Dear Friends and Families of Our Lady of Victory,

One of the most common questions that humanities teachers at classical Catholic schools get is, “We go to a Catholic school, so why are we reading all of these stories with Greek and Roman gods in them?”

St. Basil the Great has a great response to this question in one of his letters. I used to ask my students recite it at the beginning of class, a practice that I believe Mr. Reinicke has continued this year, much to my delight:

“It is therefore, in accordance with the whole similitude of the bees, that we should participate in the pagan literature. For these neither approach all flowers equally, nor in truth do they attempt to carry off entire those on which they alight, but taking only so much of them as is suitable for their work, they suffer the rest to go untouched. We ourselves too, if we are wise, having appropriated from this literature what is suitable to us and akin to the truth, will pass over the remainder. And just as in plucking the blooms from a rose-bed we avoid the thorns, so also in garnering from such writings whatever is useful, let us guard ourselves from what is harmful.”

We should approach pagan literature just as bees approach flowers. Brilliant! St. Augustine called the wisdom that could be found in pagan literature and philosophy “Egyptian Gold” in reference to the gold that the Israelites took out of pagan Egypt during the Exodus.

So we can profitably read about Athena appearing to Odysseus as he makes his way home to his wife, Penelope, without compromising our Catholic faith. We can mine that text for lessons about how to live without also believing that there is an actual goddess named Athena who lives and acts in the world. We can listen to Socrates speak beautifully about the need to live our lives in accordance with the Truth, but we can discard what he has to say about man’s duty to the Greek gods. Or, perhaps, we can take what he says about man’s duty to the Greek gods and apply some of that wisdom to more fully understand our duties to Jesus Christ.

Both G.K. Chesterton and C.S. Lewis tell us that Christ is the fulfillment of the ancient myths. What the pagans saw “through a glass, darkly,” we see face-to-face. There is still, however, plenty that we can learn from the great pagan philosophers and poets of the past.

To that end, I hope that you’ll be able to join us tonight for our next Fireside Classics event, when I’ll talk about Homer’s Odyssey. Perhaps more importantly, we’ll have good bourbon and plenty of wine. RSVP here if you haven’t already: https://form.jotform.com/260115533888057

Peace in Christ,
Randy

Congratulations to the winners of this week’s virtue awards!

Charity: Marie Hjelmstad
Prudence: Evie Murphy
Justice: Adam Hilz, Will Summer, James Holman
Fortitude: Nick Johnson

Dear Families,

Christ's peace! As we come closer to the end of the year, we would like to send out our annual survey to receive your feedback which is valuable to help us continue to grow. There are multiple choice as well as sections for you to include comments on academics, character of the school, spirituality, and your personal experience. Thank you for taking the time to complete this survey (it could take you about 30 minutes to complete it)! See below the link to the form:

https://form.jotform.com/261167947147163

Let me know if you have any questions.

In Christ Our Hope,
Emma Barham

Dear Families,

Please see the attached year at a glance calendar for 2026-2027. Let me know if you have any questions!

2026-2027 Year-At-A-Glance Calendar

In Christ,
Emma Barham
Office Administrator

One of the wonderful things about being a part of the Chesterton Network is the opportunity our upperclassmen have to travel to Rome. If you will have a Junior or Senior next year and are interested in the 2027 Rome Pilgrimage, please fill out this interest form as soon as possible.

Thank you!

Interest Form Link

Before our awards ceremony begins on Friday, May 8, we are going to host a Celebration of Culture Potluck at the school! We would like students and families to bring a special dish, dessert, or drink (non- alcoholic) from their family tradition or heritage to share with the community.

OLV will provide plates, cups, utensils, and napkins, but please plan to bring your own serving spoons, if necessary. Below is the link to the sign up genius!

https://www.signupgenius.com/go/10C0E4AACA823AAF9C25-63698845-celebration

More details about the day’s events can be found in the “Upcoming Events” section.

Registration for Fall sports will open on Friday, May 8th. Current sports to be offered are Girls Volleyball and Coed Cross Country. Details will be up on the athletics web page and updated as the planning progresses.

We want to get early registration going because both these sports will have summer communications and begin practicing prior to the official start of the academic school year.

If you have any questions please email Coach Jayce and copy the new athletics email (athletics@ourladyofvictorydenver.com).

The senior play is looking for stage crew May 4-9! Rehearsals are May 4-6 from 3:10-7 pm. Performances are May 7-9: call at 5pm, shows 7-9:30, with strike immediately after on May 9. Please consider getting involved in drama as stage crew and earning your house some points! Signups are posted outside the school office. Thank you!

Below is the lineup of priests celebrating Mass next week.
(5/1 - 5/8)

Friday, 5/1: Fr. Doug Grandon
Monday, 5/4: Fr. Javier O’Connor
Tuesday, 5/5: Fr. Doug Grandon
Wednesday, 5/6: Fr. Joe Hartmann
Thursday, 5/7:‍ Fr. Adam Bradshaw
Friday, 5/8:‍ Archbishop Golka

You are invited to join our Headmaster, Randy Aust, for an evening where you will taste the riches of the great books our students read every year. Each gathering offers a guided reflection on a classic text, along with a lively look at why it has endured, what a busy parent might profit from knowing, and how it can spark conversations that bring truth and wonder into your home. This night’s chosen text will be Homer’s Odyssey. No preparation needed; just bring your curiosity.

Bourbon, wine, and hors d'oeuvres will be served.

RSVP and learn more information here.

We are excited to share that Archbishop Golka will be coming to celebrate Mass for us on Friday, May 8th at 7:30am!

All are welcome to attend and greet our new Archbishop and welcome him to our community.

To celebrate the many accomplishments of our students and to honor the beauty of all of our families, we will be running our second annual Celebration of Culture Potluck prior to our awards ceremony this year!

Below is the link to the sign up genius for the Potluck.

https://www.signupgenius.com/go/10C0E4AACA823AAF9C25-63698845-celebration

The celebration will start at 12:30 p.m. on Friday, May 8th, with the awards ceremony following at 1:45 p.m.. The awards ceremony will feature individual academic awards and the announcement of the winner of the White Horse Cup.

The final STEM club meeting of the year will be Saturday, May 9th from 9-11am in Room 203.

Breakfast burritos will be served! No materials required.

Chesterton Academy of Our Lady of Victory joyfully invites you to celebrate the graduation of the Class of 2026 on Saturday, May 16 at 12:30 p.m. at St. Mary Catholic Parish in Littleton. Reception directly following in Marian Hall.

We are incredibly proud of our graduating seniors and all they have accomplished during their time at OLV. This special ceremony marks an important milestone as they take their next steps beyond our school.

We are also honored to welcome Nikki Kingsley as our commencement speaker, who will share her powerful story of faith and conversion.

Please join us in celebrating this joyful occasion!

Hi OLV Families! I'm excited to share that Mountain Top Therapy Services is offering individual and small group sessions this summer, including an Executive Functioning Workshop and a Writing Workshop, available for elementary through high school students. Sessions can be held in-person, at home, or via teletherapy. See the attached flyer for details or reach out to reserve a spot! It has been a pleasure supporting your students during this past academic year! -Katie Seymour

📞 720-408-5374 | 📧 admin@mountaintopspeech.com