Hawk Happenings

Freshman Mixer

Hundreds of Ursuline and Hockaday students joined our Form V boys for the Freshmen Mixer last Saturday, outnumbering them at least four to one. The evening was hosted entirely by the freshmen, marking their first high school social.

Social events are an intentional part of formation at Cistercian. The boys learn that their role is to make sure their guests enjoy themselves. They work hard, show respect, and practice courtesy.

Welcoming New Faculty

New faculty for the 2025-26 school year include Br. Michael Kattady teaching Form II Religion, Jennifer Lindsey as Business Office Manager, Karime Naime as Co-Director of College Counseling, Br. Jerome Clark teaching Form III Latin, Colton Rosseau as Strength and Conditioning Coach, and Br. Charbel Salhab teaching Form I Latin.

United Soccer Coaches Honors Coach Walsh

United Soccer Coaches has selected Cistercian’s own Coach JP Walsh as the 2025 Texas High School Coach of the Year! This recognition celebrates Coach Walsh’s leadership of the Hawks’ championship-winning season and his longstanding impact on the Cistercian soccer program.

Publications

Freedom and the rise of contemporary gambling

"Freedom and the rise of contemporary gambling" by Fr. John for The Texas Catholic. Gambling is growing in our country — and quickly. My impression is that we have work to do to be informed about what is happening and to let ourselves be formed by what the Church...

Thy Kingdom Come

The more I reflect on the petitions of the Our Father, the more I’m convinced that I have no idea what I’m praying when I mumble those words multiple times every day.

The current object of my loving mystification is “Thy kingdom come.” In an effort to be slightly less intimidated by this vast and marvelous petition, I will arrange my musings as responses to the time-honored journalistic questions.

Lessons learned in a monastery

One of the most important rooms in a monastery, after the church, is the chapter room. This is the place where monks meet to do various things as a community: hear an exhortation from their abbot; listen to a spiritual reading (often a chapter from “The Rule of St. Benedict”); deliberate and vote on the important material and spiritual questions that arise in a monastery, such as who should be the abbot, whether to welcome a young monk as a permanent member of the community through solemn profession, and how best to structure their lives to promote God’s purpose.