On the Hill

Saint Meinrad welcomes ALL alumni back on the Hill for the 97^th annual Alumni Reunion from August 3-6, 2025. This year the reunion is packed full of worship, entertainment, and fellowship, featuring praise and worship with Steve Angrisano, a presentation on synodality by Fr. Joe Friend, and a session on “Loneliness and Community” with Br. Zachary Wilberding, OSB.

Alumni who arrive on Sunday, August 3, are invited to join the monastic community in the Archabbey Church for Vespers. Steve Angrisano, Catholic composer, speaker, and music missionary, will lead worship and praise in the St. Bede Theater that evening, ending with night prayer. A reception will take place at 7:30 p.m. in the Alumni Commons.

Monday morning reunion events will kick off with a campus tour or a networking and discussion opportunity for catechesis, evangelization, and parish ministry leaders. This is a great chance for our alumni who work in ministry to share their practices and ideas and learn from each other. Guests will then be able to join the annual golf scramble or attend a presentation by Steve Angrisano titled “Rich Ritual.”

Fr. Joe Friend will present in the afternoon, “Synodality: A country priest’s journey to meeting the Pope.” Fr. Joe is the pastoral administrator for Holy Cross Church in Crossett, AR, Holy Spirit Church in Hamburg, AR, and Our Lady of the Lake Church in Lake Village, AR.

Midafternoon, guests can take an art tour led by Fr. Denis Robinson, OSB, as well as a tour of the Archabbey Library and Institute for Sacred Music.

The day will conclude with the anniversary class banquet, celebrating the classes of 1965 (60th anniversary), 1975 (50th), 1985 (40th), 1995 (30th), 2000 (25th), 2015 (10th), and 2020 (5th) as well as the college class of 1995 (30th anniversary). The Alumni Commons and UnStable will be available for socializing after dinner.

On Tuesday, Morning Prayer will take place in St. Thomas Aquinas Chapel. Then, Br. Zachary will lead the Day of Recollection with a session on “Loneliness and Community.” Br. Zachary served as the director of monastery vocations for the past eight years and recently became the vocations socius, coordinating visits of vocation guests to the monastery.

In the afternoon, there will be an opportunity to tour the Abbey Caskets workshop, followed by confessions in St. Thomas Aquinas Chapel.

Archbishop Patrick Pinder, celebrating his 50th anniversary with the college class of 1975, from the Archdiocese of Nassau, Bahamas, will preside over the Alumni Reunion Mass. Archbishop Pinder graduated from St. Augustine’­s College (Nassau) in 1971 and entered seminary at Saint Meinrad the same year. He was ordained a priest in 1980. In 1988, he completed his Doctor of Sacred Theology at The Catholic University of America and later that year was appointed rector of St. Francis Xavier Cathedral. Archbishop Pinder was appointed Moderator of The Curia and Vicar for Pastoral Affairs in 1997 and was invested as a Chaplain of His Holiness with the title ‘Monsignor’ in 1999. In 2002, he was appointed Vicar General of the Archdiocese. His episcopal ordination took place on August 15th, 2003; the same date he was ordained a priest in 1980. He was appointed Archbishop by Pope John Paul II and installed as Archbishop of Nassau on May 4, 2004.

During the reunion banquet, Fr. Denis will present the distinguished alumnus award, honoring Dan Conway, C’75, (‘67-75), of Louisville, KY. See page ?? to read more about Dan.

On Wednesday, guests attending the Louisville Bourbon Experience will depart at 8 a.m. Transportation from Saint Meinrad will be provided. They will tour the following: Kentucky Peerless Distilling Co., Evan Williams Bourbon Experience, and Kentucky Artisan Distillery.

Reunion details and updates can be found at http://alumni.saintmeinrad.edu and on the alumni Facebook page, www.facebook.com/SaintMeinradAlumni.