Cathedral High School, Ticats welcome 102-year-old alumna home for special honour

It wasn’t your typical pilgrimage, but a 102-year-old nun from Hamilton returned home for a trip down memory lane and a special honour.

Cathedral High School and the Hamilton Tiger-Cats paid homage to Sister Mary Sheridan, one of the first females to attend classes at the old boys school back in the 1940s.

Sister Mary is a huge Hamilton Tiger-Cats fan and a proud Cathedral graduate, a school where she thrived academically and developed her love for football.

“You graduated in 1941, as the gold medalist from the class of 1941,” said Vince Lepore, a teacher and school archivist at Cathedral High School, who welcomed Sister Sheridan.

She was well accomplished inside the classroom, devoted to her faith and loves the game of football.

Each an element that shaped the life of Sister Sheridan, who returned to her alma mater Monday since graduating almost 85 years ago.

“It was just natural to come to Cathedral, I mean, it’s a Catholic school and I’m a Catholic, so I came to this school,” said Sister Sheridan.

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Staff at Cathedral High School welcomed home the 102-year-old nun, along with her family and friends for a historic visit during Catholic Education Week.

One that included a viewing of the school’s wall of distinction.

“She and her sisters found out about the alumni Hall of Fame and about the very famous Scientist of Faith murals,” said Lepore. “So they arranged to have what they call ‘The Road Trip’ back to Hamilton.”

Lepore says Sister Sheridan was a gold medallist for the school’s highest grade average and a recipient of the Religion Award.

The high school presented Sister Sheridan with their School Letter Award — one of the school’s most prestigious awards for all her accomplishments.

She was also one of the first females to ever attend class inside the old boys school.

“For the first time, they allowed girls to come to their school for Grade 13,” said Sister Sheridan. “So, I was one of the first ones to go. I loved every minute of it, I had fun.”

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The latest visit builds on the school’s efforts to locate and honour as many students from its treasured past and help connect them with the present day student body.

“She (Sister Mary) graduated with our mother Vernata DeRubis, and it all snowballed from there,” said Irma Perski, who graduated with Sister Sheridan.

“And our aunt, Anna DeRubis, was a 1928 grad of Cathedral,” said Mary Stodolak, who also graduated with Sister Sheridan, “and that’s her ring I’m wearing, her graduation ring.”

Sister Sheridan’s trip signed off during a much-anticipated visit to Hamilton Stadium — the home of her favourite football team and the sport she grew to love while attending Cathedral.

“Protect them, may they not suffer any injuries,” said Sister Sheridan, “and we don’t mind if you let them win.”

Sister Sheridan currently resides in the North Bay area, and spent her life in the Catholic faith, which included missionary work.

The high school says so far, they have roughly 165 former students that they’ve honoured on their wall of distinction and have plans for a timeline exhibit, highlighting the school’s accomplishments.

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