On coming home
May 4, 2012I get on a plane at BWI tomorrow morning to begin the 33-hour journey home to New Zealand. It will be my first visit in about five and a half years. My siblings and I will be celebrating...
View ArticleGraduation address | Class of 2012
May 23, 2012Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate ConceptionFr. Barry, members of the Board of Directors, graduates of the Class of 1962, graduates of the Class of 2012, parents and...
View ArticleOn Freshman Convocation
August 20, 2012A bit of history this morning and, hopefully, the beginning of a tradition. We welcomed the Class of 2016. Our past practice had been for parents to drop their sons and daughters off...
View ArticleOn Neil Armstrong and humility
August 31, 2012Neil Armstrong died last weekend. He was a great American and a hero for the entire world. I am old enough to remember the Apollo 11 and July 1969 vividly. I was 11 years old, a...
View ArticleOn AP and IB performance
September 7, 20122011-2012 was a terrific school year. I was reminded how spectacular this past week, as we put up the three large posters listing the college acceptances and scholarship tallies for...
View ArticleOn being here
September 18, 2012This blog is an edited version of my address to the student body at the Opening Mass of the 2012-2013 school year on August 31, 2012I want to talk with you this morning about "being...
View ArticleOn school discipline
September 26, 2012I listen to the news on NPR most mornings as I drive to school. Once in a while there's a story that's a doozy. This morning I heard about a Texas school district where two parents...
View ArticleOn being in the hope business
October 18, 2012Earlier today as I was preparing some remarks to share with faculty and staff, I found myself focusing on the essence of what we do as a group of people dedicated to young people.We are...
View ArticleOn Xaverian Assembly 2012
November 7, 2012[The following is an adaptation of a reflection I shared at a gathering of the Chief Administrators of Xaverian Brothers Sponsored Schools on November 1, 2012. The reflection is on the...
View ArticleOn demographics and the changing face of the Church
November 26, 2012You didn't need to pay much attention to the election to pick up on the fact that the demographics of our nation are changing. Winning key demographic segments played a part in the...
View ArticleOn family at Christmas
January 4, 2013Happy New Year and best wishes on Day 3 of your resolutions!I share a few thoughts, somewhat random, related to being together at Christmas.Of all times of the year, this season is the...
View ArticleOn attending an IB Conference in L.A.
January 29, 2013I headed out west over Martin Luther King, Jr. weekend to attend an International Baccalaureate (IB) Conference. The three-day event was held at the Los Angeles Airport Marriott. Stuck...
View ArticleOn making admissions decisions
February 28, 2013We mailed out admissions decisions to almost 750 anxious eighth graders this morning. Our goal is to have 310 ninth graders in the Class of 2017. You can do the Math. Some will have...
View ArticleOn the election of Pope Francis
March 15, 2013For just the second time in the lifetime of our students, we have a new Pope, Cardinal Jorge Mario Bergoglio, now His Holiness, Pope Francis.Our new Pope was an under the radar candidate,...
View ArticleOn morning tea
April 10, 2013I'm more than 26 years removed from my days in the New Zealand classroom. During my visit to the homeland over the Easter break I was reminded just how easy it is to find strange the...
View ArticleOn the 2003 Distinguished Alumnus of the Year, Tom Johnson '76
May 2, 2013 Last Thursday we honored Tom Johnson, Class of 1976, with the 2003 Distinguished Alumnus Award.In his acceptance speech, Tom shared with the students how he came to be at Our Lady of Good...
View ArticleOn "Mary, make us see"
May 28, 2013This blog posting is an adaptation of my address at the Graduation Mass for the Class of 2013, delivered at the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception on May 23,...
View ArticleOn watching a 3-D printer
August 1, 2013My dad was in the import-export business. Over many years, he sent tons and tons of New Zealand products to Japan – kiwifruit, live eels, boysenberries, beef, milk powder, sheepskins....
View ArticleOn TRUST – Part I
September 5, 2013The following is an edited version of remarks I made to the student body at the Opening Mass of the 2013-2014 school year. At the end of Mass all students, faculty and staff received...
View ArticleOn trust – Part II
September 20, 2013The following is an adaptation of remarks originally prepared for the Opening of School Mass. When we were running long, these remarks were cut from my address to the students.I...
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