Family, friends, other relatives and former classmates honored 550 named former Mater Dei High School students as well as all other faculty, administration and graduates who have died in a special Mass of Remembrance held Saturday at St. Mary, Mother of God Church in New Monmouth.
The 550 named deceased is an increase of 43 over those named in the memorial mass last year.
The Reverend Jeff Kegley, pastor of St. Mary’s was celebrant of the mass with Kerrin McCarthy Regan., Class of 2011 the cantor.
The Memorial Mass and remembrance are an annual event at St. Mary’s, organized, planned and arranged by a team of graduates led by Mari Campanella Kovach, class of 1978, Tom Dooley, class of 1965, and Cathy Daniels, Class of 1979. The trio has been coordinating the program since it started and names each of the deceased from 1965 to the present.
Family, friends and former graduates came from throughout New Jersey as well as New York, Pennsylvania and Maine to pay their respect to the deceased, some of whom passed before graduation with their class, others as recently as this year.
Steve McCarthy, class of 1974 and Kovach did the readings during the Mass and Deacon Marty McMahon served as Deacon and read the Gospel, Organist was Diane Testa.
Each of the names in the Necrology, which were read before the final prayers of mass, by administration, family, faculty or classmates. They included John Anderson, administration, Kovach, Sister Patricia Russo, faculty, Dr. Ken Dugan, ’65, Daniels, ’79. Ellen Poole, ’72, Muriel Smith, mother of Kathy Smith Palamara, ’74, Jim Keating, ’76, Christopher Begley, ’78, Bill Stefanski, ’84 andDooley,’65. Sister Patricia Russo, former faculty member both at Mater Dei and St. Agnes School in Atlantic Highlands, came from Buffalo, NY and presented the gifts, along with Muriel Smith. Steve McCarthy, ’74 and Begley, ’78, were Eucharistic Ministers.
Among the more than 125 faculty members remembered in the Necrology were Monsignor Robert T. Bulman, the school’s Founder, Mother Bede Loob, the founding principal, and principals through the years The Rev. William Lynch, John V Lonergan, Sister Mary Hugh, Frank Poleski, and Frank Outwater. Among the Sisters of St. Francis, who have staffed the school since it opened, were Sister Catherine Tronolone, Sister Clara, Sister Clarinda, Sister Jeanne, Sister Johnathan, Sister Joseph, Sister Dolores, Sister Donald, Sister Marchan, Sister Marie Dvis, Sister Nancy, Sister Patricia Garner and Sister Patricia Haly, Sister Doreen, Sister Rose Marie, Sister Rosemary, Sister Salesia and Sister Seraphia. Also included was former history teacher, Thomas C. Murray, who was the founder of the Memorial Program and inspiration for Kovach. Dooley and Healy to continue it annually. The most recent class who lost a member was 2015, and Rueban Rodriguez was included in the Necrology.
The mass concluded with the congregation praying the Prayer of St. Francis of Assiss together in honor of the order of Sisters who taught in the school.
A social gathering with light refreshments was held at St Mary’s following the Mass, thanks to the hospitality committee led by Cathy Daniels, Ellen Poole, and Maria Miele Skribner, class of 1983, all graduates of Mater Dei.
Anyone wishing to provide updated information to the Mater Dei High School/Prep Memorial Necrology, or want to actively participate in next year’s celebration should email Kovach at deckhill@comcast.net. Classmates, friends and relatives are invited to include or update information and urged to plan on attending the mass and memorial in September 2026.
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