August 19, 2026

By Darcy Fargo
Editor

An idea that grew out of a newsletter and an anniversary turned into a July gathering of former students from Wadhams Hall Seminary.

Richard Fanning, a member of the diocesan seminary’s class of 1976, said the gathering, held July 21 to 23 at the former diocesan seminary in Ogdensburg, started with his desire to gather with classmates and grew with help from another former student’s efforts to keep the students united by a newsletter.

“Back in January or February, I was thinking about the fact that May 15 was my class’s 50th graduation anniversary,” said Fanning. “Our class had 25 people, and 19 are still alive, and I’m still in touch with a couple of the guys. I thought we should do something. A guy from the class of 1970, Steve Rondeau, does a monthly newsletter with a distribution list of around 300 people. I contacted Steve, and we discussed expanding the idea to make it an all-class reunion.”

Fanning said he and Rondeau, working primarily through phone, email and online meetings, coordinated the event, which Rondeau promoted through the newsletter.

“We decided to do it in the middle of the week because some of the guys are clergy and have weekend commitments,” Fanning said.

Fanning said returning to the school building, his home for four years, was emotional.

“When I drove up the driveway, I got teary-eyed,” he said. “For four years, this was home.”

Fanning said he and Rondeau didn’t know what they’d get for a response to the event.

“I had no idea how it would go,” he said. “But the response has been really good. Wadhams Hall closed in 1994, I believe. For those of us who didn’t continue onto Theology studies, it’s good that we could have this experience. When they recruited guys out of high school or other places back when we were students, one of the common themes was ‘Come and See.’ That’s what I was doing. And it’s what we’re doing today.”

While just over a dozen men planned to stay at the seminary throughout the event, other former students visited for meals, prayer services or social opportunities. Fanning said visiting the facility brought back a lot of old memories for him and the other participants.

“Just walking in the gym – it took my breath away,” he said. “We used to have a good sports program. There was a faculty member who was director of athletics and a student director of athletics – that was me. I spent a lot of time in that gym.”

As men arrived to the gathering, they immediately began exploring the former school and sharing stories.

“I’m really glad we could do this,” Fanning said.