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Alumni Appeal Update
As of 6/24/2008, 81 alumni have given $22,495 to the 2007-08 Alumni Appeal. This represents 139% of the $15,000 goal. Donors below are listed in alphabetical order. Again, our special gratitude and thanks to these loyal alumni. A copy of the 2007-08 Alumni Appeal letter from Msgr. Bosso is at the bottom of the listing.
Rev. Jaime Acevedo
Rev. Jose Alfaro
Rev. Thomas J. Anastasia
Rev. Ronald B. Aubin
Rev. Robert M. Ayala
Rev. Gavin Badway
Dr. Charles A. Bauda
Rev. Remigiusz S. Blaszkowski
Ms. Carol Ann Bonito
Rev. Alan E. Bower
Rev. George Brennan
Rev. Robert N. Cadrecha
Mr. Kevin R. Cleary
Rev. Wilfredo Contreras
The Rev. Celeste O. Cox
Rev. Alberto R. Cutie
Rev. David Timothy DeJulio
Mr. & Mrs. Victor de Tullio
Rev. Enrique E. Delgado
Mr. Michael A Dubruiel
Mr. & Mrs. James M. Dunne
Rev. John Henry Dux
Very Rev. James F. Fetscher
Rev. John F. Fink
Rev. Rolando G. Garcia
Rev. Sergio Garcia-Miro, M.D.
Rev. Robert C. Gibbons
Sr. Vivian Gonzalez
Rev. Michael Grady
Rev. Clem Hammerschmitt
Rev. Julian P. Harris
Rev. Fernando E. Heria
Rev. Stephen Hilley
Very Rev. Terence Hogan
Most Rev. Martin D. Holley
Rev. Michael Hoyer
Rev. Jean Jadotte
Rev. Reginald Jean-Mary
Rev. Edward Jones
Rev. Albert Jowdy
Rev. Jerome P. Kaywell
Rev. Brian King
Rev. Sean Knox
Rev. Brian Lehnert
Rev. Christopher Liguori
Rev. Timothy Lindenfelser
Rev. Michael R. Lydon
Rev. Thomas L. Madden, SJ
Rev. Craig Malzacher
Rev. Msgr. Tomas M. Marin, VF
Rev. Christopher B. Marino
Rev. Jeffrey A. McGowan
Rev. Msgr. John R. McMahon
Rev. Anibal Morales
Rev. Robert F. Morris
Rev. Carl T. Morrison, Jr.
Rev. Michael Muhr
Rev. Michael T. O'Brien
Rev. Msgr. Pablo Navarro
Rev. Kevin Nelson
Rev. Charles Notabartolo
Rev. Stephen D. Parkes
Rev. John M. Phillips
Rev. Joseph L. Roberts, III
Rev. Carmelo Romanello
Rev. James Ruhlin
Rev. Jorge Saenz Ramos
Mr. and Mrs. Leon Scoboria
Rev. Michael R. Smith
Rev. Juan J. Sosa
Rev. Msgr. Michael Souckar
Rev. Edmund L. Szpieg
Rev. Robert D. Tabbert
Rev. Juan R. Torres
Rev. Stephen Trzecieski, C.M.
Rev. James P. Valenzuela
Rev. Arthur J. Venezia
Rev. Gabriel Jesus Vigues
Rev. Gary Wiesmann
Rev. Thomas S. Willis
Rev. Thomas Wisniewski
Rev. Eric D. Zegeer
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November, 2007
Dear Alumni,
Greetings in the Lord! I hope and pray that this letter finds you well. I have been asked by our Rector Msgr. Keith Brennan to serve as this year’s chairman of the Alumni Appeal. In this role I will not simply ask you for your prayers and support of St. Vincent de Paul, but also I plan to keep you abreast of developments relative to your relationship with our seminary.
As an update for those who may be interested, I returned to the seminary last January, 2007. Before my return, I spent one year in Rome and a semester in Germany. My doctoral thesis proposal has been approved and at present I am in the process of writing about the six parables found in Matthew 24:37-25:46. Please support me in prayer that I will complete this task. Currently, I am teaching and plan to remain working here.
As you know the seminary makes an annual appeal to you as our alumni. For eight months this past year we did not have a development professional on staff. Therefore, the annual appeal did not take place. We are now back on track and already making strides under the leadership of Stanton Cadow, our new Director of Institutional Development.
Formation Programs & Physical Plant Improvements
I know all too well as do you, that our seminary formation program here may not have been perfect. Nevertheless, because of dedicated priests, sisters, and lay faculty we certainly were able to provide a quality formation program for our students. We will continue to improve the formation program in every way with each passing year. The challenges faced by all formation programs, whether seminary or parochial, are difficult. The responsibility of improving our program is a challenge, and yet I know that Msgr. Brennan, our Rector, is dedicated to this task. In fact, I have already many observed positive changes he has made. Under his leadership improvements to our formation program will continue.
Mrs. Joyce Martinez and Fr. O’Hala have continued to improve the bilingual language program. For example, we now offer more individualized programs for our seminarians. In addition, our new Spanish Immersion program held for six weeks in the Dominican Republic this past summer with nine seminarians, was a great success. Moreover, Fr. Lou Guerin initiated a seminar entitled “Breakfast of Champions” designed to assist deacons with the beginnings of parish administration. Fr. Guerin is also working to improve the preaching program. Fr. O’Hala and the faculty have evaluated and improved the Master’s of Divinity program which prepares future priests for pastoral ministry. For example, there has been an increase in the number of courses required in the areas of pastoral counseling and preaching.
Fr. Steven Olds and Fr. David Toups worked together to sponsor the 6th Annual Symposium on the Spirituality and Identity of the Diocesan Priest of the Institute of Priestly Formation. The topic was “Chaste Celibacy: Living Christ’s Own Spousal Love.” That was applauded as a grand success! Msgr. Mike McGraw and those in the Pastoral Formation program have evaluated and changed pastoral placements for the seminarians in order to match the changes in the new Program for Priestly Formation. The seminary also continues to improve the Deacon Formation Program for the Diocese of Palm Beach and welcome back to campus the Deacon Formation Program from the Archdiocese of Miami. These programs are assets not only to these two Dioceses, also to the seminary as a whole.
The physical plant of the seminary also improved. In addition, the kitchen staff has greatly improved the seminary’s daily menu. Two classrooms are now equipped with the latest technology for internet and power point which improves delivery of class material. We finally have our new signage on S. Military Trail – it looks great! Furthermore, we have recently installed a new chiller, parking lights, a new AC system for the chapel, and are anticipating the replacement of our 45 year-old refectory dining chairs and tables with new furniture.
The seminary has continued to improve, not only the programs in all four areas of formation, but also the resources and physical plant for our seminarians, lay ministers and deacons now and in the future.
Improvement In Alumni Relations & www.svdp.edu
Now I would like to mention improvements in the area of alumni relations. First, I am pleased to highlight SVDP’s new web site, www.svdp.edu, which I believe will serve our alumni as well as our friends and supporters. Clicking on the link “Alumni,” located on our home page will take you to pages to register as an alumnus and where you may update your contact information or search an on-line database of fellow alumni. To get your user name and password, please call 561-732-4424, extention 163 or 152. Your logo on will look like this:
Username: ********
Password: ********
We also have made available a list of those alumni we have been unable to locate. On our alumni web pages you may submit articles, photographs and other news about your activities and ministry work, which we can share with other alumni and supporters. You may be reluctant to do this, but I encourage you to keep us up to date with all your activities. We are interested in hearing from you. You may also wish to submit a liturgical passage or writing for our “Monthly Reflection” posted as a link on the home page of our new web site. Furthermore, the site offers additional information about the Annual Alumni Appeal and offers an easy on-line way to contribute. A future feature will provide information about our plans for a dedicated space for permanent and everlasting recognition for alumni in the chapel corridor.
We are very interested in increasing the awareness across the entire Catholic community about the successes, accomplishments and activities of our alumni. Your vocation reflects upon your alma mater and it is our responsibility to make our supporters and friends aware of all the wonderful work you are doing. Please contribute to this effort so that we may continue to expand this recognition for the greater good of vocations and SVDP Seminary.
Dialogue
I trust you have noticed our two most recent editions of Dialogue, which is our quarterly magazine that emphasis news about our alumni. You are probably aware of the recent debacle with the printers. While this appears to have been resolved, it is a mistake that impacted all of us. I thank you for your understanding.
Public Relations
SVDP has entered a new era which promises to increase our awareness and identity across the state. We must utilize every available means to spread the word about the role and mission of our institution, as well as describe the fruits of our labor. Today the web, direct mail, and other electronic media play a much larger role in engendering the support which the seminary sorely needs. You can help us accomplish these goals.
Just as the seminary has invested time and resources which increase awareness of our presence, would you include in your parish bulletin or other widely distributed publications and/or web sites the enclosed news release about our new web site at www.svdp.edu. We believe it will play an ever-increasing role in the future of our seminary and raise the level of awareness and education of SVDP within the Catholic community. By the way, a PDF version of this news release is available on our web sites’ public relations link. If you help us in this way you will be moving us toward accomplishing our mission.
Finally, I pray that you will support this year’s Alumni Appeal. We need your support! We were unable to conduct the appeal last year, as we mentioned earlier. However under new leadership in our fast growing new development program, we believe we are now on the right path. Whatever sacrifice you can make to assist the seminary in its mission will be a blessing. I thank you on behalf of Msgr. Brennan and the St. Vincent de Paul Regional Seminary community!
Yours In Christ,
Msgr. Stephen C. Bosso
Chairman, 2007 Alumni Appeal
PDF of Alumni Appeal Letter 2007
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