Alleman High School in Rock Island pulled out all the stops in honoring its longest serving faculty member — and biggest fan — Fr. Daniel Mirabelli, CSV, on the occasion of his 60th jubilee as a priest.
Fr. Daniel Mirabelli, CSV, addresses graduates at Alleman High School.
School officials put together a “kudo board” and in the first week, more than 200 people posted messages of thanks and congratulations to the man they affectionately refer to as the “Little Ol’ Priest.”
One of his former students, John Marx, wrote his own tribute in his column in the Quad Cities Times: “In his 54 dedicated and giving years at Alleman, Fr. Mirabelli has served the school as a teacher, booster club moderator, bookstore manager, ticket manager and director of development, but more importantly as the spiritual advisor to the thousands of young people and their families he has served through his six decades.”
The board also features a nostalgic look at his priesthood, in this video tribute: