BMHS Fall/Winter Beacon 2014

The BeaconFall/Winter 2014

Save

the Date

2015 Buffalo Ball

Saturday, April 11, 2015Marriott Denver Tech Center

Non-Discrimination Statement: The Catholic schools of the Archdiocese of Denver, under the jurisdiction of the Archbishop, and at the discretion of the Secretary for Catholic Schools, state that all of their Catholic schools admits students of any race, color, national or ethnic origin to all the rights, privileges, programs and activities generally accorded or made available to students at schools. Further-more, Archdiocesan schools admit handicapped students in accord with Archdiocesan Policy No. 2000 concerning student admission. These schools do not discriminate on the basis of race, age, handi-cap, color, national or ethnic origin in the administration of their educational policies, employment practices, scholarship and loan programs or athletic or other school administered programs.

machebeuf.org

A Look Ahead...December

3 Advent Family Mass6 High School Placement Test8 All School Mass11 Spring 2015 Transfer Student Deadline12 Freshman Application Deadline15-18 Finals19 Christmas Break

January5 Classes Resume/ All School Mass19 Martin Luther King Day - No School 17 No School: President’s Day22 Buffalo Ball Gift-Gathering Party22-25 National March For Life in Washington, D.C.

February6 Staff Development - No School8-10 Senior Retreat16 President’s Day - No School18 Ash Wednesday23 Spring Sports Begin

Denver, CO 80230 www.machebeuf.org

A Look Inside...

458 Uinta Way 303.344.0082

PrincipalMr. Marc Nestorick, M. Ed.

Assistant Principal - Dean of StudentsMr. Mike Augustine, M. Ed.

Assistant Principal - Dean of AcademicsMrs. Tuyet Nguyen, M. Ed.

Machebeuf BeaconEditor

Ms. Sara Sahlezghi ’09Director of Campus Ministry and Communications

[email protected]

Contributing WritersMr. Marc Nestorick

Principal

Mrs. Laura Dulay Director of Alumni & Events

Sister Miriam Kopenhafer, O.P.

Brother Peter Francis

Fr. Paul KostkaChaplain

Ms. Kelly WagnerMax Preps

Ms. Heidi Grandon ’14

Ms. Kirsten Grandon ’14

Mr. Daniel Rios ’15

Contributing PhotographersMr. Marc Nestorick

Principal

BMHS Yearbook ClassMs. Monica Everhart ’03

Director of Student Life

Lifetouch Inc.

Mr. Alejandro Molina

Ms. Stephanie Vasquez ’15

Contributing EditorsSister Miriam Kopenhafer,

O.P.

Ms. Maura Shea

Mrs. Kim JettonDirector of Development

Moments @ Machebeuf

Peru Mission Trip

Machebeuf 5K

Ice Bucket Challenge

Peru Mission Trip

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Dear Bishop Machebeuf High School Community:

Recently, I was at a high school admissions fair at a local community school. An 8th grade parent asked me, “What makes your school different than the other schools that are here?” My response was that we have an amazing community that is truly focused on living out our five core values. I then went on to explain our core values and how we fulfill them. In reflecting on that interchange after the fair, I come to realize that this living out of our core values is not only what makes us different than other schools, it is also what makes our community exceptional.

To illustrate this point, let me highlight two of our core values: Academic Excellence and Devotion to God.

“Academic Excellence” is evident every day here at Bishop Machebeuf. I have had the opportunity to spend a significant amount of time in the classrooms since the start of the school year. I have spent most Wednesdays working with teachers in developing their curriculum and reviewing their lesson plans. Without any doubt I can say that our teachers are offering high quality instruction every day. They are taking the time to prepare and that preparation is paying off with lessons that are rigorous and engaging. Furthermore, the teachers are demonstrating that they are life-long learners by taking concrete steps to improve their skills and practices as professionals. I have been thoroughly impressed with the instruction that is taking place. However, I am not only impressed with our teachers but also with our students. They are constantly striving to bring excellence to their learning. They take their jobs as students seriously and they create an environment in the classroom where all students strive to learn. There is defi-nitely a culture of academic excellence within our school.

Our community demonstrates “Devotion to God” in the classroom, in their activities, and in the community. Our devotion to God goes beyond the praying at the start of class, school-wide masses, and religion classes. Our faith drives everything we do. Our com-munity’s devotion to God is best illustrated in an unsolicited email I received this morning from a Denver resident:

“I just wanted to let you know that my family ate at Annie’s Cafe on Friday, October 10, 2014. The waiter told us many of the young ladies and young men were there to celebrate their Homecoming from Machebeuf High. They were the best behaved and polite young people I’ve seen in a long time. They all said Grace before they ate and were polite to the wait staff. I enjoyed watching them having a good time without being boisterous or too loud! They represented your school well and should be commended for that!”

Not only do our students demonstrate their faith when they are required to do so in school, but they demonstrate it when they are on their own - when no one is “watching them.” Little do they know, people are watching them! Through their behaviors, they are evangelizing.

Our school community’s ability to not only state our core values but live them out both in the school and outside the school is unique. This is what makes us special. This is what distinguishes our school from others. This is what makes Bishop Machebeuf one of the top 50 Catholic high schools in the United States.

The past four months have clearly demonstrated to me that Bishop Machebeuf High School is an amazing community that truly does form the “hearts, minds, and souls of our students in the Gospel of Jesus Christ and the living Tradition of the Catholic Church.” There has not been a day since I have arrived at Bishop Machebeuf High School when I have not given thanks to God for blessing me with the opportunity to serve this community.

Thank you for welcoming me to this very special community. It is my privilege to serve you!

Sincerely in Christ,

Marc F. NestorickPrincipal

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From the

Principal

Machebeuf by the Numbers

100% College Acceptance for the past 5 years

70%

100%Passing US AP History Exam

Faculty who have or are pursuing advanced

degrees

101Freshmen

94SophomoresJuniors

100Seniors

65Zip Codes Served

15Different Countries

Represented

20Average Class Size

70%of student body

participates in sports

18Varsity Sports

60Middle Schools

Represented

51%Male

49%Female

11: 1Student to Teacher

Ratio

Electives Offered36

77

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PERU

M I S S ION 2014

“Today we got up around 6:30, had morn-ing prayer, then breakfast. After about an hour of driving though the crazy streets, we arrived at the worksite. We divided up into groups to make cement. There was a wheelbarrow group, rock mov-ing group, sand shoveling group, and a mixer group. All the groups did their jobs in order to make the cement which was, with the help of some locals, laid out and smoothed out. We worked until around noon for lunch then returned to work until 3:00. The thing that struck me the most was the smell. Pictures can capture the physical aspect but the smell is indescribable. It was like a punch to the gut as soon as you step off the bus. In spite of all this adversity, the locals are content with where they live and are happy to help us in completing this project. Day 3: Check! Next day is right around the corner!”

~Daniel Rios, Class of 2015

“Today was our last full day of work for the week. I spent most of the day either shoveling rocks or transporting water. Since the people in the shanty towns have no plumbing, they need a truck to bring them water. On the site, we have six large barrels that need to be filled close to the brim with water at all times. Today, when the truck came, we formed an assembly line to get as much water as possible. As you can imagine, this got some of us pretty drenched, including myself. I was the last in line until Tito, the on-sight manager, came over to help. He was big and buff and seemed to only speak in growls. However, when he saw that I was getting soaked, he laughed. I stood there in utter disbelief… I just made this intimidating man laugh! I started laughing and, for the first time all week, communicated per-fectly with someone who spoke no English. This exchange ended in a hug, and then off to work we went. Before we left, the Mayor of San Juan de Miraflores came to see the soccer field that was a work in progress. He thanked us for our work, but most importantly, thanked God for bringing us there. Later in the evening, our group went to Miraflores, grabbed ice cream, played a pick up game of soccer, and

called it a night.”

~Kirsten Grandon, Class of 2014“Today was our last full work day. We showed up to the work site ready to finish the soccer field. As we dug out the area

for the goal, a family who was carrying groceries approached to watch us work. A little girl came up behind me and tapped me on the shoulder and handed me an orange. With the help of a translator, I was able to understand that this family was so thankful that they no longer needed to walk miles to play soccer. They couldn’t put into words how thankful they were, so this orange was a small token of their appreciation for the work we had accomplished. Af-ter we finished working for the day, many of the neighborhood kids came out to play. We played tag, soccer, and danced together. The little kids love when we bring gum to share! Once we returned back to where we are staying, we had Mass, dinner, and listened to a talk about how service perfectly incorporates Christ’s love. We ended with prayer teams and small groups, where we discussed how to live out the lessons we’ve learned in Peru back in America. It’s been a long week of work and it’s so exciting to see how the soccer field has all come together! We are headed to bed in anticipation for what is to come. Ciao for now!”

~ Heidi Grandon, Class of 2014

June 4th

June 6th

June 9th

Student Travel Journal

On June 2, 24 students and four chap-erones from Bishop Machebeuf High

School left for a mission trip to Lima, Peru to serve the poor and marginalized

for 12 days. They built a soccer field for the Peruvians of Lima’s shanty-

towns in time for the villagers to hold their own World Cup.

Scene at Machebeuf

Reunion RecapClass of 1964 50th Year Rocking Reunion! by Bruce Bender ‘64.

The Class of 1964 reunion got underway on Friday, August 22nd with a party and catered dinner at Allen Dreher’s ‘63 Diner. Classmates got the opportunity to renew acquaintances with everyone from days gone by. We shared lots of stories, lots of laughs, lots of hugs, lots of beer, lots of wine and lots of fun! Saturday, August 23rd, we all went to the Marriott on the 16th Street Mall where the Rialto Cafe served up an excellent dinner. We held a 1964 trivia contest, and it was a big hit! Winners received stuffed buffaloes for prizes!

On Sunday, August 24th, we held a farewell BBQ at the new Ma-chebeuf campus. Burgers, brats, franks and beer. It gave everyone a chance to say goodbye and to meet one last time. Everyone agreed that it was a great reunion. It’s hard to think that it has been 50 years since graduation. Seems like it was only last week!

Class of 2004 10 Year Reunion!

A group of classmates came out to reconnect at their 10 year class reunion on Friday, August 9th. A family BBQ was hosted at Machebeuf followed by libations at The Lowry Tavern. Special thanks to reunion coordinators, Tracey Mora Zent ‘04 and Adria Robinson ‘04.

The Class of 1984 holds a 30 year celebration! by Cecelia Sloan ’84

The Class of 1984 30 year reunion was a fun evening that included many fond memories shared among old friends and great “catch-up” time! We had a very good turnout, and in addition to classmates from 1984, we were fortunate to have made contact with one of the teachers from our senior year, Jeff Mayer (pictured in a few of these shots). He coached track, wrestling, and taught English to many of us our senior year.

We even engaged in some spir-ited exchanges with the Mache-beuf Class of 2004 who had a small contingency gathered at the Lowry Tavern that night as well. A great time was had by all, and we look forward to our next reunion!

What is your philosophy on your relationship with the students at BMHS? Relationships are foundational to the effectiveness of any organiza-tion; this is particularly true of a Catholic School. Through a pro-fessional relationship with the students, you can understand their needs and better support them in their learning. A mutual respect develops. When people feel respected, they are more productive in their work. Therefore, a professional and appropriate relationship with students is highly important for a principal.

What has surprised you since working here at BMHS?

I have not been surprised by much. More so I have been im-pressed. I am impressed with the staff ’s willingness to make students the number one pri-ority. I am impressed with the students’ commitment to their faith, their respect for boundar-ies, and their focus on learning. I am impressed with our parents who invest greatly in their chil-dren. I am impressed with our community who truly supports the evangelization of the Gospel to the Denver area through the support of our school.

What are the challenges you see for BMHS over the next three years?

I think we have three major challenges. First, we need to ensure that we continue to have fiscal strength. This will require us to ensure that our enrollment is maximized. Secondly, we need to continue to improve our instruction so that we can maximize the learning for all. Finally, we need to ensure that we offer a well-rounded formation that includes not only ac-ademic excellence but a well-rounded and strong athletic/extra-curricular program. These items are all interrelated. If we want to improve in one of these three areas, we must strengthen the other two.

Tell us a bit about your family.

I have an amazing family who gives me strength in so many ways. My wife is a women of strength and generosity. She ensures that everyone is where they need to be and has whatever they need. I have two daughters in high school (a junior and senior). They are both highly involved in marching band and concert band. Our son is in middle school. He loves creating new inventions. He is also highly involved in his Boy Scout troop. Finally, we have our little girl who is just 20 months old. I feel very blessed to have such an amazing wife and great kids who support me so that I can do what I do at work.

What are your favorite movies and/or books? I am a history buff. I love movies and books about history, particular about the Civil War and World War II. My fa-vorite movie is Glory, while I also very much enjoy mind-less comedies. As far as books go, I am currently read-ing Bill O’Reilly’s book Killing Patton. My favorite book of all time is Red Badge of Courage. I also enjoy spiritual reading. This summer I enjoyed reading Pope Benedict’s books on Jesus of Nazareth.

What are your favorite hobbies? Between the kids, work, and my diaconate studies, I have not had much time for hobbies. However, when I do have time, I love to be in the outdoors camping. I love to take my camper on road trips with the family. I also enjoy cooking, particularly soup. Finally, I really enjoy woodworking.

What is one memorable experience that has formed you?

It is very hard to say just one experience. I can see many things forming me throughout the years. If I had to pin it down to one experience, it would have to be my experience as a Boy Scout and earning the rank of Eagle Scout. Through that experience, my faith was developed. My leadership skills were developed. I gained many skills and had many experiences. I would have to say that my scouting career had a profound experience on my overall formation.

Spotlight on thePr

inc

ipal

Principal Marc Nestorick joined the Bishop Machebeuf family in August, 2014.9 10

A special congratulations to our students who have been recognized by the National Merit Scholariship Program!

Colin Turner and Maureen Reilly have been named Com-mended Students in the 2015 National Merit Scholarship Program. A letter of Commendation from the school and the National Merit Scholarship Corporation (NMSC), which conducts the program, was presented by the principal to these scholastically talented seniors.

About 34,000 Commended students throughout the nation are being recognized for their exceptional academic prom-ise. Commended Students placed among the top five percent of more than 1.5 million students who entered the 2015

competition by taking the 2013 Preliminary SAT.

“The young men and women being named Commended Students have demonstrated outstanding potential for academic success,” commented a spokesperson for the MNSC. “These students represent a valuable national re-source; recognizing their accomplishments, as well as the key role their schools play in their academic develop-ment, is vital to the advancement of educational excellence in our nation. We hope that this recognition will help broaden their educational opportunities and encourage them as they continue their pursuit of academic success.”

Congratulations to senior Anna Pham for being recognized by the Colorado State Board of

Education for her artwork!

Anna Pham, a senior at Bishop Machebeuf High School, is one of seven students from across the state of Colorado recognized for her amazing artwork. Anna’s artwork will be on display in the Colorado Department of Education Board of Education meeting room for the upcoming school year.Her still life drawing will be on display in the official Board of Education for a whole year!

Mrs. Laura Dulay

The Knights of Columbus #4647 present the Machebeuf 5K Family Fun Run & Walk

We would like to extend our gratitude to our entire Mache-beuf Community for supporting the 2014 Machebeuf 5K Family Fun Run & Walk. We are grateful for the kindness of our Mache-beuf supporters and are pleased to announce the 5K event was a huge success! The beautiful weather along with the fabulous turnout for the race made it a great day for all on our positively received updated 5K course. We came together as a community to celebrate Machebeuf, enjoy the beautiful scenery of Lowry and the Great Lawn Park and enjoy a tasty barbecue lunch provided by the Knights of Columbus Council #4647.

Through sponsorships, race participation, dona-tions and student pledg-es, we exceeded our fundraising goal and raised over $27,000 in funds to benefit BMHS! Please know that your contribution made our vision a reality and will continue to benefit the ongoing success of our academic, faith and athletic programs. The 5K continues to serve as a signature fall event for the whole family and builds community with our Lowry neighbors. This event would not be possible without the commit-ment of our volunteers and the giving spirit of our community

sponsors, donors and race par-ticipants. The Machebeuf cross country team was dominant in winning our Men’s division in the 5K race. With a time of 19:00 minutes, Ben Espinola, Victor Ramirez, Jack Staib and James Joseph

crossed the finish line with their arms linked and big smiles on their faces. We are proud of our boys for being such awesome sports! The Women’s division was won by Machebeuf science teacher, Alys-sa Bellinder with a time of 19:45. Community member, Marketa Harastova, came in second place with a time of 20:25. Third place was brought home by community member, Ashley Freyre with a time of 22:44. Congratulations to all of winners, we greatly appreci-ate your participation!

The Art of Machebeuf

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October 10, 2014Homecoming. On October10, 2014, students dressed in their best attire for the Homecoming Dance. The theme this year was “Sunken Treasure”. Students danced the night away and took ridiculous and frame-worthy pictures in the photo booth. The homecoming court was as follows: Se-niors James Silvestri and Olivia Osland as King and Queen, Juniors Ro-berto Patino and Jonni Smith as Prince and Princess, Sophomores Pepper Martin and Sydney Weller as Duke and Duchess, and Freshmen Chime-meka Aguiyi and Edna Gaim as Lord and Lady.

September 25, 2014Seminarian-Machebeuf Basketball Game. On September 25, Machebeuf hosted our second annual Seminarian-Machebeuf Basketball Game, pit-ting junior and senior students against a competitive group of seminarians from St. John Vianny Seminary. The Machebeuf student athletes were cho-sen by their fellow classmates. These elite teams of atheletes impresssed the school with an intense basketball game against the Denver Archdioc-esan seminarians. The lead changed back and forth in the beginning, and at the period break the crowd was held in rapt suspense. In the end, the seminarians won with a final score of 25-18.

Senior Service Project. On October 15, the entire senior class generously and joyously devoted their day to serving others and spreading the love of Christ to nine different organizations: Harvest Acre Farms, Schmidt Farm, Gabriel House, Lighthouse Women’s Center, Christ in the City, Little Sisters of the Poor, Denver Health’s Comfort Pack Project, Com-munity Food Share, and Presentation Catholic School. The day fit in well with the seniors are learning in theology class, especially with their Cath-olic Social Doctrine class. Matt Manion, who volunteered at Community Food Share in Louisville, reflected: “By the end of the service day, I felt like I actually helped someone not be hungry at night. I believe that since we have Christ in our lives we can do these beautiful things.”

Homecoming

Senior Service Project

Seminarian-Machebeuf Basketball Game

October 15, 2014

A Few Moments From An Eventful Fall Semester At MachebeufAugust 21, 2014

Back to School Barbecue. On Thursday, August 21, Bishop Machebeuf High School welcomed the Class of 2018 and their families to celebrate together with returning families at our annual Back to School Barbecue. Teachers grilled and served delicious burgers while families and students mingled with each other. It marked both a great end to yet another suc-cessful Freshman Orientation and Formation Day and the beginning of a beautiful journey as a Machebeuf Buffalo!

October 26, 2014Open House. On Sunday, October 26, 2014, Bishop Machebeuf hosted our annual Open House for prospective students. Students, faculty, staff, coaches, and administration came together to volunteer to welcome pro-spective students and their families into our academic community of faith. With over 90 prospective students coming onto our campus to take a clos-er look at our academic, athletic, and faith formation programs, we are well on our way to welcoming our next class of future Buffaloes! Student Ambassadors led families through the school on tours to see classroom demonstrations and meet with various academic departments and athletic programs. Current Machebeuf parent volunteers also participated, shar-ing their Machebeuf experience with visitors. Many thanks to the entire Machebeuf community for their hard work and extra efforts to make the 2014 Open House such a wonderful and successful event!

Retreats. Fall has been retreat seasaon here at Bishop Machebeuf High School. We kicked off the semester with our Campus Ministry Retreat before the school year started on August 15-17. This year the retreat was split between boys and girls. The boys’ retreat theme was “Heroic Virtue,” while the girls retreat was themed “Authentic Encounter.” Our Sopho-more Retreat came next. It was held on October 19-20. The theme of the retreat was “Who do you say that I Am?” The sophomore class was chal-lenged with delving deeper into the mystery of this question. In answer-ing the question of who we say Christ is, Christ reveals to each of us our deepest identity.

Open House

Back to School BBQ

Campus Ministry & Sophomore Retreats

August 15-17 and Oct. 19-20, 2014

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Ice Bucket Challenge

On Friday, September 5, 2014, Bishop Machebeuf High School’s new principal, Mr. Marc Nestorick, took the Ice-Bucket Chal-lenge and ran through a guantlet of 30 ice water buckets thrown by the Senior class. Earlier that month, Catholic Schools super-intendent Mr. Richard Thompson challenged Mr. Nestorick and his students to raise money for the John Paul II Medical Research Institute. Collectively, Nestorick and the students raised $838.00 in just four days. Nestorick promised that the class who raised the most money would have the honors of dousing him. The students quite enthusiastically responded to the challenge, but it was the Senior class who came in first in the contest.

Senior Keara O’Toole, shared, “It’s a great way to initiate Mr. Nestorick to our Machebeuf family. It feels awesome to raise money for ALS through good, old-fashioned, compe-tition!” With school only 2 weeks in session, Nestorick had quickly become popular among the students with his good-natured personality and sense of humor. “I was really surprised he offered to go through all those buckets and not just one,” said O’Toole.

Nestorick was a great sport and declared, “I am very proud of our students. Many of them made sacrifices to raise this money. They gave up a coffee or a bag of chips. They used that money to make a contribution to this important cause. This is truly an example of what is right in the Catholic schools.” Monica Everhart, Director of Student Life, agreed, “When there’s a need, Machebeuf students answer! Our student body is just incredible, and their hearts were all in to raise money and awareness of ALS.”

Athletics HighlightCongratulations to Senior Keara O’Toole on

being named the Max Preps National Fastpitch Coaches Association Player of the Week!

According to the Max Preps article, “O’Toole was a perfect 10-for-10 at the plate in the Buffaloes’ two games [the week of September 15th], with eight runs, three doubles, a triple, two home runs, three steals and 13 runs batted in. She flawlessly han-dled all six of her chances in the field. She also pitched a total of three innings in the pair of victories over Manual and Aurora Cen-tral, striking out three and allowing one hit.” Great work on the diamond!

On Saturday, October 11, 2014, we celebrated Homecoming at Machebeuf. The game took place at Aurora Public Schools Stadium, where we welcomed home over 60 alumni to our annual alumni tailgate party. One of the highlights at the Homecoming football game was the awarding of the “Golden Buffalo Award & Young Golden Buffalo Award”.

Created in 2008, the Golden Buffalo Award is awarded to two individuals annually for outstanding service to Bishop Machebeuf High School and contribution made to its surrounding community. The purpose of this award is to recognize alumni who have exhibited lead-ership, teaching, service and a commitment to BMHS and its mission. The award is broken into 2 categories, The Outstanding Alumnus and the Outstanding Young Alumnus.

On behalf of Bishop Machebeuf High School and the Machebeuf Alumni Asociation, please join me in congratulating Sister Cathy Mueller, Class of 1964, recipient of the 2014 Golden Buffalo Award and Mr. Christopher M.A. Lujan, Class of 1990, recipient of the 2014 Young Golden Buffalo Award.

Golden Buffalo Award RecipientsMrs. Laura Dulay

Christopher M.A. Lujan ’902014 Outstanding Young Alumnus of the Year

Sr. Cathy Mueller, SL graduated from Bishop Machebeuf High School in 1964. After graduation, she joined the Sisters of Lo-retto. This commitment has formed and shaped her, giving her experiences she would never have chosen but for which she is very grateful.Her education has included BA from Loretto Heights, MA from University of Northern Colorado, semester study in Israel, se-mester at Graduate Theological Union in Berkeley, CA, and nu-merous other opportunities for learning.Sr. Cathy taught at Machebeuf from 1968-1972—with the same faculty that taught her. She was invited to go to Ghana on several occasions. Sr. Cathy considers the experience “life-changing to connect with many people there.” Sr. Cathy then worked at the Hospice of St. John, which gave her an important perspective on living and dying.Currently, Sr. Cathy facilitates meetings and gatherings, offers re-treats, and works in a variety of ways for Loretto. She says, “I am aware of the wisdom that comes with our age and experience. I still have energy and know another step is coming so am learn-ing to wait for it to come. Meanwhile, I am busy enough and have time to enjoy the amazing Earth that surrounds us.”

Christopher Lujan graduated from Bishop Machebeuf High School in 1990 and has since gone on to become an admired attorney, hus-band, father and community leader.Christopher Lujan was appointed Deputy Director of Safety for the City of Denver by Mayor Michael B. Hancock on April 1, 2014. Pri-or to his appointment as Deputy Director, Mr. Lujan served as the Deputy Director of the Office of Human Resources (OHR) as well as in the Denver City Attorney’s Office. In his decade of service to that office, Mr. Lujan served as an Assistant Director in the Litigation Section and as a prosecutor with the Denver City Attorney’s Of-fice and the Weld County District Attorney’s Office where his duties focused on the successful prosecution of drunken-driving offenses and domestic violence crimes. He currently serves on the Board of Trustees for Bishop Machebeuf High School, a position he has held since 2006. During his tenure on the board, Chris has advocated for low tuition and is a stringent watchdog over the school’s financial resources. He also is a strong advocate for higher teacher compensation.Chris is married and has three adorable children who plan to some-day become BMHS Buffaloes. He is a youth soccer coach and avid golfer. He is a member of Our Lady of Loreto parish.

Sister Cathy Mueller ’642014 Outstanding Alumnus of the Year

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What are the your order’s charisms?

Of Servants and Sisters...

What are your order’s charisms? What about these charisms drew each of you to this Order?

BP: Teaching is a daily charism that I pray for each day. Preach-ing is a great joy with retreats and conversion. I do spiritual direction with two students every other week, it is a great joy to see what Christ is doing in their lives and how they are commit-ted to him in prayer.

What are some highlights and joys of your time here at BMHS?

How do you enjoy your time outside of Machebeuf? What does life look like for you when you’re not at Machebeuf?

What are the Dominican Order’s charisms? What about these charisms drew each of you to this Order?

How have those charisms manifested during your time here at Machebeuf?

How do you enjoy your time outside of Machebeuf? What does life look like for you when you’re not at Machebeuf?

Pope Francis has named this year the Year of Consecrated Life. In honor of this, we have interviewed our very own religious orders here at Machebeuf who are joyfully living their vocations to consecrated life.

Fr. Paul Kostka and Br. Peter Francis belong to the Servants of Christ Jesus, an order co-founded by Fr. Paul Kostka in 2004. Sister Miriam Kopenhafer, O.P., and Sister John Peter, O.P., belong to the Dominican Sisters of

St. Cecelia in Nashville, TN, an order which dates back to the 1200s.

SM: Life outside of Machebeuf is focused on prayer and commu-nity. We pray, eat, and recreate as a community (with the three sisters who teach at St. Vincent de Paul). We support each other by taking care of the convent, taking turns cooking, listening to each other talk about our days, attending different events at each others’ schools, and sharing our religious life with others by giving talks on retreats or at parishes. We have a lot of fun, too, hiking, telling stories about the crazy things that happen to us, and so on.

SJP: We all enjoy living in community with the three Sisters who teach at St. Vincent’s. We basically do every-thing together. I especially enjoy going on hikes in this great state of Colorado. We live a very balanced, joyful life -- like a family. The fun and the joy are all centered on Christ -- our life of prayer, especially our hours of Eucha-ristic Adoration, are the heart of our life. He’s the One for whom we live.

SJP: If I had money, I would pay to teach theology. I love having the chance to speak to this ultimate question about God as Truth and Love. He is alive and He burns through our doubts and confusion. Searching for God’s presence in and challenges to us in the real-world situations of work, family, im-migration, and war is, I pray, an opportunity for the seniors and me to deepen our knowledge and love of the Lord.

SM: Teaching, especially teaching literature, gives me an op-portunity to challenge students to think about their experi-ences of the world and the ways different authors describe life. It’s great to look at something like Shakespeare’s “Sonnet 29” and discuss with the students the universal temptation to compare ourselves to others and feel like we aren’t worth any-thing. At the end of the sonnet, though, the speaker realizes the gift of true friendship he experiences and how that gift is more real and more important than any of the attributes he envies in others. We’re able to talk about virtues like honesty and humility, what it means to be a true friend, and how that fits into the poem as well as how that fits into our Christian lives. So many authors celebrate the beauty of the natural world and human relationships, and it’s a blessing to be in an environment like Machebeuf where we can move naturally to prayer and recognizing God’s presence in our world and our lives.

SJP: The charisms of the Dominican Order are love for Truth, Christ Himself, and zeal for souls. The Dominican humbly, joyfully receives friendship with Christ as a gift in prayer and study and de-sires to communicate this friendship with others, for this friendship gives every person meaning for living. I did a lot of pro-life work in high school, and it kept hitting me that every question, every doubt about the dignity and meaning of life was speaking to the deeper question: is there a love, is there a truth that is stronger than doubt and suffering? I wanted to be able to give himself to this ultimate question. The fact that Saint Dominic was a man who simply lived in the light of Truth and gave himself entirely to spreading the Gos-pel really drew me.

SM: When I think about charisms, I think about the mottos of the Dominican Order: Veritas (Truth), Laudare, Benedicere, Praedi-cere (To Praise, To Bless, To Preach), and Contemplare et contemplate aliis tradere (To contemplate and to give to others the fruits of contemplation). These mottos reflect the Do-minican Order’s commitment to preaching the Gospel with intelligence (thoughtful study and continued in-depth reflection) and intelligibil-ity (reaching people where they are, listening to them and responding with the truth that is Christ, the truth that sets man free). We want to know Christ and to draw others to Him, for our lives have meaning only in relation to Him.

BP: The Servants of Christ Jesus are teachers, preachers, and spiritual directors. We live Ignatian Spirituality and Francis-can Poverty. Learning about the Franciscan poverty and St. Ignatius of Loyola during college drew me to community life. I have always wanted to be a teacher and lead others to Christ. This is what we do, and I love it.

FP: Education and Evangelization with youth and young adults rooted in the spirituality of St. Ignatius of Loyola. We are pas-sionate about the New Evangelization and drawing people into living relationship with Jesus Christ and his Church. I helped found the order the charisms of the community which were revealed as the community was just beginning. It was clear during the founding that God was calling us together and the encouragement of the Bishop confirmed that in the beginning.

How have those charisms manifested during your time here at Machebeuf?

FP: The educational apostolate of the community really came to fruition at the school. Fr. John Ignatius taught at Fran-ciscan University but BMHS has been the place where all

the members of the community have taught since then. BMHS has formed many of the men in our community as teachers and preachers of the Word. Further, BMHS was the first place where I was running Campus Ministry. I had assisted with youth min-istry programs as a volunteer but not in the main leadership po-sition.

BP: When I am not at Machebeuf, I spend time with community, train for half marathons, and play guitar. I enjoy living with community as it keeps me accountable and holy. Training for half marathons is awesome be-cause I race against myself. I always want to do better than before and that is a challenge. Praise and worship is a big part of our community life; leading with music is a fun challenge each week.

FP: Prayer, Recreation, Community and Travel. Prior to coming to school, I do an hour of Eucharistic Adoration. When Br. Peter and I arrive home we have Evening Prayer and dinner. A lot of my time outside of BMHS is dedicated to working on a Master’s in Education. I also travel for retreats around the country through-out the year. I honestly don’t have very much free time other than a sabbath day once a week! I enjoy working out, and every few weeks I will see a movie.

BP: Being a head football coach and brother is something that I never imagined. It is a great joy to be able to be an example of Christ and a man who trains others. The March for Life my first year of teaching was a great group and a lot of fun. My second year I con-vinced the sophomore class to do a flash mob at lunch and that was awesome.

FP: The highlight of this year was baptizing James Silvestri. Literally bringing him into relationship with the Father, Son and Holy Spirit was an amaz-ing grace. Along with that is seeing students grow into disciples of Jesus Christ and their desire to grow in prayer. Another highlight would be from the recent Sophomore Retreat where we had prayer teams led by teachers and student leaders. It was inspiring to see Sophomores themselves start their own prayer teams and pray with each other. We had trained many of them on the Campus Ministry Retreat and then we saw it bear fruit.

Middle: Br. Peter Francis; Far Right: Fr. Paul Kostka

Sr. Miriam: Right; Sr. John Peter: Left

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