Alumnae Newsletter
Dear Mighty Mac Alumnae,
Summer is in full swing at McAuley, and as we near the end of our fiscal year on June 30, we invite you to help us finish strong!
During the month of June only, supporters who make a gift of $100 or more will receive a limited-edition Mother McAuley garden flag as a special summer thank-you.
As we look ahead, we remain committed to creating an environment built for her to learn, lead and thrive. We're grateful for your support!
We have two MIGHTY events coming up in July and August - our MacTails at Tiny Tapp on July 21 and our Fore the Macs Golf Outing on August 20 - we hope you can join us!
Go Mighty! Go Mercy! Go Macs!
MARY LARKIN CUNNINGHAM '08
Director of Development & Alumnae Relations
mcunningham@mothermcauley.org
Maria mccormack lappe '16
Associate Director of Alumnae Relations
mlappe@mothermcauley.org
Make a Gift
Make a Gift
Your generosity ensures our programs remain strong, our facilities evolve, tuition assistance remains accessible, and a young woman from anywhere in Chicagoland can walk through our doors and find a home where leadership is the default - and then she learns to lead without apology.
School News
Admissions Events
Admissions Events
Do you know a grade school girl who would thrive at Mother McAuley? Share our upcoming events and encourage her to visit!
Upcoming Events
MacTails at Tiny Tapp
Read More
about MacTails at Tiny Tapp
Fore the Macs Golf Outing
Read More
about Fore the Macs Golf Outing
Mercy Day of Giving
all day
Class of 1976 50th Reunion
Not-So-Haunted House
McAuley Hall of Honor Induction
Career Day
Black Student Union Breakfast
Celebration 2027
Decades Reunion - Classes of 1987, 1997, 2007 & 2017
Past Events
![Three women pose for a photo in the foreground, with a blurred background of a room with a projector screen.]([{"url":"https://resources.finalsite.net/images/f_auto,q_auto,t_image_size_1/v1781532046/mothermcauley/fvdr86lfaw5cz5b9ejma/womeninlaw6326.jpg","width":256},{"url":"https://resources.finalsite.net/images/f_auto,q_auto,t_image_size_2/v1781532046/mothermcauley/fvdr86lfaw5cz5b9ejma/womeninlaw6326.jpg","width":512},{"url":"https://resources.finalsite.net/images/f_auto,q_auto/v1781532046/mothermcauley/fvdr86lfaw5cz5b9ejma/womeninlaw6326.jpg","width":640}])
On May 27, we spent the evening at a happy hour with McAuley's Women in Law at Tomasik Kotin Kasserman LLC. It was wonderful to connect with so many fellow McAuley women in the legal profession! A MIGHTY thank you to Heather Mulligan Begley ‘95, Personal Injury Attorney at TKK, and Claire Cunningham '15, Family Law Attorney at Beermann LLP, for graciously hosting this event.
![Three women pose for a photo in the foreground, with a blurred background of a room with a projector screen.]([{"url":"https://resources.finalsite.net/images/f_auto,q_auto,t_image_size_1/v1781535455/mothermcauley/cyj1ppyrzthfmhj6o0ql/6-15-26OnjaliqueClark83.jpg","width":256},{"url":"https://resources.finalsite.net/images/f_auto,q_auto,t_image_size_2/v1781535455/mothermcauley/cyj1ppyrzthfmhj6o0ql/6-15-26OnjaliqueClark83.jpg","width":512},{"url":"https://resources.finalsite.net/images/f_auto,q_auto/v1781535455/mothermcauley/cyj1ppyrzthfmhj6o0ql/6-15-26OnjaliqueClark83.jpg","width":800}])
Thank you to all Mighty Macs who shared updates and photos from your alumnae gatherings. All submissions before May 22, 2026 were entered into a raffle for $100 to The Whistle in Oak Lawn. Congratulations to Onjalique Clark '83!
We welcome you to continue to share your alumnae gatherings with us - trips with your McAuley friends, mini-reunions, celebrations - you name it!
Alumnae Highlights
![Gigi Navarrete '23]([{"url":"https://resources.finalsite.net/images/f_auto,q_auto,t_image_size_1/v1781536686/mothermcauley/blnlhbuztaxubvcjlvgr/6-15-26GigiNavarette23.jpg","width":256},{"url":"https://resources.finalsite.net/images/f_auto,q_auto,t_image_size_2/v1781536686/mothermcauley/blnlhbuztaxubvcjlvgr/6-15-26GigiNavarette23.jpg","width":512},{"url":"https://resources.finalsite.net/images/f_auto,q_auto/v1781536686/mothermcauley/blnlhbuztaxubvcjlvgr/6-15-26GigiNavarette23.jpg","width":800}])
Gigi Navarrete '23 has been named a CHISOX Athlete by the Chicago White Sox. She is one of 12 NCAA Division I student-athletes joining CHISOX Athlete, presented by United Airlines, the organization’s NIL (Name, Image, Likeness) program designed to elevate participants’ platforms and careers across sports, marketing and business industries and beyond. Gigi is a member of the Northwestern University Women’s Volleyball team.
Read more about Gigi's CHISOX Athlete honor from the White Sox
![Lillian Coakley '23]([{"url":"https://resources.finalsite.net/images/f_auto,q_auto,t_image_size_1/v1781543606/mothermcauley/evwnqaix49a4gslh72ta/6-15-26LillianCoakley23.jpg","width":256},{"url":"https://resources.finalsite.net/images/f_auto,q_auto,t_image_size_2/v1781543606/mothermcauley/evwnqaix49a4gslh72ta/6-15-26LillianCoakley23.jpg","width":512},{"url":"https://resources.finalsite.net/images/f_auto,q_auto/v1781543606/mothermcauley/evwnqaix49a4gslh72ta/6-15-26LillianCoakley23.jpg","width":800}])
Lillian Coakley '23 joined Mareva Etiko in Barcelona, Spain, as a Summer Intern through the Next-Gen ESG Leaders Fellowship! She will be working on projects related to sustainability, social impact, and business innovation, with a focus on the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) in Barcelona this summer.
![A group of cheering students in the background watch as a woman in a blue jacket rides in a golf cart in the foreground, with inflatable palm trees to the right.]([{"url":"https://resources.finalsite.net/images/f_auto,q_auto,t_image_size_1/v1781533364/mothermcauley/qg7wyufsoyy4iyyhwuy8/KatieSpelman05.png","width":256},{"url":"https://resources.finalsite.net/images/f_auto,q_auto,t_image_size_2/v1781533364/mothermcauley/qg7wyufsoyy4iyyhwuy8/KatieSpelman05.png","width":512},{"url":"https://resources.finalsite.net/images/f_auto,q_auto/v1781533364/mothermcauley/qg7wyufsoyy4iyyhwuy8/KatieSpelman05.png","width":794}])
Katie Spelman '05 directed and choreographed Brigadoon at Pasadena Playhouse in California, which played from May 13 - June 14. The production was an updated version with a new book.
Read more about Katie Spelman's Brigadoon
Photo of Katie Spelman '05 and Alexandra Silber, who wrote the revised book, on the Brig o’ Doon in Scotland
(© Alexandra Silber from TheaterMania)
![Janet Moylan Ritter '87]([{"url":"https://resources.finalsite.net/images/f_auto,q_auto,t_image_size_1/v1781535664/mothermcauley/lxp9kvn2sbtdd5fx2ou9/JanetMoylanRitter87.png","width":256},{"url":"https://resources.finalsite.net/images/f_auto,q_auto,t_image_size_2/v1781535664/mothermcauley/lxp9kvn2sbtdd5fx2ou9/JanetMoylanRitter87.png","width":512},{"url":"https://resources.finalsite.net/images/f_auto,q_auto,t_image_size_3/v1781535664/mothermcauley/lxp9kvn2sbtdd5fx2ou9/JanetMoylanRitter87.png","width":800},{"url":"https://resources.finalsite.net/images/f_auto,q_auto/v1781535664/mothermcauley/lxp9kvn2sbtdd5fx2ou9/JanetMoylanRitter87.png","width":960}])
Janet Moylan Ritter '87 will be inducted in The University of Iowa Athletics Hall of Fame on Labor Day weekend. She played volleyball for Mother McAuley and earned a scholarship at the University of Iowa.
Photo from Iowa Letterwinners Club
![Meg Bigane '82]([{"url":"https://resources.finalsite.net/images/f_auto,q_auto,t_image_size_1/v1781535472/mothermcauley/inrxgclh02hu5uq8mrji/6-15-26MegBiane82.jpg","width":256},{"url":"https://resources.finalsite.net/images/f_auto,q_auto,t_image_size_2/v1781535472/mothermcauley/inrxgclh02hu5uq8mrji/6-15-26MegBiane82.jpg","width":512},{"url":"https://resources.finalsite.net/images/f_auto,q_auto/v1781535472/mothermcauley/inrxgclh02hu5uq8mrji/6-15-26MegBiane82.jpg","width":800}])
Meg Bigane '82 is the principal at St. Giles School in Oak Park. They were named a National Gold Star School by the National Association of Elementary School Principals - one of only 57 schools nationwide, and four in Illinois.
Read more about this honor in the Chicago Tribune
Photo from St. Giles School website
Mac Throwback
Can you guess what year the photo below is from? Send your best guess to Maria Lappe, mlappe@mothermcauley.org.
Thanks to all who submitted their guesses for the May newsletter! Alexandria Brown Paulson '14 and Kathleen Hines Wiedeman '77 guessed the correct year of 2014.
