Continuing A Legacy – Br. Ron Event Recap
Over the past three issues of the Beehive we have shared the story of Br. Ronald Marcellin ’52, who is nothing short of an iconic figure in the tradition of Stanner High. Br. Ron taught with passion. He tapped into the underutilized talents of his students, and helped them to achieve their goals in ways they thought they never could. His work positively affected the lives of generations of students and alumni, which is what his vocation was all about. But it always seemed to be more than a vocation for Br. Ron – perhaps more of an innate ambition to help and inspire young people. The qualities he instilled in his students were his own deepest beliefs, and in 2014 it continues to show in those same individuals. Since Br. Ron’s passing 21 years ago, Molloy alumni have taken up his torch and carried on his tradition of helping students to rise to their potential.
The 20th Annual Br. Ron Marcellin Scholarship Dinner & Raffle was held on Sunday, January 19th at longtime Stanner-friendly Trinity Restaurant & Bar in Floral Park. There, Br. Ron Committee members gathered with alumni and friends to reconnect, reminisce, and raise money for the Br. Ron Marcellin Memorial Scholarship. By awarding this scholarship, Molloy has helped Stanners in need to receive emergency assistance, psychological counseling, and, in recent years, the gift of education with a full scholarship. Ernesto Vega ’11, a 
biochemistry major at Hunter College, has not forgotten the opportunity his Br. Ron Scholarship afforded him. “It put me in a great position for life,” said Ernesto. “The scholarship helps people who truly need it. All of the recipients appreciate what it provides for us. When I was asked to be a part of this event tonight I was 100% ready to go. Finally as an alumnus I can give back, and hopefully I can continue giving back in the future.” Ernesto helped sell raffle tickets during the event and spoke poignantly about his Molloy experience. Other recipients of the scholarship, including Edwin Casmir ’13 and current student Enrica Cotellessa ’15, were on site and also shared words of thanks with our alumni. Their presence showed firsthand just how this and other scholarships can impact truly deserving, great kids. (Pictured: Ernesto, Edwin, and Enrica)
Others who addressed the packed house were Mr. Lou Santos, a Spanish teacher and softball coach at Molloy as well as one of the founding members of the Br. Ron Committee, and Richard Walker ‘81, who served as auctioneer for some fantastic prizes. 
These included tickets to NY Rangers and NY Yankees games, as well as the amazing opportunity to see the one and only “Piano Man” Billy Joel at MSG. Rich also helped announce our raffle winners, who received prizes including a room at the NY Athletic Club and tickets for Newsies on Broadway, a PS4 gaming/media console, and a 55” Samsung HDTV (*Note: All raffle winners, including the 50/50 winner, were present or have already been contacted). “We had a great group of alumni, faculty and friends onhand to remember Br. Ron and support his scholarship,” said President Richard Karsten ’81 of the event. “Br. Ron’s following has grown even stronger 21 years after his passing, and we hope our scholarship recipients will help us carry on his legacy for the next generations.” The Stanner Alumni Center would like to once again thank all alumni who helped make this event a success, including the dedicated Br. Ron Committee, and Mike McGuire ’81 and Trinity Restaurant & Bar for being our gracious hosts for the 20th straight year. (Pictured: Class of 1981’s Richard Karsten, John Michels, Jim Galowski, and Rich Walker)
Browse our photo gallery from the Br. Ron Scholarship Dinner & Raffle.
Sharing Our Mission
by Joe Sommo ‘03
Molloy is one of many schools wholly owned and operated by the Marist Brothers throughout the world. In the US, seven such schools educate young people with the Marist Charism. Along with core curriculum studies, Marist Brothers and lay faculty teach St. Marcellin Champagnat’s mission and lead by example by showing their devotion to Catholic education. After all, if students are to accept their responsibilities as young Marists they must see these marks put into action by their mentors. The same can be said of the relationship between development professionals and alumni. Do we all accept St. Marcellin’s mission, and if so how do we put it into action? How can an alumni association work with alumni to reinforce and nurture this mission? How can one be Marist in their life?
In December, development professionals from US Marist schools came together at the Marist Brothers Center at Esopus for a workshop called Sharing Our Mission, which is one of many programs regarding Marist Evangelization organized by the Brothers each year. Molloy President Richard Karsten ’81 and myself worked alongside directors from Mount St. Michael Academy (Bronx, NY), Christopher Columbus HS (Miami, FL), St. Joseph Academy (Brownsville, TX), Central Catholic HS (Lawrence, MA), Marist HS (Chicago, IL), Marist HS (Bayonne, NJ), and Roselle Catholic (Roselle, NJ) in an effort to reinforce our understanding of St. Marcellin’s mission and how we incorporate it into our professional practices. Br. Steven Milan, Br. Dominick Pujia, and Br. Owen Ormsby led daily prayers while Molloy favorite Br. John Kl
ein conducted several seminars that concentrated on different aspects of St. Marcellin, his teachings, and the ways in which we express these values specifically to our alumni. “Why did people first get on board with Champagnat,” proposed Br. John. “Because he was unique. He sought change. He called upon individuals to become something larger than themselves. He asked the Brothers to be selfless in support of his mission to educate young people. That is exactly what we do today.” The seminar continued with St. Marcellin’s establishment of the Marist Pillars: simplicity, the family spirit, love of Jesus through Mary, and hard work. These Pillars are a base guideline for Marists of all generations to draw inspiration from in their daily lives. The Marist Brothers embodied these Pillars in Molloy classrooms for decades, and many alumni who think back would surely recall the hard work required to advance each year, as well as the great family spirit and personal spirituality they experienced everyday. The Pillars also set precedent for the Marks of a Marist Student, which the Brothers have shared with schools and alumni in recent years. These Marks are another way to think about the Pillars. (CLICK HERE for more on the Marks of a Marist Student). Br. John later explained that despite his struggles, St. Marcellin always went the extra mile to accomplish his goals. This is an aspect of his determination that we must adopt as lay Marists. Just as a teacher goes the extra mile to inspire students, an alumni association must also go the extra mile to help and inspire alumni.
Also presenting during Sharing Our Mission was President Karsten, who has been an ambassador of the Molloy community for over 30 years. Based on the writings of St. Marcellin on nurturing a community, as well as other stories from his life, Richard highlighted various principles that informed the group of the way Molloy works in its development and alumni relations endeavors. Through personal contact, thoughtful communications, and treating each new experience as an event, Molloy has been able to foster a vibrant alumni community in which we all work together and many interactions are often spurred by alumni themselves. Richard also introduced thoughts on branding and marketing, drawing from his years of experience as head of Karsten Creative LLC. All Marist schools can benefit from delivering clear messages to their alumni while utilizing those aspects of our schools’ traditions that make us unique. Richard’s presentation provided much food for thought, leading to a lengthy Q&A session and much positive feedback.
I felt Sharing Our Mission was very informative. Meeting in the tranquility of Esopus alleviated the day-to-day distractions we encounter, and I derived inspiration from the words of the Marist Brothers as well as the other development professionals. Establishing connections with these individuals has also opened up new avenues for sharing thoughts and ideas. How can we perpetuate the Marist mission with our alumni? How can we work with them to help our students achieve their goals? Through our words and actions, in the spirit of leadership and influenced by the Marist Charism, we hope to inspire you to get involved. Be who St. Marcellin calls you to be – a part of something larger than yourself. Grow in your spirituality. Volunteer to put the needs of others before your own. Treat others respectfully and equally. Work to keep our Molloy community vibrant everyday. The more we work together, the more fulfilled we become, and the deeper our understanding of St. Marcellin’s mission grows.
Around the School
New Track & Field Records
On January 11th, Molloy saw another remarkable Stanner Games come and go, but not without some records being shattered. A nationally recognized track & field meet, Stanner Games pits the best high school competitors in the country against each other at New York’s historic Armory. Coach AJ Power ’84 reports, “2,459 individual events contested, 395 relays, 124 teams, a one hour technical delay on the infield and we still finished 20 minutes early!” This year, Mary Ellen Woods ‘15 set Molloy’s 600m record at 1:40.01, while Deana Lucci ’15, Grace Anne Crockett ’15, Shannon Pizzella ’14, and Niamani Morrison ’14 completed the shuttle hurdle relay in a stunning 36.86. These historic performances have set new benchmarks our future Stanners will surely aim to beat. Browse some photos from this year’s Stanner Games below. (Pictured above are Mary Ellen Woods ’15 (Left) and her sister Kathleen Woods ’12, who holds Molloy records for Indoor 1600m & SMR, and Outdoor 1600m, 2000m Steeplechase, 3200MR, 6400MR & DMR) | See More Stanner Games Results
In addition to Molloy’s impressive showing at Stanner Games, Coach Power proudly announced that Deanna, Niamani, Mary Ellen, and Kayla Rayder ’15 have qualified for the Sprint Medley Relay at the upcoming Millrose Games. Also qualifying was the team of Daniel Saczyk ’15, Branden Warders ’14, Ray Henry ’14 and Patrick Cashin ’14 for the Boys 3200 Meter Relay. According to Coach Power this is the first Molloy boys team to qualify since 1996. Results of the qualifiers can be viewed HERE. The Millrose Games take place on February 15th at the Armory.
Miguel Astudillo ’91 asks that our community pray for his nine year old son Christopher. Christopher is currently in the Texas Children’s Hospital suffering from complications of a relapse of Acute Myeloid Leukemia. According to Miguel, “My entire family and friends have been praying constantly to God, Jesus, the Virgin Mary and all the angels and saints for Christopher’s health. I would like to ask the Marist community if they can also pray for my son.” Please keep Christopher Astudillo in your thoughts and prayers as he continues to work toward recovery.
Louis S. Milo ’78 will be the guest of honor at the 114th Anniversary Dinner of the Cathedral Club of Brooklyn, which will Take place at the NY Marriott Marquis in Times Square on February 6th. The Cathedral Club assists the works of the bishop of Brooklyn and hosts many diocesan events throughout the year. Lou will be honored for his philanthropy and community outreach, which he has displayed in his native Flushing as well as here at Molloy for many years. Lou is the founder and president of Milrose Consultants Inc., which has become one of New York’s leaders in the field of permit expediting and code consulting. Lou has used his position to do good for others, participating on the Boards of Tiro A Segno, Archbishop Molloy High School, AHRC, Tourettes Syndrome Golf Committee, New York Special Olympics, Real Estate & Construction Committee, The Ronald McDonald House, and Doodle for Hunger. Lou has also acted as Chairman of the Capuchin’s Food Pantries annual theater event in New York City, which helps to feed thousands of New York’s underprivileged families. At Molloy, Lou has been an ardent supporter of the Jim Kinnier Stanner Alumni Golf Classic for over 20 years. As part of the Stanner Golf Classic Board he has been instrumental in helping his alma mater raise over $100,000 annually for the benefit of the students of Molloy. These students receive scholarships that help them attend or stay enrolled at Molloy where they may not be able to under different circumstances. Lou’s sense of urgency as a volunteer and in his pursuit of helping others is profound and truly represents our motto, “Not for school but for life.” Molloy is proud to support Lou as he accepts this honor from the Cathedral Club of Brooklyn. If you would like to attend, contact Martin Cottingham at (212) 729-8017 for reservations.
It was with great sadness that we announced the passing of Mr. Cornelius O’Riordan, father of former faculty member Brother Dan O’Riordan ’85, last week. Br. Dan taught many Stanners for many years, and his continued work with young men and women inspires all of us at Molloy. In this time of sorrow we express our love and support to Br. Dan and his family by remembering Cornelius O’Riordan in our thoughts and prayers. Donations may be made in memory of Cornelius O’Riordan to the Marist Brothers Center at Esopus. Condolences may be sent to:
Marist Brothers Center at Esopus
ATTN: Br. Dan O’Riordan
Box 242
Esopus, NY 12429
Please pray for the repose of the soul of Daniel Campbell ’64, who passed away in December 2013 after a valiant battle with brain cancer. He is survived by his wife of 42 years Margaret, their three sons Colin, Curtis and Clifford, and his best friend Mike Convey ’64. Daniel sserved his country in the military, where he developed and maintained many lifelong friendships. He was heavily involved in his community, organizing many activities and charity affairs, and serving on many committees. Daniel had his own law practice and taught law at St. John’s University. He will be missed by all of the aforementioned, his childhood friends and others that he met in life.
We are saddened to share news of the passing of Denis E. Kellman Esq. ’66. Denis would be remembered by his classmates as a track & field star at Molloy, and he was also awarded for academic excellence during his time as a Stanner. He will be dearly missed by his family and friends. Please keep Denis Kellman in your thoughts and prayers.
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