If you have experienced a professional achievement such as a new job, published writing, or receipt of an award, or you have personal news such as an ordination, wedding, birth, or jubilee to celebrate, please share the good news by submitting a Class Note to alumni@wtu.edu. Click here to look at what some of your fellow alumni have been up to:

• Very Rev. John Edmunds, S.T. '76,  recently graduated from Aquinas Institute of Theology in Saint Louis, Missouri, with a Doctor of Ministry in Preaching. Fr. John is the General Custodian of his community, The Missionary Servants of the Most Holy Trinity, which is headquartered in Silver Spring, Maryland.
• Karen Carter, CE '99,  continues to work in the field of Catholic Education as Assistant Director of Admissions at Marianapolis Preparatory School, a boarding and day school in Thompson, CT.  She has the privilege of recruiting overseas in Taiwan and China as well as domestically.

• Clare McGrath-Merkle, OCDS, '04, has written an article that will appear online in November for the Journal Religion and Health entitled, “Gregory the Great’s Metaphor of the Physician of the Heart as a Model for Pastoral Identity.” Exploring a case history of apostolic identity, Clare also wrote the introduction and interview questions for the autobiographical account of Catholic thaumaturge Stella Davis, published in August and entitled, Spiritual Warfare: Lessons on Deliverance from Spiritual Bondage to Freedom in Christ, available on Amazon.com. Clare will also present a paper at the Religious Research Association’s annual meeting in Baltimore, MD, October 31st, held in conjunction with the Society for the Scientific Study of Religion. The program theme is Religion in Unsettled Times. Her paper entitled, “Deritualization of the Roman Catholic Priesthood and Episcopacy in the Current Crises of Sexual Misconduct and Vocations.”

Rev. Kenneth Pauli, OFM, MDiv '90, chief of staff to the president of Siena College here, celebrated the 25th anniversary of professing life as a Franciscan friar and 20 years as a priest this past June.

Dennis Pierce, MTS '09 July this year marks my fourth year as DRE at St. Katharine Drexel!

Christine Page, MTS '09 :I am getting ready to begin my second year of teaching Upper School Theology at Connelly School of the Holy Child in Potomac, MD. The school is wonderful (www.holychild.org), and it is really a blessing to teach our students- they are terrific young women!

Fr. Victor R. Santiago Mateo, S.T. '80: Since 2002, Fr. Victor, a member of the Missionary Servants of the Most Holy Trinity, has been the Director of the Congregation's pre-novitiate program in Antioquia, Colombia. As of July 1 he will be responsible for the pastoral care of Our Lady of Soledad Parish in Coachella, California.

Marie Barry, MA '08: participated on a panel at Temple Sinai, Washington, DC, in May on the topic of social justice. Her fellow panelists were a Methodist layman and a rabbi of the Reform tradition.

Daniel P. Horan, OFM: recently had an article published: "Digital Natives and Franciscan Spirituality," Spiritual Life 56 (Summer 2010): pp. 73-84. Dan is currently teaching in the Department of Religious Studies at Siena College in Loudonville, NY.

Thomas Chirdo, MDiv '00: was certified by the Association for Clinical Pastoral Education as an Associate Supervisor in April 2010. He is currently supervising CPE students at New York Hospital Queens in Flushing, NY.

Anastacia Wooden, MA Systematics '09 has received a full scholarship to Catholic University’s Doctoral program in Systematic Theology. She will begin her studies in the Fall of 2010 and continue her research on the ecclesiology of Russian Orthodox theologian Nicholas Afanasiev and his connections with French Catholic theologians at the time of Vatican II.

Diane Burroughs, MAPS '00 is a professional Chaplain at Hospice of Marion County in Florida.

Fr. Joseph M. O'Neil, MS: has been reappointed supervisor of the LaSolette Motherhouse in Hartford, CT.

Fr. James Aherne MS'73: is Pastor of the Immaculate Conception Church in Holyoke, MA. Along with another priest, he takes care of the Spanish community in Chicopee, MA. He is also chaplain of the Haitian Community in the Diocese of Springfield, MA.

Fr. Francois M. Pellissier '81: Since 2003 has served as Major Gifts Officer for Glenmary Home Missioners in Cincinnati, Ohio. He is involved in Worldwide Marriage Encounter with Section XVIII (Hispanics). He is serving his second term on the Board for WWME.

Deanne Rose VonBargen '87: Currently ministers with native people on 6 reservations in southern California along with 3 other RSCJ, 2 MSC sisters and an MSC priest and brother. “Together we work and pray together with Luiseno and Cahuilla peoples. We all do whatever is needed – Sacrament prep, supporting our small school for Grades 1- 5, and most importantly, the ministry of presence (we go to all funerals and funeral dinners). It is very difficult to be “white” and to overcome decades and centuries ofabuse by the US Government as well as missionaries”.

Sean Sheridan, TOR, MDiv '07: concurrently completed a licentiate in canon law from Catholic University of America, and then in 2009 earned his doctorate in canon law there. He has since been appointed as faculty at CUA's School of Canon Law, where he specializes in the subjects of the Magisterium, Catholic education, and consecrated life. Sean also assists with weekend liturgies at St. Joseph Church in Herndon, VA, a parish administered by his religious community.

Kevin Davis, MA '05: begain teaching this January at Bishop Ireton High School, a college preparatory school in Alexandria, VA that is affiliated with the Oblates of St. Francis de Sales. He teaches course on scripture, church history, and the sacraments. Kevin is presentaly between the coursework and dissertation phases of completing his PhD in systematic theology at Duquesne University in Pittsburg. He and wife Rani Biswas, GC '09, live in Arlington

Deacon Bartholomew J. Merella, MTS '97:Reports the birth of his 9th grandchild (6th granddaughter), born on December 20. As many of you might know, Deacon Merella is also Registrar of WTU.

Natalie Pearl Regan, MDiv '09: Accepted a position as the Director of Graduate Admission at Saint John’s School of Theology·Seminary in Collegeville, MN, following her graduation. Natalie completed her final year of coursework at Saint John’s while her husband, Jeff, began his MA program in Liturgy. They both live in nearby Saint Cloud and enjoy all that Saint John’s has to offer. In her spare time, Natalie engages with the Saint John’s Bible and storytelling.

Cathy Melesky Dante, M.Div '09: Has recently taken on full-time parish ministry as the Director of Adult Faith Formation and Ministry Development for St. Charles Borromeo Church in Arlington, VA. She continues to live in Washington, DC, on the Georgetown University campus where her husband Michael Dante, MDiv/MA '06 is a part-time chaplain while completing his doctoral studies in spirituality at the Catholic University of America.

Yvonne Stewart, GC '09: Yvonne has been utilizing her prior medical career as a physician's assistant to serve the needs of incarcerated persons at a Baltimore County jail for more than a year. She will soon be transitioning to the position of Clinical Director at a Kolmac Clinic in Silver Spring, MD, an outpatient treatment facility for people fighting alcohol and drug addictions. In her spare time, she enjoys working on remodeling projects at her house in Sandy Spring, MD.

Raymond Maher, O.Carm, MTS '96, GC '06: Fr. Maher received certification from the National Association of Catholic Chaplains in December, 2009. He has been appointed Catholic Chaplain at the Togus VA Medical Center in Augusta, Maine.

Joanne Cahoon (Graduate Certificate '03, '04) moved last summer from her full-time position as the Union’s Director of Enrollment Services to part-time staff in that office. In early spring 2009, Joanne founded In-Spirited, LLC (In-Spirited literally means to encourage/embolden) as an umbrella for her work as a retreat facilitator, spiritual director, presenter, teacher, consultant, and certified professional coach.

Anna LaNave (MAPS Spring '09), has been appointed the regional director forLandingsInternational- a Paulist ministry for returning and inactive Catholics. She will be heading up the new Washington DC office, located at St. Paul's College. She also has co-authored a book from Bayard Press entitled - "When They Come Home: Ways to Welcome Returning Catholics" which will be published next month.
To contact her - landingsdc@yahoo.com

Daniel Shanahan (MA '05), has founded a database design and web development company called New Leaf Data that specializes in helping non-profits and small organizations, including churches. He and his wife Sarah have recently moved back to their hometown of Toledo, Ohio and bought their first house. They have a one-year old daughter, Hazel.

Michael Goggin '05, and his wife Tess are blessed to announce the birth of their son, Jerome Patrick, on November 15th. Jerome Patrick was named in honor of Father Jerry Hall, SJ, WTU’s beloved Liturgy professor who passed away suddenly in March.

Rea McDonnell, SSND, Cert ’87formerly director of Continuing Education at WTU, has been teaching in the college program in prison in Jessup, Maryland. The woman who began the program to educate women in the Jessup prison has been nominated for a $25,000 prize which she will turn over to MCIW (Maryland Correctional Institution for Women).
If you would like to vote for her, please vote today. This voting applies to all states and has been extended to Nov 24, 2009. You have to include your email address.
Click on www.womenofworth.com and look in the upper right hand box for a small "vote now". Click on the picture of Judge Brenda Murray and the MCIW College Degree Program, Inc. Thanks, on behalf of so many women hungry to learn.

Susan Mitchell, MAPS, '00 Susan is currently at the Union again finishing up a certificate in Spiritual Direction. She is a board certified Catholic Chaplain, working at Holy Cross Hospice and Home Care, and recently published a book, Through The Valley, The Way of the Cross for the end of Life. It was published first in Ireland by Veritas press but is now available in the United States. ISBN 9781847301741. The book actually started out as a paper for a course at the Union in Summer 2008, Megan McKenna's seminar on Fear entitled, Facing the Tiger. She added to it and refined during the Fall of 2008 in Fr. Wimmer;s course on Biblical Foundations of Contemporary Spirituality. It is a series of meditations on the Stations of the Cross as applied to those who are facing death, or accompanying their loved ones. It can be used both as a liturgical service and for personal meditation.

John Duggan, MA ’01, a licensed clinical professional counselor (LCPC), is the new Director for Senior Outreach Services at the Affiliated Santé Group in Silver Spring, MD, where he supervises a team of clinicians who provide psychotherapy and geropsychiatric services to qualifying home-bound seniors needing mental health care. John also maintains a small private practice, facilitates group sessions for students in programs for ministerial formation, and works as a psychiatric crisis clinician in the emergency center at Holy Cross Hospital in Silver Spring.

Marielle Frigge, OSB, MA ’79, has authored a textbook for introductory courses in scripture entitled Beginning Biblical Studies that was published in September by Anselm Academic, the college division of Saint Mary’s Press. She has been teaching scripture and theology at Mount Marty College in Yankton, SD, for 30 years.

John Goltz, MA ’09, works as a Web Assistant for the AFL-CIO. On September 27, he married Andrea Foster at the Cathedral of St. Matthew in Washington, DC, and they have just bought their first house in Hyattsville, MD.

Clare McGrath-Merkle, OCDS, MTS '04 is a doctoral student in spirituality at the Catholic University of America who recently published a peer-reviewed article entitled "Generativity and the U.S. Roman Catholic Bishops' Responses to Priests' Sexual Abuse of Minors" in The Journal of Religion and Health (published online, Sept. 25, 2009).

Juan Molina, OSST, MDiv/MA ’99 has been appointed Foreign Policy Advisor for Global Trade and Latin America at the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB). He previously served as Advocacy Program Coordinator for the Southwest Region of the U.S. for Catholic Relief Services (CRS) and holds a Ph.D. in economics from Fordham University.