Knights in the News

O'Connell alumnus and Arlington resident, Frank Fumich '86 is an avid marathon runner. In fact, he's an ultramarathon runner, which means he competes in races which consist of three marathons in a row, covering 78.6 miles. So when he heard about the death of 8-year-old Martin Richard at the Boston Marathon last month, Fumich did what he does best. He ran. And he ran far. He contacted his friends and family and let them know he would be running a 78.6 mile course around the Washington D.C. area in honor of the young boy and other victims of the bombings. With the help of a friend and a fundraising web site, Fumich raised much more than his $26,200 goal, and the funds kept coming in. His story was captured in the Washington Post and on the evening news.

On Saturday, June 8, at the Cathedral of St. Thomas More in Arlington, three DJO alumni--Brendan Bartlett '93, Thomas Cavanaugh '99, and Christopher Hayes '88--will be ordained to the priesthood. Please join the Bishop O'Connell community as we pray for all vocations, and especially for our three alumni. Click on this story to read more about their unique paths toward their vocations.

When Connor Lynch '05 was studying film at Xavier University, riding a bike across the North American continent might have been one of the furthest things from his mind. Fast-forward to May 2013 and Lynch is 1,000 miles into a two-person 6,500-mile bike trek from New York City to Alaska. He is the director of photography for a documentary which follows the adventure of Chandler Wild, the subject of this film, as he embarks on this journey to honor the memory of his father. You can follow Lynch and Wild on this journey via social media.

Bishop O'Connell music ensembles traveled to Myrtle Beach, S.C. in April to compete in the World Strides Heritage Music Festival. The O'Connell Singers—-the school's select women's vocal ensemble—-was surprised and elated to walk away with the highest honors bestowed on a choral group. In addition, sophomore guitarist, Turner Richmond, was recognized with the Maestro Award for Best Jazz Solo. Both choral groups received Gold (Superior) Awards, and the instrumental groups received Silver (Excellent) Awards.

Junior Alessandro Luna and freshman Virginia Schilder were recipients of multiple awards at the recent Northern Virginia Science and Engineering Fair held at Wakefield High School. Luna's project is entitled "The Effects of Cell Phone Carrier Type on Electromagnetic Radiation Emissions," and earned 2nd place in the physics category along with several corporate awards. Schilder's project, entitled "The Effect of N-Acetyl Cysteine in Preventing or Reversing DNA Mutation of Yeast Cells," earned 2nd place in the medicine and health category and additional corporate recognition.

There was a time in recent past when plans for a new or renovated Catholic church would often include a strikingly modern building design. But the trend is changing and in parishes across the country there are capital campaigns and building projects centered on a return to a more traditional design. James McCrery '83, founder of McCrery Architects in Washington, D.C. is one of only a handful of architects in this country whose area of expertise is at the forefront of this trend. In 2011, after a national search and intense interview process, McCrery was commissioned by Rev. Michael Burbridge, the Bishop of the Catholic Diocese of Raleigh, N.C. to design a new cathedral campus for the diocese, with the 2,000-seat Holy Name of Jesus Cathedral at its center.

The O'Connell softball team continues its success on the field,defeating Northern Virginia powerhouse Stone Bridge, 3-0, earlier this month in a non-league game. With a record of 11-0 (6-0 in league play), they are ranked #2 in the Washington area, and have also moved up to the #2 spot in the nation, according to both the NFCA/USA Today High School Poll and the MaxPreps.com rankings. Jill Sorenson, from CSN Washington, filed a nice story on the Knights' pitcher-catcher duo of Tori Finucane and Jillian Ferraro which played recently during the evening SportsNet Updates.

Washington D.C. is one of eight cities to host a women's professional soccer team as a part of the newly formed National Women's Soccer League (NWSL). On the roster of the Washington Spirit, is 2007 O'Connell graduate and soccer standout, Kika Toulouse.