Class Reunions

Reunion Sundays

Periodically, St. Matthew’s alums are invited to join us to celebrate 10:00 am Mass followed by brunch. Everyone is welcome.  Special recognition goes to those who graduated in a year ending in a “6” or a “1.”   For more information, call the parish center at 651-224-9793.

Helping Our Alumni Come Home

Dear Alums and Friends of St. Matthew School,

“Making your way in the world today
Takes everything you’ve got.
Taking a break from all your worries
Sure would help a lot.”

“Where Everybody Knows Your Name” became the theme song for “Cheers” in August of 1982 and for twenty-seven years has been part of the daily re-run schedule.

The show is about community, a place that is “home”, a place where it is more or less safe to be yourself; a place in which people look out for each other

St. Matthew’s School was for many people that kind of place.  I hear stories almost daily from alums who speak with nostalgia about the events and times of their student days.

Even though students graduate and many leave the area to further their education or enter into the adult work world, St. Matthew’s remains a kind of “home.”

Every month, someone calls from near or far to ask if their new born could be baptized at St. Matt’s.  The caller is not currently a member of the parish but he/she says:  “I was baptized at St. Matt’s,” or “I graduated from St. Matt’s School.”   The same kind of phone call comes from those seeking to enter marriage.  And many times a call comes at the time of death to arrange for a funeral and the caller will say “He has not been a member of the parish for a long, long time, but he went to St. Matthew’s School.

Over the years and over hundreds and thousands of miles, St. Matt’s remains a place where many remember a time and space, “Where everybody knows your name.”

If you are in contact with classmates and friends from your St. Matt’s School days, you probably find a special bond has endured over many years and many miles.  Reunions and reconnections are like coming back to “Cheers.”

You are always welcome at Saint Matt’s.  Many alums have reconnected with the parish and are now part of the Saint Matt’s community.

“Making your way in the world today
Takes everything you’ve got.

You can return to a place called “home.”   You can reconnect where everybody knows your name.

Testimonials

Nancy Riehle Burke (’59)  “Much more fun than I expected.”

Nancy attended a 50th anniversary gathering of her class at Reunion Sunday in May of 2009.

“It was great.  Everybody was warm and friendly and talking to each other.   Who would think that a Sunday brunch would be such fun?  It was just lovely!”

To track down missing people, Nancy says they used high school lists, “I furnished the names of people who went to OLP.”

“I had not seen most of these people since I left St. Matthew’s in ’59.”   Even so, she was able to identify almost all 100 classmates in their 8th grade class photo.   As for recognizing her fellow alumni 50 years later, “Most of us needed the name tags to identify each other – I know I did and I think people were looking at mine.”