Mount Assisi Academy
Alumnae Portal
news from and about graduates
of the former mount assisi academy
Mount Assisi Academy was established by our Sisters in 1928 as an all-girls high school. It was located in and adjacent to our former motherhouse at Mount Assisi Convent in the Bellevue area of Pittsburgh, Pa. The first class graduated in 1932 and the last in 1978. The school enjoys a dedicated following among alumnae who remain connected to “The Mount.”
1972 grads Celebrate Collective 70th Birthday
Several members of the Mount Assisi Academy Class of 1972 gathered at Sunny Jim’s restaurant in Pittsburgh on May 3, 2024, to celebrate their collective 70th birthdays. Among the birthday girls were Carol Munsch Tedesco, Deb Novak, Sue Anne Hogan Markle, DeeDee Giovanazzi Barb Stroyne Sambroak, Pati Holesh Gildersleeve, Marian Yavorka Jobe, Joan Bender Kresek, Gloria Patchan Flannery, Margi Thunnell Levri, Rochelle Londino Miljus and Val Jodkin Dreger.
Class of 1957 Celebrates 66th Anniversary in Style
The Mount Assisi Academy Class of 1957 gathered on the occasion of their 66th anniversary. Catherine Rapp Brannon organized the two-day get-together over June 7-8, 2023. A small group of grads, their husbands and Sister Pat Marie (Mark) Buranosky dined at Bravo! in the North Hills on Wednesday, then met again on Thursday outdoors at North Park for a potluck-style meal. “The spirit of the ‘girls’ was so uplifting,” says Sister Pat (seated at front). Pictured with her are Janet Melche D’Alesandro, Ruth Weiser, Catherine Rapp Brannon, Diane Smitzer Kimpton, Maryann Eckert Doyle, Mary Cummings Burgert, Gloria Szyper Clauss and Eileen Walsh Froelich.
A Visit from Oldest Living MAA Alum
June 2, 2023 — Sister Patricia Ann Mahoney welcomed two special visitors to our Provincial Office in Pittsburgh on May 30 — a mother and daughter pair who both graduated from Mount Assisi Academy. Mary Kucan Hamas (MAA 1941) and her daughter Linda Hamas Meissner (MAA 1969) stopped by to see “Sister Patty,” who is a distant cousin. At age 99, Mary is the oldest known living graduate of MAA and looks forward to attending our Welcome Home alumnae event in October.
RIGHT WHERE THEY LEFT OFF
There are three pairs of sisters in this 2022 photo of an all-grads get-together of Mount Assisi Academy alums. Pictured are (from left) DeeDee Giovanazzi (1972), Gina Cassandro Hicks (1975), Renee Parey Lee (1973), Susan Szkola Tee (1974), Karen Cassandro Clipper (1974), Annette Giovanazzi (1975) and Susan Parey (1975). “Our conversations never end,” Karen says. “Somehow, we hit pause, and continue right where we left off when we see each other again.”
CLASS OF 1965 CELEBRATES 70TH BIRTHDAYS at “The Mount”
The Mount Assisi Academy Class of 1965 had such a wonderful time visiting “The Mount” for their 50th reunion in 2015 that they immediately made plans — two years in advance — for a collective 70th birthday celebration in 2017. Fifteen classmates gathered in the Sisters’ Dining Room on August 12, 2017. They are (from left): Mary Ann Gubish, Yvonne Turner Rose, Barbara Myers Lugaila, Barbara Harnyak Butchko, Virginia Elish Durbin, Nancy Metz Pivirotto, Nancy Ann Markovich, Natalie Chieffe Kinsler, Cathy Benec O’Brien, Ann Marie Philipanec Bisesi, Rosemary Lesko Manion, Josette Hrames Heilmann, Margaret Lutz Mazur and Mary Ann Mueser Petkervich.
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Order Your Commemorative Mount Assisi Academy T-Shirt
A Monumental Task: Cemetery Project Gets Underway with Support of MAA Alumnae
Obituary: Sister Jude (Martha Dolinich) Dies at Age 82
Annette Giovanazzi ‘75 Pays Tribute to Sister Elaine Hromulak
Lorraine Vogel Darr ‘66 Reflects on Sister Jude’s Eye-Opening Influence
Sister Mark: The Right ‘Type’ of Teacher for Mary Ann Petkervich ‘65
Patty Ryan ‘68 Recalls Her Home Away from Home at MAA
Kathleen Helfrich-Miller ‘72 Recalls Unforgettable Life Lessons at MAA
MAA Opens Wider, Worldly Path for Frances Kralosky Dice ‘66
Florence Braszo ‘54 Recounts ‘Baskets’ of Fond Mount Assisi Memories
