Dear Chesterton Academy of Our Lady of Victory Families,

On Monday night, we were blessed to welcome world-renowned bioethicist and Notre Dame law professor Dr. Carter Snead to speak to our community. In his excellent talk, Professor Snead challenged the paradigm of expressive individualism that has taken hold of the hearts and minds of many people in the contemporary world.

There is, perhaps, no clearer articulation of expressive individualism than Justice Anthony Kennedy’s famous line in the majority opinion of the 1992 Supreme Court case Planned Parenthood v. Casey. In defending the non-existent constitutional right to abortion, Justice Kennedy wrote: “At the heart of liberty is the right to define one's own concept of existence, of meaning, of the universe, and of the mystery of human life.”

It is difficult to imagine a more complete statement of the modern (mis)understanding of freedom and the human person: I am most free when I am able to define myself, my purpose, and even the meaning of human life for myself. Other people, institutions, traditions, and obligations are only good insofar as I freely choose them, but they have no inherent claim upon me. This is the spirit of the gyrovague that I talked about at Back-to-School Night. Abortion on demand, no-fault divorce, same sex marriage, transgender ideology, and the marginalization of the poor and our brothers and sisters with disabilities all have their roots in this misbegotten anthropology.

Professor Snead reminded us that this vision of the human person simply does not correspond to reality. Every single person exists in a network of dependency, whether we acknowledge that dependency or not. We do not create ourselves. We enter the world utterly dependent on others, and most of us will leave it in the same condition. During the intervening years, our lives are sustained by innumerable acts of generosity, sacrifice, patience, and care that we did not create for ourselves and could never provide for ourselves. At various times, we are burdened by others, and we are a burden to others. Such is the blessing and grace of human life.

To that end, I commend to your attention an article that I first read shortly before my wife and I got married, Christopher Kaczor’s “The Myth of Vampire Children,” available here: https://firstthings.com/the-myth-of-vampire-children/

Our Lady of Victory, pray for us!

Peace in Christ,
Randy

Tomorrow, Fri, Sept 18, will be a Spirit Dress day for all students, faculty and staff! Students can wear OLV spirit wear with appropriate bottoms. Please be mindful of the dress guidelines from the Handbook, which are listed below.

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Dress and skirt length should match uniform skirt length, which is mid-knee

When shorts are permitted, please adhere to the following guidelines: with arms by your sides, the hem of the shorts must reach below your finger-tips

No tight-fitting pants or tops

No midriff exposed

No sleeveless attire

No ratty, stained clothing

No undergarments showing at any time

No ripped jeans or clothing

No sweatpants

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:

• 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, 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.

We are at the halfway point of the campaign and I have good news x2!

1. Presently, as a community and through your efforts, we have successfully raised over $170,000 on our $300k goal! Amazing work!

2. We have only exhausted about $42k of the $100k match…that means every dollar that’s brought in (up to $58k) gets doubled! 

I’ve already handed out a bunch of tickets, issued relaxed dress codes, bought several morning Starbucks, and delivered one Chick-Fil-A lunch as a result of milestones achieved! And as much pain as it brings me to be ordering “Orange Mocha Frappuccino’s” in the drive-thru line, I will happily do it 100 times, if it’s the result of rewarding effort and accomplishment! 

Remember, this is a campaign of collective impact; everyone in the boat rowing together, as a team…as a family of families. Every effort made, regardless of final, individual amount raised, matters. Let’s make the most of these next 15 days. Share the joy! Reference the Giving Day Toolkit for help. Brainstorm with other families. And as always, reach out to me for any help, questions or concerns.

In Christ,
Matt Miller

The following priests will be celebrating Mass at Our Lady of Victory the upcoming week, September 18 - September 25. Please pray for our priests!

Fri, Sept 18: Fr. Daniel Ciucci
Mon, Sept 21: St. Mary’s Priests
Tues, Sept 22: St. Mark’s Priests
Wed, Sept 23: Fr. Armando Marsal
Thurs, Sept 24: Fr. Craig Kinneberg
Fri, Sept 25: Fr. Daniel Ciucci

🏐 Girls Volleyball
Thursday, September 17
vs. Rocky Mountain Lutheran — AWAY
📍 Rocky Mountain Lutheran

• JV Warm-Up: 3:30 p.m.

• JV Match: 4:00 p.m.

• Varsity: Rolling start around 5:00–5:30 p.m.

Friday, September 18 — VARSITY ONLY
vs. Vanguard Classical — AWAY
📍 801 Yosemite St., Denver, CO 80230

• Varsity Warm-Up: 4:30 p.m.

• Match: 5:00 p.m.

Tuesday, September 22
vs. Front Range Baptist — AWAY

• JV Warm-Up: 4:30 p.m.

• JV Match: 5:00 p.m.

• Varsity: Rolling start following JV

🏃 Cross Country

Saturday, September 19
Roadrunners Invitational
📍 Washington Park, Denver, CO
🌿 Spectator-friendly course on an open, all-grass field.

Race Times:

• Boys Varsity: 10:00 a.m.

• Girls Varsity: 10:30 a.m.

• Boys JV: 11:00 a.m.

• Girls JV: 11:35 a.m.

Collegiate races are also held earlier in the morning: Women’s Collegiate at 8:30 a.m. and Men’s Collegiate at 9:15 a.m.

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.

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

The next OLV STEM Club meeting will be Friday, September 25th from 1:00–3:00 p.m. All interested students are invited to join, 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 in the spring of 2027.

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!

Mark your calendar for the 2026 Lepanto Festival, an evening of celebration in honor of our patron feast and to close out Giving Day! This year, we will be celebrating on our beautiful new campus. Families are encouraged to bring their own dinners (or eat beforehand). If you prefer, food trucks and Costco cheese pizza will be available for purchase. The evening will begin at 6pm with dinner, socializing and the ever-popular dunk tank. The dance floor (DJ'ed by our very own Matt Miller) will open at 7:30pm and the night will end with a rosary at 8:45pm. Bring your dinner, your families, your dancing shoes and come prepared for a lovely celebration under the stars!

Nel mezzo del cammin di nostra vita...
("Midway upon the journey of our life...")

The opening lines of perhaps the most beautiful and awe-inspiring piece of poetry ever created. Dante was not an inspired author, but the Divine Comedy is, perhaps, as close as mere mortals get to touching the Divine. When I was teaching, it was definitely one of my favorite books to teach to high school students.

I hope that you'll join us on October 14th while I share a few thoughts about what makes this poem so special, why we teach it at OLV, and why I think you should read it before you die. Oh, and there will be bourbon and snacks. Costumes not necessary, but encouraged.

Please RSVP here: https://form.jotform.com/261233475610148

Peace in Christ,
Randy

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.

Everyone belongs at the table! This fall, support the FIRE Foundation Denver and its mission to help students with disabilities thrive in Catholic schools while enjoying a delicious homemade pie.

Choose from Pumpkin, Cherry, Pecan, or Apple pies for just $25 each. Pies are generously donated by Bluepoint Bakery.

📅 Order by November 15
🥧 $25 per pie
❤️ 100% of proceeds support the FIRE Foundation

Scan the QR code on the flyer to place your order and help make sure every student has a place at the table!