Never underestimate...

A Steds Moms Weekend Celebration

... the manners of a Steds Gentleman nor the resolve of a Steds mother! That's especially the case when it comes to Moms' Weekend. The most favorite weekend at Steds, Moms' Weekend 2020, fell victim to the pandemic, with all the advancing planning coming to naught. But a sad email canceling the event sent to all attending Steds moms from the weekend's commissioner, Jared Walsh, was not to be the end because the one thing that Covid-19 did not take into consideration was... one word... Zoom. Can't come to Notre Dame? No problem. We'll do on Zoom! And that's exactly what Steds moms and sons did on Saturday and had a transcontinental, virtual Steds Moms Weekend on Zoom! Over the upcoming days, we will bring you the happening from these gatherings as well as the thoughts of these ingenious Steds moms.

Our first Moms Zoom Weekend had moms and their sons zooming for some quality mother/son time. Dialing in for great conversation and libations, moms and sons were able to have that special bonding time that every mom wants and every son needs.  Present at the gather were Mothers Blossfeld, Crudele, Cyrs, Davis, Edwards, Lamb, Molyneaux, O’Donnell, Quinlan, Restic, Turk, Utley, and Youseff.

Our mothers' thoughts...

On the gathering , Diane Crudele, mother of Devin, Steds senior, and Kyle, Steds junior, said, "These senior moms missed Mom’s Weekend but decided to make an effort to unite with their sons. Many happy smiles and a few tears were had as we shared updates and had a surprise visit from Father Ralph! May everyone stay healthy and safe!"

Maureen Cyrs, mother of Steds Bengal Bouts' champ, Matt, said, "And So We Pray" as our senior sons quarantine together in off campus houses...never imagining they'd be bonding like this, while we pray for their protection.  Not allowing us to be denied the STEDS tradition of Mom's Weekend, Zoom became our makeshift platform for yet one more year of unforgettable memories... reminiscing about the past, acknowledging the current unprecedented reality of finishing their time at Notre Dame online & hearing about their futures...the next chapters of their lives."

While Jack Barrett's mom, Maggie, offered, "Mothers hold their children's hands for a little while but their hearts forever. We are so proud of our Steds gentlemen! Nothing could have stopped Mom's Weekend!"

BettyJane Blossfeld, mother of Steds senior Josh, added, "We are so lucky St. Ed’s began the tradition of hosting Steds Moms weekends, which allowed the moms of the Gentlemen to become so close. We were all sad to miss it this year, so we had a virtual mom’s weekend zoom chat, including the moms and all of our boys! Our Moms/sons group chat extended from Oregon to the East coast and from the Midwest to the South! It was fantastic to see everyone healthy and happy! Despite the pandemic, the Saturday evening Moms bonding time happened anyway! We all enjoyed “being together” - we laughed, toasted our group, gave updates, and shared our deep faith and wonderful friendships! God bless the Gentlemen of St. Edwards."

Finally, Jennifer Edwards, mother of Cole, added, "St Edward's Mom's Weekends have been so special. I was looking forward to one last memorable weekend with this fantastic group of moms and sons. Although there was great disappointment when the event was cancelled, I feel fortunate to have been able to attend the last three years. The friendships that have formed are a true blessing. Thank you to Fr. Ralph for starting Mom's Weekend! Just another reason St. Edward's Hall is so special! Even though it wasn't the Mom's Weekend we planned, it was great to be able to get the moms and some together again...virtually at least."

Beth O'Donnell, mother of Brendan shared, "We pray that life at Notre Dame will return to normal for the Fall semester, while we lament that classes and interaction have ceased and that graduation ceremonies won’t take place as originally planned. But there is hope. Lesser halls than St. Edward’s have canceled all planned activities, but the bond between the sons of Steds and their mothers was not to be denied. Despite seemingly insurmountable obstacles, Mom’s Weekend did happen! Thirteen sets of mothers and sons gathered virtually from across this great land to honor mothers in Steds style. Just as it takes the best to raise the best, it takes the best to fete the best – so that “she who gave you birth be joyful!”

Karen Turk, Mother of Matt, added, “God, Country, Notre Dame and of course Saint Edwards Hall Moms Weekend!☘️”

Paul Youseff's mom, Diane, said, "Seeing our sons, enjoying the camaraderie of each other during this pandemic, brought a smile and a tear to our faces... and we even got to watch Paul grill pork chops and corn on the cob!"

Walker Utley's mom, Nora, added, "Both my friends and myself, as well as our mothers, regard Mom’s Weekend as one of the best few days of the school year. While we had no fancy dinner nor drinks afterwards, everyone was still able to get together, which is what matters most."

Susie Restic, mother of Eric, shared, "We were amazed, quite frankly shocked, that the Senior Steds Zoom party went so smoothly! We had visions of utter chaos with twenty-six participants. It was a ton of fun to see everyone's face, and Elizabeth and Diane did a great job of keeping things orderly, tho the boys were continually messaging throughout the hour. Highlight was Fr. Ralph’s “guest spot”! Happy Easter!"

and finally....

Elizabeth Quinlan, mother of John, was so moved by the conviviality of the evening that she was left speechless!