Hundreds of Lyceum past students have already applied to be present at the Grand Reunion being organised by the Association of Lyceum Past Students (ALPS) in the Main Hall of the Lyceum, Hamrun, on Friday 12 October. This year’s reunion is expected to be a bumper event, not least because of two special aspects.
Held annually in October ever since 2005, the Grand Reunion is meant to bring together as many as possible past students of The Lyceum, with special emphasis on those who would have entered or left the doyen school 50 years before. However this year the guest of honour will be Archbishop Mgr Paul Cremona, who started his secondary education at the Lyceum in 1956.
A stalwart of ALPS, Dar tal-Providenza Director Mgr Lawrence Gatt, has himself expressed a great wish to meet as many as possible of his former classmates who entered The Lyceum back in 1947 – 60 years ago.
The gates of the Lyceum will be open from 6.30pm on 12 October for attendees to welcome the Archbishop, who will concelebrate Mass at 7pm with Mgr Gatt, ALPS Spiritual Director Fr William Bartolo and possibly other ordained past Lyceum students.
“We first organised the Grand Reunion in October 2005 to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the present school building at Hamrun,” said ALPS President George Stagno Navarra.
“But the success was so encouraging that the Council of Administration took the decision there and then to make it an annual event.
“The Grand Reunion is open to Lyceum past students of any age, irrespective of whether they are members of ALPS or not. Indeed many non-members have come away from the reunion with membership application forms in their hands.
“We already know that a good number of past students , have got to know of the reunion through the ALPS website (www.ALPS.com) and have timed their holidays accordingly. Spouses or partners of attendees are also most welcome, and many of the past students must be overjoyed at meeting some of their own long-unseen former classmates.”
Applications for attendance at the Grand Reunion may be made to ALPS Membership Commission Chairman Anthony Aquilina on tel. 2137-3706 or mob. 7937-3706. Such reservations are important because they help planning for catering and other purposes.