October15, 2026

DM Express

Here is the latest news from DeMatha:

• Hall of Fame TICKET DEADLINE NOV. 1 - The DeMatha Hall of Fame Ceremony will be held on Sunday, November 8 in the Looney Convocation Center from 2:30pm to 6pm. Click here for tickets and details. 
  
• DeMatha Admissions will host an Open House on Sunday, November 1 from 11:00-1:30pm. Welcome concert starts at 10:30. Information session starts at 11:00. Register here. Please help spread the word by sharing the event with prospective families or sharing our posts on Instagram or Facebook.
  
• We had a successful Homecoming student cookout and dance, and came away with a win over Good Counsel this past weekend.

• Stag Symposium's latest episode, featuring DeMatha Football Interim Head Coach Bryce Bevill '90, is available anywhere you listen to your podcasts. Listen here.
  
• DeMatha entered a partnership with Mount St. Mary's University in which DeMatha students will receive an automatic $5,000 scholarship to attend Mount St. Mary's. Announcement photo here.
  
• The Kaleidoscope Concert is happening October 24, 2026. Tickets are available here.

• The next DeMatha Express will come out on October 22.

In Memoriam:

• Enrique "Neil" Jograj '94. Enrique passed away earlier this year. There will be a Memorial Mass for him on Saturday at 10am at St. Edward's in Bowie. Channel 2 in Baltimore did this Veteran's Spotlight on Enrique here.

• There will be a local funeral for Russ Maffay '77 on November 9 at 10am at St. Hugh's in Greenbelt.

• Sam Serio, father of Nick '94 and Andrew '97. Obituary.
  
• Paul King, husband of Rosilyn (Roz). Roz is the former DPO President and member of the Senior Boosters. Paul and Roz are alumni parents and grandparents. We literally learned of Mr. King's passing as we were putting this out. More information next week. May he Rest in Peace.

Athletics:

• The varsity football team (6-1) beat Good Counsel last Friday Night, 35-0. The team hosts Bishop McNamara tomorrow at 7 at the Sports & Learning Complex in Landover. Chace Irvin '28 was named the DMV Player-of-the-Week by The Washington Sun. Awesome photo here of Chace by Jacob Lang '28.


Ticket info for tomorrow (please note there is a small tech issue with their website and the link will take you to a page where you will need to click the red "Back to All Events" to purchase tickets for tomorrow's game). The game will be streamed here.

• The varsity soccer team is 6-3-3 on the season. The team plays at McNamara today at 4pm, and will play at Gonzaga next Tuesday at 7pm.

• DeMatha’s varsity cross country team enjoyed its best performance of the season last Saturday. With junior Kenneth Osuji Jr. leading the way, and two sub-17 finishes, the Stags took 13th place in a field of 49 in the Black & Gold seeded varsity division of the Maryland XC Invitational, their best finish at the meet since placing 7th in a smaller 22-team field during their 2022 championship season.

• Coy Gray '28 was selected to represent Team USA for the IC Rod Laver Junior Challenge, an international junior tennis competition taking place Oct. 14-16 in College Park, Maryland. The top junior players compete in this Challenge to advance to the Worldwide Finals.

Alumni:

• Conrad Katulski '78 is retiring at the end of October after 47 years in the telecommunications industry. Conrad and his wife Brenda live in Surfside Beach, SC.
  
• Hugh Harris '86 completed the Hawaiian Ironman competition last weekend. Congrats!

• Mike Hibbs '80 will be honored in November at Bullis where he taught and coached in the early 2000s. His 2002 hoops squad won a conference title.
  
• Ed Murphy '91, Severn Run High School Softball Coach, received the 2025-2026 Craig T. White Service Award from AACPS Athletics. This award recognizes "Teaching Life Lessons Through Sport" Coach Murphy and his Severn Run softball team volunteered multiple times at a local food bank.
  
• Dominic Kazzi '22, the grandson of the late Tony Fotos, completed Officer Candidate School (OCS) and has been commissioned as an officer in the US Navy.

• DeMatha Stag Marshawn Lloyd scored two touchdowns in Green Bay's rout of the Chicago Bears last Sunday.

• Great turnout and day last Friday for the '83 Open at Renditions GC. The event was organized by Steve Ganey '83 and Steve Hipps '83. The event raised funds for the Brendan '99 and Maureen Looney Scholarship at DeMatha.

• Kelton Sparks '25 of Morgan State was named Offensive-Lineman-of-the-Week in his team's Homecoming win over Robert Morris last weekend.

• Lincoln Crosby '23 was named the Co-Player-of-the-Week in golf in the Empire 8 Conference. Lincoln golfs for Nazareth University.
  
• Interview with Mason So '23, who plays basketball at Mt. St. Mary's. Click here.
  
• Dr. Darnell '94 Barnett's, Ed.D., tutoring company, The Educational Tutoring Center for Academic Achievement, has reached over 60 students.
  
• Lester Crockett '15 graduated from the District of Columbia Fire Department on August 20th. Currently, he is a firefighter/EMT for DCFD Engine 26, Truck 15, the same engine company as his father.

Events & Miscellaneous Information:

• Make your RMD count for DeMatha - Invest in the next generation of Stags. Required Minimum Distribution (RMD), is the minimum amount you must withdraw annually from certain retirement accounts like traditional IRAs and 401(k)s once you reach a specific age (over 70). These withdrawals are subject to taxes. Failing to take the required distribution can result in a significant penalty. Your RMD can be sent directly to a qualifying charity, like DeMatha. You will not be eligible for a tax deduction but the amount of the withdrawal will decrease your taxable income. You will thus avoid having to pay tax on the withdrawal. To qualify the money must go directly from the financial institution to the charity. It is always wise to check with your accountant or financial advisor.
  
• Come join us for our next R&B Meet-Up on Thursday, October 15th from 6pm-8pm. It will be taking place at Ireland's Four Courts in Arlington, VA (2051 Wilson Blvd. Arlington, VA 22201). RSVP here.
  
  The first drink will be covered by DeMatha. We look forward to seeing everyone on October 15th.
  
• Hockey "The Cooler" Dinner & Auction will be held Saturday, Nov. 21 from 6:00-10:00pm in the Antler Room. Tickets available here. Must be over 21.

• Have alumni news to share? Please send updates to Tom Ponton at tponton@dematha.org.

• Stay connected with the Stag community by following DeMatha Stag on Facebook for alumni happenings, reunions, traditions, and stories.

Stag Store Item of the Week

As we transition from summer to fall and from September to October, we remember those transitioning into a life they never imagined. Help support our efforts to combat the harsh realities of life with cancer. All proceeds from this year’s Breast Cancer Awareness item, a lightweight baseball hat, go to the Red Devils in Baltimore. Find out more about this worthy cause in the item description! Click here to order.

$25

Jennifer Cibor

Director of Marketing and Communications

jcibor@dematha.org

240-764-2231

Postscript

Justin Seidlick ‘10 was ordained to the transitional diaconate for the Archdiocese of Washington at St. Peter’s Basilica in Rome on Oct. 1. He is scheduled to be Ordained a priest in June.  

DeMatha faculty member Stephen April '10, friends with Justin since first grade, was there in Rome to celebrate this special occasion.

It has been a long journey for Justin. From a Catholic Standard story several years ago:

-- When Justin Seidleck graduated from Salisbury University in 2015, he found a job at a commercial furniture company in the District but soon felt his life had stalled. Already a lapsed Catholic, Seidleck stopped practicing his faith and even switched companies but his career seemed to be at a stalemate.

A parishioner of Sacred Heart Parish in Bowie, Seidleck graduated from St. Pius X School and DeMatha Catholic High School, but said he drifted away from the Church and had been "looking elsewhere' when he first felt God calling him -- not only to return to his faith but to serve as a priest. For Seidleck, a turning point came during the Covid-19 pandemic when he lost his job and contacted Father Mark Ivany, vocation director for the Archdiocese.

"I started to open myself up more to the call," said Seidleck, who spent the last year as a missionary in Wisconsin serving youth. A dozen members of the group (Spiritus Ministries) lived in community and offered Confirmation retreats for parishes and schools...

Upon his return home, Seidleck decided to enter the seminary "in total surrender to God's will. My decision gave me a sense of peace and joy I've never experienced before." --  

We will continue to follow Justin on his faith journey. Father Albert plans to invite the DeMatha grads who have gone on to the priesthood to our St. John de Matha Feast Day Mass on December 17.  

Soon enough, Justin should be joining the ranks of a unique fraternity. 

God Bless.

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