Dear Chesterton Academy of Our Lady of Victory Families,

September 13th is the Feast of Saint John Chrysostom in the Roman Catholic Church. Although his feast is superseded by the Sunday liturgy this year, I would still like to dwell for a moment on the patron saint of one of our four Houses.

The name Chrysostom comes from the Greek for "golden-mouthed," a title given to Saint John because of his extraordinary eloquence as a preacher. As Archbishop of Constantinople, he preached to a city marked by tremendous wealth alongside tremendous poverty. It makes sense, then, that one of the recurring themes of his preaching was the proper Christian use of wealth.

Saint John did not regard material possessions as inherently evil. He did, however, insist that everything we possess is ultimately a gift entrusted to us by God. Wealth brings with it a responsibility to care for those in need. For Saint John, almsgiving was not merely an admirable act for unusually generous Christians. It was an ordinary and necessary expression of Christian discipleship.

Saint John is venerated in a particular way by our Eastern Catholic and Orthodox brothers and sisters, but his homilies are well worth reading by every Christian. His famous Paschal Homily (https://instituteofcatholicculture.org/articles/christ-is-risen-2/) is one that I return to every Easter. In it, he invites everyone to the feast of the Resurrection: those who have labored from the first hour and those who arrived only at the last. The Lord's generosity exceeds every human calculation.

I also want to take a moment to thank all of you for your generosity in answering the call for Giving Day 2026. We’re only one week in, and as of the publication of this Headmaster’s Note, we’ve already raised over $85,000. Deo gratias!

Happy feast day to the students, prefects, House Anchors, families and teachers of House Chrysostom. May their patron saint teach all of us to speak courageously and live lives of resplendent Christian generosity.

Peace in Christ,
Randy

Congratulations to this week’s Virtue Award winners!

Hope: Agnes Burch
Charity: Anthony Haas
Fortitude: Joseph Caulfield
Justice: Molly Maxwell

Congratulations to August’s Athletes of the month!

St. Sebastian Award:
James Kaess (XC, Freshman)

St. Joan of Arc Award:
Clara Riviere (Volleyball, Senior)

If you have not yet done so yet, please fill out the quick Volunteer Preference Form (It takes 2 minutes at most).

It is due tomorrow, September 11!

We do this so you have the opportunity to express how you would like to fulfill your family volunteer hours. We will be placing families in their committees this week, thank you! https://forms.gle/GJEFwu6GoYgN3J4G6

Caroline McCartney
Volunteer Coordinator

We require that all of our parent volunteers who interact with students be VIRTUS trained. If your VIRTUS training is out of date, or if you have not yet completed VIRTUS training, you can find more information at www.virtusonline.org  

There are a few classes that are coming up:

• Saturday, 9/12, 9:00 AM at Our Lady of Loreto

• Monday, 9/21, 6:15 PM at Our Lady of Lourdes

• Tuesday, 9/22, 5:00 PM at Our Lady of Loreto

If you have any additional questions about VIRTUS training or your current status, please reach out to our Director of Business Operations, Lisa Cushnie at lisa.cushnie@ourladyofvictorydenver.com

To help our juniors kick off the college preparation process, we are blessed to be visited by a handful of college admissions counselor who are eager to share information about their schools. These presentations will take place during lunch in Ave Maria 102 and they are required for all juniors. Parents are welcome to attend!

Tuesday, September 15th: Christendom College
Tuesday, October 6th: Benedictine College
Thursday, October 29th: Ave Maria University

Mark your calendars!! Tryouts for boys’ and girls’ basketball are on Nov. 16! Please sign your student-athletes up ASAP so we know who to expect. Deadline to sign up is Oct 15. https://form.typeform.com/to/ackVLOSh‍ ‍

As always, your child needs to complete with CHSAA medical form (on the athletics page on website) in order to compete. Please make sure that is turned into Ms. Nalen.

The OLV STEM Club is launching this Friday! The club will meet from 1:00–3:00 p.m. on Fridays when there is no Formation Friday, with OLV parents, Mr. Harden, Mr. Caulfield, and Mr. Kolden leading the sessions.

Students will explore hands-on projects throughout the year involving astronomy, engineering, chemistry, electronics, programming, and more. The club will also field a team for the Lockheed Martin CyberQuest cybersecurity competition.

All interested students are invited to join us this Friday in Ave Maria 002.

OLV’s Giving Day 2026 launches on Friday, September 4th! Please familiarize yourself with our updated Giving Day Toolkit available here:

https://www.ourladyofvictorydenver.com/giving-day-2026-toolkit

We are always adding more resources to aid in your fundraising efforts on behalf of our school. As always, we are so grateful for the involvement of our families in helping us bridge the substantial gap that exists between what we charge for tuition and the true cost to educate our students.

Tomorrow, each family will receive an email with their individual family tracker and other supporting information. Stay tuned, and please reach out to matt.miller@ourladyofvictorydenver.com if you have any questions.

To all new and returning parents, I have your forms here, easily accessible for you if you weren't able to come see me at Back to School Night! If you have already turned them in, then no problem at all. If not, please fill out the forms that are pertinent to you and email them back to me. (receptionist@ourladyofvicotrydenver.com)

Here are the forms:

• Driver Agreement Document for Parents

• Prescription Permission Form

• Medical Exemption Sheet

• Parent/Student Handbook Agreement

Depending on who you are, I also may still need your Immunizations from your doctor.

Thank you for showing your love through filling out paperwork! I know it's not very fun.

Rhianna Thomas

COLORADO YOUTH SPORTS GIVING DAY BEGINS SEPTEMBER 1, 2026 @ 6:00 PM MT.

If you give to OLV through the Colorado Youth Sports Giving Day portal, the donation will STLL count towards family AND HOUSE goals for OLV's Giving Day!

Your gift goes further on Youth Sports Giving Day! It's playoff season for Colorado youth sports: get ready for 15 days of giving where every dollar gets supercharged. Dollar-for-dollar matching begins @ 6:00 PM MT on September 1, 2026 from the 1:1 Match Pool giving more Colorado kids a shot at sports.

New this year: You can give through a donor-advised fund (DAF), IRA, or wire on ColoradoGives.org and your gift unlocks its own dollar-for-dollar match from the brand-new America250 Fund — a $250,000 dollar-for-dollar match just for donors giving online with DAF, IRA or wire contributions.

When these two match pools are exhausted, the donation boosters don't stop. Every remaining gift made online is matched at a percentage rate through the Incentive Fund — so your generosity stays in play right to the final whistle on September 15 @ 11:59 PM MT.

All gift matching applies to online gifts made on ColoradoGives.org only — including DAF, IRA, and wire gifts. To keep the playing field level, matching dollars from the 1:1 Match Pool + America250 Fund caps out at $150,000 per organization to celebrate as many participating youth sports programs as possible.

Please consider giving!

Reminder to drop off a check or cash to Ms. Nalen for XC ($175) and Volleyball ($310)!

The following priests will be celebrating Mass at Our Lady of Victory the upcoming week, September 11 - September 18. Please pray for our priests!

Fri, Sept 4: Fr. David Hall
Mon, Sept 14: Fr. Anthony, Community of the Beatitudes
Tues, Sept 15: St. Mark’s Priests
Wed, Sept 16: Fr. Armando Marsal
Thurs, Sept 17: Fr. Adam Bradshaw, in Latin
Fri, Sept 18: Fr. Daniel Ciucci

Thursday, September 10
🏐 Girls JV Volleyball
OLV vs. Beth Eden
JV only — no varsity match

Friday, September 11
🏃 Coed Cross Country — Arapahoe Warrior Invitational
📍 deKoevend Park
⏰ 2:45 p.m. start

Monday, September 14
🏐 Girls JV & Varsity Volleyball
OLV vs. Victory Prep
📍 Lone Tree Recreation Center

Thursday, September 17
🏐 Girls JV & Varsity Volleyball
OLV at Rocky Mountain Lutheran
📍 Rocky Mountain Lutheran

Friday, September 18
🏐 Girls Varsity Volleyball
OLV at Vanguard Classical
Varsity only

Saturday, September 19
🏃 Coed Cross Country — Roadrunner Invitational
📍 Washington Park

Please be advised that we will have an early dismissal on Friday, September 11th and Friday, September 25th. Students will be dismissed immediately following the conclusion of Mass between 12:30 and 12:40 PM.

Parents and OLV staff are invited to gather for an evening of fellowship at our House Parties on Friday, September 11, from 7:00–9:00 p.m. Enjoy drinks and dessert while getting to know the other parents and staff members in your student’s House. Babies are always welcome!

Each House will gather at a different host family’s home:

• 🐝 House Ambrose: Hosted by the Chavez and Pelster Families

• 🐉 House Athanasius: Hosted by the Cotter & Maxwell Families

• ❤️‍🔥 House Augustine: Hosted by the Gutierrez & Murphy Families

• 🕊️ House Chrysostom: Hosted by the Lessard & Gideon Families

We look forward to a fun evening!

Come join us for our Fall 2026 installment of the Common Sense Speaker Series!

Dr. O. Carter Snead is a Professor of Law and Bioethics at the University of Notre Dame, and he is a leading voice on issues such as human dignity, medical ethics, and public policy. He is an expert in applying legal, philosophical, and Catholic perspectives to contemporary bioethical questions.

What It Means to be Human: Bioethics, Assisted Reproduction, and Human Flourishing
Date: Monday, September 14, 2026
Time: 6:30 to 9:00 pm
Location: St. Thomas More Catholic Parish, McCallin Hall (8035 S Quebec St, Centennial, CO 80112)

The event is free and open to all. Drinks and hors d'oeuvres will be served.

Interested in learning more about Christendom College? Join Christendom College’s Director of Admissions, Sam Phillips, for an evening at the Gideons’ in Littleton. He will share how Christendom prepares students to thrive in college and beyond, with an integrated Catholic education, strong academics, and opportunities in athletics, the arts, study abroad, and more.

Tuesday, September 15 | 7:00–8:30 p.m.
The Gideon Residence | Littleton, Colorado

RSVP to Elisabeth Gideon at gideonfamily@gmail.com for the address.

As we settle into our new campus, we realize how grateful we are for our new beautiful home. It is making us truly excited to welcome prospective families for our Open House!

Please share this event’s details with any families you know might be interested! These are children who will be classmates with yours!

Date: Saturday, September 19
Time: 1:00 - 3:00 p.m.
Location: 7018 S. Prince St., Littleton, CO

The flyer can be found in the photos above, and the RSVP link is here.

The first Well Read Mom meeting will occur on Tuesday, Sept 22, from 1-3 pm at OLV. We will meet in the upstairs classroom of the Chesterton Commons building. If you have not registered through Well Read Mom's website, it is not too late- WellReadMom.com.

Email Sarah Pelster (sarah.pelster@gmail.com) if you are interested in joining or have any questions. I look forward to discussing great literature with you with this year's theme- The Year of the Woman!

Join the St. Mary Catholic Parish community for the Marian Festival on Saturday, September 12, from 4:00–9:00 p.m. This year’s celebration is especially meaningful as St. Mary commemorates 125 years as a parish and 75 years of its school, along with the 250th anniversary of our country and 150th anniversary of Colorado.

The evening will begin with Mass at 4:00 p.m., followed by a procession and crowning of Mary. The festival will continue with dinner, live music and dancing, carnival games, and a special surprise show. The Marian Festival is a beautiful opportunity for families and friends to come together, honor our Blessed Mother, and begin the new year of parish and school life in joyful celebration.

Saturday, September 12 | 4:00–9:00 p.m.
St. Mary Catholic Parish | Littleton

You can learn more and register here!
https://www.stmarymarianfestival.com/

A Charity Race for Denver Sisters of Life!

Join us for a run like Nun other on September 13, 2026.

A 5K run and 1/2 marathon along the scenic High Line Canal, finishing in deKoevend Park. The 1-mile family walk takes place entirely within the park.

Do you support life at all stages from conception until natural death? Do you believe every human being should be treated with the utmost dignity and the respect they deserve? Do you want to see a Culture of Life spread in our country and our world? Then this is the race for you. The Sisters of Life are a religious order who live out this charism of joy and live to serve, protect, and enhance the sacredness of every human life.

The Start/Finish line will be located at deKoevend Park near Shelter B with race day festivities at and between Shelters B & C! Registration and bib pickup will be located near Shelter A - once you've registered/picked up your materials, please join us on the other side of the walking bridge for the festivities! We have the privilege of celebrating Mass in the park with the Sisters at 11AM! Please bring umbrellas, lawn chairs, and/or blankets for your comfort during Mass.

Join us to celebrate 12 years of supporting the Denver Sisters of Life!

Special Speaker Presentation at Joan of Arc Church:
Wed, September 16th at 6:30 PM
An Inside Look at Faith & Notre Dame Football with
Fr. Nate Wills, CSC, Team Chaplain & Author

Hear firsthand accounts from one of football’s most legendary locker rooms. Fr. Nate Wills takes you behind the scenes, sharing how he supports players and their families as they navigate their spiritual lives while competing at the highest level of college football. He will share with you:

• The Medals: The history of the game-day blessing

• The Mindset: Applying “Choose Hard” to daily life

• The Routine: Turning discipline into a spiritual habit

This event is sponsored by Holy Family High School.

On Friday, September 18, and Saturday, September 19, the Denver Encounter School of Ministry is hosting international missionaries Dominic Rivera and Angelo Rivera. The Rivera brothers spent years at Damascus (Catholic Youth Summer Camp), where they created a vibrant culture of evangelization among youth and staff. They now serve full-time in international mission work and bring an incredible passion for equipping the next generation.

While Friday night is open to all adults, Saturday night is built specifically for teens, and we would love to invite the OLV student body and families!

Weekend Details:

• Adult Encounter Transformation Night: Friday, Sept 18 | 6:00 PM – 8:30 PM

• Teen "Identity + Power Night": Saturday, Sept 19 | 6:00 PM – 8:30 PM

• Location: St. John Paul the Great Catholic High School (This is the location the Denver Encounter School uses for its classes and is unrelated to the High School).

• What to Expect: An inviting and engaging atmosphere, an inspiring message from the Rivera brothers, food, and individual prayer ministry.