"Jesus said love one another. He didn't say love the whole world. If you can't feed a hundred people, then just feed one. Let no one come to you without leaving better and happier. Kind words are short and easy to speak, but their echoes are truly endless. Every time you smile at someone, it is an action of love, a gift to that person." - St. Teresa of Calcutta
Reflections on Catholic Education
Sacramental graces truly rest dormant until the individual is ready to activate and cooperate with God’s providential prodding. I remember that I chose St. Thomas Aquinas as my confirmation name, but the ramifications of this decision were made manifest when I encountered his writings in college. I went to Providence College more or less on a whim, and first as a political science major. I came to fully embrace the seeds that were planted in my family, and at St. Thomas Aquinas [high school]. The writings of this great saint inspired me deeply. “As a man is, so does the end seem to him.” The coherency and consistency in his logic made so much sense to me, and it helped me realize that all people and all of God’s plan is fundamentally good. We were made for something more, and that instinctual impulse must be watered in the souls of young people. As Saint John Paul II stated over and over again, “the truth will set you free.”
I think Catholic schools need to be an authentic extension of the Church’s missionary movement. The New Evangelization is underway in large part because we are in mission territory. For all of the achievements and advancements of the modern era, we no longer accept where we came from or where we are going. I work in a Catholic school because young people need to know that God’s goodness and love are the most decisive and life-changing facts they will ever discover.
Catholic education incites the flame of truth, goodness, beauty, and love. Everyone has a purpose, and no one is replaceable. I am a better man because of Catholic education, a better husband, a better father, and a better educator. And I don’t mean better compared to others; I am better in this sense: I know who I am, where I am from, and where I am going, so I am better equipped to deal with everyday struggles because Catholic education gives you a perspective of the ultimate. Catholic education anchors the human person in truth, and in a world where truth is under attack by the “dictatorship of relativism,” we need to show to young people the capacity for life-giving greatness.
Mr. Derek Tremblay started teaching and coaching at Mount Royal in the 2009-2010 school year. He graduated from Saint Thomas Aquinas in Dover, one of our brethren Catholic Schools in New Hampshire. He received a Bachelor of Arts in Theology and Political Science, a Master of Theological Studies from Providence College, and a master's in education from New England College. He is a certified principal in the state of New Hampshire.
Mr. Tremblay previously served as the Liturgical Life Director, Admissions Director, and Athletic Director at MRA. His tenure as Headmaster began in November of 2014, and he continues to teach theology to high school students. He also serves as a Teacher Advisor at the Sophia Institute for Teachers. His contribution (The Beatitudes and Moral Choices) was recently published by the Sophia Institute Press in a collection of 13 lesson plans based on the title "The Beatitudes: Living the Life of Christ."
Mr. Tremblay is a parishioner of Saint Patrick’s in Newport, where he previously coordinated the Youth Ministry program and catechized candidates preparing for the sacrament of Confirmation for five years. He also served as Camp Minister at Camp Fatima during the summer of 2010. He is an active member of the Knights of Columbus, and resides in Goshen, New Hampshire, with his wife and four children.