Major Developments on Campus!

With Theotokos Hall complete, we’ve turned our attention to the development and beautification of our campus.  Thanks in large part to Joseph Kerr and his stalwart crew at Kerr Athletics, we have made some incredible, unanticipated strides in the last month!  Chief among them has been the ground-work on an amazing outdoor athletics facility including a regulation size Rugby pitch, parking lot and a ropes-fitness course.  The Kingfisher Athletics Program now has an impressive home and much sooner than we could have ever expected.  Our sincerest thanks to Joe and his team for their wonderful generosity and tireless efforts these past several weeks.

Above: Fall’s first dusting of snow on the future Rugby pitch.  Theotokos Hall in the background.

News from Europe: 200 miles in 2 weeks!

Led by Mr. Ryan Bauer and Mr. Joshua Mincio, the Junior class just completed the latest leg of their European adventure: a 200+ mile walking pilgrimage in northern Spain ending at the Basilica of St. James in Santiago de Compostela.  Described by Mr. Bauer as both profoundly joyous and excruciating, the boys battled blisters and nagging fatigue in keeping up the 15 mile-per-day pace for 15 consecutive days along the Way.

This burst of movement, a true Franciscan dash, contrasted powerfully to the Benedictine stability of a two week retreat at the Abbey of Notre Dame de Fontgombault in central France.  Now, after a brief respite and a short flight from to Rome, the boys conclude their journey in the Eternal City, led by Dr. and Mrs. Ken Klassen and our friends at ProRome Tours.

This trip has required no small sacrifice by the Academy in terms of staffing and support.  But we are more confident than ever that this investment will not simply be unforgettable, but fundamentally life-altering; a permanent touchstone of Faith in the lives of these young men.

Birds and the Art of Noticing

On October 26th we were delighted to host faculty, family and friends as part of our quarterly Faculty Lecture Series.  This Series gives us the opportunity to share more broadly the educational mission of the Academy with the local community.

St. Martin’s President Daniel Kerr delivered this fall’s talk on birding and the relationship between naming things and friendship.

Watch or read Mr. Kerr’s talk here.

St. Martin’s on the Road: Dallas & D.C.

We’re taking the show on the road!  In the next 12 months we will be visiting several major metropolitan areas to meet with prospective families and supporters.  We have visits planned in Dallas-Fort Worth, Washington D.C., California, Phoenix, New York, Chicago and South Florida.  If these visits bring us near your neighborhood and you’d like to connect, please be in touch!

Next stops are Dallas-Fort Worth on November 30th and Washington D.C. on December 16th.  We will be hosting an Open House event in both locations and would love to see you!

For details, please email to [email protected] or call our office at 620.644.9870.

Readying for Martinmas

The feast day of our patron, St. Martin of Tours, is on November 11th.  Called “Martinmas” in Europe, this was one of the largest feast days in the Church’s liturgical year and celebrated the end of the agrarian calendar and the harvest.  For nearly a millennium, Martinmas stood as Christendom’s Thanksgiving.

At St. Martin’s, we are busy making preparations and bringing in a harvest of our own.  Between now and November 11th we will process over 100 chickens, 20 rabbits, 3 geese, 2 hogs and one enormous turkey.  With 3 steers and 8 whole lambs already in the freezer, we will be well provisioned for the winter.

Above: A handsome Toulouse goose.  It is traditional to eat goose on Martinmas, a nod to the pious legend that a noisy goose betrayed a hiding St. Martin when the people of Tours came to make him Bishop.