Every five years, Judy Pinneo Wernette has coordinated the class reunion for her Shrine Catholic High School classmates. It’s a lot of work: selecting a site, finding and contacting classmates, planning food, creating databases and nametags, working at the event. 

“It’s always worth it, but for awhile it feels like a second job!” Wernette said. The Saline resident who went to Shrine Catholic Schools for 12 years and graduated from the high school in 1981 is excited for this weekend’s Alumni Weekend at Shrine High School.

“The school did all the work! I get to show up and just enjoy the party!” Wernette said. “Since we were a pretty small class I don’t know what the turnout will be yet – one part of not planning the event, I don’t have the registration forms! – but I have heard about a lot of people coming in for the golf outing and the fun run.”

There are big plans at Shrine Catholic High School this weekend.  Summer 2010 was the first time the Alumni Office of the historic Catholic high school hosted a multi-class reunion weekend and it was so well-received it is building on the success this year.

Saturday night, the Alumni Office is hosting class-specific reunions for the Shrine High Classes of 1951, 1971, 1981 and 1991, but all Shrine graduates or “Friends of Shrine” who want to join in other events throughout the weekend are encouraged to join in.

Friday starts with a golf outing at Fieldstone Golf Club in Auburn Hills. Lunch comes first (11:30 a.m.-12:30 p.m.), then a four-person scramble starts at 1 p.m. After golf, the reception at the club includes refreshments and prizes for longest drive, closest to the pin and other door prizes. 

The golfers and all “Friends of Shrine” are invited to the high school for an outdoor evening barbeque Friday from 6-10 p.m. It costs $15 per person with a cash bar and food provided by Tapestry.  “We are pricing the barbeque right, because we really want to encourage people to come out and join their friends for dinner and drinks, or just drinks, under the stars in their old stomping grounds,” said R.J. Lomas, director of Alumni Relations.

There have been many upgrades to the school in recent years, so Friday night the doors will be open for alumni to walk around and check out the new fieldhouse, performing arts center, student center, library, computer lab and science labs.

“This is not a fund raiser, more of a ‘friend’ raiser,” Lomas said. “We have a faculty reception on Thursday night, and some out-of-town alumni coming from as far away as Texas to reconnect and reminisce.”

Saturday morning the Shrine Alumni Fun Run starts at 10 a.m. at the high school. Also open to any and all friends of Shrine, on-site registration the day of the race is 8:30-9:30 a.m. and prices are $20 for the 5K run and $15 for the 1 mile walk/run. There will be awards for the 5K, and every entrant gets a Shrine Fun Run T-shirt.

Saturday’s 4:30 p.m. mass at the National Shrine of the Little Flower church will have a reserved section for alumni to sit together. Whether you celebrated at the barbeque the night before, ran in the Fun Run in the morning or will attend a reunion dinner at the high school immediately after mass, Lomas encourages everyone to gather for mass Saturday.  “It is, after all, what we’re all about," he said.

Saturday night the Shrine Catholic High School Classes of 1951, 1971, 1981 and 1991 will gather at the school for their class-specific reunions. With dinners located throughout the school, these classes will have the opportunity to reconnect with old friends and relive memories in those old hallways. There is still time to register for the dinners if you graduated in those years.  

Visit www.shrineknightalumni.com for more information.