January, 2022: Network Lobby Presentation and Discussion. Mary Novak, executive director of Network, and Sr. Erin Zobal OSU, chief of staff of Network, presented to our students, faculty, and staff in a virtual event to talk about Catholic social justice, activism, and how we can all follow in the footsteps of St. Angela. February, 2022: Dr. Lisa Damour. Bestselling author, journalist, and clinical psychologist Dr. Lisa Damour spoke on managing anxiety, stress, and the
Birthday Celebration with Ursuline Students September 23, 2021
On September 23, 1946, Ursuline Academy opened its doors on Arlington Street, right across from the Boston Public Garden and the Swan Boats. To commemorate that occasion, birthday cake was served during lunch on September 23, 2021, 75 years to the day from that historic event. In return, greeting cards were signed by all of the students and later sent to all remaining Ursuline alumnae who attended school during those years in Boston (19461959), and to Ursuline Sisters in convents across the United States.
In March, Ursuline proudly hosted an immersive art installation by Fine Arts faculty member Caroline Rufo in Angela Hall. Her installation, Intervisible, is a critique of historical redlining practices targeting African-American homeowners around Boston and explores the experience of white blindness to structural racism. Several presentations by the artist were attended by many members of the community and all students and faculty. Rufo, a member of Ursuline Academy’s Department of Fine Arts since 2012, earned her BFA from the Rhode Island School of Design and her MFA from the Massachusetts College of Art.
Athletic Hall of Fame Celebration April 9, 2022
In the spring of 2021, a committee gathered to begin the work of establishing an Ursuline Academy Athletic Hall of Fame to recognize the exceptional
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Cardinal Seán O’Malley celebrates the Feast of Saint Ursula Mass to bring UA’s 75th anniversary to a close.
achievements, leadership skills, and values demonstrated by select individuals and teams at Ursuline Academy. After months of planning, preparation, and careful consideration, eight Ursuline Academy Athletic Hall of Fame members (including the championship basketball team of 2005) were inducted into the inaugural Class of 2022, on April 9, 2022, as part of Ursuline’s 75th anniversary celebration.
Year of Serviam: Ursuline Unites for Ukraine May 14, 2022
As part of our 75th Anniversary observance, we recommitted to the Ursuline value of Serviam throughout our extended community. Our goal was to serve 75 different organizations by May 14, 2022, International Serviam Day for Ursuline schools across the country. We are proud to report that we greatly exceeded this goal! In addition to our year-long service efforts, we focused our plans for International Serviam Day on raising funds for our Ursuline Sisters in Poland through a Yard Sale on campus. Over 80 student and parent volunteers and countless donors from the extended Ursuline community helped us raise over $3,000 for Ukraine. All funds raised were sent directly to the Ursulines in the Polish Province, who are sheltering and caring for refugees from Ukraine at this time. Many other charities were also helped by this effort, including the Blessing Barn in Mattapan, Philippine disaster relief programs, the Prison Book Program, and, of course, Planet Earth (reduce, reuse, recycle)!
Feast of Saint Ursula Mass with Cardinal Seán O’Malley October 21, 2022
With some delay due to the pandemic, we brought our 75th Anniversary to a close by celebrating the Feast of St. Ursula, with his Eminence Cardinal Seán O’Malley OFM. Our entire community embraced this joyful event. Students, staff, alumnae, benefactors, and friends attended the Mass and were able to speak with the Cardinal directly. We were blessed to have the Cardinal join us for the second time in recent years, the first being the Reynolds Center Dedication in 2017.
1. 75th birthday celebration with students and Principal Sue Petrone. 2. Enjoying the Intervisible art installation on campus. 3. The 2005 Basketball team at their induction into the Athletic Hall of Fame in April, 2022. 4. Yard sale for Ukraine. 5. Martha’s Bench, installed in October 2022 in honor of Sr. Martha Gleason ’54 OSU.
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Then & Now
The class of 1948 The class of 2021, the 75th class of Ursuline Academy
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