The 45th Anniversary Reunion of the NAC Class of 1965 will be held at the Embassy Suites Downtown Lakefront Hotel, 511 N. Columbus Drive, Chicago, IL 60611 for three nights beginning Monday 14 December to noon, Thursday, 17 December 2009.  To reserve the hotel, telephone 1-312-836-5900 and use the code word NAA to obtain the special group rate of $129.00 per night for a two room suite.  The living room has a sofa which could be turned into a bed if you are sharing a room with up to four persons in a room.  Parking is available.  Included in your room rate are a daily, hot, cooked-to-order breakfast, and a two hour cocktail reception daily from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m.

 

Your family, parishioners, and friends are also welcome to come and celebrate your anniversary.  The Michigan Avenue "Magnificent Mile" of shops is located right in your hotel neighborhood with holiday lights and Christmas decorations.  The famous Chicago Watertower Place is an indoor shopping mall with great boutiques, shops and restaurants for every pocketbook.  Walking distance from your hotel is the Near North Restaurant District with the Hard Rock Cafe, Rainforest, and Lawry's Prime Rib.  The hotel provides a free shuttle to Navy Pier, the number one tourist attraction in Chicago for both children and adults!  Your guests may also be able to take advantage of the tax deduction for the Leadership Conference held for the class.

 

The convention fee of $286.85 for each participant covers the formal banquet at Lawry's Prime Rib, the reservation for Mass at St. James Chapel, gratuities, home-room registration-information staffing, and the snacks and beverages that will be available in the guest suite for the "mix" after your dinner engagements each evening.

 

Please send the convention fee of $286.85 for each participant to me:  Rev. John Mulvihill, St. James Church, 134 North Avenue, Highwood, IL  60040.  Please do this as soon as possible, since we need to meet a minimum number of participants at the hotel for the group rate, as well as confirm the number of reservations at the restaurant.  I will confirm your own participation by email, and also on the class Website so that classmates can travel and room together.

 

The first day of the reunion, your arrival Monday afternoon, 14 December 2009, should be in time for the reunion registration and the hotel cocktail reception at 5:30 p.m.  You will also meet classmates registration suite and in the guest suite.  You are free to dine in small groups, perhaps in the famous Near North Restaurant District.  The guest suite will still be open for a "mix" after dinner with conversation and drinks.

 

The second day of the reunion, Tuesday, 15 December 2009, opens with a complementary hot breakfast from 6:30 to 9:30 a.m.  Groups of classmates will gather for a long breakfast together.  The registration and information suite will still be open.  Your own independent activities will allow for the exploration of the world famous shops and other Chicago attractions.  The Leadership Conference program will continue in the guest suite.  Gather again for the cocktail reception from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m.  Small groups will gather for dinner.  The guest suite will still be open for a "mix" after dinner with conversation and drinks.

 

The third day of the reunion, Wednesday, 16 December 2009, will begin with the usual complementary hot breakfast cooked-to-order at the hotel from 6:30 to 9:30 a.m.  Since this is the Anniversary Day, Mass will be celebrated at the Chicago Pastoral Center (the former Quigley Seminary) in the famous St. James Chapel, which is a replica of the Sainte-Chapelle of the Paris palace of the kings of France.  Mass will be at 12:30 noon.  After the Mass, many will dine at near-by restaurants such as the famous Hard Rock Cafe, Ed Debevic's (where everything from food to waitress is 1950), the largest McDonalds in the world, or the many ethnic specialty restaurants.  Others will take a carriage ride, or stroll down the boulevard to enjoy the Christmas decorations, or shop the famous stores, or go to Navy Pier to dine.  Gather for the Hotel Manager's Cocktail Reception from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m.  The reunion banquet will be at Lawry's, 100 E. Ontario Street, located a short walk away from our hotel in the historic 1890 McCormick Mansion.  Dinner will commence at 8:00 p.m. up the grand staicase to our private room, with a special envent menu:  Lawry's famous spinning salad bowl, warm sourdough bread with butter, prime rib of beef, mashed potatoes, creamed spinich, and English trifle for dessert, ending with coffee and tea.  The guest suite will still be open for a "mix" after dinner with conversation and drinks.

 

The fourth day of the reunion, Thursday, 17 December 2009, has our departure set for eleven o'clock.  However, the class will still meet at our complimentary hot breakfast from 6:30 to 9:30 a.m.  The guest suite will still be open.  There will be still be time to say farewell to classmates.  There will even be time for last-minute shopping.

 

Our Leadership Conference will be held in conjunction with the reunion, just as in 2004, which may allow a tax deduction for participants.  Of course, you are advised to consult your own tax professionals for maximum benefit.  A Certificate of Attendance will be issued to the participating class members, their family and guests.  Just as in 2004, participants should keep all their receipts from the reunion, including airline tickets (or gasoline and toll road receipts), hotel expenses, and receipts from all meals.  

 

If you have not been receiving regular emails about the reunion, please send your email address now, to:  jemulvihill@comcast.net.  About 35 letters have been sent to all classmates who have previously been without email.  All of our future correspondence will be by email.  In the event that a classmate does not have an email address, a full explanation of the reunion and its activities will be posted here, on the Class Website:  https://bacherozzo.tripod.com/   Access to the website can be done at any public library.

 

Please come to the reunion.  Some classmates have made reservations already.  Our activities have already been secured by down-payments, so the party is ready.  Only you, your family and friends are missing, but you are the most important part of the reunion.  Let's meet in Chicago this December 14th, 2009!  I hope to see you!  Bring your family and friends to the reunion!

 

Review of Reunion Agenda:  1)   INVITATION:  Have you invited family and friends to make the reunion a real celebration?   2)   RESERVATION:  Were Embassy Suites Chicago Lakefront hotel reservations made at 1-312-836-5900 with the code word NAA to obtain the special group rate?   3)   PARTICIPATION:  Did you send the $100.00 for each participant to:  John Mulvihill, St. James Rectory, 134 North Ave., Highwood, IL 60040?   4)  CONSERVATION:  Did you e-mail Muvlvihill at jemulvihill@comcast.net for help if you need a classmate to room with you to conserve money?   5)   DESTINATION:  Have you shown your friends and family the spectacular reunion hotel at website:  embassysuites1.hilton.com/en_US/es/hotel/CHIREES-Embassy-Suites-Chicago-Downtown-Lakefront-Illinois/index.do    or click on Link below. 

                          ******************************************

14 TO 17 DECEMBER 2009

EMBASSY SUITES LAKEFRONT HOTEL

CHICAGO, ILLINOIS

 

Satisfaction was apparent from classmates of the North American College Class of 1965 celebrating the 45th Ordination Anniversary Reunion, which took place in 2009 in Chicago.  The general opinion was:  "This was the best reunion to date!"

 

The Leadership Symposium: 

     Notice of the Symposium was sent to all the local Chicago newspapers.  There was both public notice and a public invitation to the Symposium sessions.  These sessions were expanded to seven from the previous five sessions of 2004.  There was also an added serious discussion about liturgical language, now under consideration in Rome.  Copies of an article written by a fellow NAC graduate of '67 were e-mailed to all of the participants in the Symposium, and hard copies were available during the sessions for purposes of comment and debate.  The discussion also brought out the good news of the Chicago Liturgical Institute workshop for 17 September 2010 which will promote the third typical edition of the Roman Missal in a positive way (www.mbmv.org).

     Unique to this Leadership Symposium was the Internet pre-publication of the agenda and all the papers, at least in abstract form, so that participation in the Symposium was not limited to those who could physically attend the sessions.  Of course, only those actually physically present were awarded Certificates of Attendance.  Nevertheless, some level of participation was open to classmates, friends and the public around the world, as long as Internet Service was available.  Varied responses, cautions, affirmations, and addenda were able to be easily transmitted by e-mail, or by participation in the Class of '65 "Blog" Site.  It is believed that such participation is unique in international and national conferences up to now!

 

Cultural Possibilities:

     Information was available about the Art Institute of Chicago.  A number of classmates explored the new building for modern art which was just recently opened.  Fine dining was also available inside the Art Institute, and much appreciated by those reviewing the new areas of the museum.

     Another group dined with a professor from the University of Chicago.  The department of theology there is already subdivided into several areas, including ethics, sociology, and psychology.  The Oriental Institute at the university is a world leader in the study of ancient languages useful for Biblical understanding.

     The lecture on the Chicago "Gold Coast" at Lawry's Prime Rib was presented in the historic dining room of the McCormick Family Mansion, where the Class of '65 formal banquet took place.  Carolers dressed in Victorian Garb brought us back to both the time of Charles Dickens' A Christmas Carol, and the era of the Chicago industrial and social giants of the 1870s.

 

Accomodation:

     The new Embassy Suites Chicago Lakefront Hotel was a pleasant surprise for the Class of '65.  The "front desk" of the hotel was on the sixth floor.  The hotel atrium was open for another ten floors up to the hotel roof.  Every room was a suite, with both bedroom and sitting room furnished with big screen television, computer and phone connections.  All of the rooms had both window access to the atrium, and an outside view of Lake Michigan or the Michigan Avenue "Magnificent Mile". 

     Most of the hotel sessions of the Leadership Symposium were scheduled for the much larger Presidential Suite, with a conference table for eight, a sitting room for twelve, two added private rooms, a kitchenette center with microwave and refrigerator, and space for our own open bar and snack service. 

     Our "Information Service" and our own Internet Room was just next door to the Presidential Suite, and it was open for twelve hours a day.  The hotel Business and Internet Center was open for us twenty-four hours a day. 

 

Attendance:

     Attendance was not diminished by lack of interest.  A telephone survey found ten classmates ill out of fifteen called.  This same survey found three classmates could not attend due to occupational obligations.  This occupational problem was especially true among those who are in the educational field.  Two classmates who did attend the reunion did so in a restricted way due to occupational obligations.

 

Morning Mix:

     A complimentary hot breakfast was available from about 6 to 9 o'clock each morning.  In addition to a large buffet of cereal, bread, fruit, juices and coffee, several chefs were available for hot foods:  biscuits and gravy, bacon, sausage, pancakes, and omelets "made to order". Classmates could freely return to the buffet at any time and without any cost.  There was additional coffee service at tables.  The wait-staff was efficient and friendly.

     Tables in sizes from four to eight persons allowed groups of classmates to socialize and also to plan for free-time activities.     

 

Lunch Possibilities:

     For social reasons and because the hotel was located in the Chicago Near-North Restaurant District, lunches were left to the discretion of each group of classmates.  Among the restaurants available were the Hard Rock Cafe, Rainforest, Ed Debevic's 1950s Cafe, and the largest McDonalds in the world.  Some classmates combined culture and fine dining at the Art Institute of Chicago.  Others ate at the John Hancock Center, where retail stores and restaurants combine with condominiums to form the tallest condomininum building in the world.  Still others ate at the numerous restaurants in the 50 acres of Navy Pier, the single most visited amusement area in the State of Illinois, which was only two blocks from our hotel.

 

Afternoon Mix:

     The Hotel Manager's Reception took place daily from 5:30 to 7:30 PM in the grand atrium of the Embassy Suites Chicago Lakefront Hotel.  All cocktails, wine, beer, and soft drinks were complimentary.  Classmates could return for another free drink any time during the two hour session each day.  In addition to the free drinks, complimentary finger food and hot dogs were available.  Our own staff created some large squares of tables for class interaction and conversation.  We tried different patterns of tables for conversation on different days.   

     On Tuesday evening, groups discussed restaurant possibilities during the cocktail session.  Our own staff was there to help to deliver drinks to tables and to give personal advice concerning restaurants. 

 

Supper Possibilities:

     Almost everyone was able to make the Monday check-in at the hotel early enough to enjoy free cocktails and other drinks at the Hotel Manager's Reception.  On Monday, many took the line of least resistance and ate huge portions of Midwestern "comfort food" at the excellent restaurant in the hotel building. 

     Tuesday was a different matter, since dining information magazines were in every suite, and our own staff were available to give restaurant advice.  We had special discount coupons for meals in Chicago's Greektown, in addition to another brochure of discounts.

 

Evening Mix in the Presidential Suite:

     Every day, after supper and until at least midnight, there was a "mix" in the Presidential Suite.  Our own complimentary bar with liquor and wine was open.  Cakes, cookies, crackers and popcorn were abundantly available.

  

Liturgical Celebration at St. James Chapel:

     At noon on Wednesday 16 December 2009, we gathered for the liturgy at the historic St. James Chapel of the former Quigley Preparatory Seminary.  The chapel is a replica of Sainte Chapelle in Paris.  The Rose Window alone is 23 feet in diameter and has 43,000 pieces of glass.  We filled the gothic structure with music as we sang the Salve Regina.  Liturgical rules were impeccably followed at the Eucharist by the vested clergy.  After the concelebrated Mass, our class was invited for a commemorative photo in front of the altar.

     His Eminence, Francis Cardinal George, was able to greet a number of us after Mass, even though he was not able to concelebrate.  We did a photo session with the Cardinal.  The St. James Chapel is now part of the new Chancery Office and the Cardinal has his personal office "just down the hall" from the chapel. 

 

Formal Banquet at Lawry's Prime Rib Restaurant:

    On Wednesday 16 December 2009, at 8:00 PM, our group gathered at Lawry's Restaurant, located in the historic McCormick Mansion.  Our private dining room was the original McCormick family dining room, decorated with dark wood and aristocratic paintings, with splendid Christmas decorations in every corner.  We had an historic lecture from the Executive Manager of the Chicago Lawry's, one of only three restaurants in this exclusive chain.  We were served prime rib of beef and Yorkshire Pudding from a five foot high rolling silver trolley, and every slice of prime rib of beef was cut by an executive chef right to order from the trolley.  Classmate Dakin Matthews gave a very generous gift of wine to the class and offered the Christmas toast.  The Victorian singers filled the air with traditional Christmas carols, and the class saluted the Victorians with Adeste Fidelis and the Latin version of Rudolph the Red Nose Reindeer, provided by Paul Kwiatkowski.    

 

Gift of Photographs:

     Mrs. Marilyn Hardesty, our archivist and photographer, not only took a series of photos in St. James Chapel and with Cardinal George, but had the photos developed and printed in just one hour.  These commemorative photos were given to each of the participants of the reunion as a complimentary remembrance of the liturgy at St. James Chapel.  The story of the reunion and the photographs themselves were sent to the North American College Alumni newsletter, Nova et Vetera.

 

DVD Gift - "50 Years of Class History":

     Archivist Mrs. Marilyn Hardesty reviewed 50 years of photographs of the history of the Class of '65.  She began to select pictures of the boat trip to Rome on the Italian Line Michaelangelo and the advent of Hurricane Esther as we left the Port of New York.  Then, she selected pictures of classes at the Gregorian University, Bum Runs, Black Permissions, the early ordinations in July and the class ordination in December.  Added to these photos were pictures from the various class reunions.  She eventually selected 500 pictures as significant.

     Computer expert Mrs. Rose Sweet coverted all these pictues to a DVD.  She added music and inserted animation with a beaver celebrating the clerical "beaver hat" and a Tiber trout.  The initial project took two months of work.      

     Photographers Mrs. Marilyn Hardesty and Mrs. Rose Sweet covered the reunion with candid photographs from the Monday opening until the Wednesday eveing banquet.  Then, in our Information Room, these two ladies worked all night to post the latest photos taken at this reunion on each DVD.  The Wednesday reunion candid photos took 30 minutes to burn into each DVD produced, so the the project was finished just at breakfast time on the departure day, Thursday morning 17 December 2009.

     The DVD history of the class was a gift from Father John Mulvihill, who paid for all the expenses of that project.

 

Certificate of Attendance:

     Since this reunion was also a Leadership Seminar, Cetificates of Attendance were awarded to those who were able to personally participate in the seven sessions of the seminar.  Each certificate gives the dates and place of the 2009 presentation, and gives a short precis of the nature of this Leadership Seminar together with the Internet URL of the seminar agenda and papers.  Each certificate was signed, dated, and decorated with a seal which makes each certificate suitable for framing. 

 

*********************************************