Our 60th Class Reunion took place on September 13-14, 2023. There were four planned events – a Memorial Mass for our deceased classmates, a Luncheon and Tour of CDH, a Golf Outing, and recognition at the annual ONE CDH dinner. All who participated in the events found them worthwhile and especially appreciated the private luncheon and tour.
Memorial Mass
Father Kennedy, Cretin Class of 1969 presided. He observed that most of us remember our classmates as they were when we attended Cretin. He also reminded us of our own mortality. After the homily, Bert Christensen, a younger brother of our first deceased classmate Matt Christensen, read the name of each of our departed 86 classmates as their image was projected on a large screen. You can view/download the slides by clicking here.
Private Luncheon
CDH hosted a lunch for us. Teri McCloughan, CDH President, gave us an update on the school – financially strong, and with this year’s incoming class, CDH is now the largest private Catholic school in the Twin Cities with over 900 total students. She also commended our class for the creation of the Bonfe-Ryan Scholarship endowment, which you can learn more about here.
Principal Mona Passman shared how the academic program is robust and offers a large range of opportunities for students. (You can see a summary of the Academics at CDH by clicking here.)
Steve Walsh ’85, the Raiders Football coach, gave us an overview of the football program and entertained our questions. The range of athletic programs is much more comprehensive that when we attended. You can gain an appreciation for the many programs by visiting the CDH Athletic Directory page on the CDH Website (click here to visit)
Rob Bollinger, Vice President for Advancement was very complimentary of our class and its accomplishments, and said the Bonfe-Ryan Scholarship we have established was not only welcome but will serve as an inspiration for other classes to think about their legacy. (Rob was instrumental in orchestrating the lunch, tour and Bonfe-Ryan Scholarship. He was assisted by Peggy Shafer and Megan Smith.)
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Tour of Facilities
The current facilities at CDH are much more robust than when we attended. The facilities include:
- Ryan Stem Center
- Classrooms equipped with LCD projectors and Apple TV’s
- State of the art theater and black box theater
- Digital and film photography studios
- Ceramic, painting, and drawing studios
- Turf field for football, lacrosse, soccer, and softball; baseball fields
- Field house with three full size basketball courts
- 10,000 sq. ft. fitness center
- Versatile, spacious, band room and choir room with exceptional acoustics
- Campus-wide wireless network
- Science labs equipped with digital microscopes and 3D printer
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Golf Outing
Seventeen hardy souls showed up at Highland National on the clear morning of September 14. Weather was chilly early but that did not stop some golfers from wearing golf shorts. By the end of play the temps had climbed to the upper 70’s. The five groups played a scramble format, and although all did well, the winners (Troskey, Britz, O’Malley and Schufman) posted the low score of 6-under par 66. It was a very fun outing.
ONE CDH Dinner
The annual ONE CDH Dinner was on the evening of September 14. Our class was showcased because it was our 60th.
Classmates socialized with old friends and members of the CDH staff, having a very enjoyable time.
We had an opportunity to give the audience an overview of the Bonfe-Ryan Scholarship, and CDH had printed cards for each table about the Scholarship, and on the card was a QR link that would take you to our website to learn more about the scholarship and how to contribute.
In attendance and as our guests were members of the Ryan family (Mike’s wife Karen and their son Kevin) and the Bonfe family (George’s youngest brother Joe (Cretin ’77) and his sons (Joe, Tyler, and Conor, all CDH grads ) as well as George’s daughter Sunitha. We were pleased and grateful they took the time and expense to be in the audience as we made the formal announcement of our memorial scholarship.
You can learn more about the scholarship by clicking here.
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Good memories for all. We can now look forward to our next reunion.