Dear friends,
It has been a busy summer at Chesterton Academy of Our Lady of Hope! I want to share some of what we have done, and some of what we will be doing, including many events where we hope you will join us, like our Mass of the Holy Spirit on August 28. But first, I want to say a word about why we do all the things we do.
On Monday morning of our arts week, I was moved to see so many families, some new to Chesterton and others veterans, gathered and joyfully connecting on the front steps. This - along with my preparing to teach New Testament this fall - made me reflect on the meaning of community in relation to Chesterton's mission. The Greek word for community (koinonia) is crucial in scripture. It is the word we use when we refer to the Eucharist as "communion" (see 1 Cor. 10: 16-17). It occurs in Acts 2:42 ("fellowship"), a powerful verse that structures the whole Catechism of the Catholic Church. As St. Paul preaches so often (see, for example, Ephesians 2) overcoming separation and establishing communion are central to Christ's mission. I once heard Bishop Henning point out that establishing communion is the thread that unifies Christ's public ministry and His cross. In His public ministry, Christ touches and heals those who are visibly disconnected - the leper, the adulteress, the tax-collector, the public sinner. Through His cross, Christ reconnects all of us who were invisibly disconnected - so disconnected as to be "dead" - by raising us to new life with Him. In Christ, we become so connected that we are, incredibly, "members of the household of God" (Eph. 2:19). Communion and fellowship, then, are sacramental: they outwardly reveal our life in Christ. For this reason, they are central to Chesterton's mission, which is to form young men and women who love the truth and are moved by it to magnify the Lord with their lives.
We were delighted to host many new families for our Arts Week (July 22-26) and Basketball clinic (July 29-31). On July 14, our choir sang for the Mass at Immaculate Conception Center's Local Day of Prayer in communion with the National Eucharistic Congress. Throughout the summer, many families, faculty, and staff volunteered their time to maintain and improve our school property - including a Saturday workparty (koinonia!) to care for the property, laying new vinyl flooring in our lobby, transporting our newly donated library furniture (thank you St. Philip's school!), and picking up 80 donated lockers in the rain (thank you Jewish Alliance Community Center!)! And our prayer warriors have continued to pray for us and visit the Blessed Sacrament in our chapel.
Coming up soon, faculty will begin orientation; students and faculty will hike Mt. Monadnock and celebrate Mass with Fr. Andrew Beauregard, OFP; our house prefects will receive formation in servant leadership at their Prefect Retreat, and our new students will enter into the joyful and purposeful Chesterton way of life at the annual New Student Retreat. We are gearing up for renovations to move into the beautiful upstairs classrooms this Fall, and preparing to re-seal the parking lot.
Starting on August 27, we will have Mass every school day at 11AM, including a special Mass of the Holy Spirit celebrated by Bishop Henning on August 28. Our First Friday Holy Hour and Camp Fire nights will kick off again on Friday, September 6, at 4:00. On Saturday, September 7 from 3-8pm, we will host our first Chesterton Wiffleball Tournament to raise funds for our athletics programs. We hope to see you at these events!
Please continue to pray for us, come and visit us, and join us as we grow. Please share how we can pray for you, and know that you are always in our prayers.
Gratefully yours in Christ,
Robert Duffy, PhD
Headmaster
