January 2024

The campus of Chesterton Academy of Our Lady of Hope looked beautiful the morning of a weather delay.

Please forgive our January newsletter for being a tad late. The reason is a joyful one, as our headmaster and his wife welcomed their third child, Irina, this January 30! Blessings and joyful congratulations to Dr. and Mrs. Duffy! 

A Note from the Headmaster

Dear friends,

Last week, in the midst of semester exams, Chesterton students attended the Rhode Island Right to Life prayer and rally at the Rhode Island State House. Their presence movingly testified to the dignity of each human person, and to the goodness of all that God has made. These mysterious truths - that humans have dignity and being is good - shape the life of Chesterton’s community. Indeed, the mystery of personality is essential to the life-changing power of every Christian’s encounter with Christ, because “Being Christian is not the result of an ethical choice or a lofty idea, but the encounter with an event, a person, which gives life a new horizon and a decisive direction” (Pope Benedict XVI, Deus Caritas Est).

So much that affirms these truths has happened as we have transitioned from 2023 into 2024! Since our last newsletter, the Chesterton community welcomed more than 200 guests into St. Francis Chapel for a beautiful celebration of Lessons and Carols, followed by a joyful reception with dancing. On the last day of school before Christmas break, after classes had ended, students gathered with family and friends around the firepit they had newly constructed, and broke spontaneously into the recitation of poems by Robert Frost, William Wordsworth, John Donne, and Homer.

Next week, we will set aside a school day for the Chesterton Student Symposium, which will include seminars on Shakespeare’s great play The Tempest, panel presentations from teachers, a social reception with refreshments, the celebration of Mass, and a keynote address from a special invited guest. Amidst much hilarity, The Tempest is itself very much about the dignity of the human person. Miranda, a young woman raised by her banished father on a remote island, has never encountered anyone besides her father and the deformed son of a witch. When she finally encounters other human beings, she bursts out, “How beauteous mankind is! O, brave new world / that has such people in it!”

It is not always easy to experience Miranda's wonder when we encounter human beings. This is one of the reasons why it is so important to set aside time, like the Symposium, that breaks out of work-a-day rhythms to celebrate the dignity of the human person and the very goodness of all that God has made.

Gratefully yours in Christ,

Robert Duffy, Ph.D.

January Updates

Chesterton Students Attend RI Right to Life State House Prayer and Rally

Chesterton Academy students joyfully witnessed to the dignity of every human life, from conception to natural death, by attending the Rhode Island Right to Life prayer and rally at the Rhode Island State House.  

Hundreds Attended Chesterton's Festival of Lessons and Carols

More than 200 attended Chesterton Academy of Our Lady of Hope's prayerful and joyful first Festival of Lesson's and Carols. 

Bishop Henning stopped by our table to chat with students, families, and president and founder Michael Casey at the RI School Choice Fair. 

Open House Feb. 10

We know that where to send your child for high school is a momentous decision. Join us on Feb. 10, 2024, at 9:00 for our Open House to learn more about the distinctiveness and transformative power of a Chesterton education. We will have morning prayer, a school tour, a presentation about classical education, and the chance to meet current and prospective families. 

Apply now!

We are pleased to announce that we are now accepting student applications for the 2024-2025 school year. Additional details are available on our website and please contact us with any questions.

Shadow Days

Are you seeking an in-depth look at Chesterton for your 7th or 8th grader? Call the school or go to our website to register for a shadow day, and experience a day in the life at Chesterton Academy of Our Lady of Hope.

Holy Hour and Fire Pit: Friday, Feb. 2, 5-7 PM.

Chesterton students built a firepit and enjoyed it with families after school on the last day before Christmas break. Join us on Feb. 2 for a holy hour in St. Francis chapel from 5-6, followed by pizza and song around the fire! 

Meet Chesterton's Inaugural Soccer Team!

Wisdom from G.K. Chesterton

  “The most unfathomable schools and sages have never attained to the gravity which dwells in the eyes of a baby of three months old. It is the gravity of astonishment at the universe, and astonishment at the universe is not mysticism, but a transcendent common sense."

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