From the Next Issue:
Joe McFadden Dies Suddenly
Our friend and schoolmate, Joe, known throughout Philadelphia and Harrisburg as Bishop Joseph P. Mc Fadden, passed away May 1, twenty days shy of his 66th birthday.
He was a member of Our Lady Of Lourdes parish and he attended St. Thomas More High School as a member of the Class of 1965. He was an honor student and athlete throughout his four years. He was a member of the Honor Society THE CHANCELLOR staff and was co-captain of the basketball team.
Upon graduation from St. Joseph's College, he joined the Archdiocese as a teacher and taught at West Catholic Boys'. He also was coach of the WC varsity basketball team in addition to his classroom teaching duties. Though a promising career in academia loomed, Joe decided to leave his demanding career for a greater challenge. Joe entered St. Charles Seminary to become a diocesan priest.
The priesthood became the right fit for Joe. He soon became the secretary for Archbishop, later, Cardinal Bevilacqua. Because of his experience as an educator, he was assigned to Cardinal O'Hara High School to become its first President, an office recently created for all Archdiocesan high schools. He was honored with the title Monsignor.
His easy, understanding manner helped him as an administrator in the Office of Catholic Education. His intervention helped to prevent a protracted strike between the secondary teachers and the Archdiocese.
He was later named Auxiliary Bishop of Philadelphia and soon he was appointed Bishop of the Diocese of Harrisburg, PA. He maintained close ties with his family, friends and the STM Alumni. Joe was instrumental in securing the STM room in Cardinal O'Hara High for our alumni business and meeting space.
I was privileged to know Joe during our time at Tommy More. We shared many of the same classes. We'll miss him.
--Anthony DeCurtis ’65
Holy Land Trip Planned
The Saint Thomas More Alumni Association in conjunction with UNITOURS, presents a Holy Land Pilgrimage
October 14-23, 2013
Alumni, friends and family of St. Thomas More,
You are invited to share fellowship, fun and prayer on a nine day trip to the birthplace of our Savior, Jesus Christ.
We'll leave Philadelphia and fly east to the land where Jesus and his disciples walked over two millennia ago. We'll land in Tel Aviv, Israel's capital and over the next eight days we'll visit Tiberius, Mt. Carmel, Cana, Mt.Tabor (site of the Transfiguration), Jordan River, Sea of Galilee, Capernaeum, Tabgha (Mt. of the Beatitudes), Church of the Multiplication of Loaves, Bethlehem, and Shepherds' field, Jerusalem, (Mt. of Temptation, Herod's fortress, Dead Sea, ) etc., etc.
Full color brochures that feature all the sites and details of this extraordinary adventure are availabe. You can also contact me for more details.
Breakfast and dinner are included in our trip and will be served daily.
The cost of this extraordinary package is $3,699 per person, double occupancy.
Contact: Anthony DeCurtis, STM'65 at 610 449 5285 or stardate1999@hotmail.com .
Tell your friends. Let's reserve a bus for our group as we travel the length and breadth of the Holy Land. Check out a sample hotel: The Grand Court, Jerusalem: http://grandcourt.co.il/
Questions? Comments? Feedback About Your Association?
If you'd like to tell us what's on your mind, make a suggestion, or give us an idea
for a story you'd like to see in Bear Tracks, click on this link to send us an e-mail. Thanks!
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Change of Address?
Write or e-mail to Bill Gibbons '57, Database Manager, 1099 Jefferson Ct., Warrington, PA 18976 or:
We love West Catholic Girls
Many Golden Bears dated -- and married -- those lovely young women from 45th & Chestnut. So it's only fitting that we include a link on our website to go directly to theirs:
http://www.westcatholicgirlsalumnae.com
Bear Tracks Editorial Staff
Bill Patton '59, Editor and Art Director
E-Mail: bpatton97@verizon.net
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Tony DeCurtis '65, Staff Liason; Contributing Editor
E-Mail: stardate1999@hotmail.com
Pete McEneaney '52, Jim Bowers ’56, Joy Vasaturo, and Mike Migliaccio, Photographers
Tom Hardie '55, Frank McGinty '44 and Marie Cella, Reporters
Al Recke '56, Necrology (610) 367-1866
Mary Quilter, Cindy Weick, Dennis DeMarco, Jim Boylan, Webmasters