Spring 2015 Magazine

VOLUME X, ISSUE III

2014-2015

S T. SMEBASTIAN’S AG A Z I N E

The Science Issue Story Title Story Title Story Title

p 12 p 33 p 35

Commencement 2015

FEATURES

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24 26

Commencement 2015

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St. Sebastian’s graduates 72 students

Dedication of Senior Class Gift

Parents of Seniors dedicate the Class of 2015 Commons and the Brotherhood Fund

Celebrating 25 Years of Headmaster Bill Burke

An interview with Bill Burke and remarks made in his honor as he completes his 25th year of service to St. Sebastian’s

32 Pure Altruism

2014-2015 Board of Trustees

IN EVERY ISSUE Around Campus

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Fine Arts

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Event Highlights

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Spring Sports

Seán Cardinal O’Malley, OFM. Cap. Chairman James L. Elcock ’77, P’08 President

50 Class Notes

William L. Burke III P’95,’97,’00,’04 Executive Officer, Headmaster

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Douglas A. Kingsley, P’10,’10,’12,’13 Secretary

In Memoriam

60 From the Archives

An alumni profile on Josh Morrison ’03

44 Reunion Recap

The classes of 0’s and 5’s come back to campus

Commencement 2015

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Reunion 2015

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St. Sebastian’s School Mission Statement A Catholic independent school, St. Sebastian’s seeks to engage young men in the pursuit of truth through faith and reason. By embracing Gospel values in an inclusive, nurturing community and by inspiring intellectual excellence in a structured liberal arts curriculum, St. Sebastian’s strives to empower students for success in college and in life. The ideal St. Sebastian’s graduate will be a moral and just person, a gentleman of courage, honor, and wisdom, a life-long learner who continues to grow in his capacity to know, to love, and to serve God and neighbor.

Credits St. Sebastian’s Magazine publishes three times a year.

Photos by Marcus Miller, Marshall Goldin and Christine Robertson

St Sebastian’s School 1191 Greendale Ave Needham, MA 02492 781.449.5200

Robert M. Wadsworth, P’10,’15 Treasurer J. Devin Birmingham ’84, P’14,’17 David M. Calabro ’78, P’16 Devin C. Condron ’92 William T. Connolly, Jr. P’10,’12,’17 John DeMatteo II P’11,’13,’16,’18 John P. DiGiovanni ’84, P’14 Dana G. Doe P’17 Rev. Michael E. Drea Patrick J. Hegarty ’89 Jane M. Hoch P’07 Ross M. Jones P’16,’17 Wayne M. Kennard P’08 Rev. Brian R. Kiely John A. Mannix ’74 Wesley D. Mateo ’03 James F. Mooney, III P’18 Robert J. Mulroy ’82 Mark L. O’Friel ’79 William A. O’Malley P’09,’10,’13 Kristin E. Reed P’15,’17 John A. Sebastian P’18 Kurt R. Steinkrauss ’91, P’19 Stephen P. Ward ’96 Celeste E. Wolfe P’09,’12 Carol A. Smith-Fachetti P’13,’16 President, Guild of St. Irene Robert M. Reardon P’15 President, Men’s Association John E. McNamara ’81,P’14,’18 President, Alumni Association James A. Cotter, Jr. ’57 David F. Gately ‘73 J. Brad Griffith ’58 Trustee Emeriti

From the desk of the headmaster Wil l ia m L . Bu rk e I I I

“To have faith is to permit the divine energy to reign at all levels of one’s being.”

—Father Robert Barron What wonderful infinitives: to have, to permit, to reign! Father Barron reminds us that we already possess all that we need, as our faith is there for the taking. All we have to do is grant permission, and the most powerful force in the universe rules. We can’t create divine energy, but we can deny it access. We can refuse the greatest gift we could ever receive.

I submit that things are going so well for us at St. Sebastian’s because the greatest number of our students, families, faculty, staff, trustees, alumni, and friends say yes to God time after time after time in living ever more fully the order of the day: Love God, Work Hard, and Take Good Care of One Another.

Our engagement in the pursuit of truth through faith and reason is and forever shall be at the heart of our fully integrated—body, mind, spirit—enterprise in the Church, in the Chapel, in the classroom, in the arts, in athletics, and in all areas of life at our beloved St. Sebastian’s.

We remind our students that not only can we have it all. We must have it all: love, success, happiness, purpose! We strive for excellence, we joy in our labors, and we grow in our desire and in our capacity to know, to love, and to serve God and neighbor.

In this issue of our magazine you will note many of the ways in which we advanced our theme of Joy in this eminently successful academic year, which culminated in a glorious Reunion Weekend and stirring Commencement events.

With God and with people of good will through whom our Lord works, everything is possible. I thank all members of the St. Sebastian’s family for your prayers and for your generous gifts of time, talent, and treasure. Please know that I appreciate all you do and all you are so much more than I could ever say.

Please stay close to your School and visit whenever you can. Thanks again for everything.

May God continue to bless you every sacred step of the way.

With love and gratitude,

William L. Burke III Headmaster

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AROUND CAMPUS News and Notes from Our School Community First-Ever Tournament of Champions Hosted by St. Sebastian’s School

A Visit from the Former U.S. Ambassador to the Holy See L. Francis Rooney III, who served as U.S. Ambassador to the Holy See from 2005 to 2008, visited St. Sebastian’s School on April 22 as part of the Birmingham Lecture Series generously sponsored by Karen Birmingham P’84, GP’14,’17, wife of the late John P. Birmingham, Jr. ’59.

Ambassador Rooney, brother of Lucy Kapples P’16,’18, was introduced by his nephew John Kapples ’16 to the audience of students, faculty, and friends that filled St. Bartholomew Church. He gave a captivating presentation on the history of U.S.-Vatican relations, the Holy See’s diplomatic role in the world and his personal experiences as Ambassador, sharing insights captured in his book, The Global Vatican.

On April 19, St. Sebastian’s hosted the first-ever Tournament of Champions sponsored by the Debating Association of New England Independent Schools (DANEIS). Each school in the Association was invited to enter two advanced speakers who, in the opinion of the sending school’s coach, had achieved at the highest level of debating during the past year.

John Flatley ’15 and Peter Olson ’15 represented St. Sebastian’s in the Tournament. They competed in three different events: one round of Prepared Cross-Examination Debating, one round of Parliamentary Extemporaneous Debating and two rounds of Impromptu Speaking. Olson placed second as an Individual Speaker out of 16 of the best debaters from seven New England independent schools.

John Flatley ’15 and Peter Olson’ 15 with Assistant Headmaster Michael Nerbonne.

Oral Cancer Survivor Talks Tobacco with Students St. Sebastian’s welcomed anti-tobacco advocate Rick Bender to Ward Hall on April 16 to speak to students about the dangers of chewing tobacco.

Bender, who began using “smokeless” tobacco when he was only 12 years old, was diagnosed with oral cancer when he was 26. By the time he was 27, doctors had removed a third of his tongue, half of his jaw, and even

TOP: Ambassador Rooney addresses the School community n BOTTOM: (l-r) Rooney’s daughter, Kathleen, Karen Birmingham P’84, GP ’14,’17, Rooney, John Kapples ’16, Henry Kapples ’18, Headmaster Burke, and Lucy and Jack Kapples.

some nerves in his neck, permanently limiting the use of his right arm. He was only given two years to live. Today Bender travels the country to spread the word—“smokeless” tobacco isn’t safer than cigarettes. “I don’t care if you chew it, roll it up, or put it in a pipe,” he says. “It’s a poison.” He implored St. Sebastian’s students to make wise decisions in the face of peer pressure, because the consequences of using tobacco now will affect them, and their families, in the future.

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Anti-tobacco advocate Rick Bender delivers a powerful message to students.

AROUND CAMPUS

Immersed in the Classics St. Sebastian’s students had the opportunity to demonstrate their knowledge of Latin and Greek literature at various events this spring.

Student Musicians Amaze on CD

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very year, St. Sebastian’s students are invited to record their original music or cover songs with Music teacher Karl Grohmann in our stateof-the-art recording classroom and have it released on the annual CD. The process of bringing the students’ ideas to the record can sometimes take months of writing and tracking, and serves as a testament to their hard work and love of the music program.

Now in its fifth year of production, the 2015 CD represents the students’ wide range of musical style and ingenuity. From jazz to hip hop and everything in between, the level of musicianship gets stronger every year.

The songs featured on this year’s CD feature many levels of musicianship, from accomplished musicians to newcomers.

It is truly amazing to hear the musical talents of some of our students.

In addition to the hard copy CD made available to students and faculty, for the first time listeners were also able to download the music online.

On April 16, two dozen students headed to CLASSICS DAY AT HOLY CROSS, immersing themselves in the Classics as they competed against other schools for prizes. This year, St. Sebastian’s decided to focus on two of the purely academic events. For many years, our students have had great success in the Certamen, a Jeopardy-styled Winners of the Certamen competition at Classics team contest, and this year was no Day: Andrew Elcock ’17, Chris Potvin ’16, Jake Loughborough ’16 and Dave Korzeniowski ’16. exception with a First Place win in the Upper Division Certamen (Latin III-V). St. Sebastian’s also participated in the Manuscripts Challenge for the first time and walked away with First Place for our examination of Caesar’s De Bello Gallico. It was not only a fun day for all involved, but a chance to showcase our strong Latin program.

On May 11, students in the annual Latin IV Advanced Placement class demonstrated their mastery of Latin in the annual VERGILIAN ACTUS. Richard Thomas, the George Martin Lane Professor of Classics at Harvard, engaged the students in a “conversation” about significant passages from Vergil’s Aeneid.

Students read passages in the poetic meter, translated the lines, and commented on Vergil’s artistry and themes. Held in front of parents, faculty, and other St. Sebastian’s students, the Vergilian Actus served as a warm-up, boosting students’ confidence before the Latin AP exam later in the week.

CD Cover artwork by Jordan Barros ’15 Assistant Headmaster Michael Nerbonne and Professor Thomas with the members of the Latin AP Class at the annual Vergilian Actus.

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AROUND CAMPUS

GRANDPARENTS’ DAY More than 300 grandparents joined their grandsons at St. Sebastian’s annual Grandparents’ Day celebration on April 28.

Coach Bob Souza with Geoff Wade ’15.

Wade ’15 Honored As a National Scholar Athlete Geoff Wade ’15 received a National Scholar Athlete Award at the 40th Awards Dinner of the Jack Grinold Eastern Massachusetts Chapter of the National Football Foundation and Hall of Fame on May 3. Wade had an outstanding football career at St. Sebastian’s as one of the best quarterbacks to have ever played for the Arrows.

Assistant Headmaster Mike Nerbonne with James Mooney ’18 and David Labow ’18.

Novice Debaters Win Bronze at Winsor On Sunday, May 17, eight members of the St. Sebastian’s Debate Team traveled to Boston for the Winsor School’s Annual Invitational Boston Area Debate Tournament. In addition to St. Sebastian’s and Winsor, debaters from Roxbury Latin and Belmont Hill also participated. The Tournament consisted of three rounds of Parliamentary Extemporaneous Debate. Competing in the novice division, freshmen David Labow and James Mooney placed third overall.

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he day’s events started in Ward Hall, as our guests enjoyed a luncheon, followed by a video presentation and brief remarks from Grandparents’ Fund Co-Chairs Peter McLaughlin ’55, GP’13,’19 and Charlie Flahive GP’12,’15. Grandparents were then treated to a musical performance as Will Supple ’15 sang “What a Wonderful World,” accompanied by Joe Kerwin ’15 on guitar. Robert Lemone ’16 followed with a speech honoring his grandparents. Headmaster Burke took the podium, thanking grandparents for parenting and grandparenting so lovingly well and for supporting their School so freely and fully.

Grandparents and students then headed to class before celebrating Mass with Fr. John Arens. The afternoon concluded with a dessert reception in Ward Hall and pictures to commemorate a wonderful day.

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AROUND CAMPUS

Serving

OUR NEIGHBORS

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ntegral to the St. Sebastian’s mission, our Service Program lives the order of the day of loving God, working hard, and taking good care of one another. Students in every grade participate throughout the entire year, touching hundreds of lives through their good works. From painting murals and chopping vegetables to hosting a wiffle ball game, below are just a few of the many ways our students have served our neighbors recently.

CHOPPING AWAY AT THE PINE STREET INN The St. Sebastian’s Men’s Association organized the fourth annual Father & Son Chop-A-Thon at the Pine Street Inn on May 17. Students and fathers from every grade helped to chop vegetables and prepare food for the Boston non-profit dedicated to helping homeless men and women. The donations and efforts made by the St. Sebastian’s community provided enough produce for the Pine Street Inn for an entire week.

CREATING A MURAL FOR CHILDREN AT RISK PROVING ANYONE CAN PLAY In mid-May, the St. Sebastian’s varsity baseball team hosted individuals from the Life Experience School for a special field day. The event was an opportunity for team members Matthew Bell ’15 and Patrick McGowan ’15 to bring their Senior Service project to St. Sebastian’s. The two seniors spent several weeks volunteering at the Life Experience School from mid-April to mid-May. The whiffle ball game was a memorable experience for everyone involved.

At the end of June, Sam Gordon ’17, Ethan Fidalgo ’17, Jeremy Xu ’19 and Ted Duffy ’19 completed a mural project at The Italian Home for Children, a Boston non-profit that serves children with emotional and behavioral challenges. The students chose an “Under the Sea” theme for the mural, brightening the walls of an activity room in the school with lots of color and their creativity.

The boys spent approximately 18 hours painting and an additional 10 hours designing, drawing, preparing, cleaning and commuting to the project over the course of three days.

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AROUND CAMPUS

Class of 2015 Welcomed into Alumni Ranks

Fourteen Seniors Inducted into the Cum Laude Society Headmaster Bill Burke, Assistant Headmaster Mike Nerbonne, and faculty member David Cornish inducted 14 senior students into the Cum Laude Society during a ceremony held on April 24. William Adams P’11,’13,’15, Director of MFS Investment Management, provided the keynote address.

The Cum Laude Society is dedicated to honoring scholastic achievement in secondary schools.

Modeled after Phi Beta Kappa, the Society has grown to over 350 Chapters located in public and independent schools in the United States, Canada, England, France, Spain, Puerto Rico, and the Philippines.

The Class of 2015 Inductees were Jack R. Adams, William S. D’Orsi, James C. DeSisto, Edgar E. Escobar, Christopher G. Haley, James H. Hunt, Joseph J. Kerwin, William D. McCarthy, Macarthur W. Morris, John J. Ryan IV, James D. Sylvia, Scott H. Westvold, Tyler C. Wiik, and Christopher A. Wolpe.

Members of the Alumni Association Board, along with several alumni fathers and grandfathers of graduating seniors, joined the Class of 2015 for the Senior ClassAlumni Breakfast on May 28. The morning began with the dedication of the new Class of 2015 Commons, the Senior Class Gift funded by the 2015 parents, before heading to Ward Hall for breakfast. Alumni Association President John McNamara ’81, P’14,’18, Board of Trustees President Jim Elcock ’77, P’08, and Joe Kearney ’14 each addressed the newest alumni, offering advice for the future, and welcoming the class to the alumni ranks.

Michael Murray ’78 enjoys breakfast with seniors Scott Westvold and Petter Scotten.

MPA Bids Farewell to Seniors

Seniors Tyson Mattox, Edosa Onaiwu and A.J. Jreige with Father Arens.

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On May 21, St. Sebastian’s Men with Positive Attitudes celebrated another successful year with a feast of food and friends. This year, MPA graduated a record 15 seniors, each of whom took the podium after dinner to share their final words of wisdom and thanks with classmates, faculty, and family members.

Following senior speeches, Will Supple ’15 and Joe Kerwin ’15 serenaded guests with a musical performance before Clayton Turnbull ’16 introduced the night’s keynote speaker, Michael Kincade.

Kincade’s more than 14 years with the Alzheimer’s Association, along with his service to the Boston Commission on the Affairs of the Elderly Task Force, earned recognition from the late Mayor Tom Menino, who declared March 13, 2013, “Michael Kincade Day” in Boston.

Kincade delivered a moving and inspirational address, imploring MPA seniors to dream big as they move on to college.

The night ended with the traditional blessing of the seniors by Father John Arens preceded by a welcoming of new St. Sebastian’s students and MPA members.

Canavan ’15 & McCarthy ’15 Defend Their Moot Court Title The finals of the 8th Annual St. Sebastian’s Moot Court Competition on May 29 pitted the team of Anthony Canavan ’15 and William McCarthy ’15 against Christopher Haley ’15 and Macarthur Morris ’15, a repeat of last year’s finals.

The case was Kaiser Aluminum v. Weber, a 1979 Supreme Court case dealing with affirmative action in the work place. The judges included: Kevin Curtin ’84, Director of the Grand Jury in the Middlesex District Attorney’s Office and member of the BC Law School Faculty; Rosemary Daly P’92, Director of Advocacy Programs at BC Law School; and Howard Whitehead, former Associate Justice on the Massachusetts Superior Court for more than 20 years.

Both teams were outstanding, but in the end, Canavan and McCarthy successfully defended their championship title.

Undergraduate & College Book Awards St. Sebastian’s School is proud to recognize the following students who were presented with College Book and Memorial Awards for their achievements during the Undergraduate Awards Assembly held on May 27.

COLLEGE BOOK AWARDS:

UNDERGRADUATE AWARDS:

Boston College Matthew G. Eldridge ’16

Bausch & Lomb Science Award Christian M. Locurto ’16

Brown University David E. Korzeniowski ’16

John P. Birmingham, Jr. Writing Award Michael D. Twohig ’18

Bryant University Cole S. Aldrich ’16

Catholic Citizenship Award Paul J. Keady ’16

College of the Holy Cross Ryan D. Colgan ’16

Joseph Compagnone Memorial Award John T. Ragnoni ’16

Dartmouth College Gregory H. DeMatteo ’16

Gandolfo Award Gregory H. DeMatteo ’16 Matthew G. Eldridge ’16 Paul J. Keady ’16 Ryan O. Macedo ’16

Harvard University Paul J. Keady ’16 James P. Ryan ’16 Regis College John D. Loughborough, Jr. ’16 Trinity College Dublin Jackson T. Mannix ’16 St. Anselm College Ryan O. Macedo ’16 St. Lawrence University Peter D. Mullin ’16 St. Michael’s College Erik R. Jones ’16 University of Virginia Sonny Huang ’16 Villanova University Christopher R. Potvin ’16 Wheeling Jesuit University Alejandro Soto ’16

TOP: William McCarthy and Anthony Canavan defending their case n BOTTOM: Judge Rosemary Daly P’92

Williams College Weston R. Brach ’16 Yale University Michael D. Calabro ’16

Kevin Ghelli Award Matthew P. Karpowicz ’16 Frank J. Hennessey, Jr. Award David E. Korzeniowski ’16 Kevin T. Mutch Award Michael L. Mackintire ’16 Jack R. McCool ’16 Robert J. Joyce, Jr. Award Matthew G. Eldridge ’16 William P. Judge Award Wyatt B. Schlaht ’19 William P. Judge Scholarship James P. Ryan ’16 Jason Keating Award Michael C. Van Flandern ’20 James P.B. McDonough Award Michael D. Calabro ’16 Grace S. Vorce and Raymond M. Vorce, Sr. Award Owen N. Finnegan ’16

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Congratulations,

CLASS OF 2015!

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n Thursday, June 4, 2015, St. Sebastian’s School graduated seventy-two students—the largest graduating class in the history of the School—at its 71st Commencement Exercises. The morning’s celebrations included awards, speeches and the conferral of diplomas to the outstanding Class of 2015.

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COMMENCEMENT AWARDS PURSUIT OF EXCELLENCE IN THE DISCIPLINE AWARDS Presented to individuals selected by the faculty

English Literature Joseph J. Kerwin; William D. McCarthy Latin John J. Ryan IV History Geoffrey E. Wade Religion Joseph J. Kerwin; John J. Ryan IV Chemistry Tyler C. Wiik English Writing Edgar E. Escobar; Matthew G. Guarino Biology John F. Flatley; Matthew G. Guarino; William D. McCarthy Spanish Matthew G. Guarino; William D. McCarthy Music Joseph J. Kerwin Drama Christian J. Santosuosso Studio Art Jordan D. Barros Mathematics William S. D’Orsi; Tyler C. Wiik Greek Edward D. Silvia; Scott H. Westvold Physics James D. Sylvia; Tyler C. Wiik Computer Science John F. Flatley; James H. Hunt

SPECIAL MEDALS

Awarded to individuals who, during their high school years, have achieved the highest grade point average in required and advanced courses in the respective disciplines

Humberto Cardinal Medeiros Memorial Medal for Modern Languages Matthew G. Guarino Rev. Msgr. Joseph A. Beatty Memorial Medal for English William D. McCarthy Rev. Msgr. John F.X. Harney Memorial Medal for Religion William D. McCarthy; John J. Ryan IV Rev. Msgr. Charles D. McInnis Memorial Medal for History William D. McCarthy Paul A. Ablondi ’57 Memorial Medal for Mathematics William S. D’Orsi St. Sebastian Medal for Science James D. Sylvia St. Sebastian Medal for Fine Arts Joseph J. Kerwin St. Sebastian Medal for Classics John J. Ryan IV; Tyler C. Wiik The Headmaster’s Award Presented to the graduate who has achieved the highest cumulative grade point average Tyler C. Wiik

The St. Sebastian’s Scholar with Distinction Award

The Joseph P. MacDonald Award

Presented to the graduates who have received a yearly average of Aor higher in every course every year

William S. D’Orsi; Joseph J. Kerwin; William D. McCarthy; John J. Ryan IV; Tyler C. Wiik The St. Sebastian’s Scholar Award

Presented to the graduates who have received a yearly average of B or higher in every course every year

Jack R. Adams; George L. Barrett III; Anthony J. Canavan; Colin P. Connolly; James C. DeSisto; Matthew P. Doherty; Edgar E. Escobar; John F. Flatley; Vaughn D. Gendron; Christopher G. Haley; James H. Hunt; L. Ryan McGuirk; James R. Mitchell, Jr.; Macarthur W. Morris; Kevin P. Murray; Peter E. Olson; Matthew T. Rocco; James D. Sylvia; Scott H. Westvold; Christopher A. Wolpe The Sr. Evelyn C. Barrett, O.P. Scholarship Award

Presented to that senior who, in the opinion of the Faculty, most exemplifies in body, mind, and soul the spirit of St. Sebastian’s School

Tyler C. Wiik The Cardinal Cushing Memorial Medal for Student Service Presented to a senior for exemplary service to the School

Brendan M. Albertson; Joseph J. Kerwin The Robert S. Gilligan Award

Presented to a senior who best exemplifies the qualities of courage, determination, and perseverance

Travis J. Lampron

Presented each year by the Student Council, in conjunction with the School community, to a member of the St. Sebastian’s family for outstanding service to the School

Mr. Michael R. Deschenes The Reverend Charles K. Riepe Medallion Presented by the Assistant Headmaster, in consultation with the administration and faculty, to the member of the graduating class who has shown true leadership in exemplifying the virtues of faith and honor for which the School stands

John J. Ryan IV The Founder’s Medal

Presented to the member of the Senior Class whose character, leadership, and fortitude most closely reflect the ideals that inspired William Cardinal O’Connell to found this School in the name of St. Sebastian

William D. McCarthy The Leslie C. Quick, Jr. Medal

Presented each year to a senior for exemplary initiative, creativity, and perseverance in advancing the mission of the School

Christian J. Santosuosso The Alumni Award

Presented to the senior, selected by the faculty, who possesses strength of mind, body, and character; who displays outstanding attitude, effort, and achievement; has innate commitment to excellence in all endeavors; and who has made many and varied contributions to St. Sebastian’s School

Matthew G. Guarino WWW. S T S EBASTIANS S CHOOL.ORG

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CLASS OF 2015 MATRICULATION Jack R. Adams Brendan M. Albertson Gregory J. Barletta George L. Barrett, III Jordan D. Barros Daniel M. Beam Matthew W. Bell Matthew R. Blue Anthony J. Canavan Thomas J. Caravolas Joseph A. Cerra Colin P. Connolly Noah D. D’Angelo William S. D’Orsi Matthew C. Daniel Cedric R. Depestre James C. DeSisto Matthew P. Doherty Jack T. Duffy Edgar E. Escobar Peter J. Fantozzi John J. Flatley Vaughn D. Gendron Charles B. Gordon Matthew G. Guarino Christopher G. Haley Mark M. Heffernan, Jr. Pablo J. Hernandez Daniel J. Higgins James H. Hunt Tyler W. Jackson Ackel A. Jreige Joseph J. Kerwin Travis J. Lampron Justin R. Lee Ryan W. Lee

University of Notre Dame Merrimack College Trinity College Boston College Boston College Boston College University of Richmond Boston College College of the Holy Cross Georgetown University Providence College Boston College Trinity College Yale University Middlebury College College of the Holy Cross Bowdoin College Middlebury College Tufts University Harvard University College of the Holy Cross Dartmouth College Brown University Middlebury College University of California, Los Angeles Harvard University College of the Holy Cross College of the Holy Cross Bentley University Northeastern University New England College Boston University Harvard University Norwich University College of the Holy Cross College of the Holy Cross

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Mario T. Lepore Shawn P. Lynch Conor R. Masterson Tyson J. Mattox Gabriel C. Maxwell William D. McCarthy Patrick H. McGowan L. Ryan McGuirk James R. Mitchell, Jr. Macarthur W. Morris Kevin P. Murray Saverio W. Mustone Michael G. O’Connor, II Angus M. O’Rourke Peter E. Olson Edosa V. Onaiwu Tommy L. Pace, III Cameron M. Quirk Robert M. Reardon, Jr. Tyson C. Reed, Jr. Christian E. Reenstierna, Jr. Matthew T. Rocco John D. Rourke John J. Ryan IV Paige I. Sanderson Christian J. Santosuosso Peter K. Scotten Edward D. Silvia William K. Supple James D. Sylvia Kenneth M. Vallace Geoffrey E. Wade Michael H. Wadsworth Scott H. Westvold Tyler C. Wiik Christopher A. Wolpe

University of New Hampshire The Catholic University of America University of Rochester Trinity College St. Lawrence University Duke University College of the Holy Cross Boston College Boston College Middlebury College Boston College Santa Clara University College of the Holy Cross Williams College Washington University in St. Louis Trinity College Bates College Bucknell University Boston College University of Pennsylvania Skidmore College Washington University in St. Louis Colby College University of Notre Dame St. Lawrence University Syracuse University Vassar College Washington and Lee University Boston College Dartmouth College Boston College College of the Holy Cross Bryant University Middlebury College Georgetown University Georgetown University

COMMENCEMENT 2015

Celebrating on the Eve of Commencement On June 3, the night before Commencement, St. Sebastian’s hosted its annual Senior-Parent Dinner in Ward Hall following the Baccalaureate Mass in St. Bartholomew Church. It was a wonderful opportunity for seniors and their parents, as well as St. Sebastian’s faculty, to gather together and celebrate the Class of 2015. In addition to receiving graduation ties and pens, students were presented with awards recognizing their talents and contributions to the School. Some of the awards presented include: Daughters of the American Revolution Good Citizen Award

Christopher G. Haley Chapel Speech Award

Officers of the United States Navy present Navy ROTC Scholarship to Anthony Canavan.

William S. D’Orsi William D. McCarthy Marine Corps Scholastic Excellence Award

FIVE-YEAR

William S. D’Orsi, Edgar E. Escobar

Marine Corps Distinguished Athlete Award

Matriculation #’s

Angus M. O’Rourke, Edosa V. Onaiwu

Semper Fidelis Award for Music Excellence

Joseph J. Kerwin

Colleges to which 5 or more students have matriculated over the past 5 years

Navy ROTC Scholarship

Anthony J. Canavan

Army ROTC Scholarship

Gabriel C. Maxwell

Recognition by iPods for Wounded Veterans to Dear Soldier Program

Charles B. Gordon and John D. Rourke

Boston College ............................42 Sgt. Warren of the United States Marine Corps. presents award to Edosa Onaiwu.

Harvard College .........................19 College of the Holy Cross ............17 Georgetown University ...............12 Middlebury College ......................11 Providence College .......................10 Trinity College ..............................7 Bowdoin College ..........................7 University of Notre Dame ..............7 Villanova University ....................7 Wake Forest University .................7 Worcester Polytechnic Institute .....7 University of Richmond ................6 Dartmouth College .......................5

Members of the Class of 2015 follow step-by-step instructions from Headmaster Burke on how to tie their new bow ties prior to the Baccalaureate Mass.

Tufts University..............................5

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COMMENCEMENT 2015

HEADMASTER’S ADDRESS

Jesus, Others, Yourself

BY WILLIAM L. BURKE III

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e have gathered so many times in this sacred space—and every moment graced.

Here, we have listened, we have spoken, we have thought deeply, we have felt passionately, we have laughed, we have cried, and we have prayed—always there is prayer. Let us pray together one last time as a class: Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit: As it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end. Amen.

You all began this journey well before razor blades and learner’s permits, prom dates and college applications were in view. Back then, so much of what occupied your attention concerned itself with lunchtime in Ward Hall. More than a few of you no doubt expressed great glee when reporting the highlights of your first day. Perhaps you, too, were one of the many I hear of who exclaimed something along these lines: “Mom, Dad: the food is unbelievable! And you can have as much as want. And they have an ice cream machine. And the best thing about it is: it’s all free!”

Of course, you have since learned that it’s far from free. By the grace of God and the generosity of many, we have been given the gift of St. Sebastian’s. You know that you owe so very much to your parents and grandparents and siblings and aunts and uncles and other family members who have loved you and supported you and nurtured you and prayed for you and paid for you— making untold sacrifices to bring you to this most joyful moment.

And how wonderfully you have expressed your heartfelt gratitude at this very podium, offering such testimony as: “Her selflessness makes me want to be a better person. I love you, Mom.” Please rise, face your families, and express your gratitude.

The environment and the teachers make it easy for me to succeed…I give credit to the environment that motivates me to take risks…I was pushed constantly to be my best…My greatest fear was in disappointing him…my teachers have shared their passion with me and challenged me, inspiring me to dig deeper than I ever thought I could.

These and other words of praise for your mentors, you have shared freely. In your Corporate Chapel address, one of you, a brilliant scholar, took us on a journey all the way back to your 7th grade year, courageously revealing that your learning style frequently found you working on tests and quizzes well beyond class time and often through lunch.

Stomach growling, head down, focused, determined, on you forged one day, when a voiced called out: “I hope you like ham and cheese.” And placed before you was a sandwich—from the heart and hands of Mr. Cornish.

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You can’t fake love. The very early morning tutoring of Mr. Palmaccio in Ward Hall…the day and night and all the time wise counsel and total commitment of Mr. Nerbonne in the library…and the list goes on. You know, honor, and so beautifully celebrate the truth that your teachers, coaches, advisors, moderators, and friends on our faculty and staff love you beyond all telling and that they live the creed let me serve them all my days and never count the cost. In calling you to greatness, they feed your minds, your hearts, and your bodies so lovingly well. I join you in being in awe of them, of loving them for what they do and for who they are. May we please rise, turn to your beloved mentors, and express your gratitude.

Early in the year, the mother of a 7th grader approached me to let me know how much she appreciated my selection of Joy for our year’s theme, and she told me that she knew why I had selected it. When I suggested that perhaps she knew something that I didn’t know, she explained that the word is made up of three letters arranged in proper order of priority: J for Jesus, O for others, Y for yourself.

Jesus, others, yourself. When discussing this great Class of 2015 at the lunch table the other day, Mr. Lynch remarked that so many of the highest achieving scholars are among the best athletes and most accomplished artists and that all of you are as humble as they come. He added that your example has had a profoundly positive impact on your Arrow brothers in every grade level.

At our athletic awards assembly last week, I made a point that I could make at a ceremony honoring your achievements in any area. And it is this: the St. Sebastian’s student tends to excel in every category but one. And I added that he’s so abjectly deficient, so horrendous, so terrible in this one area that he’s the worst I’ve ever seen. And that category is bragging. The St. Sebastian’s athlete simply has no instinct for it—nor does the scholar, the artist, the leader, or the wise, witty community building “glue guy.”

And I believe that I know why. Jesus, others, yourself. In your homes, in our classrooms, in our Chapel, in this Church, and everywhere else, you gentlemen are reminded—and you remind one another—of the fundamental truth that it’s all a gift. Our heads, our hearts, our bodies, our souls, our eyes that

COMMENCEMENT 2015 see, our hands that throw and catch, dribble and shoot, paint and drum, our fingers that dance over piano keys or type out masterpieces, our legs that run—all are gifts from our gracious and loving God, the giver of all good gifts. If we’ve been given a passion and a talent and this great St. Sebastian’s opportunity, what can we possibly brag about?

We don’t brag. Rather, in the words of Father John: “We embrace the grace of the Holy Spirit.”

Allow me to share a medley of sentences selected from speeches you have given this year: Find out what gives you joy and follow it.

Get out of your comfort zone. Take risks.

Service requires humility—an everyday attitude of putting others ahead of yourself.

Squandering opportunities is not an option for me.

My mom is performing the role of both parents. She’s the best mentor I could have asked for.

Let adversity fuel you.

Hard work and passion. I will teach my children these values.

Don’t waste talent and potential. Don’t look back and say: “What if?”

What matters is how you respond to adversity.

And here’s one last selection: Not to be ambitious would be not to be myself.

Now, there may be people who despair about the future of our nation and our world, but those people don’t work at St. Sebastian’s.

On page 16 of our catalogue you will find this sentence: “It is indeed an honor and a joy to create, to compete, to strive for excellence in all things.”

And with what awesome power you have lived this truth— individually and as a class! One of you wrote and directed a fabulous play and later delivered a terrific, eminently humble Corporate Chapel address. At the end, you praised and thanked your Class of 2015 brothers in these words: “They had my

“In your homes, in our classrooms, in our Chapel, in this Church, and everywhere else, you gentlemen are reminded—and you remind one another—of the fundamental truth that it’s all a gift.” back and wanted me to succeed.” I believe that any one of you could have written and delivered those words.

We often say that no school can call itself a great school until or unless peer pressure is a positive and not a negative force. Positive does not even begin to express the reality of the “force” you gentlemen exude and exert. “Loving” is a much more apt descriptor. “Courageous” works well, too.

The Brotherhood! One of you shared these words in your Corporate Chapel address: “We call our teachers friends and our classmates brothers.”

One of you had this to say in a Walrus interview: “Everyone supports each other here and it’s just different from most schools. When I try to explain ’Brotherhood’ to my sister, she just thinks there’s something wrong with me. The best explanation I have is to just open your heart and let it find you. Also, you don’t have just one group of friends here at Seb’s; everybody loves each other here.”

Another of you wrote these words for The Walrus: “For six years we have loved each other, our School, and the entire family of St. Seb’s. That’s our legacy.” To which I say: Amen!

Some of us witnessed the unity of your brotherhood in April. At the end of the Mission Mass celebrated on the cusp of your Senior Service work, Father John announced that each of you was to come forward to receive a blessing and that after receiving the blessing, you were free to go. The first of you came forward. Father John placed his hands on your head and solemnly, reverently uttered: “Give what you have received.”

LEFT: Kenny Vallace ’15 gets some help with securing his boutineer prior to the Commencement ceremony. n RIGHT: Seniors Joe Kerwin, Angus O’Rourke, Geoff Wade, Gabe Maxwell and James DeSisto in Arrows Hall.

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COMMENCEMENT 2015 You departed, and the next Arrow came forward. And on it went, but, though free to go, none of you left. No, the 72 departed as one.

I had an epiphany the other day. It began when I read this familiar passage from John’s Gospel: After Jesus had revealed himself to his disciples and eaten breakfast with them, he said to Simon Peter, “Simon, son of John, do you love me more than these?” Simon Peter answered him, “Yes, Lord, you know that I love you.” Jesus said to him, “Feed my lambs.” (John 21:15) The Risen Christ goes on to ask the same question of Peter twice more. Peter, who had thrice denied Jesus, says yes both times, and Jesus issues essentially the same command: “feed my sheep…tend my lambs.” When, Jesus, the good shepherd, demands that Peter show his love by serving his fellow sheep, he not only gives Peter a chance to atone for his sin; he tells him how to do it.

I then came across St. Catherine of Siena’s exegesis on the passage. I quote: …we can neither love God nor be virtuous without the mediation of our neighbors, because it is in our neighbors that we find love and virtue. How so? I’ll tell you. I can’t show my Creator my love for him directly, because I can be of no service to God. So I have to use God’s creatures as intermediaries, and do for them the service I cannot do for God…the virtues of charity and humility are discovered and acquired only in loving our neighbors for God’s sake.

St. Catherine asserts that God doesn’t need us but our neighbor does.

We all know that to be in a position to care effectively for our neighbor, we must ourselves be of strong body, mind, and spirit. And we know that strength is not a given, but rather something earned and achieved through very hard work.

So here’s the epiphany: “Love God, work hard, and take good care of one another” is a single act. Just Love God. And we do so in, by, and through working hard and taking good care of one another.

As we conclude our year of Joy, let’s stay with John’s Gospel: Jesus said to his disciples: “As the Father loves me, so I also love you. Remain in my love. If you keep my commandments, you will remain in my love, just as I have kept my Father’s commandments and remain in his love. I have told you this so that my joy might be in you and your joy might be complete. This is my commandment: love one another as I love you. (John 15: 9-11) You gentlemen have certainly loved one another and have you ever known joy!

The next sentence of the passage is: “No one has greater love than this, to lay down one’s life for one’s friend.” (John 15: 12) Three weeks ago, when celebrating their reunion, several members of the Class of 1970 gathered in the Chapel to dedicate a plaque in memory of their Arrow classmate, Ed Bigham. A graduate of Boston College and Boston College Law School and a bright, promising prosecuting attorney, Ed was shot and killed in 1980 at just 28 years of age. He and his friend and fellow prosecutor, Marian Ryan, had been driving on Memorial Drive in Cambridge when their car broke down and they were accosted by an armed robber. Marian, the current Middlesex County District Attorney and the mother of our outstanding religion teacher, Michael Foley ’09, spoke at the ceremony and explained that Ed heroically positioned himself between the gunman and her, quite literally laying down his life for her. She offered that his response didn’t come out of nowhere, but from an instinct nurtured in the values of his home and Church and School. She advanced her belief that our “Love God, work hard, and take good care of one another” order of the day develops and strengthens instincts not unlike

Seniors stand to face and thank their parents during the Commencement Ceremony in St. Bartholomew Church.

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COMMENCEMENT 2015

CLOCKWISE: Greg Barletta and Will D’Orsi n John Rourke embraces his grandfather, John O’Hearn ‘57, P’84,GP’15,’20 before receiving his diploma. n 2015 Classmates Joe Cerra, Matt Blue and Anthony Canavan with their diplomas.

the manner in which sports muscles are built. She added that she strives to live her life in a way that honors the sacrifice, and she closed by suggesting that there are many people who have died a little bit for us, sacrificed so we could move ahead.

Ed Bigham died not in vain, and your families and mentors have not given freely and fully of themselves in vain.

You gentlemen have honored the sacrifices others have made for you. Sacrifices for others you, too, have made, and many more you promise to make.

Now it’s time to say good-bye. Perhaps you’ve long known what I have only recently discovered—that sometime in the late 16th century “Good-bye” entered our vernacular as a contraction of the popular expression: “God be with you.”

When I shared this discovery with a devout Christian friend who happens to work at an aggressively secular school, he said: “Don’t let people over here know that. They’ll make us stop saying it.”

Sadly, much of the world beyond St. Sebastian’s is filled with people who tend to expend more energy trying not to offend than they expend in fully being. As men of faith and honor, stay ever true. Pursue the truth through faith and reason regardless the dominant culture. Be not strident, but rather welcoming, inclusive, respectful.

At your Admissions Open House, I shared these words.

Please take them to heart: I cannot promise you lives free from injury or illness, but I can promise you good lives—if you hold sacred your relationships with God and with everyone else. For if you keep your heart and your mind and your soul open to the grace of God and strive to do the Lord’s will and if you regard every woman and every man you meet to be someone like you who has been made for eternity, you’re going to treat each person a certain way—with honor and dignity and respect and love and truth—and you’re going to live good lives. It cannot be otherwise.

It’s all free…I hope you like ham and cheese… Jesus. Others.

Yourself…they had my back and wanted me to succeed… everybody loves each other here…so that my joy might be in you and your joy might be complete…Love God, work hard, and take good care of one another…Give what you have received.

Good-bye, our noble Arrows. God be with you. Go now in peace and return to us often in sorrow or in joy, and we’ll be right here waiting for you with hearts and arms wide open.

Know that we love you and that we will forever—Saecula Saeculorum. Shalom!

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COMMENCEMENT 2015

BOARD PRESIDENT’S ADDRESS

My Wish for You

BY JAMES L. ELCOCK ’77, P’08

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bely, Carroll, Clerkin, Connors, Conway, Delmonte, Doherty, Donovan, Elcock, Feeney, Foyer… and the list would go on for another eleven boys and there you would have our 7th Grade homeroom class at St. Sebastian’s over 43 years ago. It is funny what one remembers from our days at St. Sebastian’s, and how in this case how our teacher, Mr. Gilligan, insisted we learn our class roster by end of week one. The other memory was that there was the long standing tradition that we would stand whenever a teacher entered the classroom. And one memorable moment was when our 9th grade Religion teacher, Father Powers, who was also head of Drama and Debate, would say as he entered the room and we were all standing: “Gentlemen, and I use that term loosely, you may now be seated.”

To this day when I am with many of my fellow classmates, we can all recite our 7th grade class and we all take great joy in mimicking Father Powers… “Gentlemen, and I use that term loosely.”

Fellow Trustees, Headmaster Burke, President Garvey, Faculty, Staff, family and friends, and most of all the Class of 2015: Good Morning and Welcome. My name is Jim Elcock, from the Class of 1977 and I am President of the St. Sebastian’s Board of Trustees. I am delighted to be with you and to have the opportunity to speak with you this morning. Today, you will hear from your fellow classmates. You will hear from our Commencement speaker, Mr. Garvey, and you will hear final remarks from Mr. Burke followed by the time honored tradition of the final procession past your teachers, all filled with a combination of emotion, exhaustion and excitement.

Thus, my comments will be brief.

Change is change, plain and simple. Change can be difficult, change can be good. And what you are going through starting today, and for many, many years, is a change in your relationship with St. Sebastian’s. For the past four to six years you have come to school every day as a student. You have worked hard. You have competed on the field, you have

“Trust me when I tell you that your fellow classmates as you look to your left, to your right, in front of you and behind you, will be your friends forever.”

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excelled in the classroom and you have supported a number of our clubs and you have all given graciously of yourself with community service. In other words, you have fully immersed yourselves in all things we asked of you. But today, Gentlemen, that comes to an end and you enter into a new phase of your relationship with your school. And you need to know this relationship will last a lifetime. Trust me when I tell you that your fellow classmates as you look to your left, to your right, in front of you, and behind you, will be your friends forever.

Gentlemen, this is your school and nothing can ever replace what the Class of 2015 has left in its wake nor underestimate how this class will continue to lead with other classes looking to catch up. The Class of 2015 is extraordinarily special. Some might note it is because: l l l

l

l

l l

72 graduates strong—the largest in our school’s history You have 25 alumni sibling brothers collectively You have three alumni dads handing out diplomas to their sons: Tom Quirk from the class of 1980, my classmate Chris McGowan, from the class of 1977, and Jim DeSisto, from the class of 1985 Three grandfathers, Ed Quirk, from the Class of 1947, Andy McAuliffe from the Class of 1948 and John O’Hearn from the Class of 1957, all have their grandsons graduating today as well The list of extraordinary colleges that you were accepted to and that you are ultimately attending Four ISL Championships But in my mind, it really begins and ends with your establishing “The Brotherhood Fund.” As I told you last week at breakfast, 25% of the boys at St. Sebastian’s receive some sort of financial aid. Your generosity and commitment to unnamed future Arrows has never been done with this “laser” approach in our school’s 73 year history. This is not only transformative for our school’s future success, but a true road map for other classes to follow. The joy in giving is priceless. You have led by example and we all take note.

COMMENCEMENT 2015 You join the ranks of just over 3,000 alumni. You have made us so proud and you have made us a better institution with this graduating class. The future has never been brighter.

As President of the Board of Trustees, it is my responsibility to encourage each member of the Class of 2015 to continue to live the motto of the school no matter where the future leaves you. Live by the words: “The ideal St. Sebastian’s graduate will be a moral and just person, a gentleman of courage, honor and wisdom, a life long learner who continues to grow in his capacity to know, to love and to serve God and one another.”

As I conclude my remarks, I came across some lyrics from the song “My Wish” performed by Rascall Flatts that I feel are appropriate: I hope the days come easy and the moments pass slow And each road leads you where you want to go And if you’re faced with the choice and you have to choose I hope you choose the one that means the most to you And if one door opens to another door closed I hope you keep on walkin’ ’til you find the window If it’s cold outside, show the world the warmth of your smile But more than anything, more than anything

My wish for you Is that this life becomes all that you want it to Your dreams stay big, your worries stay small I hope you never look back but you never forget All the ones who love you And the place you left I hope you always forgive and you never regret And you help somebody every chance you get You find God’s grace in every mistake And always give more than you take But more than anything, more than anything This is my wish I hope you know somebody loves you May all your dreams stay big So again, I congratulate the Class of 2015 and wish you all continued success and happiness in your future pursuits.

We will miss you as students, but we welcome you as alumni.

Arrows forever.

The Arrow Legacy continues as proud grandfathers and fathers join Headmaster Bill Burke and their grandsons and sons prior to Commencement.

FRONT ROW: Andy McAuliffe ’48, P’72,’75,’78,’79,’81,’86 GP’15,’16,’21, Jim DeSisto ’85, P’15,’18, Headmaster Burke, Chris McGowan ’77, P’15, Tom Quirk ’80, P’15 and John O’Hearn ’57, P’84, GP’15,’20 BACK ROW: Justin Lee ’15, James DeSisto ’15, Board President Jim Elcock ’77, P’08, Patrick McGowan ’15, Cameron Quirk ’15 and John Rourke ’15.

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COMMENCEMENT 2015

KEYNOTE ADDRESS

Another Kind of Joy

BY JOHN GARVEY President, The Catholic University of America

Introduction by Headmaster William L. Burke III IT IS MY GREAT PLEASURE AND DISTINCT HONOR

to introduce our Commencement Speaker and my friend, John Garvey, President of The Catholic University of America in Washington, D.C. President Garvey earned an A.B. at the University of Notre Dame and a J.D. at Harvard Law School. He has also studied at Harvard Divinity School.

Before assuming the presidency at Catholic University in 2010, Mr. Garvey served as Dean of Boston College Law School for more than a decade.

In 2008 he was the President of the Association of American Law Schools.

He has practiced law in San Francisco and has taught at Notre Dame, Michigan, and Kentucky Law schools. He is the author or coauthor of numerous books, including Religion and the Constitution (2011), which won the Alpha Sigma Nu Jesuit book award; and of Sexuality and the U.S. Catholic Church (2007), which won the Catholic Press Association award. From 1981 to 1984, he was assistant to the solicitor general of the United States. Mr. Garvey was elected to the American Law Institute in 1982.

I met John and his wonderful wife, Jeanne, several years ago, and I loved them from the start.

They have been blessed with five children, 18 grandchildren, and a rescue dog named Gus. Please help me welcome our esteemed Commencement Speaker, President John Garvey.

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H

eadmaster Burke, faculty, members of the graduating class, and families and friends of the graduates, I am delighted to join you and honored to address the school, so near to my old home in Dedham.

I want to talk about joy—a topic that seems fitting for this occasion. But there are two kinds of joy, and the one you are feeling today is not the one I want to commend to you. This first kind of joy is an emotion, like the feeling I used to have as a little kid on the last day of school, at the fourth-grade picnic in Buhl Park, with a Bomb Pop in my hand. It’s the feeling you rightly have today. You have been looking forward to graduation for six years. You—and your families—have worked hard to get here. Now you can rest in it. Revel in it. Rejoice.

The trouble is, once you eat a Bomb Pop it’s gone. And

by September most of you will be freshman again. You will once again have (at least) four years of school between you and graduation. This kind of joy has a shadow of sadness that inevitably follows it.

I don’t know if you watch John Ford movies, but they usually have a gritty hero (usually played by John Wayne) who understands this. The hero is always world-weary and worldly wise. He has known disappointment and is haunted by his past. In Stage Coach he’s the Ringo Kid, a desperado out to avenge the murder of his father and brother. In The Quiet Man he’s a former boxer who accidentally killed an opponent in the ring. In Rio Grande he’s Lieut. Col. Kirby Yorke, estranged from his wife and son. He always has a clear (if dim) view of the world.

He usually has a cheerful sidekick. In Stage Coach, the affable alcoholic Doc Boone. In The Quiet Man, Michaleen Oge Flynn, the leprechaun-sized matchmaker—who also has a fondness for the bottle. In Rio Grande, it’s Sargent Quincannon, who will also have a drink now and again (and again). These cheerful characters are the comic relief in Ford’s movies. They are likeable fools, but not to be taken seriously.

COMMENCEMENT 2015

“True and lasting joy comes from the love of God. The more you love God, the more joyful you will be.”

John Wayne, the realist, knows better. He knows there is too much suffering in the world to warrant feeling joyful.

But there is another kind of joy. When I think of it, the person who comes to mind is not Doc Boone, but St. Philip Neri. He lived in Italy during the Counter-Reformation. It was a time of extremes in the Church. On the one hand there were the humanists who cared more for elegance than virtue, and put success above care for souls. On the other hand, there were the severe reformers. Philip’s hometown of Florence was famous for one of these, the fiery priest Savonarola. It was he who gave us the term the Bonfire of the Vanities.

He convinced the people of Florence, as a great act of mortification, to burn their art, musical instruments, games, and books.

Philip belonged to neither camp. He was famous for his cheerfulness. He loved beautiful music, and counted artists and musicians among his companions. (He was Palestrina’s confessor.) He encouraged his companions to play games. He loved a good practical joke.

He would process through the streets wearing a pillow on his head like a turban (Louis Bouyer, The Roman Socrates: A Portrait of St. Philip Neri, 84). He would order his followers likewise to “be cheerful!” One asked him if he should wear a hair shirt as an act of mortification. Philip agreed, so long as the young man wore it outside his clothes (Paul Turks, Philip Neri: The Fire of Joy, 116). He made another, a brilliant young man, carry a fat little dog wherever he went.

There was another side to Philip. When he first came to Rome, he practically lived in the catacombs. One night while praying there, he had a vision of a ball of fire entering his body, and like “the Grinch who stole Christmas” (Dr. Seuss, How the Grinch Stole Christmas), his heart grew a few sizes. After that his powerful heartbeat could make his whole body shake and heat would radiate from him. When he died, Philip’s doctors discovered that his ribs had been pushed out to make room for his powerful heart. This physical anomaly mirrored a spiritual one. Philip was deeply in love with God. This was the source of Philip’s joy—the other kind.

He was not a crazy old man. Nor was he naïve. He heard confessions for several hours each day. He knew a lot about human suffering and depravity. But he was more clear-sighted than the pessimists and skeptics, the John Wayne characters, because he could see past the suffering and depravity. He was constantly aware of the love of God who created and redeemed the world. And the proper response to that love can only be joy. It’s the joy of knowing the deck is stacked in our favor (John 16:33).

Philip Neri’s joy is that thing which the Church counts among the fruits of the Holy Spirit. It’s different from the joy you feel today, or the joy I felt as a kid with a Bomb Pop. It flows

from the virtue of charity, the love of God infused in us by the Holy Spirit. It is joy without a shadow, because unlike other good things we might enjoy (graduations and Bomb Pops), God does not pass away.

There is something strange about it. I said it’s a fruit of the Holy Spirit. But it’s a fruit we are obliged to accept. “Rejoice always. Again I say rejoice,” St. Paul says to the Philippians (Philippians 4:4). I checked that passage in the Vulgate the other day. It reads: “Gaudete in Domino semper, iterum dico gaudete.” The Latinists among you will recognize that St. Paul (well, St. Jerome; St. Paul wrote in Greek) uses the imperative mood, not the subjunctive. He does not hope or suggest that Christians rejoice, or exhort them to do so. He commands them. He couldn’t do that if joy were an emotion. I can’t order you to feel delight, or forbid you to be afraid. But Philip Neri’s joy is different. The proper response to the love of God is joy.

If that’s not your reaction, you must pray for it. And remove the obstacles that hinder you.

Cultivating this joy will be one of the most important tasks of your life, because you live in a world that often gets it wrong. You are told to find it in parties and sex, cars and iPhones. These are the young adult equivalents of Bomb Pops.

They are supposed to fill the God-sized hole in our lives. “Eat, drink, and be merry . . .” the saying goes.

But this is an upside down view of reality. G.K. Chesterton has it right-side up in the conclusion of Orthodoxy: Man is more himself, man is more manlike, when joy is the fundamental thing in him, and grief the superficial.

Melancholy should be an innocent interlude . . . praise should be the permanent pulsation of the soul . . .

Christianity satisfies suddenly and perfectly man’s ancestral instinct for being the right way up; satisfies it supremely in this; that by its creed joy becomes something gigantic and sadness something special and small.

So let me offer you three pieces of advice about finding joy.

First, don’t be fooled by the cynics. Pessimism is not the same thing as wisdom. We have good reason to be joyful. We are children of a loving God. Second, cultivate your relationship with God. I’m not saying you should live in the catacombs. But pray every day. Receive the sacraments. True and lasting joy comes from the love of God. The more you love God, the more joyful you will be.

Finally, don’t take yourself too seriously. Sadness, St. Philip recognized, often has pride at its root. When you expect yourself to be God, you will be disappointed. So laugh at yourself and let others laugh at you.

Congratulations, Class of 2015. And rejoice.

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COMMENCEMENT 2015

VALEDICTORY ADDRESS

Remembering What Matters Most

BY TYLER WIIK ’15

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r. Burke, Fr. Arens, Mr. Nerbonne, Mr. Elcock, President Garvey, Members of the Board of Trustees, Members of the Faculty, parents, invited guests, Class of 2015.

It is nearly impossible to put to words all that this school community has meant to us over these past incredible years, and it is harder still to confine all the memories into simple paragraphs: the early mornings lightened by friendly faces; the classroom hours shortened with laughter and camaraderie; the quarters, and periods, and innings, and holes, and sets, enjoyed together; the immense sorrows made manageable only by a warm embrace with the words, “You’ve got 71 other brothers here to help carry you through this”; the realization that these walls, these people, and these boys to our left and right will be our family for eternity. So before I begin my attempt to concentrate years of experience into one parting speech, I ask that each of you take a second to reflect, to think back to your own moments and your own memories, to remember what St. Sebastian’s has meant to you personally and how you have come into this home.

From our first day in this church to now our last as students, through every chapel speech and every class and every performance and every game, from Heff cruising down the mountain simultaneously skiing and speaking at 100 mph to Wolpe’s metaphorical wiffle ball growth, from Hanifin in 7th Grade Goulet to the final goodbyes with teachers, from TC hitting Fulham with a bat on stage to CJ writing and directing his own play, and from Mr. Cornish’s pad-smacking drills to a NEPSAC Championship, hockey and basketball playoffs, a skiing title, and widespread success, we have made the most of our time here. More importantly, our time here has made the most of us. It has given us the most incredible opportunities imaginable and has developed us into “young men in the pursuit of truth through faith and reason, moral and just people, gentlemen of courage, honor, and wisdom.”

At the heart of this great family is the St. Sebastian’s faculty: the ideal headmaster, a brilliant man with a love for all he does, but an even greater love for those with whom he does it; a chaplain who, out of sheer love and devotion, will never let you fall astray; a faculty of teachers and leaders who are dedicated to teach beyond the curriculum, to be mentors for life ahead and for a greater appreciation of what we have been given; and a grounds crew, athletic crew, and kitchen staff that makes sure we have anything and everything we could possibly need. For a few years I had the privilege of listening

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“It is over these years that we have truly learned what it means to be an Arrow.” to former Arrow Mike Petro address prospective families at curriculum night for the math department. Focusing on things much more important than math, he ended each speech with something like, “The one thing I can promise each and every one of you parents is that if your son attends St. Sebastian’s, he will be loved—by both his brothers and every teacher around him.” This dedication to students is what drives this school.

But I suppose more prominent on each one of our minds as we sit here today is not what we have learned and studied and memorized, but how we’ve done it all with a brotherhood of young men who play football in Wrangler Jeans with Brett Favre and golden retrievers, who strive always to commit themselves to taking good care of one another. It is over these past six years that I have made the closest friendships, the strongest bonds, and the fondest memories. It is over these years that we have come together beyond the restrictions as peers to a limitless brotherhood, opening up, learning all those things about our classmates that probably very few people in the world know, Za-ing from Henry’s, and putting an arm around the guy who’s having a bad day. It is over these years that we have learned what it truly means to be an Arrow and how all those words of past students—to remember every second of it, make the most of it, and make sure you give your heart and soul to every brother around you—have been exceedingly true. Through every retreat, through every late night struggle to crank out that paper or project, through our recent realizations that time moves faster than we could have ever imagined, we have become the family of the Class of 2015.

COMMENCEMENT 2015

Tyler Wiik with advisor Sean Stanton at the end of the Commencement Ceremony.

With such an incredible community, it is only fitting then that I thank the people who have carried and guided us this far.

Headmaster Burke, Father Arens, Mr. Nerbonne, Mr. Sullivan—The leaders of the school, I can not begin to thank you enough for your tireless service as leaders and as people.

You have guided us all to this point, and for that we thank you.

My advisor, Mr. Stanton—Thank you for your six years of guidance and wisdom, and thank you for showing me how to relax a little about work and focus my attention on enjoying the moments, savoring the memories.

Mr. Wilbur—Thank you for being the greatest teacher I could’ve asked for. For two years you’ve taught me more in the classroom than I ever had before, and I don’t mean in physics.

Thank you for being such a crucial life mentor.

Mom, Dad, Skippy, Gloria, Connor and Sarah, Carol and Lot—I love you all so much. You’ve been there for me for anything and everything I’ve ever needed, and I can’t begin to thank you enough for how much you’ve supported me these past six years.

And the Class of 2015…I don’t even know where to begin.

You are my brothers. These past six years have been the best I could’ve imagined. The laughs, the tears, the support; the advice, the competition, the celebrations. These are the moments I will remember. I love you all.

In seventh and eighth grade, we walked through the halls avoiding the eye contact of those big seniors. We accustomed ourselves to a new world, and we did it as the youngest brothers in the family. Our gaze was down, carefully watching our every step.

Come freshman year, we looked up just a little bit to find ourselves in a whirlwind of activity. Our time was spent on perfecting those Drummond papers and freshman writing essays. Our gaze was glaring into the page of every ceaseless assignment we were handed.

But then we looked up a little more. Sophomore year, with a little less pressure and a little more time, we finally took a deep breath, looked around, and loved the world around us.

We gazed at the faces surrounding us, and we cemented those bonds for years to come.

Junior year and the beginning of senior year changed our view some more, though. Everything was focused on college now. Sleepless nights spent scouring over applications, desperate attempts to portray to some new place exactly who we are. Our gaze had looked beyond these walls, focusing prematurely on some destination in the future, the walls of some college that we would someday hope to call home.

And then senior spring rolled around. We zoomed back out. We stopped stressing over the future. We stopped worrying about what new place we would be led to because honestly, here, in these walls and these halls, these classrooms and couches, this is our home now. We zoomed our gaze back into what matters, to the faces of these boys that know and love us, the teachers that uplift us, the families that support us every step of the way; to the walls, the banners, and the Seb’s emblems that mark our home. And we zoomed back a little more. Hours of wiffle ball, and spikeball, and ping pong were spent reminiscing—the long nights after school, practicing our hearts out on the field, cherishing each other’s company; the summer reflections thinking how quickly the year had passed, how much quicker each year passed after that; the moments when we came together. But now that we have finally focused our sights on what truly matters, we see that those moments have reached their completion today. This is it. Our one last snapshot as students of St. Sebastian’s. And so our gaze at last rests on the family around us. Savor every second of it.

But this is not to sound gloomy, for as Semisonic so eloquently put it, “Every new beginning comes from some other beginning’s end.” Our time as students at St. Sebastian’s has come to a close, but that only marks the beginning of our future to come. Today marks a time for rejoicing, a time for recognition, congratulation, appreciation, love. The years have flown by, the classes, the practices, the rehearsals. Yet, to be honest, those won’t all last, but the memories will never fade— the times spent with one another.

Once again, remember when we dreamt about it? Today, once and for all, we can say that our dreams have come true.

Everything we could have hoped for out of a high school experience is fulfilled today. The classes, the sports, the arts, the family. But “nothing gold can stay.” It’s time to depart, to leave this home into the world for which it has so thoroughly prepared us. Every step of the way, the St. Sebastian’s community will be behind us. Once in, never out, Arrows forever. It has truly been an honor spending my last six years with you boys. Now let’s get after it. God Bless.

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COMMENCEMENT 2015

SALUTATORY ADDRESS

The Extraordinary & the Ordinary

BY WILLIAM MCCARTHY ’15

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r. Burke, Father Arens, Mr, Nerbonne, Mr. Elcock, President Garvey, members of the Board of Trustees, members of the faculty, parents, guests, and brothers of the Class of 2015: St. Sebastian’s is an extraordinary place. Remember when we dreamed about it? Remember when we wandered the halls for the first time and imagined ourselves donning red ties and blue blazers? We wondered then what it would be like, and now we know. Personally, I dreamed of captaining the soccer team and of standing before you today. CJ Santosuosso dreamed of a lead role in the fall musical. Geoff Wade dreamed of touchdowns and title runs. Chris Haley dreamed of launching an ultimate frisbee program. Ryan Lee dreamed of a football season in which he didn’t break an arm. We all had dreams.

These goals, once brought to fruition, were extraordinary.

Today marks the culmination of our St. Sebastian’s experience.

So today, we commemorate the extraordinary. We celebrate the opportunities we fought for and the ones that fell into our laps.

We celebrate years of tests and triumphs. We celebrate the times we recited Shakespeare without fail, scored the decisive goal, moved an audience from the stage, or gripped the podium for a corporate chapel address. These were moments in which we excelled. In these instances, we were special.

Surely, our class leaves behind an extraordinary legacy.

Our teams won titles in football, lacrosse, and skiing and saw playoff berths in hockey and basketball. We started new clubs and activities, earned national recognition for academic success, and pioneered efforts to serve the local community.

But such achievements constitute only part of our story. St. Sebastian’s offers a greater education, which runs parallel to the extraordinary one that we recognize today. It isn’t aimed at high honors, a diploma, or a college acceptance letter, but it deserves our appreciation. This education was ordinary. As such, it happened during the most trivial of moments, when we weren’t showing any particular brilliance, aptitude, or talent. We were ordinary when we failed. We felt weak, vulnerable, and afraid.

We overslept and had to apologize for our tardiness. We let our favorite teacher down. We were ordinary when we laughed. We felt uplifted, important, known, and loved. We cleared Jimmy Mitchell’s roof in a whiffle ball game. We cannonballed into the Charles. We set aside our math homework because our best friend asked us to stay and talk. We shook hands and wished each other a happy Friday.

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Here at St. Sebastian’s, we have learned from extraordinary and ordinary moments, and I trust that I am not alone in my belief that the lessons gleaned from the ordinary moments proved most formative. Indeed, we now know how to draw up a lab report and how to write, stand, and deliver. We have mastered complex theories and demonstrated exceptional command of the English, Spanish, and classical languages. But more importantly, we have learned the St. Sebastian’s way.

In our years here, we were molded into men of courage and honor, wisdom and integrity. We’ve been taught to work hard, love like crazy, and be beacons of hope in a world desperately in need of leadership. Ultimately, it is that collection of virtues that we will cherish most from our time at St. Sebastian’s.

The formulas, poems, and facts will fade, but the lessons will remain forever at the center of our minds, hearts, and souls.

But what, then, are the most valuable takeaways from St. Sebastian’s? Certainly, the list seems endless, and it is. We hear every Monday of the power of relationships and the rewards of hard work. We receive yearly instruction regarding the pillars of leadership, scholarship, service, and character. And our service program ensures that we all acknowledge our moral and civic duty to help those most in need. But still, there’s more. It is difficult—maybe even impossible—to pinpoint one person, place, or thing as the source of these deeper lessons. Some learn amidst struggle. Others learn in conversation. Ultimately, the where and the how prove irrelevant. What matters is that we all learn, and we do so during ordinary occasions.

Let me begin with the importance of aim. We are all on some journey, and, seeing as every one of us is a genetically unrepeatable gift from God, no two journeys are the same.

We all had dreams. We still do. At St. Sebastian’s, we’ve come to understand that through patience, diligence, cooperation, and trust, we can meet even the loftiest of goals. We’ve truly embraced the old English proverb that insists, “Where there’s a will, there’s a way.” And we’ve done so by surrounding ourselves with positivity in a community that seeks to build its members up. Truly, attitude is everything. Years after penning

COMMENCEMENT 2015 our nation’s Declaration of Independence, Thomas Jefferson attested to this notion: “Nothing can stop the man with the right mental attitude from achieving his goal; nothing on earth can help the man with the wrong attitude.” At St. Sebastian’s, we’ve adopted an optimism that will not fail us. It seems that all Arrows uphold the belief made popular by NBC’s hit television drama “Friday Night Lights”—that with clear eyes and full hearts, we simply cannot lose. Even the highest of goals are attainable.

Of course, such goal setting is a process for which we must be increasingly self-aware. After all, how can we drive ourselves toward some achievement without knowing what it is we want to achieve? Here, self-confidence becomes key.

Long ago, I dreaded discussion-based classes, knowing that my every word would be drawn out and dissected to form a grade, but that fear has since subsided. I attribute my current poise in part to the writing and speaking program for which St. Sebastian’s is so often applauded. Ordinary moments, however, were the real catalysts in my transformation. For me, it was the little things that were most empowering. It was the last two minutes of a middle school basketball game when Mr. Albertson told me to cover the opposing team’s star. It was the time Mr. Lynch left me alone to finish the Journal and assured me that my best work was good enough. It was every time a friend entrusted me with a secret. These moments reminded me of my inherent goodness. I can aim high. I can trust my gut. I can follow the instruction offered in Ralph Waldo Emerson’s “Self-Reliance” that “man should learn to detect and watch that gleam of light which flashes across his mind from within.” Most importantly, I can love myself. We must never forget that chief among relationships is our relationship with ourselves. St. Sebastian’s has taught us what William Ernest Henley summarized in the concluding stanza of his “Invictus”: It matters not how strait the gate, How charged with punishments the scroll, I am the master of my fate, I am the captain of my soul.

Though we are, ultimately, distinct individuals, we are not alone. That is perhaps the greatest lesson I’ve learned in my six years here. We are never alone. People are always in our corner, ready and willing to straighten our direction or lift us out of any darkness. The essence of life is in relationships.

We all know that. We knew it when we arrived, we’ve known it while we’ve been here, and we’ll know it forever. For all the comfort and guidance provided by the St. Sebastian’s community, we graduates ought to feel eternally grateful. To the faculty: thank you for the ways in which you have sparked our growth, channeled our interests, and opened our hearts.

You are all molders of men—kingmakers in your own right. We will love you always. To the parents: no words can adequately convey how dearly we appreciate the sacrifices you’ve made to send us here. Mom and Dad, I love you more than anything.

Thank you for the example you set and, more importantly, the loving manner in which you set it. Kyle and Aidan, I love you, and believe me when I say that I’ll miss your presence come fall. Finally, to the Class of 2015, thank you. Thank you for the memories, the care, and the fraternity. We have shared an amazing six years and we’ve loved God, worked hard, and taken good care of one another every step of the way.

When we lose people, it is the ordinary memories that seem most precious. We cherish the meaningless conversations, the morning drives, the rounds of golf, the inside jokes. From these moments, we draw lessons. As we say goodbye to St. Sebastian’s, we feel the same desire to hold on. We cling to all that we loved, and often those things are small. We cherish all that we gained for having participated in such ordinary moments. We remember, for example, to aim high, to love ourselves, and to take respite in the understanding that others care. I hope, as we depart once and for all, that we will be grateful for our two educations: the extraordinary and the ordinary, the one that earned us our diploma, and the one that taught us how to be men. Sebs men. Thank you.

Seniors Chris Wolpe, Ryan Lee and Billy McCarthy at the Senior-Parent Dinner on the eve of Commencement.

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“

This Student Commons promises what is uncommon in the world—

a haven of rest and joy,

where boyish things are boyish shared, lifting burdens, encouraging hearts, renewing spirits, and, in the subtlety of innocence, communing the Presence of God.

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—Father John Arens

”

Class of 2015 Parents Dedicate the Brotherhood Fund & Student Commons

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arking the beginning of Commencement Week, parents of the Class of 2015 gathered on Sunday, May 31, for a reception and dinner to dedicate this year’s Senior Class Gift. For the first time in Senior Class Gift history, this year’s class decided a dual gift would be the most meaningful way to celebrate and commemorate their class.

The Class of 2015 Brotherhood Fund will be an endowed fund providing financial aid to future deserving young Arrows. In addition, the old Student Lounge has been updated and transformed into the new Class of 2015 Student Commons, a state-of-theart space for studying, recreation, relaxation and collaboration.

The enthusiasm and support for the gift was tremendous—resulting in 100% participation from the Class of 2015 parents! The Brotherhood Fund and the Student Commons will serve as a fitting and lasting legacy to these fine young men for many years to come.

CLOCKWISE FROM TOP LEFT: The new entrance to the student lounge. n Father John blesses the Class of 2015 Commons n Trustee Robert Wadsworth P’10,’15 and his wife, Terry, at the reception. n Architect Rob Olson P’15,’18 talks with Jeff Morris P’15,’20. n Members of the Senior Class Gift Committee gather in the Class of 2015 Student Commons.

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25 Years AN INTERVIEW with Headmaster Bill Burke IN THE FALL OF 1990, Bill Burke began his tenure as the 9th Headmaster of St. Sebastian’s School.

Powerfully drawn to this unique community, its Catholic mission and its core values, St. Sebastian’s seemed like the perfect fit for Bill, and Bill the perfect fit for the School. Thankfully, both have proven to be more than true. We recently caught up with Headmaster Burke to reflect on the past 25 years.

Q A

Q

Q A

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As the first lay headmaster in the School’s history, what has been your role in keeping religion an integral part of daily life at the School?

Fortunately, it’s all been very natural. I was blithely unaware that it was a pretty big deal for the School to consider a lay head. My Catholic faith has always been central to my life and living it out in my job was something I thought would be nothing short of a true joy and a great honor. I finally would be serving a School where I could fully live my faith life and encourage others to do likewise.

Although St. Sebastian’s is a Catholic School, its spirit is one of inclusion. Can you speak to why this is important to you?

Absolutely. I think religion ought to be a uniting force, not a dividing force. If we are as Catholic as Catholic can be, then we are the most inclusive we can be because the message of Jesus is one of inclusion, not exclusion. Jesus says: “I will never reject anyone who comes to me.” When we wrote our mission statement in 1994, we were very careful to include the words inclusive and nurturing in the second sentence of our mission statement. We have an obligation and a responsibility to be very, very clear about who we are and about what matters most to us. Then it’s for prospective members of our family to decide whether our sacred mission resonates with their souls.

We are wonderfully enriched by students, parents and faculty from other faith traditions and from no faith tradition. Ours is an open, earnest, honest, courageous, loving, eminently inclusive faith community in which we learn from one another.

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A

How have you changed since you first walked on campus in the fall of 1990?

One of my really good friends, a mom who sent a number of sons to St. Sebastian’s, asked me a few years ago whether I had become more spiritual since taking the job at St. Sebastian’s. The answer I gave her was “Yes,” and she responded, “Me, too.” That was a nice moment of discovery. This community has had a very positive impact on me, and, quite honestly, on everyone else—our students, our families, our trustees. St. Sebastian’s is a place where goodness just pervades the atmosphere.

A

How has St. Sebastian’s changed since you first took the helm 25 years ago?

In my first year, 1990-1991, we had 277 students. Our trustees thought we could to be at least 300 with the campus we had at the time. The mandate was clear: to help the School become a yet more excellent academic environment, to grow the enrollment if possible, but definitely to become more selective. Happily, we enjoyed an ever-deeper, ever-broader applicant pool, so we became both larger and more selective each year. We got to 320 and then 360. Over the past five years, we’ve had to work very hard to cap enrollment at 375 with an active waitlist of very good students. This is a pretty bold statement, but I believe every one of our boys is at St. Sebastian’s because we were his and his family’s first choice School. And that was not true in 1990. In fact, I don’t think many schools ever even approach this level of excellence.

Q A

What sets St. Sebastian’s apart from public schools and other independent schools?

We are a mission-driven school. That truth sets us apart mostly because of what our mission expresses. In stating in the first sentence of our mission statement that we pursue truth through faith and reason, we radically differentiate ourselves from every school in the public realm across all 50 states, as the whole concept of the spiritual seems to be legislated out. Most independent schools tend to be that way as well. Even those founded as religious schools have deemphasized the place of the spirit. In some, religion has been downgraded if not eliminated. Community service seems to take the place of worship in many schools. But for us, the very core of everything we do is the pursuit of truth through faith and reason. It is faith that informs reason and reason that informs faith on the road to building character and developing the fully integrated student in body, mind and spirit. We have faculty who came to us without much religious background who tell me that it’s the spiritual depth of the place that sustains them and makes them want to become ever more fully part of the community. We have a phrase we like to use, “Matters of the heart and the spirit are sometimes better caught than taught.” Our students can’t write a speech without thinking about where they are going to be delivering it. And I believe that, in part, because our speeches are delivered in the Chapel or in the Church, our young men tend to seize the higher moral ground and speak from their hearts about lives of purpose. It’s why the “Love God, work hard and take good care of one another” ethos is so fully embraced.

Q A

After 25 years at the helm, what does St. Sebastian’s mean to you and your family?

I encourage all of my colleagues to live the “God, family, job” order of being. First, commit to God, then to your family, then to your job. I remind faculty that if they have a sick family member who needs them, they’re not allowed to come to work. Take care of your family, we’ll cover your classes, and you will do the same for others when called upon.

It’s just a nice way to live. We’ve been blessed with four sons, all of whom are graduates of the School and one of whom is a veteran faculty member, and my wife has been very actively engaged, so “God, family, job” sings in harmony at St. Sebastian’s, where I’m constantly moving from one to the other to the other and all in one place. It’s much more than a job; it’s a life’s mission. And the position is quite literally an answer to my prayers. I tell the new students every year that the window of St. Jude in our Chapel is there because, in the late 80’s, I prayed, through the intercession of St. Jude, this prayer: “Please, Lord, put me in a place where I can best serve You and my family.” And I believed firmly that prayer was answered when Mr. Jack Birmingham ’59 called in 1990 to inform me that I would be named Headmaster of St. Sebastian’s. And I believe it even more fully now that I’ve had the privilege and honor of articulating and advancing the mission for the last 25 years.

Q

From weekly assemblies and classroom discussions to the sidelines, St. Sebastian’s order of the day is clear: “Love God, work hard and take good care of one another.” How have you seen this in action?

A

I see it in all kinds of ways, daily reminders too numerous to count. I’m struck by stories I hear from admiring visitors, one of whom told me that when he drove onto our campus for a sporting event, he noticed that all of the boys on our team were kneeling in prayer for an injured opponent. Led by their coaches, our teams pray before games. When we send our seniors out to do community service in the spring, we have them gather together as a class in Chapel. Father John puts his hands on each one of their heads as they come forward and says: “Give what you have been given.” In seemingly every moment of the day, our “love God, work hard and take good care of one another” ethos is being advanced. I believe that all we’re really doing is encouraging and reminding these young men to be the men of faith and honor that they want to be. Every boy feels as though every fellow student and his parents and our teachers, coaches and advisors all want him to succeed. He’s got a lot of people rooting for him. One of the greatest sentences I’ve ever heard was uttered by our 16th President, Abraham Lincoln, at the height of his powers: “I am a success today because I had a friend who believed in me, and I didn’t have the heart to let him down.” Well, our young men are blessed with many such friends on this campus and beyond.

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Q A

What has been the most rewarding part of your job as Headmaster of St. Sebastian’s?

Upon retiring after more than three decades of service to St. Sebastian’s and being asked to comment on the highlights of his career, John Borden replied: “All of my highlights have names.” All of the rewards are in the sacred relationships I’ve enjoyed with God and with students, and families, and colleagues, and trustees, and alumni, and friends.

And there simply are no words for the reward of seeing each of our four sons go through the School, being with them and handing them their diplomas. It wasn’t that long ago, from a historical perspective, that we were an agrarian nation, and when we were, sons and fathers worked in the fields together.

Every boy knew what his father did for a living because he did it with him; since the industrial revolution and myriad sociological changes, it’s very rare in this world that a boy grows up knowing what his father does and is there doing the work with him. I had that opportunity and there’s no place my wife and I would rather have seen our sons grow into manhood. We had never even heard of a school, nor have we since, that has the combination of spiritual depth and academic rigor and excellence in the arts and athletics in a faith community that oozes goodness and love.

Most of my job is pure joy, and all of it is rewarding.

There are no downsides, not even in deepest sadness, as being asked to write and deliver eulogies for my students who died far too soon has proven a sacred honor far, far beyond words. I thank God for all of it.

Q A

How has St. Sebastian’s “brand” changed since you became Headmaster?

When I came to St. Sebastian’s in 1990, I found a School that was way better than anyone knew it to be, even those on the inside. I taught a senior writing class that first year and I thought “these students are as good as any I’ve ever had.” They’re bright, they’re grounded, they’re witty, they’re wise, they’re well motivated, they dare to put out into the deep. I had them write essays about the School and they really caught me up; I learned a lot from them, and I can’t tell you how close I feel to them.

From the very beginning, mothers would tell me that they could always identify a St. Sebastian’s boy by his open, honest, look-you-in-the-eye engagement, firm handshake, ebullient nature, and eminently polite demeanor. Our brand has always been one of men of faith and honor, who really want to be part of something great and who really want to help one another succeed, and who have a great time along the way.

Q

A

You have a very challenging and busy job. What motivates you?

It’s all a gift, and most of it is pure joy. You have no idea what you’re going to face on any given day, but you do know that you’ll engage with people, and so you walk on sacred ground. About 500 years before Christ, Plato urged: “Be kind because everyone you encounter is fighting a big battle.” You don’t always know what the battle is but you’re motivated from the inside out by a burning desire to help each person on the road to health and happiness and holiness in this life and to eternal joy in the next. If that’s your honest intention, you can’t help but exude it and announce it, and you can’t help but draw colleagues and parents and trustees to the cause. “Let me serve them all my days and never count the cost.” If that’s your desire, and you stay with it, you’re going to succeed and you’re going to have a rich and wonderful life devoted to God and others. I guess it’s hard work; there’s hard work in any important job, but you can and you must know joy in your labors. Every time I write a thank you letter, it connects me to a genetically unrepeatable gift from God. I want to take the time to let each person know how important he or she is to me and to this School.

Q A

You are an avid reader. Which book would you like every member of the School community to read?

I’m often asked: “What is the special sauce in St. Sebastian’s? Why does everybody love the School so much?” And I tell them: “If you really want to know, all you have to do is consult two books. And you can get these two books anywhere: The Old Testament and New Testament.

Read them both and see our map, our guidelines. It’s all right there.”

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“God, family, job sings in harmony at St. Sebastian’s, where I’m constantly moving from one to the other to the other and all in one place. It’s much more than a job; it’s a life’s mission.”

Q

Let’s say you were in an elevator. If there was time to tell people about just one thing that makes St. Sebastian’s special, what would it be?

A

A four letter word: Love. Love abounds at our School. You can’t fake it. You can’t manufacture it. It’s either there or it isn’t, and it all comes from God Who is love and Who loved and loves us first. In Father Thomas Keating’s wonderful little book, Open Mind, Open Heart, which was our All School Read one year, you’ll find these brilliant words: “Transformation is completely God’s work. We can’t do anything to make it happen. We can only prevent it from happening.” We can indeed prevent the transforming love of God by hardening our hearts, by refusing to open ourselves to the Lord and to grace and love and faith, honor and dignity and integrity. But at our School we do open ourselves to God and to one another and we encourage others to do the same. When love abounds, all things are possible. We’re not perfect, we never will be, but we are a loving faith community and we seek to become ever more fully so. Love of learning, love of one another, love of God. And I believe you can feel it. I’ve been told countless times by new families that they knew as soon as they walked on campus that this was the place. They could feel God’s love in action.

Q A

We know you have many years of Headmaster left in you. What work remains to be done?

We need to finish building out our campus, and we need to boost our endowment significantly to preserve and protect and advance the mission of the School. A completed campus master plan will enable us to give more opportunities to more students and to deliver our program better, and a large endowment will enable us to continue to be generous with financial aid, to pay our outstanding faculty and staff as well as we can so they and their families can lead lives of dignity, and to control overall tuition costs. As the youngest school in the Independent School League, we’re proud that we’ve been able to build out so much of our campus while creating an endowment of $30 million. But we’re not done yet. There’s a lot of work ahead and I’m really excited about all of it. I’m greatly inspired by the truth that everyone wants to contribute to this tremendous community and invest in the next generation of leaders, men of faith, honor and character.

Some of us will do so by teaching and coaching and running the drama and music programs; some by sharing sons and grandsons and volunteering; some by serving on the Board; and all by praying earnestly, by telling the good news of St. Sebastian’s, and by donating as generously as possible.

What an honor and a thrill it will be to help lead this cause for years to come!

Q A

What has the St. Sebastian’s community accomplished during your time as Headmaster?

From the very beginning, I have enjoyed the full support of a unified, focused, intelligent, energetic, talented, courageous, visionary, loyal, exceptional Board of Trustees and faculty leadership team, many of whom had labored in the vineyard for years and years. What we have accomplished together over the past 25 years as a community of outstanding trustees, faculty, parents, families, alumni, students, and friends is this truth: In both appearance and reality, St. Sebastian’s is a truly great School of academic rigor and spiritual depth in which students are known and loved and called to greatness by great people, and there’s a palpable and powerful sense that the best is yet to come. I don’t see how it gets any better than that.

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Honoring

A GREAT MAN and HIS GREAT WORDS At St. Sebastian’s first-ever President’s Society Dinner on May 7, leadership donors, trustees and friends gathered in Ward Hall to recognize Headmaster Bill Burke’s 25 years of service to the School. Below are excerpts from some of the remarks shared that evening, celebrating and giving thanks for a great man and his unwavering dedication to St. Sebastian’s and its mission.

CARDINAL SEÁN O’MALLEY, O.F.M. CAP In recent years there has been increased focus on the measurable results generated by all types of organizations; private businesses, governmental agencies and the full range of not for profit entities, including academic institutions.

By these standards, St. Sebastian’s School has thrived and flourished during the past quarter century, particularly under Bill Burke’s leadership as Headmaster. But for St. Sebastian’s the statistics, impressive as they are, tell only a part of the story, and not the most important part. The spiritual, academic and personal formation of St. Sebastian’s students and of alumni is the school’s greatest success and represents Bill’s highest achievement, not measured as a point on a graph or by a trend line, but by lives being lived in service to faith, family and community in ways that are making the Kingdom of God present in our world here and now. Thank you, Bill, for answering our Lord’s call to discipleship so generously and so effectively every day.

JAMES ELCOCK ’77, P’08 President, Board of Trustees

Bill is a gifted orator, has an extraordinary memory, and is an excellent judge of talent—all with a tremendous sense of humor. No one is more self-deprecating and always looking to praise others before ever receiving credit. Our school would not be where we are today if we didn’t have Bill Burke leading the charge. An educator and administrator for over 41 years, Bill knows that nothing is perfect, yet through imperfection Bill strives for perfection every day.

Bill leads us, inspires us, and the result is a school that few could have imagined twenty five years ago when he appeared on campus for his first day on the job. One thing that is undeniable is that his words have provided the guidance and wisdom that will carry forward with every young Arrow for the rest of their lives.

KATHLEEN DRISCOLL P’05,’09 Secretary for Institutional Advancement, Archdiocese of Boston

We’ve always admired Bill’s leadership of this incredible school and we came to appreciate that even more once our boys became students. As a parent, and my husband Kevin as an alum, we are so proud of St Sebastian’s and all it has become and all it continues to be for these young men.

My friendship with Bill has also grown through working with him as a fellow board member. In 2010, Bill was asked by Cardinal Sean to join the board of the Saint Pope John Paul II Catholic Academy located in Dorchester and Mattapan. The impact of Bill’s commitment to help us build this school has made a difference in the lives of over 1300 students! Congratulations, Bill, on 25 years of leading St Sebastian’s and being such a strong voice for Catholic education in our Archdiocese.

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MICHAEL HIRSCHFELD Rector of St. Paul’s School and Chair of the Visiting Committee for St. Sebastian’s NEASC decennial re-accreditation.

I was struck by two observations my colleagues and I made about Bill’s leadership when we visited in the fall. The first observation we made occurred during casual conversations with faculty. To make conversation we often ask how long a particular individual had served on the faculty. We heard this—“30 plus years”, “24 years,” ”21 years,” “I got here when Bill did” and my personal favorite “Oh I’m new, I have been here for 14 years.” Those kinds of tenures indicate a loyalty to Bill for sure, but, more importantly, I believe Bill would agree the staying power of the faculty indicates a commitment to the School’s mission and what it is trying to achieve. This is remarkable and we should take a moment to celebrate their commitment to St. Sebastian’s. If one is measured by the company one keeps, we need not say much more about Bill.

The second observation we made is related to the first.

As you may know Bill’s educational philosophy was shaped by his experiences at Hebron as a student and at Holderness and Canterbury as a young teacher and administrator. I suspect some of his commitment to and thinking about teaching young men how to live integrated lives comes from this experience. What my colleagues articulated to me on more than one occasion was a version of this quote from my colleague Tim Pratt, “This is a better boarding school than most boarding schools I know.” Bill Burke and his colleagues know and love the young men who are privileged to be students here. And they are ever-present for them.

A SPECIAL TOAST

Given by Carol Smith-Fachetti P’13,’16, Guild of St. Irene President, & Bob Reardon P’15, Men’s Association President

Each year since 1996, Bill Burke has chosen a “word of the year” as a theme, a word to study and to celebrate. I have attempted to incorporate each of these words into my tribute to Bill, so please bear with me!

It is our great HONOR to offer this toast to Mr. Bill Burke, Headmaster of St. Sebastian’s School for the past 25 years. We are so very fortunate to have Bill Burke as the head of this school and a role model for our sons.

He is a man of deep faith, INTEGRITY and a life-long learner. He encourages our sons to be all that they can be, to be perfectly UNITED in body, mind and spirit.

Because of Bill’s deep DEVOTION to our sons, to this school and to his faith in God, our sons are inspired to be great, they want to pursue excellence. They strive to make Mr. Burke proud of them, they have the utmost RESPECT for him and they never want to “let Mr. Burke down.”

When Bill Burke first came to St. Sebastian’s in 1990, he began his opening speech that year with a quote from Aristotle that reads, “Well begun is half done.” To Bill, that meant both “praise and encouragement.” Praise for what had been accomplished and encouragement for all that lies ahead, the encouragement to continue to work hard and the RESPONSIBILITY to pursue excellence.

This same quote holds true today. As parents, we are GRATEFUL to Bill for the rich foundation he has provided for our sons and TRUST that he will continue to strive for excellence and greatness in the years ahead.

Bill, it has been my great JOY to see all that you have achieved; for this school, for your family and in the eyes of God. I am so proud of you. You are a humble man of great faith, honor and COURAGE; a role model for these boys. With the GRACE of God’s continued blessings, the future of St. Sebastian’s will be bright under your leadership.

So, please stand and raise your glass in tribute to Bill Burke and to this COMMUNITY, which is St. Sebastian’s. We REMEMBER our school mission statement which reads: “the ideal St. Sebastian’s graduate is a moral and just person, a gentleman of courage, honor and wisdom, a life-long learner who continues to grow in his capacity to know, to love, and to serve God and neighbor.” Mr. Burke, you are that man, you are our PILGRIM and we love you. We congratulate you on the past 25 years and we look forward with anticipation to the next 25! Cheers!

LEFT: During the President’s Society Dinner, Headmaster Bill Burke takes a rare moment to sit back and watch a video created for him by his four sons in honor of this milestone. n The Burke family gathers at the front of Ward Hall during the dinner.

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Pure

Altruism

BY CHRISTINE ROBERTSON

EVERY DAY, PEOPLE DO GOOD DEEDS FOR OTHERS —from small gestures to grander acts of kindness—but it is rare to find someone who lives and breathes altruism the way

Josh Morrison ’03 does. When he was just 26 years old, Josh gave an extraordinary gift to a perfect stranger: his kidney. This rare act not only saved the stranger’s life, but changed the course of Josh’s life as well, and left him wanting to do even more for others facing the same fate.

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“

Donating my kidney has been one of the greatest, most meaningful experiences of my life.

”

—Josh Morrison ’03

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J

osh’s decision to become a living kidney donor was not a revelation, but something that came to him bit by bit. When he was in his first year at Harvard Law School, he was intrigued by an article about the experiences of a woman who needed a kidney transplant. He was surprised to learn that kidney donation is a laparoscopic surgery, involving only a short hospital stay and fairly quick recovery, and does not impact the longterm health or life expectancy for donors.

But the thing that really tugged on his mind was the heartbreaking portrait of this woman’s life: the nightmarish process of dialysis; the waiting game to find a donor - an average of five years —and the harsh reality that for 65% of patients, by the time it’s their turn, it’s already too late. Three different times, this woman got her hopes up after someone said yes, only to be devastated each time when they changed their mind. “I decided that if I ever told

someone I was going to donate, there was no way I was going to back out,” said Josh.

And yet, even after being so moved by this article, it faded into the back of Josh’s mind. He was a student with lots of other things going on in his life. It was a year or two later, when he stumbled upon another article about altruistic kidney donation, that he felt compelled to look into it more seriously. “I felt like I had been given so much in life—a loving family, a great education and success in my career path—and that it was my responsibility to give back,” said Josh.

On October 13, 2011, while working as a corporate lawyer for Ropes & Gray in Boston, Josh donated his kidney.

The recipient was a 45-year old man named John who had been on dialysis for six years. The disease had taken a tremendous personal toll, forcing John to give up his hobbies of mixed martial arts and semi-pro football, putting significant strain on his personal relationships and leaving him too

Josh meets John, the recipient of his kidney—an unforgettable moment for both of them.

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exhausted to work. Indeed, it was so bad that the first time he was put on dialysis he was in enough pain that he thought he’d rather die than do it again. When John learned that he would be receiving Josh’s kidney, he dropped the phone, and he couldn’t stop crying because he was so happy.

At the time of the surgery, Josh was only about a year into his law career, but his firm was very supportive, giving him paid leave and telling him to take as much time as he needed. His family was much more apprehensive. Despite the statistics, they worried about Josh’s health and safety. No mother can stand to see her child in pain on a hospital bed, and his was no exception. Although not happy about it, in the end, his family respected his decision and supported him throughout his recovery.

Josh recalls that as he was being wheeled away for the surgery, he said to his mother, “It’s your fault I’m doing this. You sent me to St. Sebastian’s.”

Although he was attempting to lighten an intense moment, there was some definite truth to this statement. Josh’s deep sense of morality and his desire to make a difference for others were takeaways from his days as an Arrow.

Josh was a student of Jewish faith who came to St. Sebastian’s primarily to be challenged by the academics, but was also drawn to the idea of a school with a moral purpose. Listening to Headmaster Burke and Father Arens in Chapel, and being part of this mission-driven community, left a lasting impression and created the foundation for his selfless act.

Three months after the surgery, Josh met the man who received his kidney. He considers meeting John one of the best days of his life. Indeed, the whole experience left him feeling tremendously fulfilled. Feeling the need to head in a new direction, Josh realized that corporate law was not the right place for him. He decided to join the transplant field, becoming the General Counsel and Director of Strategic Initiatives at the Alliance for Paired Donation, a leading innovator in living donor transplantation. There, he led government communications efforts

Josh at St. Sebastian’s Commencement in 2003. n Headmaster Burke and Josh catch up during a recent visit to campus.

that successfully reversed a Medicare decision concerning financing of living donor transplantation.

Driven to still do more—something big and innovative—Josh sought funding to start an organization that would work to end the shortages in kidney donation. In January 2015, thanks to a grant from GiveWell, Josh and his co-founder, Thomas Kelly, founded Waitlist Zero. The focus of the non-profit is to end the deadly kidney shortage by increasing living kidney donation. “If only 0.06 percent of Americans donated a kidney, we could end the kidney shortage tomorrow,” notes Josh. Each year twenty thousand more patients go on the kidney waiting list than receive a transplant, which is almost two thirds the number of car

accident deaths or gun fatalities each year in the United States. Josh has been putting his law degree to work, with the ultimate goal of creating laws at both the state and federal level that will provide benefits like paid leave for living kidney donors, making it easier for patients to ask for a kidney and easy for donors to give. If Josh is successful, his work will have saved thousands of lives.

Josh credits his education, including St. Sebastian’s, with providing the foundation for many of the skills he’ll need to make Waitlist Zero a success.

His time on the debate team, which inspired him to become a lawyer, his strong writing and public speaking skills (thanks to Chapel speeches and Freshman Writing), all have a role to play in presenting his cause to

“Doing something like this really involves a lot of faith, and to see that faith begin to pay off is really gratifying.”

—Josh, on starting Waitlist Zero

many different constituencies—from government officials and medical professionals to insurance companies and funders. And of course, to potential living donors.

Josh admits that starting Waitlist Zero has been scary. The fear of failure, and not having enough funds to finance the work, are very real, but his conviction is stronger. In just over seven months, people have been generous with their time and commitment; his non-profit recently received another substantial grant. “Doing something like this really involves a lot of faith, and to see that faith begin to pay off is really gratifying.” Josh notes that the work is not just about advocacy and education, but about building a more supportive community for those who choose to become living kidney donors.

The reality is that thousands of Americans die because they don’t receive a kidney transplant—and hundreds of millions of Americans are never asked to consider donating their kidney in life. Josh has already saved the life of one man on that waiting list and he doesn’t plan to stop until that number reaches zero. Now that is an example of pure altruism.

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Spring

REVUE

T

he St. Sebastian’s Community filled Ward Hall on May 8 for the Fine Arts Department’s annual Spring Revue. The Slings & Arrows Players began the night with four student-directed plays: “A Perfect Gentleman,” directed by Marty White ’18;

“Fishnet,” directed by Jimmy Ryan ’16; and “The Tomato Skit” and “The Gross Story Conference,” both directed by David Korzeniowski ’16 and Owen Finnegan ’16.

The second half of the show turned to music, with sets from the Pop Rock Ensemble and the Jazz Band. Pop Rock took the stage first, performing The Beatles’ “Let It Be” with special guest vocalist Sophia Gustafson. Jazz Band followed with a set of classic hits, including “Soul Man,” “Burning Down the House,” “Respect” and “Come on Eileen.”

It was a wonderful evening of performances showcasing the student body’s musical and dramatic talents.

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EVENT HIGHLIGHTS PARENTS OF ALUMNI RECEPTION Ward Hall was packed with more than 275 past parents at the annual Parents of Alumni Reception on April 9. This year’s event included a special celebration of Headmaster Bill Burke and Father John Arens for their 25 years of service to St. Sebastian’s School. The special evening gave past parents the opportunity to reconnect and share memories and to recognize Headmaster Burke and Father Arens for their combined half-century as pillars of the St. Sebastian’s community.

HEADMASTER SCHOLARSHIP GOLF TOURNAMENT

Edward Ronan P’14 with Leanne and Mike Lalor P’06,’09.

St. Sebastian’s parents, alumni, and friends hit the links at Woodland Golf Club on May 4 for the Headmaster Scholarship Golf Tournament. For the second year in a row, the event raised more than $230,000 for the Headmaster Scholarship, which provides financial assistance to St. Sebastian’s students.

Thank you to Men’s Association President Bob Reardon P’15, event chairs Mike Muldowney P’12,’16 and Jim Donovan P’19, and the mothers of the Guild of St. Irene for their tireless efforts to make this event a fantastic success. Thanks also to all of our sponsors and participants for your generous support of the tournament.

GUILD OF ST. IRENE FASHION SHOW St. Sebastian’s mothers enjoyed an evening of fun and fashion at Guild of St. Irene’s annual closing event on May 19. The Dinner & Fashion Show began with shopping and socializing followed by dinner as senior mom models strutted down the catwalk in the latest fashion trends. A lovely time was had by all thanks to the hard work of Co-Chairs Jan Aldrich P’16 and Alyson Karpowicz P’16 and the event committee.

Annual Fund Co-Chairs Mike Frisoli P’17,’19,’21 and Randy Seidl P’17,’19

VOLUNTEER APPRECIATION COOKOUT

Mothers of seniors model outfits put together by Lyn Evans Potpourri Designs.

On June 10, Headmaster Bill Burke hosted over 130 parents, alumni and friends on the Class of 2007 Terrace for a Volunteer Appreciation Cookout to celebrate and thank the many people in our School community who have made contributions of time and talent this past year. From supporting Guild and Men’s Association events, to working on the annual fund and serving as class agents. St. Sebastian’s is very fortunate to have a tremendous team of volunteers!

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SPRING SPORTS Varsity Baseball

BY COACH RICHARD CONNOLLY A bases-loaded double-play squashes a threatening final frame in a 2-1 loss. A would-be strikeout for two outs gets lost around the plate, igniting a Murphy’s Law kind of inning in a 4-3 defeat. A combined two-hitter from the pitching staff results in another 2-1 loss. A gutsy steal attempt of home gets tagged out in a fourth one-run loss.

In a major league or even a college season, the above medley of events might not seem so strange, but when it all happens over the course of 18 games, during which we picked up another onerun loss, you start to wonder whether karma exists and if so, what were we doing wrong?

Oh, and for good measure, a no-hit bid was broken up with one out left in the game. It was that kind of season, folks.

Your Arrows Nine entered the year with high expectations, and rightly so.

The boys weren’t cocky, but they’re St. Sebastian’s students for a reason and they were smart enough to recognize the talent in the clubhouse. We finished

with a 10-8 record, going 9-6 in the ISL, good for fourth place, but anyone in our dugout, and most players and coaches around the league, will tell you that if there was a tournament, it’d be hard to bet against Seb’s.

We started the season against Dexter School, a team that finished 13-4, including wins over 10 ISL teams. Pat McGowan ’15 gave five strong innings on the bump, racking up 13 Ks against just one walk and scattering two hits in the 5-2 win. Mike Calabro ’16 led the charge offensively, wrapping three hits and scoring twice.

During the league opener against Nobles, two unearned runs and the aforementioned double play helped sink the Arrows, 2-1. In the bottom of the sixth, Blake Gallagher ’17 laced a line drive with men on 2nd and 3rd that the shallow center fielder caught in one of those “Why are you even playing there?” moments that seemed to find their way into many of our games, and in the bottom of the second, with two men on and nobody out, Sean Harrington ’16 smoked one right at the third baseman who turned our sure crooked number into an unavoidable double play.

Thirty-four degrees with steady sleet is hardly Norman Rockwell baseball, but it is baseball in New England, and behind five innings of three-hit ball

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from McGowan and two hits and two runs from Tommy Seidl ’17, Seb’s beat Lawrence Academy, 3-2.

Matt Doherty ’15 paced the offense with three hits and three runs, and Brian Craven ’17 added two hits and a run, as the Arrows rode Gallagher’s near-nohitter to a 7-0 victory over Groton.

Against St. George’s, the bats really came to life, generating18 hits, highlighted by Danny Higgins ’15 going 4-for-4 with six ribbies, and Seb’s cruised to a 16-6 win.

Up in Concord, NH, the boys learned the hard way just how cruel baseball can be, dropping a 7-6 decision, with most of St. Paul’s runs coming in the same inning after a dropped third strike for the second out got lost in the umpire’s feet. Doherty went 3-for-3 with two walks and three RBIs and McGowan struck out nine in the losing effort.

The fourth week of our ISL season may be the most challenging baseball week you’ll find in New England, as we faced perennial powerhouses Belmont Hill and BB&N in a three day span.

Against defending ISL champ Belmont Hill, the Arrows entered the sixth tied 5-5, only to see the Hillies erupt for 10 runs in the next two innings, while our bats were silenced. Against 2015 champ BB&N, a five-run second inning lifted the Knights to the 5-2 win. In a heated

SPRING SPORTS game with several bean balls, the Arrows threatened in most innings, but were unable to push enough runs across.

Next, the team took a roadie to Worcester Academy, who went 18-4 and won the competitive Central New England Prep Baseball League. Will Slayne ’16 went five strong innings, and Brendan Lutch ’16 came on in relief, and despite holding one of New England’s best teams to just two hits, including a two-out, two-strike triple that scored the winning run, the Arrow offense mustered just one run in the 2-1 loss.

Demonstrating impressive resilience, the Arrows Nine used a four-run sixth inning to outdistance Middlesex 7-3, with McGowan striking out 10 Zebras.

Against Rivers, Seb’s rattled off 11 hits and Gallagher surrendered no earned runs, but some mistakes in the first frame accounted for four Rivers runs, and the Arrows lost 4-3, this time going down in a blaze of glory with Doherty trying to steal home with two outs in the seventh.

Tim DiFiore ’17 went 3-for-3 in the losing effort and Maynel Fuentes ’16 saw a bases loaded gap shot get snared by a sprawling left-fielder.

At times throughout the season, the boys were reminded of the magical baseball phrase “Pick me up,” which means “Help me make up for my miscue,” and is absolutely needed in a game that puts the errors you make on the scoreboard for all to see. Against Governor’s, the Arrows Nine embraced the slogan, and despite making four errors, not including a fly ball that dropped for both Govs’ runs, the team stayed together and won 4-2, helped largely by Gallagher’s 11 Ks on the bump and the clinical work of Christian Reenstierna ’15 in the seventh for the save.

Next, Tabor Academy shipped up to Needham, and the Seawolves made the most of their trip, returning to Marion as 12-2 victors.

Now 6-8, the Arrows were looking to run the table in order to have a winning season. Against St. Mark’s, early small ball was complemented by a three-

run seventh, as Seb’s earned a 5-0 win, highlighted by McGowan’s 12 strikeouts against just one walk.

At Brooks, the Arrows put up four in the opening frame and never looked back, leaving North Andover with an 11-4 win. Harrington and Gallagher each had three hits, and Doherty scored three times to pace the offense, while Gallagher threw five innings of no-hit ball before being pulled in case his services would be needed in the final week.

McGowan went the distance against Thayer, throwing an efficient 93 pitches en route to striking out 11 and scattering three hits, and solid defense stopped a late Tigers rally as Seb’s held on for the 3-2 win.

In the season finale, with that winning season on the line, the Arrows cracked 14 hits, with Doherty, Higgins and Harrington all producing 2 RBIs, and Reenstierna threw five innings of one-run ball, while Johnny Ryan ’15 channeled his inner Dennis Eckersley, flowing locks and all, in the final two frames, as the boys out-foxed Roxbury Latin, 11-1.

A team derives much of its personality from the seniors, and the

nine members of the Class of 2015 we had on this team were the consummate St. Sebastian’s men. The coaches want to thank all the seniors, including our captains, Pat McGowan and Christian Reenstierna, for setting the tone on and off the field. Three-year starter Matt Doherty always played the game with the spirit of Pete Rose and inspired his teammates to follow suit. Two-year members Danny Higgins, Justin Lee, Johnny Ryan and Tyler Wiik were rock stars, doing everything we asked and looking to get better every day. Bobby Reardon and Scotty Westvold joined the squad this season and their contributions helped make this a season to proud of.

We return 12 players and are already looking forward to the 2016 campaign.

Sophomores Brian Craven, Tim DiFiore, Blake Gallagher, Chris Joyce and Tommy Seidl will all be older and wiser, and juniors Cole Aldrich, Mike Calabro, Maynel Fuentes, Sean Harrington, Brendan Lutch, Frankie Mahoney, and Will Slayne will surely provide the senior guidance we saw this season.

The captains-elect for the 2016 season are Mike Calabro and Sean Harrington.

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SPRING SPORTS

Varsity Lacrosse

BY MIKE MACKINTIRE ’16 AND MIKE CONNOLLY ’17 As the winter season came to an end, the spring season looked as if it would never be possible. The lacrosse field was buried under three feet of snow and temperatures hovered in the 20s.

Luckily, St. Sebastian’s is blessed with a maintenance crew that overcomes all obstacles and was able to have the field ready for the first week of double practices, held over Spring Break.

With twelve seniors returning, the team had a bright future ahead of itself, under the leadership of captains James DeSisto ’15, Greg Barletta ’15, Tyson Reed ’15, and George Barrett ’15. Attackmen Vaughn Gendron ’15 and Gabe Maxwell ’15 commanded the offense, while the midfield was lead by DeSisto, Reed, and Angus O’Rourke ’15.

Faceoffs were dominated by O’Rourke,

who became the best faceoff man in the ISL, winning just over 72% of his faceoffs; LSM Matt Daniel ’15 and D-Middie Barrett helped O’Rourke from the wing. The defense had a task ahead of themselves, as they had three new close defensemen starting: Michael Mackintire ’16, Kevin Boland ’16 and Doyle Silvia ’15. But with the help of Coach White and Coach Martin they were able to develop into one of the top defenses in the league.

The St. Sebastian’s Lacrosse team finished with another successful year, ending with a record of 13-4; 11-4 in the ISL. The season started off with wins over out-of-conference teams Hotchkiss and Exeter. The Arrows opened their ISL schedule with a close 9-8 win over Nobles. Mikey Connolly ’17 was able to capitalize on the game winner with :48 on the clock after the Arrows rallied from a four-goal deficit.

Unfortunately the season did have some bumps in the road, including losses to St. George’s, Belmont Hill, Middlesex, and Roxbury Latin. The team was able to bounce back from each of these setbacks,

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creating wins against St. Paul’s, BB&N, Rivers and Thayer.

The most notable win of the year came against Governor’s Academy, one of the two league champions this year.

Governor’s had been undefeated going into the game. Just before the varsity game, the JV team had set the tone with a 17-3 win over Governor’s JV squad. In the varsity game, the Arrows got a dominant performance at the faceoff X with O’Rourke going 17 for 22. With possession of the ball for the majority of the game, our offense was able to capitalize with goals from Maxwell (4g), John Piatelli ’17 (2g), O’Rourke (2g), Cam Balboni ’16 (1g), Jack Frisoli ’17 (1g), and DeSisto (1g).

The strong performance in the offensive zone inspired the young defense to step up. With Barletta commanding the defensive unit from between the pipes, the Arrows were able to hold Governor’s to eight goals, allowing for an 11-8 victory.

Overall, it was a very successful year for the Arrows. The future looks bright as the team will be led by Captain Michael Mackintire, and Assistant Captains Kevin Boland and Mike Connolly.

SPRING SPORTS

Varsity Golf

BY COACH JIM SULLIVAN Cold and inclement weather with plenty of snow on the ground delayed the start of the 2015 Arrows golf season. The first match, rescheduled at Falmouth Country Club against non-league rival Tabor, had to be played based upon players’ history from the 2014 season as no courses were opened for play in the greater Boston area. Returning veterans Ryan McGuirk (captain), Alejo Soto, Robert Lemone, Peter Mullin, Paul Keady and Michael Mullowney joined up with Jack Lemone and Henry Birmingham to form the starting squad as the Arrows defeated a very strong Tabor team. The following week tryouts were held and the 2015 varsity squad emerged through the less than ideal golf conditions. Andrew

Giacchetto and Andrew Michienzi were added to the roster to form the 2015 varsity golf team.

The Arrows opened league play with a tri meet at Newport National Golf Course. A split decision was recorded with a victory over St. George’s, but a narrow defeat to Rivers, a 4-3 decision.

This defeat eventually proved most costly in the final league standings. Up next was another tri match with BB&N and St. George’s. Again, a split decision occurred with a second victory over St. George’s, but a narrow loss, 4.5—2.5, to BB&N. In the next two dual matches the Arrows recorded a victory against St. Mark’s, but a tough loss to rival Belmont Hill. After six league matches the league record stood at 3–3 and the bright hope of a great season that filled the team early was dimming. However, led by the strong leadership of Ryan McGuirk the team reeled off 10 victories and one tie in the next 11 league contests. Included in that run was a most gratifying victory over undefeated Belmont Hill. Strong play during this hot streak was evident from all players. Everyone contributed, be it with a match victory or in positive support. Many fine qualities marked this team, none more evident than the

positive support they provided each other. The final league record was 13–3– 1. This placed the Arrows in 4th position in the standings. However, 4th place is a bit deceptive as the Arrows finished one victory short of capturing the league title.

The ISL Tournament for 2015 was conducted at Olde Scotland Links in Bridgewater. The five Arrows winning spots to play in this event were Alejo Soto, Ryan McGuirk, Robert Lemone, Peter Mullin, and Andrew Giacchetto.

The Arrows were on their game this day finishing 2nd in a field of 13 teams with a fine score of 307 (best 4 out of 5). Alejo Soto and Robert Lemone posted 74’s to win All League Honors while Peter Mullin shot 77 and Ryan McGuirk and Andrew Giacchetto shot 82.

The future looks bright for Arrows Golf. The departure of Ryan McGuirk will be a serious loss both in strong golf play and excellent leadership. However, with eight underclassmen presently on the team and a junior varsity squad composed of Joe O’Donnell, Will Coyne, Patrick DuFour, Peter Kilmartin, Kyle Licameli, Matt Wolpe, Henry Birmingham, and Johnny Behman, posting a 6-1-1 record, the talent is there for a strong 2016 season.

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SPRING SPORTS

Sailing Coach Fr. John Arens, with Shawn Lynch, James Hunt, Finn Mulligan, John Flatley and John Petro.

Varsity Sailing

BY COACH DEIRDRE RYNNE This is the 20th season for Arrows Sailing. Unfortunately, we were met with the challenges of a winter which delayed our start and only five sailors returning to fill six slots. Nonetheless we persevered, sailing in snow, hail storms and navigating our way around tankers heading down the Mystic River.

John Petro ’17 and Finn Mulligan ’18 joined seniors James Hunt, John Flatley and Shawn Lynch to compete against Scituate, Winthrop, Lincoln-Sudbury and Dover-Sherborn. The season concluded with a 20th place finish at the Zimba Massachusetts Bay League Fleet Racing Championship.

James Hunt ’15 joined the team as a freshman with little experience.

He quickly developed into one of our most valuable crews racing with our top sailors on the team. It is a testament to James and his willingness to learn that he picked up as much as he did.

His infectious positive attitude and enthusiasm will be greatly missed.

John Flatley ’15 joined the team as a freshman having raced down on Cape Cod. John began his tenure on the sailing team as a quiet and unassuming sailor, willing to skipper and crew.

We were pleased to have him take the helm two years ago more regularly as our third skipper in team racing.

Unfortunately, John had a surgery at the beginning of this season which consequently restricted him from sailing for four weeks. During his time with the team, John has developed confidence as a skipper and sailor. One of his great attributes is his ability to pin point areas where he could improve and analyze what went wrong. We will miss him next year.

Shawn Lynch ’15 joined the team in 7th grade. In his time on the team he has proved to be Mr. Positivity. When the wind was challenging and the race wasn’t going our way, Shawn was the one who remained smiling and served as a reminder that it’s always a good day when you get to be out on the water.

42 | S T. S EBASTIAN’S M AGAZINE Volume X, Issue III

Most of all, Shawn valued being on a team. Whether it was cheering on his teammates or helping out Fr. John and me, Shawn has been thoughtful and dutiful. We thank Shawn for his dedication, loyalty and positivity and will miss having him with us after six years together.

There are so many in the St. Sebastian’s student body who have experience or interest in joining the team. Fr. John and I hope you seize this opportunity next year. The chance to travel locally and sail out on Boston Harbor is a unique one. Our sailors compete against some of the best sailors in the country. The lessons learned out on the water about self-reliance, determination through adversity and how to read weather all serve as valuable life skills. Thank you, 2015 sailors, for your perseverance!

SPRING SPORTS

Varsity Tennis

BY COACH BRIAN RICHTER The Varsity Tennis team reversed its 2014 ISL results (6-9) to finish the 2015 season in seventh place with a 9-6 record (11-7 overall), placing immediately below sixth-place Groton (10-5), a team that eked out a 7-8 win against us early in the spring. This match is a significant footnote to our season.

At the initial team meeting, when players identified individual as well as team goals, many wrote down a similar team goal—a trip to the New England Interscholastic Tennis Association’s year-end tournament, one we last made four years ago. We were one set away from that possibility. As it turned out, Groton was one of six ISL teams that went either to the NEITA’s Class A or Class B draw. We were that close. But our 11-4 victory over Milton Academy, an A Draw contender, soothed the sting of just missing the New England’s.

With all but one player returning next year, the team will undoubtedly be aiming once again for the New England’s. Varsity veteran Michael

Wadsworth is our only graduating senior. Over the past seasons, Michael has contributed much to the team, playing both singles and doubles. Always modeling the best of a competitive spirit and a team-first ethic, Michael restores the operative descriptor to the phrase often associated with this sport: “a gentleman’s game.”

Captained by juniors Weston Brach ’16 and Erik Jones ’16, the team also included Christian Locurto ’16, Jayson Barros ’18, Sonny Huang ’16, Luke Jones ’17, Kurt Saraceno ’18, Paul Scemama ’18, Henry DeMatteo ’18, and Austin Huffman ’17. A glance at these graduation years tells you why we’re optimistic about the future.

Throughout the season all of these players contributed in various ways to the team’s success, improving their individual skills and the effectiveness of their doubles play. Although the team did not receive particular honors, one team member was noted at the end-ofyear coaches’ meeting. For his individual performance, Weston Brach was unanimously voted as an ISL All-League player. He, the rest of the squad, and the coaches are looking forward to the 2016 campaign.

Spring Athletic Awards The following students were recognized for their performance on the Arrows varsity baseball, golf, lacrosse, sailing, and tennis teams during an Athletic Awards Assembly on May 27:

All-League ISL

BASEBALL: Matt Doherty ’15; Blake Gallagher ’17; Pat McGowan ’15 GOLF: Alejandro Soto ’16; Robert Lemone ’16 LACROSSE: George Barrett ’15; Vaughn Gendron ’15; Gabe Maxwell ’15; Angus O’Rourke ’15 TENNIS: Weston Brach ’16

Honorable Mention All-League

BASEBALL: Michael Calabro ’16; Sean Harrington ’16; Tommy Seidl ’17 LACROSSE: Greg Barletta ’15; James DeSisto ’15; Mike Mackintire ’16; John Piatelli ’17

Paul Lepley Award (Baseball)

Presented by the coaches to the players who show the qualities of commitment, teamwork, and dedication to the sport of baseball at St. Sebastian’s School: Matt Doherty ’15 and Pat McGowan ’15

Letterman Award

Presented to members of the Senior Class who have earned a Varsity Letter in each season from their sophomore through senior years: Colin Connolly ’15, Shawn Lynch ’15 and Tyson Reed ’15

Scholar Athlete Award

Presented to members of the senior class who have participated in athletics each season from their sophomore through senior years: John Flatley ’15 and John Ryan ’15

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REUNION 2015

REUNION

2015

BY THE NUMBERS

275 Lobsters The approximate number of lobsters consumed by alumni and guests at the clambake

Class of 1965 The class with the largest Reunion gift ($167,000)

14 Classes

THE CLASSES OF 0’S & 5’S REUNITE

R

eunion weekend began on Friday, May 15, with events for the milestone Classes of 1990 and 1965, who were celebrating their 25th and 50th Reunions. Saturday’s festivities included a luncheon for the Classes of 1945 through 1965 where alumni had the opportunity to hear about life at St. Sebastian’s from current seniors. The afternoon also included special dedication ceremonies, campus tours and a chance to watch baseball and lacrosse before honoring all departed classmates during a Memorial Mass celebrated by Fr. John Arens in the St. Sebastian’s Chapel.

Reunion events concluded with the annual Headmaster’s Cocktail Reception and Clambake on Saturday night, with more than 230 alumni, their spouses, faculty, and friends in attendance. Before dinner, classmates reunited on the Class of 2013 Courtyard for the reception and class photos.

The clambake in Ward Hall followed, featuring a brief program and video presentation. Special guest Monsignor Contons closed the clambake with a prayer and a few words honoring St. Sebastian’s School.

The largest-ever number of Reunion classes celebrated, with the first graduates of St. Sebastian’s in 1945 marking their 70th Reunion.

Class of 2010 The Class with the greatest number (35) and percentage (58%) in attendance

3,301 miles The furthest distance traveled to get to Reunion by John Rugo ’75, coming from Murphys, CA. Larry O’Donnell ’70, Will Burke ’95 and Matt Burke ’00 were close runners-up, also coming from California.

FRONT ROW: Ryan Coffey, Mike Green, Ned Kingsley, Ryan McCarthy, Chris Dillon, Peter Cahill, Chris Moses, David Ruffolo, Michael Sanderson; 2ND ROW: Richard Mulroy, Joe Albanese, Robbie Donahoe, Andrew Philips, Conor Dillon, John Vanasse, John Kavolius, Tom Harrington; 3RD ROW: Tom Kelly, Kevin Lynch, Peter Burke, Peirce Daly, Michael Falb, John O’Connor, Tom Gregg, James Wyse; BACK ROW: Tommy O’Regan, Jake O’Malley, Joe Bergeron, Mike Ewing, Max Kingsley, Tom Smail, Will Connolly, Severin Chambers, Greg Kinlan

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REUNION 2015

TOP ROW: Shea Fitzgerald ’05, Allan Apjohn ’05, and Bill Zrike ’05; Mike Lajoie ’65, Mike Stanton ’65, Ed Davis ’65 and Frank Burke ’65 at the 50th Reunion Dinner n MIDDLE ROW: Avery Hardaway ’05 getting served lobster at the Reunion Clambake; Doc Nelson ’60 and Mike Hueston ’60; Classmates Greg Lynch ’00 and Ted Gallagher ’00 n BOTTOM ROW: Members of the Class of 1980 Tom Sullivan, Ricardo Jeremiah and Michael Burke; Eric Haley ’90 and Peter Capodilupo ’90 enjoying some lobster at the Clambake

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REUNION 2015

Milestone

CELEBRATIONS

R

eunion 2015 kicked off on Friday, May 15, with 25th and 50th Reunion dinners for the milestone Classes of 1990 and 1965. The Class of 1965 took a trip down memory lane, watching videos featuring photos from their years at St. Sebastian’s and sharing stories, while the Class of 1990 enjoyed catching up at their dinner held in the Administration Building.

50th

REUNION

Left: Steve Abbott ’65 entertains his 1965 classmates with memories from their days on Nonantum Hill. n Above: FRONT ROW: John Galligan, Mike Hess, Steve Abbott, Frank Burke, Mike Costello, Hugh Kelley, John McCarthy, Jim Welch, Ed Davis, Mike Ferrone, Jim Corrigan; BACK ROW: Tim Sullivan, Joe Corkery, Dick Grady, Bob Cronin, Dan Gray, John Hickey, Ned Cully, Frank Bielawski, Mike Lajoie, Mike Stanton, David Daly, Bill Burke.

Left: FRONT ROW: Alex McKinney, Eric Haley, Randy Dottin, Peter Steinkrauss, Frank Casey, Mike Cosgrove, Brian Dickson, Peter Capodilupo; BACK ROW: Winshell Laguere, Matt Forde, Tom Parlon, Paul Lyons, Brian Lopez, Nathan Kittler n Below: Mike Cosgrove, Eric Haley and Nathan Kittler at their class reception.

25th

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REUNION 2015

Celebrating JAMES CONLON ’65

T

he Classes of 1945 through 1965 kicked off Saturday’s festivities with a luncheon hosted by Headmaster Burke and his wife, Patty, on the Class of 2007 Terrace. A highlight of the gathering was a special ceremony announcing the James T. Conlon and Class of 1965 Scholarship Fund. Leanne DeShong, Jim’s widow, noted the purpose of the scholarship was to ensure that outstanding young men will have a chance to attend St. Sebastian’s and become men like her husband.

Henry T. Lane ’49 reminisced about Conlon’s successful athletic career in basketball and baseball while at St. Sebastian’s and spoke of his bond with Conlon as his coach, teacher and lifelong friend. His stories included how Jim flew from his home in Kansas City to visit Henry on Cape Cod just two weeks before his sudden death. When Henry asked Jim why he flew all that way, Jim responded, “Because of you, coach.”

Classmate Dick Grady ’65 also spoke eloquently about his friendship with Jim. Dick was Jim’s battery mate as catcher for the undefeated 1965 baseball team, finishing the season with a record of 15-0. He told some anecdotes not only about their days at St. Sebastian’s, but also during their summer vacations.

At the end of the ceremony, Dick presented a commemorative plaque honoring the James T. Conlon and Class of 1965 Scholarship Fund, as well as official St. Sebastian’s baseball uniforms, to members of Jim’s family, including Leanne and her children, Zack, Zoe, and Serena, and Jim’s daughter, Heather.

Personalized with “Conlon” and Jim’s number eleven on the back, the uniforms serve as a fitting tribute to Jim.

Dick Grady ’65 presents baseball shirts personalized with Jim’s name and number, as well as baseball hats, to his wife, Leanne and children Zack and Zoe.

Paying Tribute to

Members of the Class of 1970, along with Headmaster Bill Burke and Father John Arens, gathered in the Chapel to honor their fallen classmate Ed Bigham ’70 for his heroism in the face of danger. In October 1980, Ed was killed while protecting his friend Marian Ryan from armed robbers. Ryan, the current Middlesex District Attorney, spoke about Ed’s sacrifice and unveiled a new plaque in his honor, which will be displayed alongside the plaques of fellow Arrows who were killed in action. (See Headmaster Burke’s Commencement speech on pg.14 for more details.)

ED BIGHAM ’70

Headmaster Bill Burke, Marian Ryan P’09, and 1970 classmates John Harrington, Fred Daly, Brian Carey, Joe Maiella and Mark Brennan, holding the Ed Bigham Memorial Plaque.

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REUNION 2015

Phil Brian, Mike Spinelli, Bing Crosby, Peter McLaughlin FRONT ROW: Jim Allen, Bill Maguire, Fran Murphy, Jim Carroll; BACK ROW: Dick Schiffmann, Jack McCarthy, Barry McDonough, Gerry Powers

Doc Nelson, Steve Brady, Michael Hueston FRONT ROW: Mark Birmingham, Jim McManus, Joe Abley MIDDLE ROW: Fred Daly, Pat Tracey, Peter McCue, Joe Maiella, Paul Bardelli, Patrick King; BACK ROW: Ted Curtin, Brian Carey, Ray Sullivan, Mark Brennan

FRONT ROW: Newell Burke, Ed McDermott, Dick Mannix, Stephen Hueber, Tom Giblin, John Schulte, Michael Neville, Shaun Kelly; MIDDLE ROW: Bob Shue, John Rugo, Tom Roche, Richard McGoldrick, Steve McDonough; BACK ROW: Paul Coletti, Francesco Mercuri, Drew Mcauliffe, Matthew O’ Brien, Richard Murphy, Terry Connors, Robert McLaughlin

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REUNION 2015

FRONT ROW: Tom Malloy, Tim Kittler, Jay Leonard, Steve Ryan, Eric Diliberto, Tim Frechette; BACK ROW: Sean McGrath, Jim Cavan, Matt Galvin, Christian Vara, Jamie Kittler

FRONT ROW: Tom Sullivan, Robert Kelly, Ricardo Jeremiah, Larry Burke; BACK ROW: Michael Burke, Greg Danti, Michael Vesprini

FRONT ROW: Andrew Kelley, Greg Lynch, Craig Healy, Ted Gallagher, Andrei Doohovskoy; MIDDLE ROW: John Haydon, Matt Page, Tony Murray, Matt Burke, Brian Collins; BACK ROW: Keon Webbe, Jim Madison

FRONT ROW: Gordie Clarke, Marques Jackson, Will Burke, Marty McCarthy; BACK ROW: Michael Scarlata, Joe Huff FRONT ROW: Michael Tierney, George O’ Toole; MIDDLE ROW: Avery Hardaway, Joe Shamon, Brian Daly, John Lynch, Nick Coskren, Jonathan Consalvo, Brendan Moses; BACK ROW: Alex Doten, Allan Apjohn, Conor Joyce, Bill Zrike, Drew Tuckett WWW. S T S EBASTIANS S CHOOL.ORG

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CLASS NOTES Notes and Announcements from Arrows Alumni

1950 ’65

Jim Harnedy is working on his ninth book, Growing Up in New England in the 30’s and 40’s in which he plans to include a couple of vignettes of his time at St. Sebastian’s. His daughter, Sue Harnedy Blackwell, is working on a companion book, Growing up in the 50’s, 60’s and early 70’s.

1956 HERE IS A TIP OF THE HAT

from the entire Class of 1965 to John Hickey for his extraordinary work in developing and managing the 1965 Reunion Year Blog. In celebration of their 50th Reunion, John posted 159 entries throughout the past year, sharing everything from memories and photos to what his classmates are up to now. Thank you, John, for this amazing effort!

Richard D. Maloney is still working at Boston College doing community services with students and athletes— “best job in the world.”

1959 James M. Daly, Jr. sold his home in Norwell, MA and is now a permanent resident in Stuart, FL. He heads North to spend his summers at his cottage in South Dennis, MA. James reports that “All’s well.”

1965 Bob Avallone’s son Michael recently received a Master’s degree in Information Management from Syracuse University.

1970

Donald M. Maloney has been living in a condominium in Newton for ten years. He is putting his condo up for sale soon and plans to purchase a condo in the Metro West area.

1977 Jonathan J. Doonan reports that all is well with his family. His daughter, Ellen, graduated with a double major in political science and history from University of Delaware in May 2015.

His son had a good first year at Ithaca College and played Club Lacrosse there.

1987 Scott J. Reilly is living in Walpole, MA with his wife Nadja and two boys, Christopher (13) and Michael (10).

1990 Sean C. Mulvey is Director of National Sales for Dun & Broadstreet. He and his wife, Debbie, live in Franklin, MA and have four children.

1992 Brian Faherty recently performed costarring roles in Season 2 of Cinemax’s “The Knick” (playing a 1900 Fire Chief) and in the upcoming Marvel/Netflix series “AKA Jessica Jones.”

Mark F. Birmingham re-married on May 3 to Jane Sullivan. He sells commercial real estate in Maine.

1975 Thomas J. Giblin III shared that it was a great 40th Reunion Weekend. “Thanks to all the Arrows who made it. Let’s do it again in five years!!!”

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’92 Brian Faherty dressed for his role as Fire Chief on Cinemax’s “The Knick.”

CLASS NOTES

1994 Tim Foley and his wife, Susan, were overjoyed to welcome their second child, Eleanor Jung Ryun Foley, in April. Together with newly-designated big brother Thomas Foley, they continue to reside in Scarsdale, NY, where Thomas will start Kindergarten this fall. (see photo)

1998 Nicholas Soivilien got engaged to Jennifer Lawrence on July 5, 2015.

1999 Peter Keefe notes that he enjoyed seeing many of his classmates last year at the Class of 1999 15th Reunion. At the end of last summer, Peter moved from West Roxbury out to San Francisco with his wife and four kids (ages 7,5, 4 and 1). He shares that “it has been quite an adventure, moving from Atlantic

’94

to Pacific. My father and I drove a UHaul truck out here. I moved out here to start the west coast office for my company, CodeRed. In February we were acquired by FactSet and I now work in the Factset San Francisco office. We miss Boston but we are enjoying the Bay Area thus far.”

2000 Andrew Kelley has been accepted into the MBA program at Cornell starting this September.

Graham Wilson and his wife, Robin welcomed their first child, Henry, on February 21st of this year, and are very excited to be new parents! After seven years of working in Special Education, Graham has begun the process to shift careers by completing the first year of his MBA at Babson College.

He is looking forward to what the next year brings both personally and professionally.

BRIAN P. BURNS ’53 is acknowledged for his invaluable contributions as an Irish American in a book called The Irish American Tradition. In the first chapter, entitled “St. Patrick, the Pioneers and Architects of the New World,” several pages highlight Burns’ accomplishments as a distinguished corporate leader and philanthropist. Also included in the volume is a wonderful tribute to Burns’ late father, John J. Burns, known for his spectacular career in law. The book was presented to Burns during a moving ceremony at the John J. Burns Library at Boston College, which he created in memory and in honor of his father.

Burns was also recently inducted into Business Hall of Fame by Irish America Magazine— another great honor—along with Vice President Joseph Biden and Ambassador Jean Kennedy Smith.

Burns notes that the ceremony was “a thrilling experience” for Burns, filling him with enormous pride for his Irish heritage.

Tim Foley’s children, Eleanor and Thomas.

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CLASS NOTES

UPCOMING ALUMNI EVENTS

’03

September 22

Reunion Kick-off Rally

October 10 15

Homecoming Alumni Dinner

November

16 Washington, D.C. Reception 17 24

New York Reception

25

Class of 2015 Yearbook Reception

28

Alumni Sports Day

Boston Business Breakfast

’04

For more information on these events, please contact the Alumni office at 781-247-0121.

Save the Date

May 20 & 21

REUNION

2016

If you are a member of a St. Sebastian’s class ending in 1 or 6, it’s time to start planning your reunion. We can’t wait to see you!

’01 CLOCKWISE: Sedale Threatt ’03 (far right) with some of the other contestants from his recent appearance on Fox’s Reality TV Game Show “Bullseye.” n Matt ’01 and Elaine Connolly’s son, Colin. n Adam Yie ’04 (Number 6069) running the Boston Marathon on April 20, 2015.

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CLASS NOTES

2001 Matt Connolly and his wife Elaine are excited to announce the arrival of their first child, Colin, born on March 25, 2015.

2002

Michael Ragusa married Elizabeth Parker on June 5 in York Harbor, Maine Nicholas Sarno married Shauna Yandel on June 13.

2003

Sedale Threatt recently received his Master’s of Fine Arts in Acting & Drama at USC. He also competed in Fox’s Reality TV Game Show “Bullseye.”

Andy Bartlett got engaged on April 18, 2015 to Kimberly Kirshon. Their wedding will be May 15, 2016 at the Wychmere Beach Resort in Harwich Port, MA.

Robert Dudley was recently awarded a Fulbright U.S. Student Program grant to study Classical Languages & Literature at Freie Universität Berlin for the 2015-2016 academic year. This is Robert’s second Fulbright award; he received his first as an English teaching assistant in Germany after his graduation from Holy Cross in 2008. Robert is one of over 1,900 U.S. citizens who will travel abroad for the 20152016 academic year through the Fulbright U.S. Student Program.

Recipients of Fulbright grants are selected on the basis of academic and professional achievement, as well as demonstrated leadership potential.

Robert is expected to receive his Ph.D. in classics from Duke University in May 2016.

’66 Flashback Ready for your 50th Reunion?

John Ready ’66, Coach Lane and John Sullivan ’66.

’04

2004

Kyle Harrington recently married Elyse Sherman on April 18th in Washington, D.C. In addition to getting married, Kyle has also started his new role as Marketing Manager for the DC based digital agency, NavigationArts.

Matt Vicidomino took a trip to Italy in June. He notes that “one of the great things about Italy is the presence of St. Sebastian. I visited the catacomb, where he was originally buried.”

Adam Yie ran the Boston Marathon on April 20, 2015 with a finishing time of 3:49. The former tennis player and cross country runner graduated with an MBA from Carnegie Mellon in May. Kyle Harrington and his new wife, Elyse Sherman, celebrate their marriage with St. Sebastian’s friends at their wedding reception on April 18 in Washington, D.C. Fellow Arrows in attendance included Ted Harrington (‘01), Sam Burke (‘04) and John Brennan (‘04).

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CLASS NOTES

WHAT’S

NEW? Keep your classmates updated by sending us your news!

Send us photos, too!

Submit class notes and photos at: stsebs.org/classnotes Deadline for next issue:

DECEMBER 1, 2015 Photos will be published based on quality and available space.

Please be sure to send the highest quality image possible and identify everyone.

2005

Allan Apjohn and his wife, Jenny, were married on June 13, 2015 at the Annisquam Yacht Club in Gloucester, MA. (see photo) Ryan Driscoll married Meredith Baron on May 24, 2015 at the Intercontinental Hotel, Boston. Several family members who are also fellow alums were in attendance, including Ryan’s brother and best man, Kevin Driscoll Jr. ’09, his father Kevin Driscoll ’72 P’ 05, ’09, uncles John ’77, Tom ’69 P’ 08 and Bill Driscoll ’68, and cousin Dan Driscoll ’08.

Groomsmen Allan Apjohn ’05, Craig Gibson ’05 and Shea Fitzgerald ’05 were also there to celebrate. (see photo)

2006

Matt Boole and his wife, Lee, were married on June 27, 2015 in Norfolk, CT. (see photo) David Gusella got engaged to Jenny Krupski on April 18, 2015.

2007

Shane Ecclesine married Julia Kacos on June 19, 2015 at the Frederica Golf Club in Saint Simons Island, GA. Brendan Ecclesine ’10, Dillon Ecclesine ’11 and Patrick Brennan ’07 were in the wedding party. Also in attendance were Tim Smith ’07, Chris and Shirley Kelly P’10 and Joanie and Doug Kingsley P’10,’10,’12,’13. (see photo) Tim Smith married Ally Izzo on April 11, 2015.

2008

Matthew Lutch, a member of the U.S. Marine Corps, has relocated to Corpus Christi, TX for Advanced Flight School and will then head to North Carolina for Osprey Aircraft Training.

2011

Nick R. Franco III graduated in May 2015 Magna Cum Laude with a B.A. in History from Georgetown University.

He’ll be heading back to D.C. to attend Georgetown’s Law School in the fall.

SHARE YOUR IDEAS

’06

for Alumni Profiles Do you know an alumnus you would like to see profiled in an issue of St. Sebastian’s Magazine?

Tell us about it! Send an email with your suggestions to our Communications Office at communications@stsebs.org.

Jonathan DeFalco ’06, Lee and Matt Boole and Todd Davis ’06.

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CLASS NOTES

2012

Andrew Vandini, a junior at Amherst, was selected as NESCAC Player of the Week in April 2015. An infielder for the Jeffs, he helped to lead his team to a 4-0 week, totaling 16 RBI in just four games, including eight in one game.

’05

2013

Connor McGuirk, who will be a junior at Holy Cross this year, has been named the 2015-2016 Captain of the Varsity Men’s Holy Cross Golf Team. As a sophomore, Connor competed in a total of 14 rounds while averaging 83.1 strokes per round. He posted a careerlow score of 77 in the second round of the Northeast Challenge. Connor was named to the Patriot League Academic Honor Roll and is also a member of the Holy Cross Leadership Academy.

2014

During the summer months, Miles Hunter has been working as a legislative intern on the staff of State Representative Harold P. Naughton, Jr., House Chairman of the Joint Committee on Public Safety and Homeland Security. In a press release welcoming Miles to his staff, Representative Naughton states that “Miles is an exceptional young man that brings a great level of energy, enthusiasm, and knowledge to the committee. His desire to gain a deeper understanding of state government and the legislative process, as well as embark on a career in public service, is not only admirable but will also lend well to our work here in the Legislature.” Miles is a rising sophomore at Union College in Schenectady, NY.

’07

’05 CLOCKWISE: Ryan ’05 and Meredith Driscoll have some fun on the dance floor at their wedding. n Allan ’05 and Jenny Apjohn n Shane and Julia Ecclesine

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Save the Date

HOMECOMING October 10, 2015 www.stsebs.org/homecoming

56 | S T. S EBASTIAN’S M AGAZINE Volume X, Issue III

CONNECT

Career Advisory

Network The St. Sebastian’s Career Advisory network links alumni, especially recent graduates, with alumni and parents who are willing to share their experiences, offer valuable advice, and possibly provide employment leads. The network also serves as a way to connect members of the St. Sebastian’s community with other well-established alumni and parents who share similar vocations.

MORE THAN 500 PEOPLE representing a wide range of professions are already part of the network, and the potential for growth is tremendous. Dozens of industries are represented, from Advertising and Engineering to Healthcare and Real Estate Development.

with your fellow Arrows

wherever you go.

Ramy Andil ’13 (far right) connects with fellow Arrow Casey Condron ’94 and Paul Goodrich P’88,’91, a past St. Sebastian’s Trustee, at a Georgetown Scholars Event. Condron and Goodrich also attended Georgetown.

On June 10, 2015, Ramy Andil ’13 spoke at an event to benefit the Georgetown Scholars Program at the Wellesley Country Club. GSP provides access to a vast alumni network, career and academic help, mentorship programs, and campus support to help scholarship students succeed at Georgetown. Ramy, an experienced and skillful public speaker, (in part because of the six Chapel speeches he delivered while at St. Sebastian’s) explained how GSP was a huge support in his transition from St. Sebastian’s to Georgetown.

Have you downloaded the Arrows Alumni App yet?

Powered by EverTrue, the app takes staying connected to a whole new level, whether you are traveling, moving to a new city or looking for Arrows in your own neighborhood. Now you can keep the support of St. Sebastian’s alumni community in your pocket.

Download the app today and discover its many features:

www.stsebs.org/alumniapp Available for Apple & Android devices.

To become an advisor or learn how to access the list of career advisors, visit:

www.stsebs.org/careers

Already an advisor?

Help us keep our database current by logging into the Career Advisory Network and updating your contact information.

Andrew Corcoran ’14, a member of the Middlebury baseball team, caught up with Bowdoin teammates Peter Cimini ’12, Chris Nadeau and Richard Arms ’14 when Bowdoin played Middlebury in May. WWW. S T S EBASTIANS S CHOOL.ORG

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IN MEMORIAM We extend our deepest sympathy to the families of the graduates and friends of St. Sebastian’s School whose deaths are reported with sorrow.

Robert Boudreau June 7, 2015 Father of Evan R. Boudreau ’92

Peter Martin July 9, 2015 Grandfather of Jacob Babigian ’20

Louis Cintolo July 6, 2015 Grandfather of Bobby ’03 and Tim ’07 Cintolo

Beatrice Mehegan May 15, 2015 Grandmother of Neil Melley ’18

Spencer Conley June 24, 2015 Father of Christopher F. Conley ’94 Joseph Conti June 18, 2015 Father of John J. Conti ’86

Charles Peck June 11, 2015 Father of Brandon ’07 and Taylor ’10 Peck

Anthony Crescenzi July 5, 2015 Grandfather of Patrick Mulrenan ’17

Patricia Perry April 21, 2015 Grandmother of Matthew R. Perry ’06

Dominic P. Emello July 20, 2015 Father of David V. Emello ’84

Thomas Ryan April 8, 2015 Grandfather of James Walsh ’18

Mary Hynes May 30, 2015 Grandmother of John ’09 and Kevin ’12 Wolfe and mother of Celeste Wolfe, Trustee

Anthony Salvucci June 19, 2015 Father of Carmine L. Salvucci ’80

Willie Jackson April 5, 2015 Grandfather of Tyler Jackson ’15

“Happy are those who have died in the Lord!

Happy indeed the Spirit says; Now they can rest forever after their work, Since their good deeds go with them.”

—Revelation 14:13

Aloysius G. “Greg” Orscheln May 8, 2015 Grandfather of James Orscheln ’17

Kevin Lyons June 5, 2015 Husband of Miriam Lyons, staff member

Katherine “Kay” Vaughn June 14, 2015 Grandmother of Christopher Potvin ’16 Jessie Walpole June 6, 2015 Mother of Ann Kittler and mother-in-law of Morris Kittler; grandmother of Nathan ’90, Tim ’85 and Jamie ’87 and great grandmother of Charlie ’18

This listing contains deaths reported between April 1, 2015 and July 20, 2015.

To report a death of a St. Sebastian’s alumnus or relative to the Development Office, please contact Kelsey Johnson at kelsey_johnson@stsebs.org.

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IN MEMORIAM

Deacon James C. Callahan ’50

Michael O’Toole ’51

John Stefanoni, Staff Member

Nicknamed the “Rocket” by his classmates at St. Sebastian’s, James showed a love for the study of Greek and for making people laugh. A graduate of Boston College, he also received a master’s degree in religious education from Emmanuel College in 1970. James served his country in both the Air Force and Marines. He worked for the Archdiocese of Boston as Director of Religious Education and for the Carroll Center for the Blind in Newton as a counselor, teacher and administrator. For over three decades, James served the parish community of Saint Charles Borromeo in Waltham as their deacon. He is survived by his wife, Joann; son Gene; and daughters, Jody and Jane, as well as many nieces and nephews.

During his St. Sebastian’s days, Michael participated in a number of sports, from basketball and baseball to swimming, golf and bowling.

A graduate of Notre Dame, he also served in the US Army. Michael was the retired Senior Executive Vice President of John Hancock Insurance, Co. and a member of Wollaston Golf Club, Quincy Neighborhood Club, Catholic Charities and Board of Directors of the Pine Street Inn. He is preceded in death by his wife, Mary Clare (Daley), and is survived by his son Michael ’79; his daughters Maura, Meg, and Molly; and nine grandchildren.

John was a dedicated member of St. Sebastian’s facilities staff for 15 years. A graduate of Boston College, he was previously employed by the Community of Massachusetts for 26 years. John was a lover of dogs, an avid book collector, a strong advocate of the environment and supported PETA and Defenders of Wildlife.

Cherished son of the late Mary (Chimi) and John J. Stefanoni, he leaves his beloved wife, Carole D. Landry; his dear brother, Edward; his sister, Janet; several nieces and nephews and Godchildren; and many other dear relatives. John was always ready to help neighbors and friends and will be missed greatly by his St. Sebastian’s family.

John Fulham ’65

While at St. Sebastian’s, Laurence devoted himself to cross country, golf, and especially drama. He went on to attend Notre Dame, receiving a BA in English. He also completed his J.D. at Suffolk University in 1980 and earned his MBA in finance at Boston College in 1985, eventually becoming senior vice president at Boston Private Bank and Trust Company. He is survived by his wife, Meg Clancy, and his son Patrick.

His late brother, Richard, graduated from St. Sebastian’s in 1971 and two nephews, Colin ’08 and Luke ’13, also attended St. Sebastian’s. Laurence’s late mother, Mary, ran our front office with uncommon grace and charm for many years.

July 19, 2015

July 7, 2015

John, affectionately called “Jeb,” was known for his impressive size on the football field and basketball court when he was at St. Sebastian’s, as well as his love for flying the family plane. He attended Holy Cross, from where he went on to own many businesses here in Massachusetts. John was also an IT consultant for Children’s Hospital and the Massachusetts Board of Registration in Medicine. John was predeceased by his parents, Gerard and Barbara, and two sisters, Barbara and Gerarda. He is survived by his brother, Gerald ’71; his two sisters, Trudy and Maura; three sons, John, Michael, and Daniel; two daughters, Katherine and Sarah; as well as six grandchildren and several nieces and nephews.

April 11, 2015

Laurence Packenham ’73 April 15, 2015

May 13, 2015

James Wiles ’45 June 12, 2015

A member of the first graduating class at St. Sebastian’s, James wowed his classmates and community not only with his impressive fielding gems on the baseball diamond, but also with his sense of humor. After graduating, he served our country in the Army from 1945-47. He then graduated from Boston College in 1951, received his master’s degree from Harvard in 1953, and a Ph.D in economics from Harvard in 1976. James was a longtime professor of economics at Stonehill College. He is survived by his wife, Freda W. MacLeod; his children, Christopher, Jonathan, Jennifer and stepson Gregory; his brother, Richard; his sister, Elizabeth, and numerous grandchildren, nieces and nephews.

WWW. S T S EBASTIANS S CHOOL.ORG

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From the Archives

1945

On June 1, 1945, the pioneer Class of 1945 graduated from St. Sebastian’s School. Archbishop Cushing addressed the graduates after awarding them their diplomas. These twenty-one young men who comprised the first graduating class were the trailblazers who individually contributed to the formation of the St. Sebastian’s spirit and tradition.

What legacy will you leave?

1962 Varsity Tennis Team

As you look back fondly on your St.

Sebastian’s days—on your teachers, coaches and classmates—think about how you can help ensure future St. Sebastian’s students have an education that is just as exceptional and life-changing as yours.

For more information about gift planning and including St. Sebastian’s in your estate plans, contact Ed Davis ’65 in the Office of Planned Giving at 781.247.0158 or ed_davis@stsebs.org or visit plannedgiving.stsebs.org.

If education changes lives then charitable gifts to education help make that change possible.

Learn how a charitable gift to St. Sebastian’s, like a bequest in your will or living trust, can match your goals, values, and what you hope your lasting legacy will be.

Rev. Charles D. McInnis Society

1191 Greendale Avenue Needham, Massachusetts 02492

Nonprofit Org. US Postage PAID Boston, MA Permit No. 19943

William L. Burke III Headmaster Richard F. Arms Director of Alumni & Development Christine Y. Robertson Director of Communications

1965 Classmates John Galligan, Tim Sullivan, John Hickey and Steve Abbott celebrate their 50th Reunion with Coach Henry Lane ‘49 (center).

REUNION 2015

pg. 44