The journey unfolded with divine timing. In February 2024, I met Sister Peace for the first time in the parking lot of the Grotto at Emmittsburg before Mass. She came running up to me and asked if we had ever prayed the novena to St. Charbel—the one she had given to our son a few months earlier. When I told her we hadn’t, she gently but firmly encouraged us to pray it and invited us to return in two weeks to venerate the relic of St. Charbel. We completed the novena and met again as planned. After the veneration, I shared my frustration over the closing of Goretti and the lack of Catholic high school options in our area. She smiled and said, “I’m happy that a Chesterton Academy is opening up in Emmitsburg.” I asked what that was, and she explained that it was part of the Chesterton Schools Network, which helps lay Catholic faithful start classical Catholic high schools. That day, I went home and submitted an inquiry online and began the journey to start a Chesterton Academy.

On March 8, 2024, I felt a strong prompting from the Holy Spirit to visit St. Maria Goretti High School. What started as a simple act of obedience led to an unexpected request to volunteer (as a nurse) at a school baseball game—an opportunity that allowed me to meet Dr. Amy Summers, the principal at the time. Several months later, in October 2024, Jacob and I sat down with Dr. Summers and Rev. Fr. James Boric, Chaplain of St. Mary’s Catholic School. After the meeting, it became clear that Jacob and I were being led to step forward in faith and open the school without delay.

In September 2024, our realtor introduced us to a beautiful property on Paradise Church Road, Hagerstown. We began a novena to the Holy Family, and through prayer and discernment, we knew God was calling us to take a leap of faith—we purchase this property for the school. We closed on it in January 2025, and while walking the grounds, we discovered a first-class relic of St. Elizabeth Ann Seton—a powerful confirmation that we were exactly where God wanted us to be. Just days later, Rev. Fr. James Boric blessed the property, reinforcing our sense of mission. The peace and presence on that land were undeniable. 

That same month, our application to join the Chesterton Schools Network was accepted. We attended Discovery Days in February and formally requested permission to open a year early, in the Fall of 2025. A few days later, the CSN approved our plan for an expedited start. From that moment, we began working full speed—we launched our website, began hiring teachers, and started connecting with interested families. Every step of the way, we have felt the presence of the Holy Spirit, guiding and sustaining us with grace.

Now, as we prepare to open Chesterton Academy of the Divine Family this fall, we  are in awe of how far God has brought us. What started as a whisper in prayer has become a mission—one rooted in joy, truth, and the Catholic faith. While the build out at the future location is ongoing, we are opening as a day school, in a temporary location on 19763 Longmeadow Rd, Hagerstown, MD 21742. However, our long-term vision is to become a full boarding catholic high school. The future campus on Paradise church road is rich with spiritual significance: a St. Francis grotto, Our Lady of Grace grotto and first class relics of St. Elizabeth Ann Seton & St. Maria Gorreti. We’re supported by local clergy, faithful families, a community eager to grow in virtue and wisdom and the invaluable resources offered by the Chesterton Schools Network. We truly believe that God is raising up a new generation of joyful leaders and saints, and this school will be one of His instruments. This is just the beginning.

The Divine Family, pray for us!