Embodying the Spirit

A bright September 16th morning. Beautiful day to be outdoors, over a thousand of us joyously gathered together again, in person, in the fresh air, to kick off the new school year, finally leaving behind the hardships endured since March 2020 quarantine. At this peak moment in the 18 months of celebrating the 150th Anniversary of Saint Peter’s Prep’s founding, at the Mass of the Holy Spirit, it was a perfect time to greet a wonderful new part of our home at Prep. And so, during Mass, we dedicated our statue of the young Saint Peter on Warren Plaza.

Embodiment of spirit is not easy. And of course Saint Peter did not seek to be a monument or idol. But reading the living words on his inscription shows what makes us Prep. He has not even been named Peter yet; he is a humble, imperfect young fisherman. Our young Peter is not a remote idol, not an ideal object of perfection or awe—his strong arms are from working hard every day. This beautiful work of art is familiar, like our young men, and it was an honor reading that dedication at Mass as the statue was unveiled:

A flawed young fisherman—the man who will come to be known as Peter—Looks to the Horizon,unaware that the best of what he will become lies ahead.Let us see beyond our on imperfections and look to the future with courage and conviction,knowing we are always Sub Umbra Petri—Under the shadow of Peter.

Our young Peter reminds our students, and each of us, that in all our imperfection, we can still look ahead to become not perfect, but ever closer to God: ever trying to share the love of neighbor that Jesus taught, ever open to grace, forgiveness, and the Spirit.

After arriving as a freshman more than 45 years ago, I have witnessed how our students so often embody this great care for everyone in the Prep community, even amidst great difficulty or loss. So it remains a gift to visit the young fisherman, to read the inscription again, as on that day – And to watch our students and the whole Prep family drawn into friendly daily connection with the young Peter, just as if he were a classmate! If you have not visited yet, come by and say hello soon!

Another truly monumental achievement is the 150-year chronicle of Saint Peter’s Prep. This broad-ranging history has been the “baby” of Jim Horan, ’70, a celebrated Prep long-distance runner, and the effort was no sprint for a greyhound. Researching, interviewing, writing, and image collecting began in early 2019. The resulting product, involving many Prep staff & alumni, is wonderful, a magnum opus and grateful appreciation of Prep’s long tradition though generations of hardships and triumphs.

Speaking of continued spirit, Chris Caulfield, ’03 has embodied Prep spirit for years as a student, athlete, alumnus, faculty member and coach, and now Prep’s Principal. He has diligently prepared for stewardship of mission since his studies at Boston College, and understands our students, athletes, teachers and staff.

In these pages, you will also discover some highlights from the year thus far. There was the great fun of the return of Prep’s Walkathon after 11 years (without the memorably arduous 12- and 18- mile distances of the 1970s and 1980s!). We saw the biggest Prep Career Day in memory bring back alumni from a wide variety of fields, and from literally around the globe—who generously shared not just tips, but real wisdom and spirit. And we celebrated a magnificent Legends of Prep dinner of epic scope. The honorees, including Tony Azzarto S.J., Jim Dondero, ’66,P’00 and John Irvine, ’83, P’11, represented well over a century of love and service to the young men—and alumni!—of Prep.

As we have taken stock at the 150-year mark, our young Peter embodies our look to the future: imperfect, yes, but persevering, resilient, and strong in faith!

Anthony Keating, ’78, P’10 History & Social Sciences Department