October 3: Sean Bell ’26
Sean Bell ’26 provided the student reflection before Fenwick’s all-school Mass on Friday, October 3, 2025.
Good morning and welcome to today’s Mass. My name is Sean Bell and I am a proud member of the Class of 2026.
In today’s readings, you will hear about Paul’s letter to the Galatians: a short one, but one that is complex and hard for a non-theologian like me to understand after just an initial read. I had to do some research to learn about Paul and the messages he tried to convey to early Christians after the death of Jesus. I learned that Paul had his fair share of critics for not believing that rituals like circumcision were more important than how people behaved.
In his writing, Paul urges us to fully allow God into our lives so that we will be transformed and not simply be satisfied with exhibiting what would traditionally be thought of as the outward signs of being a good Christian. How often do we, as young people, come to Mass, stand, kneel, and recite the prayers we’ve been taught since we were children but not fully engage in our own “new creation,” one in which our hearts and minds are one with Christ? Now, I cannot lie and say my own mind does not wander at times—sometimes it’s really hot inside this auditorium (trust me, I get it)—but Paul’s reminder that the sacrifice of Jesus dying on the cross for our redemption is pretty much endgame for him. None of the trappings of life mean anything to Paul in comparison. With all the noise surrounding us each day through social media, constant news (most of it bad), and unending messages trying to sell us stuff, how do we learn to turn it off and focus on the “enoughness” of Jesus’ sacrifice?
My mom once heard a college football coach on Game Day talk about his team’s goal. The goal was simply being the “aggregation of marginal gains.” The average NFL running back rushes for about 3-4 yards every time he gets the ball, slowly moving his team downfield until that little 4-yard rush happens to end in the end zone. In a similar way, the little gains in our day build up to our successes and accomplishments. That phrase has now become one that is regularly used in our house. I think it’s not about doing it all in one day; it’s about the little things that take us in the right direction. For me, I try to do this by visiting the chapel before school. I like trying to sit in the stillness and get in the right mindset before the start of the day.
What are the little things that you can do that will set you in the direction of and bring you closer to God? Not only by practicing the rituals and traditions of the church, but by living our faith in our daily life. Seeing all people as our brothers and sisters and, like Paul, offering grace instead of judgement to those with whom we disagree.
These gains are indeed little wins and they are within reach for all of us. When we focus on the little things; focus on how we can live our life through Christ; that is when we become the “new creation” that Paul describes in his letter to the Galatians. That is when the “new creation” gives us hope for the future.
Each day, I encourage us to take these little steps; the little wins; the marginal gains in our lives. Because when we start that journey, our hearts begin to change, our relationships grow deeper, and our lives begin to reflect the love and grace of Christ. It is through these small, faithful steps that we move closer to God and help bring His kingdom into the world—one act of love, one moment of compassion, one little win at a time.
September 19: Mack Hamilton ’26
Mack Hamilton ’26 provided the student reflection before Fenwick’s all-school Mass on Friday, September 19, 2025.
Good morning Friars, my name is Mack Hamilton from the Class of 2026. Welcome to Mass, it’s an honor to be able to speak to you all.
“What is your deepest desire?” Is it fitting in? Making money? Is it making the starting lineup? Earning straight As and being accepted into that college that would make your life magical? Or is it something else?
For me, coming into Fenwick my greatest desire was to feel validated and noticed by my family, my classmates, my teachers and my coaches. I did not want to be known as the kid who was just “Mae’s little brother.” For those of you who haven’t had the chance to meet my older sister, she is both my best friend and yet my biggest rival. She graduated from Fenwick in 2023, leaving me some medium-sized shoes to fill (we are not big people).
Mae was popular and athletic. If you meet her and she tells you she’s taller than me; she’s lying. I wanted to be all these things, but more. I wanted to prove to my family that I could do it all. Even though I almost need a step-stool to reach the podium today, my big personality, and sometimes, my big brain could make up for it. And so, when I stepped onto the hockey rink for the first time freshman year with the Fenwick hockey team, I quickly realized that brains and personality might not get you too far in a hockey game.
After a practice full of falling down, missed shots, and bad reps, I found myself being the athlete that I did not want to be. Initially I felt trapped, behind my peers, and disappointed in myself. I resorted to complaining to my parents, and feeling sorry for myself because of my size; I was given something that I couldn’t control. I thought I was the worst. A failure. I thought that everyone else had it better than me in almost every way.
But then, I came to the realization that everyone has something going on that they wish they didn’t. It all started after a hockey game on a Saturday night. I was tired and frustrated after the game. I was in the kitchen starting my homework, when my mother walked in with a blank, yet emotional expression on her face. She then told me that two of my middle-school friends’ mothers had been diagnosed with breast cancer. I immediately felt scared and concerned for my friends. I spent the next months reaching out to those friends, checking in with them, and praying for their mothers and their health.
A while later, I ran into them at a casino themed birthday party. I had just lost all of my “casino money” and was mad and ready to go find somewhere to pout. Then I saw my friends talking at the poker table. They were laughing contagiously with each other, and in my mind, did not look like people who had mothers with cancer. I went up to them, and after a short conversation, I asked them how they despite their mother’s conditions, they managed to have such big smiles on their faces They both said something to the extent of, “I just try to be the person that my mom would want me to be if she ended up not being with us in the end.”
This message stuck with me, because it showed me that there are more important things than being a successful athlete, a popular kid, a brilliant student, or a winning card player. It showed me that true success comes from what is going on on the inside, and not your outward achievements.
About the same time I began reading my Bible before bed, and I realized that the characteristics that I wanted to develop should be modeled after one person; Jesus. I then set the goal of trying to be even better than the person that my parents, my sister, my friends, my teachers and my dogs want me to be.
I now want to be the person that my God wants me to be. Some of the characteristics God calls us to have can be found in our first reading today from St. Paul’s Letter to Timothy:
Instead, pursue righteousness, devotion,
faith, love, patience, and gentleness.
Compete well for the faith.
Lay hold of eternal life,
In an effort to grow to exemplify these virtues myself, I want to challenge myself to do four things:
- To make an effort to take time each day to be closer to God, because when we’re closer to God, we can experience what true authentic love really looks like, and we have a model to live by.
- Secondly, I want to ask God to teach me to see those who I encounter each and every day the same way He does.
- Third, I want to learn to assume the best of each person by refraining from looking at their worst side, but looking at their bright side.
- And finally, I want to focus on having an attitude of gratitude by thanking God for the things I have, rather than focusing on the things I do not.
As I have told you, I came into Fenwick desiring validation and notice from others. Now as I am getting ready to leave Fenwick at the end of this year, I have come to realize that the things that I desired then are not as important as what I desire now: the unconditional and unwavering love of God. This is the greatest gift that I can and have received and I am grateful that I am able to share it with you all. Thank you.
August 18: Josie DiMarco ’26
Josie DiMarco ’26 provided the student reflection before Fenwick’s all-school Mass on Monday, August 18, 2025.
Welcome to the first Mass of the 2025-2026 school year. Today we are celebrating a Mass of the Holy Spirit, which is fitting as we embark on a new journey this school year. The Holy Spirit is associated with many symbols in the Church, such as a dove, water, wind and especially fire. As the sophomores might hear in Chemistry class this year, three components are necessary to start and maintain a fire: oxygen, heat and fuel. This is called the fire triangle, and if one of these ingredients is lacking, the fire will die out. Just like starting a physical fire, to start an inner fire in our heart, we need three things:
The first, the oxygen, is Jesus. Oxygen is all around us. It’s the air we breathe, and it’s necessary for us to live, but we can’t see it. Just like oxygen, Jesus is all around us, and sometimes we have to look a little bit to find Him. It’s not always blatantly obvious, but Jesus will make himself known to you in the simplest of ways, whether it’s someone unexpected saying hi to you in the hallway, a pretty sunrise on the way to school, or a time when a classmate willingly helped you in Friar Mentors. Jesus is revealing himself to us through those moments, and the more we recognize that, the closer we will become with Him.
The next thing we need to start an inner flame is ourselves. We are the fuel. Jesus is knocking at the door, and He can’t come in until we open it. In the Gospel today, we hear about the rich man who asks Jesus what he can do to enter eternal life. Jesus lists out the commandments, and the man says that he has followed all of them. Jesus then tells the man that to truly follow Him, he must give his possessions to the poor; much to the disappointment of the rich man. The rich man was being passive in his faith, just going through the motions and following the 10 Commandments like a checklist. More than likely we may find our faith lives to be very similar.
So how can we avoid this indifference in our faith?
There are so many little, easy ways – like actually paying attention in Theology class, reading the verse of the day on the Bible app, or taking time each day to fill God in on our lives; thanking God every time something good happens in your life; asking Him for strength when things aren’t going so well, and offering an apology and a request for mercy when we mess up.
Through small, daily adjustments in our faith habits, we can be changed by Jesus, just as logs or sticks are physically changed during combustion.
The last side of the fire triangle is the Holy Spirit, the heat. When making a fire, the flame generated by one match can set the whole thing ablaze. The same is true of the Holy Spirit. When we recognize God in our lives and turn to Him, the Holy Spirit will naturally set our hearts on fire. We all know that a fire gives off heat and light. Similarly, we will be provided with overwhelming comfort and guidance if we turn to the Holy Spirit.
When I was younger, I used to go to a summer camp called Camp Tecumseh, which some of you may have heard of or attended yourself. One year, my cabin did a fire-building activity, where we were given the components to start a fire: matches, kindling and sticks. Maybe it was the fact that it had rained the night before or that ten 13-year-old girls with no experience were trying to build a fire, but we were completely unable to get a fire going. The truth is that starting a fire, whether on the damp ground at summer camp or in our hearts, is very difficult! It requires practice, the correct ingredients, and some good guidance…and that guidance is the Holy Spirit. If we follow the Spirit’s guidance and are faithful to the things that help make us into ready fuel, the Holy Spirit’s fire will light the way through even the darkest of times.
I wish you all a wonderful school year, and remember, whether you are trying to get your inner fire going, or working to maintain the flame, the Holy Spirit is within all of you, so do not be afraid to let your light shine.