Century of Francis Hall celebrated at Homecoming & Family Weekend

Fans pack the stands for homecoming triple-header. Read more at auwolves.com

Alvernia’s Homecoming and Family Weekend 2026 truly was a homecoming for Dave Dominik ’17 and Amber Dominik ’16 MBA ’17.

“We live literally right behind the stadium,” said Amber, attending the festivities with their 1-year-old daughter, Victoria, and friend Philip Hynek MSOT ’16. “We see the lights; we hear the whistles. So, it always feels like home for us. But coming back and being able to see our friends is the best part.”

Dave, who played in that morning’s alumni lacrosse game, said it’s nice to return to campus and rehash college memories with Hynek, who lives outside of Lancaster.

“I'm also an educator in the area,” he said. “We do a career fair here at the PLEX, and that obviously wasn't here when I graduated. So going down to the PLEX and then telling the kids, ‘I went here,’ all the memories start flowing back.”

Building memories

“Homecoming and Family Weekend was a wonderful celebration of the Alvernia community, bringing together alumni, students, families, faculty and staff to reconnect, create new memories and celebrate our shared heritage,” said Meggan Hannigan ’96 M’01, associate vice president of institutional advancement.

A century after Francis Hall, the beating heart of Alvernia, opened as an orphanage, the university shone a spotlight on the building with a slate of activities:

• Current and former faculty, Bernardine Franciscan Sisters and alumni shared their memories in “Fireside Chats” held in the Franco Library.
• Multiple tours, including the always-popular sunset tour, shared the history of the building and told stories of those impacted by it.
• A collaborative 5-by-10-foot community canvas was created during the slate of activities held at the Party on the Quad.
• A Brick Building Competition featured contestants racing to build a miniature replica of the building, with the winner taking home a $200 Amazon gift card.

Click here to purchase. The commemoriative Francis Hall brick building set is available for shipping while supplies last. 

Along with the Francis focus, there were plenty of other activities for the thousands of attendees to enjoy across the weekend.

Friday's events included a Golden Hour First-Year Welcome, the Alumni and Alvernia Student Happy Hour, Trivia Night and “The Fall Follies,” a cabaret-like performance presented by the Fine and Performing Arts Department. A packed slate of athletic events kicked off Friday with the women’s soccer team's victory over Stevenson University.

Alumni from the men’s and women’s lacrosse and basketball programs returned to the court and field first thing Saturday morning to compete against the current Golden Wolves. Saturday’s Homecoming triple-header began with football, followed by men’s soccer and field hockey. Despite narrow losses by football to Misericordia University and men’s soccer's fall to Stevenson, field hockey closed out the evening with a thrilling victory over Hood College. After two overtime periods, the Golden Wolves secured the win in a penalty shootout.

Aided by perfect fall weather, the sounds and smells of tailgating wafted from a packed C Lot throughout the morning and afternoon. The Quad featured family-friendly activities including a petting zoo, hands-on science projects and a decorate-your-own Homecoming & Family Weekend T-shirt.

It was only natural for Paula Mazurkiewicz ’96 MBA ’06 to attend the festivities, considering Alvernia has been part of her life since she was a child.

“I used to come here with my great aunt and pick dandelions,” she said. “So it's really neat to see Alvernia flourish the way it is today.”

A longtime Alumni Council member who won Alvernia’s Alumni Service Award in 2021, Mazurkiewicz serves as an adjunct instructor in Alvernia’s MBA program. She also worked at the John R. Post Center at Reading CollegeTowne decades before Alvernia purchased the downtown building, which was then owned by CNA Insurance.

Sharing stories with Mazurkiewicz was Julia Angstadt MBA ’05, who won the Ellen Frei Gruber Award in 2017, bestowed upon individuals who exemplify continued commitment and support of Alvernia’s mission.

“I came here by accident,” she recalled her days as one of Alvernia’s first MBA students. “The department I worked for was threatening to move to either Ohio or New York. And we had two sons going into their senior year of high school, so we couldn't move. My husband said, ‘They'll pay for an advanced degree; why don't you go back and finish your master's?’ I opened the newspaper that morning, and there was an ad from Alvernia about how they were starting an MBA program. And I said, ‘I'm going there tonight.’”

A damp finale

Remnants of Hurricane Isaias drenched the region on Sunday morning, providing a soggy backdrop for the second annual Pack Dash 5K.

A revised course started and ended at the Quad, with participants taking full advantage of the new Pavilion outside of the Student Center before and after the race.

“The rain didn’t rain on our parade today,” said race organizer Felicia Nelson, M.Ed., associate director of student activities. “We had a great turnout. Everyone liked the new course, and overall it seems like everyone had a really good experience.”

Nearly 60 runners out of the 80-plus who registered braved the elements, including 10 members of the Alvernia Running Club, founded in February by Emilio Mejia Marcial ’27.

Marcial crosses the finish line 2nd overall and 1st in his age category

“It’s such an incredible experience just getting everyone together,” said Marcial ’27, who finished second overall in the race. “It’s just amazing to see everyone collaborate.”

A rousing ovation greeted Rose Hagy ’84 M’10 when she crossed the finish line. The 79-year-old, who still participates in triathlons, signed up for last year’s event but couldn’t make it. She enjoyed this year’s run and hopes that race organizers will add an 80-and-over group for runners like her going forward.

Though the campus today is mostly unrecognizable from her time as a student, she likes retracing her steps, even when it gets confusing.

“I get lost,” she said, “but I’m happy with what they’re doing.”

A champagne brunch hosted by Glynis A. Fitzgerald, Ph.D., brought the Homecoming festivities to a close.

“This wonderful weekend of fellowship, pride and Franciscan spirit truly reflected the traditions that make Alvernia special,” Hannigan said.

It’s never too early to make plans. Save the dates for Homecoming and Family Weekend 2027: October 8-10.