Bishop Raymond Chappetto Visits Molloy

Who does God call you to be? What is His plan for you? Sometimes these are not easy questions to answer. When we gather together for Mass we are reminded that many of our friends and neighbors also face these questions, and we support each other as we work toward discovering ourselves. Since June 2013, the Marist Brothers have been celebrating the Year of Marist Vocations. In this regard many might think of vocations as relating only to those who have entered into religious orders. While the Marist Brothers Evangelization Team is consistently working to recruit new members for the Brotherhood, part of the work they do is teaching the community that their call from God can take many forms. As such, the commitment and actions of lay parishioners is very important.

Molloy took time during homeroom announcements last week to pray for those who have devoted their lives to religious vocations, but also for members of the lay community who do God’s work in other important ways. In support of this celebration of vocations, His Excellency Raymond Francis Chappetto, the Bishop of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Brooklyn, visited Molloy to celebrate Mass and ask our students, “Who does God call you to be?” In answering this question, Bishop Chappetto spoke of the dreams for the future our students held when they were young, and encouraged them to continue the pursuit of those dreams through their faith in God. Part of that pursuit is performing the works of the Church, and as lay people they play a significant role in God’s plan. In that sense Marist vocations directly impact all of us, and it is our responsibility to act. It is not often that the Bishop celebrates Mass at our school, so the message was perhaps amplified through his words. “We were honored to have Bishop Chappetto celebrate Mass at Molloy,” said President Richard Karsten ’81. “The Year of Marist Vocations has provided a special opportunity for our religious leaders to teach students that their work as young Catholic Marists has only just begun. We hope that this Mass and other events throughout the year will continue to inspire them to think about their faith more deeply now as well as beyond high school.” Molloy was truly blessed to have Bishop Chappetto visit our school, and we extend him our sincerest thanks for taking time out of his busy schedule to celebrate Mass with our students and faculty. (Pictured left to right: Principal Br. Thomas Schady, Bishop Raymond Chappetto, Br. Mike Sheerin, Br. James Maher, and President Richard Karsten ’81)

Alumni Gathering in Manhattan

The Stanner Alumni Center’s Craig Katinas ’93 and Joe Sommo ’03 were happy to meet with a number of enthusiastic alumni last week at Public House NYC in Manhattan. About 15 alumni braved the cold and came together to reconnect and catch up, but there was also some business to discuss. Many of the alumni in attendance currently head the steering committees for Molloy’s successful lawyers and finance networks. These networks endeavor to bring Stanners in these fields together to create new friendships and establish unique professional connections. The gathering provided our leaders in law and finance a few moments to discuss the results of past networking events, brainstorm ideas for future events, and meet members of another committee that share their vision for Molloy’s alumni community at large. Working together with these and other dedicated Stanners, we hope to continually provide opportunities for our alumni to grow and succeed further in their careers.

Around the School

Strong Showing for Science Olympiad Team

We’ve become a bit of a broken record in recent years when reporting about our Science Olympiad team. While the core team members may change year to year, the remarkable passion they display for the sciences remains a constant. These talented students compete against other New York State schools in the annual Regional Science Olympiad Competition at Grover Cleveland High School. The most recent competition took place earlier this month, and we are proud to congratulate our team on placing 13th out of 51 teams and 8th out of 30 schools (bigger schools have multiple teams), many of which are highly regarded in their own right. The top rankings included (in order beginning with the top finisher): Stuyvesant, Townsend Harris, Collegiate, Benjamin Cardozo, Dalton, Regis, Staten Island Tech, and Molloy. In addition, 12 out of our 15 team members successfully medaled in individual events. While most members of the team are juniors or seniors, the newest and youngest member of the team, freshman Andrew Christophorou ’17, is to be commended for his outstanding achievement in the Mission Possible event, in which participants “design, build, test and document a Rube Goldberg-like device that completes a required Final Task using a sequence of consecutive tasks” (source). Senior Ryan Li ’14 is also to be commended earning medals in both of his events (Mission Possible, Scrambler). “He will be a difficult team member to replace next year,” remarked Mr. John Attard ’06, moderator of the team. Juniors Anthony Balaguera ’15 and Justin Esposito ’15 were also valuable members of Molloy’s team, medaling in all of their events (Dynamic Planet, Elastic Launched Glider, Rocks & Minerals). The full list of winners can be viewed by clicking the chart above. “Mr. DeMarco, Mr. Nadeau, and myself are very proud of the team’s efforts and dedication,” said Mr. Attard.

Marist Brother Novices Speak to Juniors and Seniors

As part of last week’s celebration of vocations, junior and senior students were treated to a special visit from three Marist Brother novices in place of their scheduled religion classes. Br. Jack and Br. James, both of Australia, and Br. Sam, of Michigan, each spoke about why they chose to pursue the Brotherhood. Each felt the call in a different way, but their paths each led them to the same ultimate goal: following in the footsteps of Father Champagnat. “There comes a time when you have to decide what you really want to do,” said Br. Jack, who is just 22 years old. “One day I read a passage in the Bible that said ‘Whoever does not love does not know love, and God is love.’ I realized I was closing myself off from something important. I decided to be honest with who I am and enter into something greater than myself.” Br. Sam, who is 24, echoed similar sentiments, although he expressed a bit more uncertainty about his decision. “I’m here to find out if this is right for me. I’ve only been doing this for a week, but I do know it makes me immensely happy to be among the Brothers, and to be a part of a community that has my back.” Both novices also described their initial hesitations before making their decisions, including enjoying their normal lives as young people going to parties, dating, and thinking ahead to a future that included marriage. These apprehensions are typical among many young people, including Molloy students, but the novices acknowledged that it is rewarding to overcome these challenges. “Have faith,” said Br. Jack. “In the end I realized that I was meant to help others, and eventually entering the Brotherhood has made me feel alive.” Br. James, a bit older than his fellow novices, also chose his path because of his desire to serve others. “The need will always be greater than my contributions, but I will be present to support those needs,” he explained.

Arleen Aguasvivas ’11 is a junior at Harvard University. It seems like only yesterday that Arleen was acting and singing in Molloy’s theater, but she is already right in the middle of her college career and working on a degree in sociology with a minor in dramatic arts. She has her sights set on a career in teaching, and hopes to eventually begin an undergraduate program toward achieving that goal. During a recent visit to Molloy. Arleen took time to meet with a group of juniors and seniors who are looking ahead to sending applications to an assortment of colleges across the country. Arleen’s experience, having been through the application process and come out earning acceptance to one of the premier Ivy League schools, proved to be valuable to our students. She encouraged her fellow Stanners to be “go-getters” who are always willing to meet with a professor during office hours, ask for help, and be proactive in all aspects of college life. “No one will hold your hand or drop opportunities in your lap. You have to go out and make it happen,” said Arleen. One anecdote she shared about her time at Harvard involved being turned down by a campus singing group. “That really stung, but I’m glad I tried. You can never be afraid of failure.” Arleen also shared advice regarding writing their first college papers, managing their time, and preparing for the competitiveness of college. Arleen did a great job during the session, and our students came away with somve very important tips.

Anand Marri ’91 has been appointed Vice President and Head of Economic Education for the Federal Reserve Bank of New York. Anand has taken a research leave from his role as Associate Professor at the Teacher’s College of Columbia University to serve as the highest ranking officer for education in the Federal Reserve System nationwide. For more information on Anand’s outstanding achievement take a look at this article published by the Teacher’s College.

We received some great updates from the Morris family, which includes no less than three proud Stanners! First, Brian Morris ’00 is running a successful art gallery in Manhattan, which features many works by local artists and others around New York. Brian and his gallery were also recently profiled in New York Arts Magazine. In addition, the Huffington Post featured one of the gallery’s exhibitions as recently as this past January. Next, John Morris ’88, vice principal of St. Peter’s Prep in Jersey City, was recently featured on a local CBS news broadcast speaking about the impact of social media in schools. Last, but not least, Brendan Morris ’05 and classmate Peter Cernauskas ’05 have been bandmates since their Molloy days, and recently just released their fourth album. Pictured below left to right: Brian, John, and Brendan Morris.

It was with great sadness that we announced last week the passing of Christian “Tian” Doran, Class of 2003, son of Stephen ‘67 and brother of Bryan ‘97 and Sean ’95. Tian had been a vibrant member of the Archbishop Molloy High School community, serving as a proud camp counselor at the Marist Brothers Center at Esopus for many years, and establishing countless friendships with alumni and students of all ages. Most recently, Tian was involved with the “Esopus Music” fundraiser in January 2014, helping to raise money for the Esopus and Mid-Hudson Valley summer camp programs he held so dear. He will be sorely missed by all of us in the Molloy community that he inspired so deeply with his kindness and selflessness.

Please pray for the repose of the soul of Mr. William Boland, father of John ’92, Aidan ’93, Paul ’99, and Brendan ’01. Mr. Boland was beloved by his family and friends and will be sorely missed by all. We ask that you keep the Boland family in your thoughts and prayers during this difficult time.

We regret to inform our Stanner family of the passing of Mrs. Kathleen Spedalle, the mother of freshman Michael Spedalle. Please keep the Spedalle family in your prayers.