Start the Christmas season on a beautiful note! Join us on
Friday, December 1, for the 2006 Annual Christmas Concert for Charity, at the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception in Washington, D.C. The CUA Symphony Orchestra and CUA Chorus will entertain you in grand style inside the beautiful Great Upper Church. This year's beneficiary is the Spanish Catholic Center of Washington, D.C.

Admisson is free but advance reservations are required. The Office of Alumni Relations has special alumni reserved seating, with a limit of four seats per R.s.v.p. This amazing concert begins at 7:30 p.m. and you must claim your seat by 7:05 p.m.

Spaces always go quickly, so call 202-319-5608 or 800-288-ALUM (outside of the D.C. area) to register today!

On Friday, November 17, CUA's Rome Trio –- composed of associate professors Jody Gatwood, violin, Robert Newkirk, cello, and Professor Marilyn Neely, piano  –- will perform an evening concert at Holy Trinity Church in New York City as part of the Music At Holy Trinity series.

The subscription concert series presents prominent and outstanding artists from around the U.S. and abroad, and promises to be an exciting evening as three of Catholic University's finest musicians take the stage. For complete details on this upcoming concert, contact Judith Lindsay, assistant to the dean, Benjamin T. Rome School of Music, by e-mail or by calling 202-319-5414.

On Monday, October 2, Very Rev. David M. O’Connell, C.M., president of The Catholic University of America, was presented with a St. Elizabeth Ann Seton Award by the National Catholic Educational Association at its 16th annual awards dinner and ceremony in Washington, D.C.

Father O’Connell is one of five 2006 recipients to be awarded NCEA’s highest honor, given in recognition of significant philanthropic or leadership contributions to Catholic education. To read more about Father O'Connell, the NCEA, and this prestigious award, click here.

With more than 1,000 people returning to campus for Homecoming and Reunions Weekend 2006, Friday and Saturday were filled with many fun events for reminiscing and rediscovering with fellow classmates! To view just a few of the photos taken at this year's Homecoming and Reunions Weekend, click here. We've also created an official Catholic University Alumni group on The Facebook, and we will be uploading photos from this year's Homecoming and Reunions Weekend (as well as pictures from many other alumni events) in the weeks to come! Though a Facebook account is required to view these photos, registration is free and easy, and open to all CUA alumni.

Special congratulations to our reunion classes  –- 1996, 1991, 1986, 1981, 1976, 1971, 1966, 1961 and 1956  –- who celebrated together at the many reunion festivities! To see a list of attendees, click here! Please note: this list does not include attendees for specific school and athletic events. Please contact the individual school or department who hosted the event for more information.

Be sure to save the date for next year's Homecoming and Reunions Weekend – October 19-20, 2007!

In the upcoming months, we’ll start planning for next year’s events, so please join the Homecoming and Reunions Committee to shape what will be an amazing alumni weekend. Contact Dani Barnett, associate director of alumni relations, for more information.

Since 1962, CUA has been home to two large cedars of Lebanon. Presented to the university as a gift of the Maronite Patriarch Boulos Peter (Cardinal) Meouchi in 1962, the trees were planted by Bishop William J. McDonald, ninth president of The Catholic University of America, on each end of McMahon Hall, and have grown there ever since.

During the fall of 2004, one of the two trees was destroyed in a thunderstorm. With the sponsorship of both Bishop Gregory Mansour and Bishop Robert Shaheen -- both Catholic University alumni -- Ina Rihani, a parishioner of Our Lady of Lebanon Maronite Church in Washington, D.C., established CUA's  “Cedar of Lebanon Garden" to preserve the integrity of the space once occupied by the tree given to CUA from Patriarch Meouchi. The Cedar Garden is located next to McMahon Hall on the side facing the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception.

CUA offers its thanks and gratitude to all who've helped to establish this beautiful new addition to our campus, and we cordially invite any alumni who might be in the D.C. area to stop by and see our new garden!

The CUA Alumni Office is pleased to announce a new CUA tradition: alumni gatherings at our Cardinals home basketball games. Call your friends and bring the kids to the DuFour Center for an up-close seat for some exciting college basketball!

Alumni admission for both the Men's and Women's games is $5 and can be purchased on game day. Alumni and friends are invited to gather immediately following the end of the 2 p.m. women's game for complimentary snacks and cold drinks before watching the men's game at 4 p.m. 

If you’d like to join us let us know. Contact Brandon at romanchok@cua.edu for details and to R.s.v.p. 

Where we’ll be:

Saturday, November 25 @ Scranton (Away)
Saturday, December 2 vs. Goucher (Home)
Saturday, January 13 vs. York (Home)
Saturday, February 10 vs. Salisbury (Home)
Saturday, February 17 vs. Mary Washington (Home)

From Cardinal Hall to City Hall, CUA Alums Take Office

CUA would like to offer an additional word of congrat-ulations to all of those alumni who were victorious in their campaigns, including Rick Renzi, J.D. '02, Arizona 1st District Congressman; Bob Casey, J.D. '88, Senator-elect of Pennsylvania; and Martin O’Malley, B.A. '85, Governor-elect of Maryland.

The Ataris come to CUA on November 17 with special guest Welbilt and Meet the Speakers! Alumni tickets are $20 and can be purchased by visiting the Program Board Web site.  Make sure to include your graduation year info. Tickets are not going to be mailed, so make sure to bring your I.D. to pick them up at will-call.

The youngest alumni to be spotlighted to date, Sarah Donaldson feels honored to be recognized for her hard work in the entertainment world in the four short years since she graduated in 2002. As a Musical Theatre major earning a Bachelor of Music degree, Sarah attended Catholic University on both academic and music scholarships. These days, you can catch Sarah on the big screen alongside such Hollywood mainstays as Mark Wahlberg, Jack Black, and Sylvester Stallone. To learn more about Sarah, visit the Alumni Spotlight.

Kick off the holidays at the CUA Philadelphia Alumni Chapter’s Holidaze Christmas Celebration! On Thursday, December 7 from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m., join your fellow CUA alums in the Philly area at The Public House (1801 Arch St., Philadelphia, Pa. 19103) to ring in the holiday season! For more details, contact Sarah Richards.

On Thursday, January 4, 2007, the Office of Alumni Relations is partnering with CUA's Career Services office to host an alumni networking event to kickstart the new year!

CUA welcomes members of our alumni community to join us in the "City of Brotherly Love" as we meet, greet, gather and share business tips and offer networking advice to current Catholic University students and alumni. If you are interested in being a part of this invaluable networking opportunity, contact Sarah Richards or John Meehan in the Office of Alumni Relations. More details to follow, so check back soon!

"Help The Homeless Walkathon" on the National Mall

On Saturday, November 18, join Team CUA and participate in the 19th Annual Help the Homeless Walkathon on the National Mall. Registration is $25 (only $15 for those 25 and under), and each participant receives a commemorative shirt. All proceeds for the event directly benefit housing for the homeless.

The CUA team will meet at 7:30 a.m. outside of the Campus Ministry Office (ground floor, Caldwell Hall), and alumni looking to participate in the Walkathon are cordially invited to enjoy a free breakfast with the team before taking the metro downtown as a group. For more details on this event or to reserve your spot on the team, contact Lauren Heckman in the Office of Campus Ministry.

The Office of Alumni Relations is always proud to recognize our many talented alums in the world of the theatre and performing arts. David L. Paterson, B.A. '89, is just one of CUA's many accomplished alumni in the realm of stage and screen. The author/playwright recently adapted his mother's book, Bridge to Terabithia, into a full-length, major motion picture for the Disney corportation. David will join us on campus early in 2007 to speak about the project and his career since CUA. Trailers for the movie are available online courtesy of IMDb.