Throughout this journey of building a Chesterton Academy in Massachusetts, what has been most fascinating to me has been the guiding presence of the Holy Spirit and Our Lady. Similar to the stories of other Chesterton Academies, our story has been one of God’s infinite grace and an affirmation of the mission He has placed in each of us. Along the way, we have experienced great joy, but we have also experienced difficult times of spiritual oppression, the need for intense prayer, and the presence of God’s grace and perfect timing at each need and at every stage.
At the beginning of our effort to bring the school to Massachusetts, we prayed the 54-Day Rosary Novena to Our Lady of the Rosary. By the end of the Novena, we received our official 501(c)(3) status as Friends of Chesterton of MA, only six weeks after filing. This near-miraculous turn-around time allowed us to begin our fundraising efforts on Giving Tuesday last year. We also prayed and consecrated the school, its students, administration, and faculty to the Immaculate Heart of Mary and the Sacred Heart of Jesus on the Feast of the Immaculate Conception last December 8, providentially leading into the celebration of our first in-person fundraising event on December 9.
The process of naming our school was another grace-filled experience. As one of my friends, a former headmaster, reminded me, naming anything is a sacred task. Discernment over our name had clearly affirmed God’s will that the school be placed under the mantle of Our Lady. Through more prayer, it came to us that our Lady was calling us to the name Chesterton Academy of the Immaculata. The battle cry of St. Maximilian Kolbe’s Militia of the Immaculata is “to win the entire world for the Immaculata and, through her, for the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus” - a mission that spoke so clearly in our hearts, especially as we had just made the consecration on the Feast of the Immaculate Conception.
As we waited to see if our name would be approved, and after facing some uncertainty during the process, we turned to our Lord in prayer, committing our school to His hands. The day we learned that the name was approved and set aside for us felt like receiving a beautiful gift from our loving Father! During our trip to Discovery Days (a blog post about that experience is coming soon!), we received many more affirmations that this name was indeed the one Our Lord had set aside for us, and we were overjoyed and amazed to hear the many ways He was also at work in the discernment of other schools.
As we return from Discovery Days, having been officially accepted as part of the Chesterton Academy School Network, our hearts are full. We thank Our Lord and Our Lady for our safety in our travels and for our joyful zeal to see to fruition the mission of building a Chesterton Academy in Massachusetts. At the same time, we joyfully announce our official name.
Chesterton Academy of Massachusetts is now Chesterton Academy of the Immaculata:
Under the banner of Our Lady, we are assured of her mantle of protection as we pursue our mission and vision for God’s children. With her as our patron and namesake we know we can accomplish great things for the glory of God!
Please continue to keep us in your prayers as we build this school. Help us financially if you have been inspired to do so and feel that your heart is being led to be part of this mission. Spread the word to those who may be interested in joining us and in sending their children to this school. We are very grateful for all the support we have received these past months. Rest assured of our prayers and our zeal to keep pressing on to bring this school to reality.
Our Immaculata, pray for us! Jesus, we trust in You!
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