May 31, 2025
Dear Friends:
The month of May, dedicated to Mary, the Mother of God, is ending. On the last day, we celebrate the Feast of the Visitation of Mary. Mary visits her cousin Elizabeth to assist her in the months before the birth of John the Baptist. A good lesson for us: how do we assist those around us?
Summer is upon us. Chestnut Hill Center sponsors the Sebago Leadership Camp from June 22 – 28 at Camp Moses in Russell, MA. The Sebago Camp started twenty years ago, in 2005 under the leadership of Bob Sylvain, Jim St. Thomas and Dave Reilly. The first ten years the Camp were held at St. Joseph’s College, in Maine. Now, Raymond Le Grand, Andy O’Meara, Sean Casey, Paul Reilly, Jim Golden, and Jim St. Thomas oversee the Camp, and it is held in Western Massachusetts. To learn more about the Camp and to register, please go to: www.sebagoleadershipcamp.com
We wrapped up The Edge, our high school seminar program, a few weeks ago. Jim Stenson, educator and author, spoke to the parents and high school young men at the last session on “You are stronger than you think.” Mike Roberto, Matt McDonald, JJ Bowman, Chris Kondracki, and Joe Arico made presentations on their professional areas of work over the last few months. Some areas they covered were Journalism, Finance and Investing, and Careers in Science. Mike Roberto spoke about Leadership and Teamwork. JJ Bowman addressed Effective Public Speaking.
Many men made retreats at Arnold Hall this spring. Dwight Duncan, Mark O’Donnell, Paul Swope, and Mike Madison manned most of the retreats, along with Fr. Jay Alvarez, Fr. Dave Cavanagh, and Fr. George Crafts. There is one more retreat we offer, in November, at Arnold Hall.
The annual men’s conference is coming up, the weekend of October 24 – 26. Mike Aquilina, author of many books, and Jim Stenson are currently lined up to speak. Look for more details at www.arnoldhall.org soon.
The annual Mass of St. Josemaria Escriva, the founder of Opus Dei, will be held on Thursday, June 26, at 7:00 pm at St. Mary of the Assumption Church, 420 High Street, Dedham, MA. Bishop Robert Reed, Auxiliary Bishop of Boston and President of CatholicTV will be the Main Celebrant. A reception is held after the Mass. All are invited.
Have a wonderful summer!
Joe Billmeier
Director, Chestnut Hill Center