History: First Friday at Loyola

Loyola's First Friday's started out as a business “club” consisting of several hundred members who would gather on the first Friday of each month for lunch.  The event included socializing and a guest speaker whose topic was based upon a Catholic theme.

Several years later, Father Daniel McGuire, S.J. shared his interest to revive the “club”, with modifications, with William J. Baird, Sr. and other Loyola College Alumni.  Fr. McGuire invited a small group to join him for Mass and breakfast on the first Friday of each month as a dedication to the Sacred Heart of Jesus.  Fr. McGuire is remembered by alumni who joined him for his powerful and moving homilies which often included role-playing during Lent. 

After Fr. McGuire’s death, the Mass was moved from the Chapel in Hammerman Hall to the Alumni Memorial Chapel. 

Today, Fr. McGuire’s tradition of First Friday Mass at Loyola is continued through a coordinated effort of William J. Baird, Jr. '61,  the Jesuit Community at Loyola and the Office of Alumni Relations.