Vol. VI, Issue 4, August 2013

with special guest Bishop Morlino, celebrating the Feast of St. Ambrose

St. Ambrose students work hard at their studies during the school year, and many of our students haven’t slowed down much this summer. In addition to summer jobs, family time, sports, camps, and hobbies, a number of Ambrosians have looked for ways to share Christ’s love by joining in service projects throughout our diocese. Students enjoyed participating in the “Love Begins Here” local diocesan mission trips, which offer middle and high school students a chance to live in Catholic community and work on projects throughout the diocese. Students also served as counselors for the “Jesus, Mary, Joseph, and me” week-long Catholic day camps for elementary-aged students, held in two locations on the west side of Madison. “Working with the kids at JMJm was so much fun,” commented eighth grader Evelyn Carillo. “I love seeing how their faces light up when they learn about Jesus!” Enjoy this mini photo gallery of our Summer of Service!

The Lazy Days of Summer?

Tuesday, September 3

First Day of School

Saturday, December 7Alliant Energy Center5:30 p.m. Cocktails7:00 p.m. Dinner

10th Anniversary Benefit Dinner

St. Ambrose Academy, Grades 6-12602 Everglade Drive, Madison, WI 53717

www.ambroseacademy.org School Office: (608) 827-5863

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• We welcome your donations of new or used laptops in working order. The students often need to print their work at school, and extra work stations would be a big help.

• As the new school year approaches, we need some new sporting equipment for our Phys Ed programs. In addition, our basketball teams very much need new uniforms. Please contact Scott Schmiesing at school if you can help our athletes compete.

SAA Wish List

New Graduate and Seasoned Alumnus: Words from Two St. Ambrose Grads

“For those who want to save their life will lose it, and those who lose their life for my sake will find it.” –Matthew 16:25

When Noah teDuits came to St. Ambrose as junior, he

wanted to find himself by losing himself in Christ. Noah knew that he could do just that because he had met his classmate-to-be Michael Wanta at a retreat during his freshman year and, through Michael, met other St. Ambrose students at Dead Theologians’ Society meetings. Noah observed that, although his new St. Ambrose friends had fun at the meetings, “They weren’t there for themselves.” Fast forward through Noah’s time at St. Ambrose-during which Miss Nielsen “cracked down” on Noah’s writing and motivated him to work harder, Noah helped the Challenger football team make it to the state championship last fall, and Noah’s performance as “Lumiere” in the Beauty and the Beast musical cracked us up—to Noah’s graduation this May. He commented on the Class of 2013: “My classmates are focused on Christ. They don’t want to live for themselves. They choose to live for Christ.” Noah will live for Christ next fall at Loras College in Dubuque, IA, upon the recommendation of Our Lady Queen of Peace Parish Pastor Msgr. Ken Fiedler and after seeing 50 college students at daily Mass during a campus visit. Noah remarked, “[Loras] has still clung to its Catholic roots.” There, he too will attend daily Mass and study theology and possibly social work or philosophy, with the hope of one day working for the Church. But first, Noah will head off to Brazil to spend World Youth Day with Pope Francis and youth from our Madison Diocese. We wish all God’s blessings for Noah and the Class of 2013 as they go forth into the world!

ROBERT MARSLAND, Class of 2007

NOAH TEDUITS,Class of 2013

“Dream big,” says St. Ambrose alumnus Bobby Marsland, when asked for his advice to current Ambrosians. He continues: “You have a special responsibility to bring the peace and joy of Christ’s love to every sector of American culture and society…but you have to decide to put yourself entirely at Christ’s disposal, and no one can do

that for you.” A member of St. Ambrose’s first freshman class in 2003, Bobby graduated in 2007, making headlines that year as one of two Wisconsin Presidential Scholars, and also as the champion of the National Vocabulary Bee. On choosing a college, Bobby says, “My rule of thumb was to make myself available to God. I learned at St. Ambrose that doing God’s will was the way to make my whole life into a heroic adventure, and that’s what I wanted more than anything. Now after 6 years of following this path I know for myself that God’s will really is the way to true adventure, and that even your biggest dreams will always fall short of what He has in store.” Bobby pursued his undergraduate studies at Princeton University, achieving a BA in Physics in 2011. While at Princeton, Bobby played defensive lineman on the school’s sprint football team, winning the Class of 1916 Cup, awarded to the senior varsity letter winner with the highest academic standing. After completing his Master’s degree in Philosophy of Physics at Oxford in 2012, Bobby began doctorate-level studies in Physics at MIT in Boston. “St. Ambrose taught me to be ambitious in the pursuit of truth,” Bobby explains. “Knowledge of the classic texts of Western civilization is an essential part of preparation for life in a free society. The greatest minds of the past three millennia have already grappled with all the really important questions that arise in deciding how to direct your own life, how to govern your household, and how to govern the state. St. Ambrose Academy provides its students with access to this storehouse of wisdom, preparing them to be good mothers, fathers, and citizens.”