Dear Families,

As we close out one school year and move into preparations for the next, I have been drawn to contemplate the beautiful witness I have seen in you, our MODG community.

Twenty-eight years after our school's founding, we continue to be met by countless examples of the strong faith of our families, and the ways in which our graduates are using their gifts to serve the Lord.

This past week we were honored to have a recently-ordained alumni priest, Fr. Patrick Rooney, O.P., celebrate a Mass of Thanksgiving at our office. A member of the Class of 2011, Fr. Patrick was with MODG all the way from Kindergarten to Graduation. He then taught for MODG for 4 years, guiding hundreds of our students in his Sacraments & Apologetics classes, before (very fittingly) entering the Dominicans to join the Order of Preachers. 

In speaking with us, Fr. Patrick shared that he felt MODG was in large part responsible for his vocation. He said that it was in teaching the Faith to his students that he realized his calling to the Order of Preachers, to continue to use the talents God has given him to bring the Faith to the world.

In his homily, Fr. Patrick shared a perspective that was very meaningful to me, one that I wanted to pass on to you. He said, “Catholic Homeschooling can perhaps be classified as a way in which parents bring their own children to God.”

What a perfect way to sum up what you do in your homes each and every day! Fr. Patrick continued:

Mary and Joseph didn’t just rely on a parish religious ed teacher to bring their child to God; rather, they themselves brought their child to God. And those parents today who choose to homeschool their children, they are bringing their own children to God, and so they are walking in the footsteps of Mary and Joseph.

By following in the footsteps of the Holy Family, you are showing to your children what is truly important. You are teaching them to prioritize the truly valuable things in this world, so that they can prepare for the next. As Fr. Patrick so beautifully pointed out, 

When homeschool parents bring their children to the Lord, they know that they are raising their children to be a sign that will be contradicted. Their children are going to live in tension with society. And yet, their children are also destined for happiness beyond anything this world has to offer.

The 2022-2023 school year is the 10th that I have worked for Mother of Divine Grace School as an administrator. Over this past decade, it has been my pleasure to work with so many of you and your students, from teaching Literature, to advising our National Honor Society Chapter, to having the privilege of breaking bread with many of you in your homes. 

Your stories and experiences are a true inspiration and wonderful example to me as a homeschooling father, and underscore the importance of what you are doing in your homes and what we are doing together as a community of Catholic educators.

You are the reason for our school.

The commitment to Classical education is a positive and heroic choice in our society, and it is making a difference. Because of your commitment, your students are out in the world making our culture better. Some of you have graduates who are getting married, starting families, founding & leading organizations, or getting ordained.

Every year more and more students flock to our program, over 6,200 last year. Each of these students is being fully formed in their Faith, within a living Catholic culture of a Family. They are being strengthened to be strong men and women that are able to live in tension with society.

And we can only do this work with your help. That is why I humbly ask you today to support our mission by making a gift to Mother of Divine Grace School.

Fr. Patrick closed his homily with the following reflection:

How we teach our children today, that will matter 200 years from now, especially if we teach them that it’s okay to live in tension with society. In fact, sometimes it is even a joy to live in tension with society. We are the rebels fighting under the protection of Our Lady.

The work that we do today – the work of MODG, your work – will matter 200 years from now, and it will matter in eternity.

Thank you for supporting our school, and let us continue the good fight under the protection of Our Lady, Mother of Divine Grace.

God bless you,

Christopher Sebastian

Director of Advancement