They got married!

Mr. & Mrs. Patrick and Alexa Foss... 

It's official! They got married! Former Steds AR, Paddy Foss MBA '22, and Lexi Riccolo ND Law '21 were married at St. Thomas Aquinas University Church in Charlottesville, Virginia making a day even more spectacular. With Fr. Ralph officiating and surrounded by their families and friends, Lexi and Paddy, exchanged theirs vows with smiles and joy on the grounds of their undergraduate Alma Mater, UVA.

On Lexi joining the Steds Family, former Steds AR, Pete McKeon, shared, “St. Edward the Confessor himself has some competition in the confessing department these days! Through teary eyes, I witnessed Paddy confess his undying love for Lexi this weekend. Gentlemen rejoice, for there is no woman more worthy of being welcomed into the Steds family. Truly, this is the stuff of fairytales" while former Steds AR Nate McKeon stated, "Another Cavalier added to the Steds collection! Paddy made every Gentleman proud when he tied the knot with Lexi in Charlottesville. Virginia really is for lovers! Picking up slack where Paddy falls short, and always making her new husband look good, Lexi is a welcome addition to the Steds family.”

Best wishes and congratulations to Lexi and Paddy!

... and Fr. Ralph declaring victory with Nate and Pete McKeon.

THERE'S MORE....

Hall apparel sales are going on now, and you too can look Steds sharp wherever you may be. To place an order, click HERE.

BUT THERE'S STILL MORE...

To listen to this week's installment of In the Red Room on:

iTunes, click HERE.

Spotify, click HERE.

Update: A man...

Taking a break: Miller (left, in Steds hat) in Bryce Canyon 

... on a mission. Earlier this year we heard about how a Stedsman was cycling from Maryland to California for the Ullman Foundation, a foundation that helps young adult who have cancer. Well, as summer draws to close, how did Chase Miller's '21 cross country cycling ride go? 

On his cycle adventure, Miller shared, "Wow, what a bike ride - 51 days for a total of roughly 3,000 miles from Baltimore, Maryland to Orderville, Utah, which is just outside Zion National Park. Now, that's short of the goal of California. Unfortunately, I had to leave the ride prematurely since medical school at Creighton started before the end of the ride.

This was honestly the most intense experience of my life. The people I met along the way made the journey that much more rewarding, and I’m honored to forever be a part of the Ullman 4K Family. Along the way,  I got some pretty cool photos too. Thank you for following along on my cause to help young adults and adolescents diagnosed with cancer. If you have any questions about the ride or otherwise, email me."

THERE'S MORE....

Hall apparel sales are going on now, and you too can look Steds sharp wherever you may be. To place an order, click HERE.

BUT THERE'S STILL MORE...

To listen to this week's installment of In the Red Room on:

iTunes, click HERE.

Spotify, click HERE.

It's back!

Listen today!

Everyone's favorite podcast is back! That's right, In the Red Room is once again bringing listeners stories from Notre Dame's oldest and most storied residence hall, St. Edward's Hall. With a new co-host joining the podcast, Fr. Ralph is delivering a weekly cast where residents are interviewed, discussing the amazing backgrounds, stories, and endeavors the Stedsmen are up too. Found on iTunes, Spotify, and SoundCloud, listen today and hear greats as well as a few laughs too. On the return of the In the Red Room, an unnamed Stedsman declared, "I am listening!"

To listen to this week's installment of In the Red Room on:

iTunes, click HERE.

Spotify, click HERE.

SoundCloud, click HERE.

BUT THERE'S MORE....

Hall apparel sales are going on now, and you too can look Steds sharp wherever you may be. To place an order, click HERE.

Your Sunday picture...

Happy Sunday

... from Notre Dame. Here is a view of Mary and the Dome with the summer foliage of God Quad in the foreground. It's a beautiful day, what the picture cannot capture is the heat and humidity. Truth be told, it is just a bit warm and humid. Still, it's a beautiful day. Enjoy the view, and enjoy your Sunday wherever you may be!

Saturday Squirrel.

Stay away

Our furry friends are taking a break this week so that another campus friend can make an appearance. This friend is someone who doesn't like the spotlight. Matter of fact, many of us, despite living here, have never seen him. Who is this mysterious friend? It's a snapping turtle. Spotted on St. Mary's Road, this snapping turtle was taking a break... right in the middle of the road. It looked as if he was moving from St. Joseph's Lake to St. Mary's Lake, but the trip proved to be a bit too much. So, he decided to take a rest. And that's what the turtle did until a brave passerby picked him up and moved him off the road. On being spotted, the snapping turtle non-verbaled, "What are you looking at?"

Disaster...

Making peace: Donovan and the printer

... averted! Disaster was averted at Steds when the printer finally came to its senses and began printing again. Why wasn't it working in the first place? Did we say something? Well, if we did, it's talking. All that matters is that the printer is now functioning once again, allowing Stedsmen of every age and class level to print to their hearts content... or at least to their University print quota. On the printer being off-line for the past two and half days, freshman and Texan, Curtis Donovan, said, "I didn’t know pain until the printer was broken. Thankfully, my love is back up and running and the crisp paper that St. Ed’s is so well known for is back flowing."

They got married!

Mr. & Mrs. Ryan and Anatasia Masjak... 

It's official! They got married! Ryan Masjak ’15 and Anatasia Evanich '15 were married at Old St. Mary's in Milwaukee, Wisconsin making a most beautiful day even more beautiful. With Fr. Ralph officiating and surrounded by their families and friends, Anatasia and Ryan exchanged theirs vows with great emotion and happiness. On Anatasia marrying into the Steds Family, Nick Kelsey ’15 shared, "If there are two things Steds loves, they are love and Steds. The wedding marked a special occasion to celebrate Anatasia and Ryan, and Stedsmen, from near and far, are elated to welcome Anastasia to the Steds family!"

Watch the video HERE.

... and with their Steds Family...

... and then it was to a celebration of the new couple! 

It's only...

Braun: PRINT!

... the second day of classes, and we're already dealing with a situation of epic proportions. What's the problem? The University printer! Every residence hall has a hall printer, and Steds is no different. But what is different about the Steds printer is that it's not printing. Despite everyone coming back from summer, it appears as if the printer is still on summer vacation. Even after repeated calls to the Office of Informational Technology (OIT), the computer people on campus, to the disappointment and frustration of all, the printer is still non-functioning. One disappointed and frustrated Stedsman is Marcus Braun, senior and Dodger fan, who normally exemplifies his native California's chill attitude. But this situation has been a real test for this senior. On the printer, Braun said, "It is with continued frustration that I find myself trekking all the way to La Fortune Student Center every time I need to print a document. My only question to Notre Dame's OIT is ‘How long must we suffer?’”  

TODAY...

Davidson: Ready to learn...

...is the first day of classes for the new academic year. Regardless of class level, spirits are high, and the zeal for learning palatable. But this is particularly acute for our newest Stedsmen, our forty-six freshmen. After arriving on Friday and completing orientation on Monday, the Steds freshmen are ready for the start of classes and the learning to commence. One bright eyed and eager Steds freshmen is Colin Davidson. On going to his first college class, Davidson shared,"Given the fact that I had set my alarm for 8PM instead of 8AM, I’m shocked I even woke up to go to my first class. I’m so glad I did, for more reasons than my attendance grade. Today has been an exciting start to the year, and I look forward to more.”

... and so is all of Steds...

... and the local TV station covered it too.

Your Sunday picture...

Wish you were here

... from Notre Dame. Here is a picture of the Mary, the Sacred Heart of Jesus statue and Main Building on a beautiful summer day. What cannot be captured are perfect temperature and low humidity levels. Enjoy the view, and enjoy your Sunday wherever you be!

Move In Day!

Jekot (R) welcomes Kurowski (L)...

The energy and excitement of the Steds Welcome Week Committee was palatable as the newest Stedsmen arrived and took up residence in their new home. With perfect temps and no humidity, it was the best Move In Day for a long time. Under the direction of Michael Jekot and Jack Kalicak, with assistants Daniel Jung and Ben Somerville, the Welcome Week crew worked efficiently not only unloading the car of baggage but also washing windows and performing a "light' car wash. Of course, all of this was done with a smile.

On his Move In Day experience, Andrew Kurowski, Virginian and first Steersman to arrive, said, “While it was not the prettiest car wash crew I’ve ever come across, the St Ed’s welcome team made me feel immediately accepted in the storied and unique community of the oldest and best hall on campus."

... the washing commences...

... Storch looks for another customer...

... the Welcome Week Crew are all smiles...

... while the Hall Staff engages in hijinx...

... and McGuire does a bit of last minute weeding...

... all happening in the shadow of the Dome.

A Rocky Mountain high....

Past and future: Fr. Ralph and Weltner...

... has come to an end. Yes, Bobby Weltner '14 and his year long sojourn in the front range of the Rocky Mountains at the Holy Cross Novitiate in Cascade, Colorado, has come to an end with him professing temporary vows of celibacy, poverty, and obedience for the Congregation of Holy Cross. These temporary vows can be renewed after a year, and eventually, after professing three years in a row, they will be perpetual, or final, vows. But now, after spending a secluded year at Marigreen Pines in silence, prayer, and occasion manual labor, Weltner will return to Notre Dame and begin his theological studies. Congratulations to Weltner and prayers for his continued discernment to the priesthood and religious life with Holy Cross. On Weltner professing temporary vows, Fr. Ralph shared, "It's great to have Bobby join the Holy Cross Family. Without any doubt, we are better for it!"

... with the timeless beauty of creation in the background.

Follow up: What are they doing...

Open and ready to flip

... at La Fortune? Yes, what was all the construction about? Well, the campus Subway has been replaced with something new... Flip Kitchen. Specializing in artisan pizzas, toasted wraps, and "epic" mac n cheese, Flip Kitchen not only offers these items but also a menu that "flips" every month or so. What the menu will flip to is anyone's guess, but something that will continue not to make an appearance is a tuna fish sandwich. On the new restaurant, Fr. Ralph said, "Out with the old and in with the new... until we need to flip to something else."

What are they doing...

Abandon Alumni: Closed for a year

... at Alumni Hall? We know there's construction going on at La Fortune, the Basilica, and the front gate, but what is all this construction about? Well, Alumni Hall is being renovated during the upcoming academic year. Closed for the entire year, Alumni Hall will undergo a year long renovation so that when done, it will feel like a brand new residence hall. But there's a catch. All Alumni residents will have to live in Zahm Hall for the entire year. A high price indeed! Once done, residents will return in the Fall 2023. On the renovation, the an unnamed University official stated, "Alumni residents are going to like their renovated hall."

All roads lead...

Ruggles, Hilly, Paz, and Sherman...

... to Chicago. While Stedsmen go all over the nation and all corners of the globe, it appears that Chicago is the proverbial crossroads. More Stedsmen cross each other's paths in Chicago than any other city. It's true, and as evidence of this, these two pictures. On the very same weekend, two groups of Stedsmen gathered in the Windy City, celebrating a graduation and a birthday. First, gathering at Griffin Hilly's '17 home, a group of Steds gathered to celebrate his wife graduation while across Chicagoland, another group, the rising senior class of 2023, gathered to celebrate too, Tyler Knapp's birthday. Regardless where they were, all had a good time. On the gathering with other Stedsman, Brandon Ruggles '17 said, "All of us wore Steds independently. We didn't plan. We're always repping Steds."

... and the rising Steds senior class.

What are they doing....

Making it better...

... in the Lady Chapel of the Basilica? We know there's construction going on at La Fortune and other places across campus, but what is all this construction about? Built to mark the 50th anniversary of Fr. Sorin's priestly ordination, the Lady Chapel appears to be need of attention, particularly its windows. The windows need to be strengthen and seal so that not only do they hold the beautiful stain glass in place but also keep the water out. In recent years, water was seeping into the chapel when it rained or the snow melted appears. On the new Lady Chapel windows, another unnamed University official stated, "Don't look behind the plastic curtain. Really. It's a mess."

... really.

Saturday squirrel.

Not White Claw...

Walking around St. Mary's Lake, you'll run into many of our furry friends, but if you're lucky, you just might see one with a white tail. Yes, that's right. One of campus squirrels has a white tail! Loving called White Tail, you can't miss him when he's out and about. Some else you should know about White Tail is that he's not shy. On having a white tail, White Tail non-verbaled, "It's different for sure, but I like to think of it as a bit of flare."

... White Tail!

Are they still...

No words needed...

... on Summer Break? Yes. Yes, the Stedsmen are still on Summer Break. The big question is what are they doing during this seemingly never ending break. Well, some are enjoying the great outdoors in Big Sky country. Steds rising senior and resident hoosier, Patrick Campbell, is taking in all that Montana has to offer, and in the process has taken some amazing photos that really do capture the majesty and beauty of the state. On his Montanan adventure, Campbell declared, "America is truly beautiful.” 

 

They're getting married!

A picture perfect yes!

It’s official. They’re getting married! Valerie Jose ’19 of PE and Howard and Stedsman Parker Mathes ’19  are getting married after Mathes proposed.  Thankfully, Val said YES! A wedding date has been set for August of 2023 in St. Louis. On their engagement, Stedsman, ND football player, and Californian, Sam Bush, said, “It’s an incredible occasion! It’s not every day that your best friend and freshman year roommate gets engaged to you other best friend’s Junior year Yacht Dance Date (shoutout to the one and only Drew Montemarano). In all seriousness though, it’s something we all knew was coming and were just waiting for it to happen so we could celebrate Parker and Val. The biggest of congratulations to them. Can’t wait to hear Mo Money Mo Problems at least a dozen times at the wedding."

Best wishes and congratulations to Val and Parker!