It’s a tradition that dates back to the very first year of Christian Brothers Academy: the Father-Son Communion Breakfast.

The first edition was celebrated on April 10, 1960, when 142 fathers and sons joined together at St. Mary’s Church in New Monmouth.

Fast forward to 2019, the Academy hosted the 60th annual breakfast on Sunday morning in the Varsity Gym with over 700 attendees. A special welcome was made to the incoming Class of 2023, as many fathers and sons joined in this tradition for the first time.

Sponsored by the CBA Fathers’ Club, the morning began with a mass, which was celebrated by longtime CBA faculty member Father Gary Koch.

“It is pretty unique that the very first class at CBA, the Class of 1963, and their fathers chose the Communion Breakfast as an important event that truly captured the spirit of CBA,” President Brother Frank Byrne said. “There was no ‘CBA Tradition’ in 1960. The Brothers, students and parents were laying the foundation of what was to come. The fathers and sons that attended this year’s breakfast follow in the footsteps of 11,000 alumni families.”

The dads and sons were treated to a hot breakfast and a guest keynote speaker. This year, CBA welcomed renowned sports author and movie producer, Jerry Barca, who attended with his sons.

Barca has authored popular books about New York sports, including Big Blue Wrecking Crew: Smashmouth Football, A Little Bit of Crazy and the ’86 Super Bowl Champs. In addition to his critically acclaimed books, Barca has also produced films for the ESPN “30 for 30” series, including Catholics vs. Convicts and The Last Days of Knight.

His next project focuses on Father Theodore Hesburgh, who was responsible for developing the University of Notre Dame into one of the most respected universities in America.