9 November 2022
briefly updated 15 November 2023
Dear Fellow Alumnus,
As was announced several years ago, we will hold our final American College of Louvain Alumni Association Reunion. Most appropriately, it will be held in Leuven, Belgium the place where our individual European studies began however many years ago. The reunion will begin early evening Wednesday, and will end with the Closing Mass/Final Banquet on Saturday evening, August 2024, (date changed to 2025, exact dates forthcoming.)
At this last reunion, we plan to celebrate the gift and blessing that The American College of Louvain has been for each one of us. Since we realize that airfare is going up, we plan to keep our costs for the actual reunion registration at a minimum to allow for the slight increase in travel costs.
We hope to have a large turnout for this final gathering. Likely, many will travel to other European destinations before or after the reunion in Leuven. Travel costs have increased a great deal since the pandemic which is now an epidemic. I myself traveled on a Danube River Cruise this August and am going for a meeting in Scotland next week. In all these trips I have not had any major problems or difficulties with flying or traveling.
As the coordinator for final reunion of the American College Alumni Association - Catholic University of Louvain, I have reached out to a number of individuals to assist with the reunion planning and details—John Pinette, Johan Van Prys, Jacqueline O’Connor (longtime member of Our Lady of Mercy Parish in Brussels), Viktor Slabbinck, John Steffen, (former staff member at the College), and some others. The first four have been able to get back to me, and are enthusiastic about the upcoming reunion as well as eager to assist.
Following the plan from the last reunion in Belgium during 2017, there will be about twenty-five rooms available at The American College residence in 2025 (pending confirmation). There will also be a designated hotel in the immediate area at a reasonable price of about $100 or so a night. At the 2017 reunion, some attendees found other lodging such as the Irish College and elsewhere and recommended them for future stays. Your choice of lodging in 2025 will be up to you, and we will give you several options to consider in our next communication which will hopefully be sent out right after the new year.
To keep the registration fee at a reasonable level, we will also do as we did last go around in Leuven, giving you chances to find your favorite restaurants one or more evening(s) and perhaps a simple lunch or two together or on your own. This will keep our costs to mainly the final banquet expenses, possible breaks, refreshments, office expenses, etc. At this time, this could amount to about $300 dollars a person or certainly in that ballpark.
With warm regards and God’s peace,
Fr. Bob Flannery ’73, ACAA Reunion Coordinator 2025
Cell: 618.303.7412
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SPECIAL NOTE!: One of the challenges forwarding information about the reunion and other alumni news is that the alumni list does not always have the latest updated email address. One way you can help us out immensely, regardless if you are able to attend the reunion or not, is to please pass this e-Newsletter and information along to your classmates and friends from the American College, especially those who may be celebrating special priesthood anniversary years.
Word of mouth can be very effective in accomplishing our goal of reaching everyone about this important, final reunion. Besides being an opportunity to celebrate our experience at the American College over the years, it will also be the last business meeting to discern allocation of remaining funds to help support the Saint Damien Scholarships and Community which helps students studying Theology, Philosophy, and Canon Law, while living intentionally as a group in the American College residence.
The American College Alumni Association Board thanks you in advance for being ambassadors by spreading the news to all your friends and contacts from your ACL days!
Bob