Letter from the Headmaster

One's True Wealth: Seeking to Touch Lives in a Loving Way

“Working on human progress (science, arts, technology) is important in God’s plan, but your true wealth is love. How many lives have you touched in a loving way?” (Fr. Roch)

In this issue, you will find this lesson from the Desert Fathers reflected in the lives and stories of so many alumni and their teachers. Our feature article highlights graduates who went on to apply their Cistercian formation and education in a wide variety of STEM fields. Though their individual journeys vary, what they all share in common is how much their lives were touched in a loving way by the men and women who challenged them because they cared for them.

Our second feature explores why many of the monks spend time in Rome during formation. Fr. Stephen Gregg ’01 suggests that studying in the Eternal City is not simply to grow through a better understanding of the universality of the Church, but actually to experience it through daily interactions with professors and fellow Cistercians/seminarians from around the world.

In addition to the always popular class updates, this fall issue contains a witty Afterthoughts column by Jess Clay ’13 who humorously focuses his attention on “the other half,” dedicating his musings to those graduates who pursued life in non-STEM fields.

Finally, Fr. Roch shares a variety of his “scattered ideas” honed from a lifetime of experience to help each of us discover and live “the happy life.” In fact, the quote above represents just one of these important life lessons from our beloved teacher and Form Master.

May God continue to bless all of our wonderful alumni, both within and outside of the STEM fields, who are actively enkindling and enlightening others. May we indeed find our true wealth in “touching the lives of others in a loving way.”