SBCA Blog

Courage and Hope: Fostering Virtue in the Ordinary

2024-01-01T19:59:31-05:00

The month of January, for many, signifies the return to the “everyday”. After the expectant season of Advent and the joyous, often hectic, octave of Christmas, returning to our mundane routines can be deeply disheartening. The weeks ahead seem to be long and lacking in excitement. In addition, a New England winter can feel terribly bleak at this time of year. At the end of January, after a period of feasting, we also make the transition back to ordinary time. Even the title of “ordinary” can trick us into thinking little fruit can come from this time. If we try to [...]

Courage and Hope: Fostering Virtue in the Ordinary2024-01-01T19:59:31-05:00

“Spirits To Enforce, Art To Enchant”: Reflections from The Tempest

2023-12-13T10:03:55-05:00

What happens when you let thirty kids, aged nine to twelve, perform a 412-year-old play with only nine hours of practice? Our audience learned exactly what happened last week when our SBCA Drama Team performed William Shakespeare’s The Tempest. (And in case you are wondering, it was grand!) The Tempest tells the tale of forgiveness, love, freedom and true wonder and awe of all that is good. There is a lasting quality to these themes that young and old alike are drawn to. They are fundamental to the virtuous life and thus both draw us in while simultaneously drawing the [...]

“Spirits To Enforce, Art To Enchant”: Reflections from The Tempest2023-12-13T10:03:55-05:00

From Fragmented Focus to Redeemed Attention: A Path to Love

2023-12-11T12:00:41-05:00

When’s the last time you stopped to think about paying attention?  Go ahead, try it right now. If you really wanted to, how long could you hold your focus on one thing - a task, an object, a person - without giving in to the temptation to move on to something else? How long could you keep yourself from checking this email or responding to that text? If you stop to read this paragraph again, slowly and word-for-word, can you resist that pull to jump to the next line? Attention is a defining aspect of our humanity; it is our capacity [...]

From Fragmented Focus to Redeemed Attention: A Path to Love2023-12-11T12:00:41-05:00

Entering God’s Rest at Thanksgiving

2023-11-20T20:00:08-05:00

It’s the week of Thanksgiving, and for many of us, this week entails a lot of hustle: planning dinner, writing grocery lists, waiting in check-out lines, cleaning guest rooms, washing tablecloths, fighting traffic, prepping, cooking - and then, finally, the day arrives. The table is set, the food is laid out, the family is gathered, and we can enjoy the feast.  For Christians, the rhythm of this week is a microcosm of our lives. It’s not by accident that heaven is often described as a feast. And our lives of labor here on earth ought to be preparing us for that [...]

Entering God’s Rest at Thanksgiving2023-11-20T20:00:08-05:00

From Prayer to Play: Living the St. Benedict Way

2023-11-13T13:22:52-05:00

“To be the light of Christ in our work, play, and prayer. That’s the St. Benedict Way!” Over my time here it has become quite evident that this truly is the motto of St. Benedict Classical Academy, for our students and our teachers. This year, as a parent of a student here, I have become even more aware of how this motto is ingrained into our actions each and every day. Just a few weeks into the start of school, I was driving home with my daughter who recently began her SBCA tenure in the preschool and heard her in the [...]

From Prayer to Play: Living the St. Benedict Way2023-11-13T13:22:52-05:00

Kindergarten Gives Thanks

2023-11-07T08:40:42-05:00

Every month at St. Benedict Classical Academy, the school picks a different virtue to focus on throughout our academic and enrichment classes. We teachers are to take this virtue and teach the students what it means and how we can act out this virtue in our daily lives. Every year in November we focus on the virtue of Gratitude, and every year I like to write this blog post. I always spend time talking about the virtue of Gratitude and then ask my students to write down and share what they are grateful for. For the last five years I [...]

Kindergarten Gives Thanks2023-11-07T08:40:42-05:00

When the Saints Go Marching In: A reflection on the Church’s Great Solemnity

2023-10-30T10:04:22-04:00

In two short days, hundreds of little saints will fill Saint Benedict Classical Academy’s classrooms and hallways. If this year is anything like years past, there will be no shortage of Saint Michaels wielding swords or Saint Lucys bearing crowns of candles. November 1st is always one of my favorite days of the year. I love watching the younger students proudly parade by the older ones, smiling from ear to ear. I watch from the sidelines as a five-year-old Saint George tightly grips a stuffed dragon under his arm. I smile as a little Saint Gianna Beretta Molla carefully holds a [...]

When the Saints Go Marching In: A reflection on the Church’s Great Solemnity2023-10-30T10:04:22-04:00

Duc in Altum: Navigating the Abyss of Learning and Obedience

2023-10-23T19:37:18-04:00

After he had finished speaking, he said to Simon, “Put into Deep Water and Lower Your Nets for a catch.” Simon said in reply, “Master, we have worked hard all night and have caught nothing, but at your command, I will lower the nets.” When they had done this, they caught a great number of fish and their nets were tearing. Luke 5:1-11 It was the first day of my second year of teaching, and I was kneeling in the pew before morning mass reflecting on the Gospel passage above. As I knelt there feelings of discouragement were hitting me [...]

Duc in Altum: Navigating the Abyss of Learning and Obedience2023-10-23T19:37:18-04:00

Faith in Education: The Powerful Impact of Our Catholic Identity

2023-10-18T13:10:42-04:00

“Repeat after me: ‘nunc coepi’” “NOONK CHEPPY!” “Now, I begin.” “NOW I BEGIN!” “You can always, always begin again. We will always help you figure out how to begin again. God wants you to begin again when something goes wrong (and so do your teachers!)” My office is located in our St. Placid building, which is home to our early learning program. One of my duties is to serve and coordinate support for our early learning faculty members. Even with these, our youngest students, Faith and the traditions and teachings of the Catholic Church illuminate every part of our day. We [...]

Faith in Education: The Powerful Impact of Our Catholic Identity2023-10-18T13:10:42-04:00

Embracing the Extraordinary in the Ordinary: A Year with St. Therese of Lisieux

2023-10-10T12:28:29-04:00

Each year during the first week of school, everyone in my class chooses a patron saint to intercede for them throughout the year as they grow as scholars and future saints. Every week a different student has the opportunity to teach the class about their saint as they lead our morning meeting and prayer. Learning from the lives of the saints and praying for their intercessions has always been a beautiful and concrete way to see that heaven isn’t just for extraordinary, perfect men and women entirely unlike us but is full of real people who lived real human lives. My [...]

Embracing the Extraordinary in the Ordinary: A Year with St. Therese of Lisieux2023-10-10T12:28:29-04:00
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