August 15, 2019
Dear Friend of Chestnut Hill Center,
The Prelate of Opus Dei, Msgr. Fernando Ocariz, recently finished a six-week visit to the United States, highlighting the family spirit of Opus Dei everywhere. Please go to www.opusdei.org to watch some wonderful videos from his get-togethers in New York, Chicago, Houston, and Los Angeles.
Last year at this time, Sparhawk Academy in Millis, was about to open its doors. The doors did open and it was an exciting year. Forty boys enrolled in the school. Mass was said daily in the chapel by Fr John Grieco, Fr. Jeff Langan or other priests in the area. The boys engaged in lots of outdoor activities to expand their classroom experiences, especially in the areas of the sciences and craftsmanship. Close to sixty students are scheduled to enroll at Sparhawk Academy for the coming year. That is great news, but it also poses a challenge. Sparhawk needs a new classroom building. The Board has set a goal of raising $2.5 million to enable it to expand its facilities to accommodate more students. Please consider making a financial contribution to Sparhawk to support its expansion plans. Go to their website www.sparhawkacademy.org or send a contribution directly to the school at 376 Orchard Street, Millis, MA 02054.
John Paul Lechner and Alex Ortiz, this year’s Chief of Operations, headed up the fifteenth annual Sebago Leadership Camp, now back at St. Joseph’s College in Maine. Andy O’Meara taught a class in Leadership Skills, making use of American Revolutionary War battle sites, and Raymond Le Grand and Don Pacific taught a robotics class.
Our High School Seminar program, The Edge, resumes on September 21. The Edge prepares high school students for life beyond high school, helping them develop the skills and attitudes necessary to be effective in college and later on as a father, a professional, a friend and a citizen. Horizons and Frontiers, the Father & Son Clubs, begin again on September 28. To register for these programs, please go to www.chestnuthillcenter.org.
During the weekend of November 8 – 10, we sponsor a Fatherhood Conference at Arnold Hall Conference Center in Pembroke. A great line up of speakers is set for the weekend, which also includes daily Mass and time to share ideas. The registration is not set up, but will be available on the www.arnoldhall.com website soon.
We appreciate your prayers and financial support, whether for Chestnut Hill Center, Sparhawk or for Arnold Hall Conference Center. I end with some recent words of the Prelate, Msgr. Ocariz, who wrote “The living and true God tirelessly calls each person to that mysterious encounter known as prayer.”
Happy Feast of the Assumption of Mary into Heaven!
Joe Billmeier