Our Lady of Wisdom Academy Alumnae Gather for Final Reunion

Pat Wolosz, Associate of Wisdom, OLWA Alumnae ‘64

On September 10, 2022, 225 Our Lady of Wisdom Academy graduates from as far away as the states of Washington and California gathered at Immaculate Conception Center in Douglaston, NY, for the 19th annual OLWA Luncheon. It was a bittersweet moment in time because this would be the final luncheon that came to fruition because the classes of ’70 and ’71 missed out on celebrating their 50th anniversaries due to COVID closings.

Sr. Ann Gray, DW, OLWA class of ‘53 and former Daughters of Wisdom Provincial Leader, offered grace with the members of the OLWA Alumnae Committee at her side. After a mouth-watering and plentiful lunch, alumnae President RoseMarie Brennan Curley, OLWA class of ’55, gave the alumnae report. She informed the gathering that, since the luncheons began, Wisdom alumnae contributed more than  $277,000 to the Sisters’ retirement fund and said that when accounts are finalized, the total will probably be in the vicinity of $300,000. Sr. Evelyn Eckhardt, former Daughters of Wisdom Provincial Leader, OLWA class of ’62, and a member of the current Daughters of Wisdom Leadership Team, brought everyone up to date on the latest happenings in the province.

Sr. Evelyn Eckhardt, DW, talks about the current ministries of the Daughters of Wisdom, US Province, at the final gathering of Our Lady of Wisdom Academy. OLWA was a school staffed by the Daughters of Wisdom in Ozone Park, NY. (Closed 1970.) Photos above by Donna Hartmann and Ellie Filippone, and video courtesy of Donna Hartmann.

After the alumnae delighted in a varied array of delectable desserts, thirty baskets were raffled off in a Chinese auction. Daughters of Wisdom, Provincial Leader, Sr. Catherine Sheehan, picked the winning ticket in the cash raffle. The alumnae then stood to sing both verses of the school song, “Hall of Wisdom,” which evoked many fond memories of a school that closed its door 52 years ago but remains very much alive in the hearts of her graduates.

OLWA alumnae gathered for the final time on September 10, 2022, at Immaculate Conception Center in Douglaston, NY. In this video, they sing their school song. Video courtesy of Marie Cipolla Beninati, OLWA class of ‘64.