Our Alma Mater
All Together, All Together!
Although St. Joseph College in Emmitsburg, Maryland, officially closed in 1973, the words of our Alma Mater, "All Together," symbolize the close bonds among our graduates and former students — ties that are maintained individually and through the efforts of our Alumnae Association.
A Message from the Board >>
The words of our Alma Mater never fail to remind us of the unbreakable bonds that were formed in our college years at St. Joseph’s.
In Fall 2008, Sister Anne Higgins, D.C. ’70 arranged for a chorale at Mount St. Mary’s University to record our Alma Mater. Our thanks to Sister Anne, Andy Rosenfeld and the Mount Choir for their wonderful and generous work! Feel free to share this recording with friends and family.
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Origin
Did you ever wonder how our Alma Mater came to be? Sister Mary Bernard McEntee, D.C., answered those questions in her book, The Valley:
"Any student who had a voice and could carry a note and had `an ear for music,’ was encouraged to take Vocal. The musically ‘challenged,’ whom the Muse had passed by, were corralled into the study hall once a week, and Sister Francis Lawler would attempt to teach them singing. She used Saint Basil’s Hymnal and a nameless old songbook from which she played and sang for their entertainment, her favorite, 'All Together', encouraging the class . . . to join in the chorus. The result would have driven Saint Cecilia to suicide. This little cultural séance was the origin of the school song for which Dorothy Graham Class of 1926 wrote the lyrics and set them to music learned in the 'cultural' singing class."
— Sr. Mary Bernard McEntee. THE VALLEY. (Emmitsburg, MD: St. Joseph College Alumnae Association, 1972), p. 53.
Share Your Memories!
What does our Alma Mater song mean to you? What memories do you have of music at the College? Take a few moments to share your memories by commenting below or by emailing us. You may also post comments and photos to our Facebook Page.
Additional Links
Ave Maria
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