Debbie Zawne and Denise Owens, 1966 graduates of St. Cyprian School, were among those who gathered on Saturday to say farewell to the River Grove school.
“For us, it wasn’t just school. It was our life,” Zawne said. “For our small little town, St. Cyprian was priceless.”
It is closing as part of the Archdiocese of Chicago’s Renew My Church initiative, with a united parish to be formed with Elmwood Park-based St. Celestine Catholic Church. Though both churches will continue to operate under the combined St. Mother Theodore Guerin Parish, St. Cyprian’s school will close.
Zawne and Owens were part of an alumni party that took place after the 5 p.m. Mass on Saturday. The party was in the school’s foyer and St. Cyprian’s pavilion, and attendees were invited to look at old yearbooks and scrapbooks and explore the classrooms.
Tom Tarpey, T.J. Tarpey and Bob Bilik, all St. Cyprian alumni, joined Bill Hayes in providing a free beverage bar called the Tarpey Tap for guests.
Zawne said she now resides in California, and she came to the alumni party to see her old friends and St. Cyprian School. She said many in her graduating class remain close today.
More Top Picks Best Lighted Magnifying Glasses For Hobbies
While walking down the hallways of St. Cyprian, Zawne said she and Owens reminisced about a May crowning that they participated in as eighth-graders.
“These are not our school memories, but our childhood memories,” Zawne said. “It’s very special.”
Richard Christman, who graduated in 1958, flew to the event from Atlanta. He said it’s sad to see the school close.
“There’s a warm place in my heart for St. Cyprian,” he said. “I was an altar server, and I lived a block away. I was very close with the nuns.”
Christman said the school prepared him for life because it gave him moral guidance that stayed with him throughout his high school and college years.
“The education was superb,” he said.
Suzanne Davis, who graduated in 1983, said she was excited to see her seventh-grade teacher, Barbara Sedivec, who taught at St. Cyprian from 1971 to 1986.
“I remember making Ukrainian Easter Eggs with Ms. Sedivec,” she said.
During the Mass, the Rev. Darrio Boscutti spoke to alumni and parishioners about the uniting of the two parishes. He also recognized each decade of graduates, starting from the 1940s.
He said for many people, attending Mass at St. Cyprian is medicine for their souls.
“When you are good to others, you are good to God,” he said to the alumni. “Always be good to one another.”
