Fr. David Ducote ’04 presiding over Mass at Brother Martin.
The Brother Martin community gathered today for our Lenten Liturgy. Fr. David Ducote ‘04 presided over the Mass. Key Club moderator, Miss Cherie Tregre, and Builder’s Club moderator, Mr. Donald Guidry provided the opening remarks. Both urged us all to consider ‘fasting’ differently. In addition to skipping meals, treats and snacks, we may also ‘fast’ to become better people. For instance, we can choose to ‘fast’ from anger in order to gain more patience, or we can choose to ‘fast’ from our fast-paced world and all of its distractions in order to gain more peace. Whichever way we choose to fast, we will get closer to God if we do our part this Lenten Season. Fr. Ducote’s homily reminded us of Jesus’ two greatest commandments from St. Mark’s Gospel. Jesus’ greatest commandment tells us to love and honor God above all else. Lent is a time when we can shift our focus onto putting God first in our lives. The second of Jesus’ greatest commandments is to love your neighbor as you love yourself. During Lent, we try to remember those less fortunate than us in our prayers and through alms-giving.
At the conclusion of the Liturgy, Mr. Jimmy Gatti and Mr. Matt Lambert ‘98 read a letter addressed to the Brother Martin community from Bro. Chris Sweeney, a Catholic High graduate, a former Brother Martin teacher/coach, and now the Director at Mission Amatongas in Mozambique, Africa. In his letter, Bro. Chris asked the Crusader family to help with the Mission Drive that will ultimately buy more cows and fencing at the Mission, and will also help to build living quarters with a bath house. Both Mr. Lambert and Mr. Gatti, along with Mr. Greg Rando ‘77, Principal, Mr. Ryan Gallagher ‘00, Asst. Principal for Discipline, and Mr. Carlos Bogran III ‘99, Asst. Principal for Admissions, will travel to Africa this summer to work with the Brothers and the students at the mission school. On their trip this summer, they will also present Bro. Chris Sweeney with a check raised through our Mission Drive activities here at Brother Martin. On Monday, each student can donate $10 to the Mission Drive to be first in the lunch line. Next Friday, each student can pay $5 to wear sneakers and a Brother Martin t-shirt. 100% of Crusader donations will be put into Bro. Chris’ hands when our Brother Martin representatives travel to Africa.
David Trepagnier, Sr. ’83 accepting a gift of appreciation after his reflection.
Finally, the 2017 Alumnus of the Year, Mr. David Trepagnier, Sr. ‘83, spoke after the Liturgy. He reflected on his days as a Brother Martin student and offered five points to make a successful life: 1) Say ‘please’ and ‘thank you;’ 2) Be on time; 3) Do what you say you are going to do; 4) Finish what you start; and 5) Ask for help. Mr. Trepagnier’s advice certainly rang true for many Crusaders who want to live a successful and faith-filled life, both during and after Lent. In the words of Brother Martin Hernandez, our school’s namesake, “We are here not to teach boys how to make a living, but how to make a life.”
Click here for more information about David Trepagnier, Sr. ’83
l to r: Kenny Spellman ’84, Fr. David Ducote ’04, Harrison Trepagnier ’15, David Trepagnier, Sr. ’83, David Trepagnier ’14, Tommy Mitchell ’79, and Scott Corrente ’83
