TRIVIUM SCRIPTATRIVIUM SCHOOL LANCASTER, MASS. VOL. XV Fall 2008

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SET THE WORLD ON FIRE FORTHE LOVE OF CHRIST!

Bishop Robert McManus

Bishop McManus preaches at the Commencement Mass.

Bishop Robert McManus gave the following hom-ily at the Commencement Mass at St. John theEvangelist Churchin Clinton on May31, 2008, the Feastof the Visitation.

“The Eucharist isthe source andsummit of theChristian life.”Because this is sotrue, it is fittingthat we begin thisday of commence-ment with the cel-ebration of HolyMass where wehear the Word ofGod which is alight to guideyou, the Class of2008 as yougraduate from the Trivium School.

Today the Church celebrates the feast ofthe Visitation. In our first reading for today’sliturgy, St. Paul is writing to those firstChristians living in the city of Rome whowere experiencing violent and cruel persecu-tion for their new faith. Despite all the diffi-culties that plagued them, St. Paul exhortsthem to live in an exemplary way. Just listenagain to the instruction in Christian livingthat St. Paul presents to these Roman Chris-tians: “Brothers and sisters, let your love besincere; hate what is evil; hold on to what isgood; do not grow slack in zeal; rejoice inhope, persevere in prayer; do not be haughtybut associate with the lowly” (Rm. 12: 9-16).

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In November, the National Catholic HighSchool Honor Roll announced its fifth an-

nual selection ofthe best 50Catholic sec-ondary schoolsin the UnitedStates. TriviumSchool was se-lected as one ofthe top 50Catholic highschools in then a t i o n .Trivium wasthe only Catho-lic High Schoolin New En-gland to makethis year’sHonor Roll.

There arenearly 1,300

Catholic high schools in the United States,and all were invited to apply to the HonorRoll by completing surveys that measureacademic excellence, Catholic identity, andcivic education.

The best schools demonstrate excellencein all three categories, which include anactive Catholic culture, sound college prepa-ration and integration of Church teachingin the entire curriculum. These schools alsodisplay sound moral, catechetical and civicformation that prepares students for theChristian calling to be a light in the worldas political, religious, scientific and businessleaders.

The School takes seriously its mission to

TRIVIUM MAKES CATHOLIC

HIGH SCHOOL HONOR ROLL

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A child’s viewof the altarfrom the choirloft.

Imagine what our families, our parishes,our schools, indeed our American societywould be like if we all embraced sincerelythis way of life. Yet, St. Paul is not merelysuggesting this type of daily living to hisfellow Christians. Rather, he is challengingthem to embrace a new way of life becausethrough faith and baptism, they have be-come a new creation; they now belong toChrist and are to bear witness to their faithin him through exercising daily the virtuesof faith, hope and love. In Baptism, theyhave put on Christ and they must now livetheir lives in imitation of Him who is theWay, the Truth and the Life.

Just six weeks ago, Pope Benedict XVIvisited the United States in order to confirmus in our Catholic faith. During that time,the Holy Father met with leaders of Catholiceducation from all over the United Statesand spoke to us about the nature and mis-sion of a truly Catholic school. Allow me tocite his insightful and inspiring words: “Edu-cation is integral to the mission of the Churchto proclaim the good news. First and fore-most, every Catholic educational institu-tion is a place to encounter the living Godwho in Jesus Christ reveals his transform-ing love and truth.”

As graduates of the Trivium School, youwill take from this educational institutionsuch an encounter of the God and Father ofour Lord Jesus Christ. As truly educatedyoung men and women, you have the dutyand the privilege of bringing the good newsof Christ and his Holy Church that youhave heard and studied here to other peoplewho, whether they know it or not, yearn tofind the truth and the love that will makethem happy and at peace with God, them-selves and others. As the great bishop andtheologian St. Augustine wrote centuriesago, “You have made us for yourself, O Lordand our hearts are restless until they rest inYou.”

It is providential that you mark yourgraduation day on the liturgical feast of theVisitation. As we heard in today’s Gospelreading from St. Luke, after receiving theastonishingly good news that God had cho-sen her to be the Mother of the Savior of theworld, Mary immediately left her home inNazareth to visit her cousin, Elizabeth whowas also pregnant and so, in a sense, theChristian mission carried out by the dis-ciples of the Lord Jesus began. Mary is calledthe first disciple of Jesus Christ for tworeasons. First, because she surrendered her-self completely to the will of God in becom-ing the Mother of his Divine Son and sec-ond, because she was the first person tobring Jesus Christ to others.

My dear friends, Christ is yearning to bebrought to others by those of us who havethe privilege of being called his friends, hisdisciples. The role of the Christian disciple isto give to others what he or she has firstreceived as a totally free gift: new life in JesusChrist. When Mary comes into Elizabeth’spresence, what happens? Do you recall? St.Luke tells us that when Elizabeth heardMary’s greeting echo in her ear, her babyleapt for joy in her womb. Yes, the presenceof Jesus, the message of his good news ismeant to bring joy, hope and peace to thosewho often know only discontent, sadnessand inner turmoil.

My dear graduates of the Class of 2008,you have had the privilege of receiving anexcellent classical and Catholic educationhere at the Trivium School. In providingyou with an intellectual, religious and moral

“First and fore-most, everyCatholic educa-tional institu-tion is a place toencounter theliving God whoin Jesus Christreveals histransforminglove and truth.”

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formation, your headmaster and faculty havebeen exercising an “apostolate of hope” onyour behalf. Hope is that virtue that allowsus to live in a spirit of confident tranquilityof spirit. We live in a world that is pro-foundly restless because so many peoplelack a sense of hope because they are oftenweak in faith. It is faith that puts us in apersonal relationship with God who, in andthrough his Son, Jesus Christ, reveals to usthe truth that will set us free.

The purpose of Catholic education is notonly to train the mind but it is also to touchthe heart and form the conscience so thatyou may know the truth and do the good soas to live in the freedom of the children ofGod. At this school, you have been taughtto become not only knowledgeable but moreimportantly, to become wise. Wisdom doesnot derive from the accumulation of factsand figures. True wisdom is a gift of theHoly Spirit who is the Spirit of Truth.

In his recent apostolic visit to the UnitedStates, Pope Benedict spoke to the youth ofour country about truth. He said the fol-lowing: “My dear young friends, truth isnot an imposition. Nor is it simply a set ofrules. It is a discovery of the One who neverfails us; the One whom we can always trust.In seeking truth we come to live by beliefbecause ultimately truth is a person: JesusChrist. That is why authentic freedom is notopting out. It is an opting in; nothing lessthan letting go of yourself and allowingyourself into Christ’s very being for oth-ers.”

My dear graduates of the Class of 2008, asyou graduate from the Trivium School,where, I trust, you have grown in wisdomand grace, I offer for your prayerful reflec-tion the words of encouragement that St.Ignatius of Loyola gave to the young Jesuitpriest, Francis Xavier as he left Rome topreach the Gospel of Jesus Christ to thepeoples of the Far East. “Francis, leave thisplace and set the world on fire with the loveof Christ.” Amen.

Dr. Francesco Cesareo is the president of Assump-tion College. His speech has been edited for Scripta.

It is a privilege to be here with you on thisimportant moment in your lives. You havereceived a precious gift as students of theTrivium School – a gift that is unique andunlike what most of your peers received. AsI thought about your experience and whatthis day represents, the image that came intomy mind was that of Pentecost. If you thinkabout it, there are many similarities betweenyourselves today and the disciples on Pente-cost. The disciples, like you, were amongfriends - people with whom they had jour-neyed together for three years being taughtby the master teacher, Jesus. Yet, despite theefforts of their teacher, they still didn’t quiteget it – they still didn’t understand whatthey were to do. They were together in afamiliar place, a safe place, afraid to go outinto the world for they knew that the worldwould not welcome their message and whatthey had to say. Then suddenly, the Spiritdescends upon them and they break forthfrom that familiar place and scatter acrossthe region and beyond to spread the Good ofyou is prepared to meet the challenges thatawait you because of the education that youhave received at the Trivium School. Thateducation has occurred on different levels.The most obvious is the formal schoolingyou have received during your time as astudent here. You have been taught a bodyof knowledge from algebra to history, litera-ture to language, science to religion.Through these disciplines your teachers haveimparted knowledge grounded in the classi-cal tradition and on the great thinkers of thepast, which has formed the framework forunderstanding the world around you. Youhave been introduced to new ideas that youprobably would not have discovered and

PENTECOST: THE CHURCH’SCOMMENCEMENT

Dr. Francesco Cesareo

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you have encountered cultures that youwould not have otherwise experienced. Andwhile you will probably forget, if you have

not done soa l r e a d y ,much of thedetails ofwhat youh a v elearned, thisbody ofknowledgewill influ-ence theway inwhich youexperiencelife in they e a r sahead. Thisc l a s s i c a leducationhas pro-

vided you with the abilities, flexibilities, andnobilities of mind with which to lead mean-ingful lives. The Trivium School has pro-vided you with a distinctive academic expe-rience that fostered a climate where yourintellectual curiosity recognized that theright question is sometimes more valuablethan an easy answer, where one is not afraidof challenge, and where true learning meansstretching the heart as well as the mind. Youhave been challenged to strive for greaterpersonal excellence in all aspects of your life-the intellectual, spiritual, moral, emotional,and physical. You must continue to strivefor this excellence, not only over the courseof your college education, but throughoutthe course of your lives.

Today, as you close this chapter inyour lives and open the next chapter, I hopethat you carry with you the desire for lifelong learning that has been nurtured here,as well as a desire to live wisely the truthsabout God, humanity, and the world aroundus. Above all, be open to where God maylead you in life - listen to his promptings,seize the opportunities that He places beforebe always “anchored in faith, enriched bylearning, and enhanced through service toothers.” God bless you now and always.Congratulations.

Commencement speaker,Dr. Francesco Cesareo.

form students grounded in the great think-ers of the past and emphasizes the classicalheritage. As Bishop Robert McManus said atthis year’s Commencement Mass, “At thisschool, you have been taught to become notonly knowledgeable but, more importantly,to become wise.”

Trivium’s curriculum, in addition to aca-demics, Catholic integration, and service,includes a six-year sequence in all areas ofthe traditional fine arts.

When informed of the selection to theHonor Roll, Trivium School Headmaster,Dr. William Schmitt stated, “We are verygrateful because this is an honor for ourwhole School: for our students, their par-ents and our faculty. It is a recognition ofboth our efforts and the good things that wehave been able to do by God’s grace. Al-though we are small and have many chal-lenges, we have done extraordinarily well inthe things that are most important.”

One of the Advisory Board members,Gerard Bradley, professor of law at the Uni-versity of Notre Dame Law School, said theHonor Roll serves an important purpose.“High schools that are fulfilling well theirmission to form students morally and intel-lectually deserve to be recognized” he said.“The Honor Roll brings recognition to theseoutstanding schools.” Another AdvisoryBoard member, Dr. Timothy O’Donnell hasbeen a commencement speaker at Trivium.

The Catholic High School Honor Roll isa project of the Acton Institute, an interna-tional research and educational organiza-tion. The Honor Roll was produced in con-sultation with a national advisory boardcomprised of Catholic college presidents andnoted Catholic scholars.

The following page is a letter from An-thony Pienta of the Honor Roll. It shows thedistinctive importance of the Honor Rolland is an appeal for donations to help theSchool to continue to do what it does sowell. Take a look at it!

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ADVISORY BOARDProf. Gerard Bradley

Professor of LawUniversity of Notre Dame Law School

Rev. Terence Henry, T.O.R.President

Franciscan University of Steubenville

Prof. Russell HittingerWarren Professor of Catholic Studies

University of Tulsa

Rev. Msgr. Paul J. LangsfeldRector

Pontifical College Josephinum

Very Rev. David M. O’Connell, C.M.President

Catholic University of America

Rev. Bernard F. O’Connor, O.S.F.S.President

DeSales University

Dr. Timothy T. O’DonnellPresident

Christendom College

Rev. John P. Schlegel, S.J.President

Creighton University

Rev. Robert J. Spitzer, S.J.President

Gonzaga University

December 8, 2008

Dear Parents and Friends of Trivium School,

As you may know, Catholic schools have long set the benchmark for moral andacademic formation. Today more and more Catholic schools nationwide arecontinuing this strong tradition by displaying a strong Catholic identity andmaintaining high academic standards.

One such school is Trivium School. In 2008 the school earned a place on theCatholic High School Honor Roll’s Top 50 list. This is a distinct honor, and onethat is not easily obtained.

Nearly 300 schools nationwide participated and were examined in the areas ofacademics, Catholic identity, and civic education. academics, Catholic identity, and civic education. academics, Catholic identity, and civic education. academics, Catholic identity, and civic education. academics, Catholic identity, and civic education. This three-foldapproach is designed to evaluate a school’s overall excellence and adherence tothe Catholic Church’s educational calling. Honor Roll research scholarscarefully examined survey data for months, and in publishing the Top 50 list,had the consultation of a national advisory board comprised of Catholic collegepresidents and noted Catholic scholars.

Considering the intense competition for a Top 50 award and the thoroughmethod in which schools are scrutinized, it is clear that Trivium SchoolTrivium SchoolTrivium SchoolTrivium SchoolTrivium School hasdemonstrated outstanding success in each of the three disciplines measured.The school has risen to the occasion by embodying the great heritage ofCatholic education.

It goes without saying that supporting Trivium SchoolTrivium SchoolTrivium SchoolTrivium SchoolTrivium School financially is a wiseinvestment. It allows the school to focus on what is most important: formingstudents in the Catholic faith and preparing them for success in life. Yourstrategic investment also strengthens the whole of Catholic education. Instriving to improve, schools nationwide look to the Top 50 to imitate them.Thus, supporting a solid role model like Trivium School goes a long way tocreating real and lasting changes in Catholic education in the United States.

Thank you for your faithful support in promoting sound Catholic education.

Sincerely,

Anthony PientaHonor Roll Manager

CATHOLIC HIGH SCHOOL HONOR ROLL

This fall Trivium boys and girls soccerteams finished their first season in theWorcester County Athletic Conference.Home games were played at the A.U.C. field.

The girls, coached by Elizabeth Schroeder,finished with a 2-6-3 record. Seniors cap-tains were Teresa Bloemer, LaurenBrouillette, Mary Hardy, Lauren Lagasse,Maggie Murphy, and Julie Schroeder. Theteam spirit during this first year was some-thing to see. Even with the rain and frostyautumn days, their hustle and enthusiasmleft the opposing teams impressed. The un-derclassmen got a lot of experience and arelooking forward to next year. At the end ofthe year, the underclassmen gave awards tothe seniors who led the team.

The boys, under the direction of coachFrank Hougham, finished 8-1-1. They wereundefeated during the regular season, al-lowing only 2 goals to the opposing teams.The tie was with Parker. In the playoffs,they got knocked out of the Division 3quarterfinals by Bartlett High School ofWebster, a school ten times Trivium’s size.Frankly, Barlett dominated the ball and leftlittle to chance. The game was played atProgin Fields in Lancaster and covered bythe Times & Courier. Senior captains TomSchmitt and Tim Beer were named to theW.C.A.C. all-star team, and Tom was alsoselected for the Central Massachusetts Soc-cer Coaches Association all-star team.

Senior Bobby Walshcontrols the ball in agame against St.Mary’s.

FIRST SEASON OF SOCCER

The Trivium Chorale, under the direc-tion of Paul Jernberg, has been practicingseveral times a week for the upcoming sea-son of concerts. In collaboration with IanWatson, Music Director at St. Paul’s Cathe-dral, and Msgr. James Moroney, the newCathedral Rector, Mr. Jernberg is in theprocess of starting a Cathedral Choir Schoolthat will bring together students fromaround the Worcester Diocese for after-school training, rehearsals and perfor-mances. The classes and rehearsals are ten-tatively scheduled to be held at St. Paul’sCathedral three times a week from 4:00-5:30pm., and the Choir School will generally besinging 1-3 times per month, usually forCathedral Masses. The Trivium Chorale willbe an integral part of this venture and haveits practices at the School.

Upcoming concerts and Masses, all ofwhich will be at St. Paul’s Cathedral, in-clude the following:

• Wednesday, December 24th: 4pm Christ-mas Eve Mass• Sunday, January 18th: 10:15am Mass• Saturday, February 14th : 4pm Mass• Thursday, March 26th: 10am Pro-LifeMass• Palm Sunday, April 5th: 7:30pmTenebrae Service with Cathedral AdultChoir• Easter Sunday, April 12th: 10:15am Mass

In addition, Msgr. Moroney has invitedthe Chorale to sing on the occasion of con-ferences given by several leading Churchprelates at the Cathedral during the comingyear, with dates to be announced later.Among these speakers are Cardinal FrancisGeorge, president of the U.S. Conference ofBishops (January or February), CardinalFrancis Arinze, Prefect of the Vatican Con-gregation of Divine Worship (Holy Week/Easter Week) and Cardinal George Pell,Archbishop of Sydney, Australia (August.)

TRIVIUM CHORALE’S NEWDIRECTION

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NEWS & NOTES

Tutor David Muir retired at the end of theschool year for reasons of health. Mr. Muirtaught English, Latin, and American His-tory. He also was an animated drama teacherand held his place with the tenors in chorale.Before coming to Trivium, he was the direc-tor of security at the Harvard Library. Hehad fond memories of teaching his daugh-

ter, Heather,Latin whileshe was a stu-dent atTrivium andhe was still athis job in Cam-bridge. Whenhe became atutor atTrivium, hegave himselfcompletely tothe task. Heloved his stu-dents, and

they responded with enthusiasm. Many stu-dents remember his earnest solicitude, andseniors recall his sense of humor, especiallyon Senior/Tutor Night when he sang hiscasket song. Mr. Muir is enjoying the quietof retirement and doing well. In his usualself-effacing manner, he wrote a letter lastyear to the students, thanking them fortheir prayers and he jokingly put into per-spective their final exams, saying that theyare preferable to the trauma of heart sur-gery. We will miss him!

!Mary Hardy (’09) won first place for

the women in the Trivium Fall Classic roadrace with a time of 39.30. The overall winnerfor the men was David Birse with a winningtime of 31.53. Tom Schmitt (‘09) had the besttime of the Trivium students with a time of34.42. Congratulations for everyone whocompeted in the grueling race!

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Michael Schmitt (’06), now a junior at Notre Dame, sports hisTrivium Road Race shirt at the Forbidden City. Mike isspending a semester in China.

Spring House, a shelter for pregnantmothers, sponsored its fifth annual LivingNativity on December 6. Led by Miss IngridMitchell, students from Trivium and fromsurrounding home-school families presentedthe important scenes from the story ofChrist’s birth. Emily Holmquist played therole of the Virgin Mary, and Thomas Jernbergwas cast as Joseph. Numerous youngerbrothers and sisters sang in the choir ofangels. Matthew Walsh, Robert Turner andTimothy Doyle played the roles of the ThreeKings: they wore beards and were accompa-nied by alpacas.

The choir of angels at the Spring House living nativity.

Rev. Bernard F. O’Connor, O.S.F.S.President

DeSales University

Dr. Timothy T. O’DonnellPresident

Christendom College

Rev. John P. Schlegel, S.J.President

Creighton University

Rev. Robert J. Spitzer, S.J.President

Gonzaga University

TRIVIUM SCHOOLP.O. Box 597

S. Lancaster, MA 01561

ANNUAL CHRISTMAS APPEAL

The holiday season and New Year’s areright around the corner. Please considermaking a gift to Trivium School! Makea donation today! You can sign up tomake a small donation every monthwith your credit card. Go towww.onecause.com and specify thatyou want a small part of your onlinepurchases to go to Trivium. They havediscounts at every majorstore you can imagine.Every little bit helps.

Don’t let grumpyScrooge stop you!

Sam Kaulbach (’07), Peter Cross (’07), Patrick Cross (‘10),and David Vise (’11) join their voices to the choir at theCommencement Mass.