Black Tie Gala and Centennial Mass Set To Culminate Year-Long Centennial Celebrations

This weekend marks the highlight of a year's worth of centennial celebrations for Regis High School. On Saturday, October 24 at 6:00 p.m. Regis High School will host a black tie Gala at the Waldorf Astoria. Rev. Joseph M. McShane, S.J. ’67, President of Fordham University, will deliver the keynote address to a sold-out audience of Regis alumni, family, and friends.

Then on Sunday, October 25 at 2:00 p.m., His Eminence, Timothy Michael Cardinal Dolan, Archbishop of New York, will be the Principal Celebrant at the Regis High School Centennial Mass at the Church of Saint Ignatius Loyola. Most Reverend Frank J. Caggiano ’77, Bishop of Bridgeport, will serve as homilist. Those without tickets to the Mass will be able to watch the broadcast on Sunday evening at 9:00 p.m. EST on Telecare TV (channel 471 on Time Warner Cable, channel 296 on Verizon FIOS, channel 137 Cablevision, wordlwide at telecaretv.org).

Speaking at a September 15 ceremony honoring the landmark status of the historic Regis High School, U.S. Senator Charles Schumer remarked, "Regis boasts alumni from across the spectrum of public life who give back to society with service, or inspire us with their words, or make us think with their art. Judges, University presidents, members of Congress, Ambassadors, Bishops, writers, actors, academics: the list of notable alumni is long and distinguished."

In a letter of congratulations to the school, Governor Andrew Cuomo continued that theme, stating, "The loyal members of the Regis family demonstrate that a first-rate education develops leaders in whatever sphere of endeavor they may choose."

Indeed, Regians continue to shape the world we live in today. Notable alumni currently in the news include:

Anthony Fauci ’58, Director of the NIAID and leading voice on the international Ebola crisis
John O'Keefe ’57, co-winner of the 2014 Nobel Prize for Medicine
Matt Thomas ’93, New York Times best-selling author of We Are Not Ourselves
Congressman Andy Harris’74, representing Maryland's 1st district
Arthur T. Minson, Jr. ’88, CFO of Time Warner Cable
Colin Jost ’00, co-anchor of Saturday Night Live’s Weekend Update
Patrick Fitzgerald’78, former U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Illinois
Phil Klay ’01, New York Times best-selling author of Redeployment
Rev. Joseph M. McShane, S.J. ’67, President of Fordham University
Most Reverend Frank J. Caggiano ’77, Bishop of Bridgeport

Since its founding, Regis High School has played a vital role in the social and educational history of New York. Founded in 1914 by an anonymous benefactor and supported by the generosity of her family, its alumni and friends, Regis offers tuition-free Jesuit college preparatory education to Roman Catholic young men from the New York metropolitan area who demonstrate superior intellectual and leadership potential. In the admissions process, special consideration is given to those who cannot otherwise afford a Catholic education. 32% of enrolled students are members of minority groups and 40% are the sons of immigrants. Regis High School remains the only all-scholarship Catholic secondary school in the country.

Regis has not just survived these 100 years: it is thriving. At a time when the status and future of education in New York has never been more intensely debated, the Regis Centennial Gala and Mass presents an opportunity for the community to reflect on the unique and unparalleled contribution Regis has made by providing 100 years of tuition-free education in the spirit of traditional Ignatian values.