Erin Purcell '24: Helping People on their Worst Days
For career inspiration, Erin looked no further than her family of first responders and their calling to “help people on their worst days.”
This June, Emmanuel College celebrated a historic Alumni Weekend welcoming more than 400 alumni back to campus, including record numbers of members of the Classes of 1970, 1971 and 1972 to commemorate their 50th reunions.
This June, Emmanuel College celebrated a historic Alumni Weekend welcoming more than 400 alumni back to campus, including record numbers of members of the Classes of 1970, 1971 and 1972 to commemorate their 50th reunions. This was the College’s first in-person reunion since Emmanuel’s Centennial in 2019 and the College’s first-time hosting three 50th reunion classes in one weekend. During a special event on June 2nd, Sister Janet Eisner, SNDdeN was honored for her more than four decades of transformative leadership at Emmanuel College. Friends and colleagues offered reflections on Sr. Janet’s tenure and the College unveiled a tribute wall chronicling her many years of service to Emmanuel as a faculty member, Director of Admissions and President.
In her remarks at the event, Sister Janet reflected on her journey at Emmanuel saying, “What is the common theme uniting all these advances? It lies in never losing sight of the mission and in always putting students first. And what is the takeaway? It is that when good people come together in common purpose, extraordinary things can happen.”
Beginning on Friday, the Classes of 1970 and 1971 celebrated their 50th reunion milestones over dinner. Members from both classes gave remarks with themes of nostalgia and joy. Members of the Class of 1970 were thrilled to dedicate classroom 332 in the Eisner Administration Building as a result of their fundraising accomplishments of $2.6 million from 28% of their class over the last three fiscal years.
Saturday morning and afternoon, there was a full slate of events including learning opportunities, campus tours and a calligraphy workshop led by Edwina Shannon ’77. The Classes of 1951 and 1967 each had their own class gatherings to catch up with one another, while the Post-50th Luncheon welcomed ’67, ’65, ’64, ’62, ’60 and ’57 alumnae.
On Saturday, alumnae from the 50th reunion classes of 1970, 1971 and 1972, as well as members of the faculty, processed into the Alumni Weekend Mass honoring Sister Janet. The Mass was celebrated by His Eminence Cardinal Seán P. O’Malley, OFM Cap.. Fr. Robert Kickham, Fr. Terrence Devino, SJ, and Monsignor Kevin O’Leary served as concelebrants. Following the Mass, Cardinal Seán blessed a restored statue of St. Julie Billiart, foundress of the Sisters of Notre Dame de Namur. Guests then gathered for a cocktail reception to celebrate Sister Janet, sponsored by the Alumni Association Board of Directors.
More than 100 members of the Class of 1972 celebrated their 50-year reunion dinner on Saturday night. In her remarks to the class, Alumni Association Board Vice President Pat Tobin ’72 reflected, “I was struck by something Sr. Janet said about our College in her Commencement address, that ‘community is everything.’ That sense is what unites us here this evening. It is what motivates us to support Emmanuel’s future and her future students. It is what has brought us back for this celebration, some of us for the first time since 1972. It is what inspires us to keep the memory of our lost classmates alive.”
Concluding the weekend’s festivities was a lively performance on the Quad by World Premiere Band, enjoyed by alumni of all ages. View Photo Gallery »
The Alumni Weekend Mass was celebrated by His Eminence Cardinal Seán P. O’Malley, OFM Cap.. Fr. Robert Kickham, Fr. Terrence Devino, SJ, and Monsignor Kevin O’Leary served as concelebrants.
