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Royalmont Academy – Thanksgiving 2025

Thy Kingdom Come!

As we enter Thanksgiving week, my heart turns to the people who make Royalmont more than a school. Our mission — to form strong Christian leaders through integral formation — is lived every day by a community that shows up with generosity, faith, and perseverance. Today, I want to offer my gratitude for the groups of people who help carry this mission with such love and conviction.

A Personal Word of Gratitude

Every Friday at 6:30 a.m., a group of Royalmont fathers gathers with Fr. Jesús Salinas to read the upcoming Sunday Gospel. We reflect, we challenge one another, and we share our faith with honesty and humility. In our conversation last week, one father said something that hasn’t left me:

“Our students — really, all of us — are just prototypes.”

We’re Christian leaders still in formation. God shapes us constantly through the small decisions of each day, through the people He places in our lives, and through His persistent invitation to grow in virtue. Formation is not static. It’s alive, active, and often uncomfortable in the best ways.

We also talked about the abundance of God’s mercy — how in American culture we often fixate on justice, fairness, and earning what we deserve. Yet the Gospel reminds us that God doesn’t love us because we’ve earned it. He loves us because He is love. St. Thérèse of Lisieux once said a person could spend their entire life contemplating the love and mercy of God and never reach the bottom of it.

That truth stayed with me: In every moment — joys, challenges, victories, and setbacks — God is forming us. He layers grace upon grace, blessing upon blessing, mercy upon mercy. Even in the places where we still feel unfinished, He is already at work.

And that is why Thanksgiving matters. Before we thank one another, we thank God, who is faithfully shaping this community, guiding our mission, and forming each of us — prototypes though we are — into the leaders He calls us to be.

With hearts turned toward that abundant mercy, I want to offer my gratitude for the people who help carry and live this mission each day.

To Our Families

You entrust us with your children — the most precious gift God has given you. Thank you for your partnership, your sacrifices, your trust, and your desire to raise disciples who know and love Christ. Your faith in our mission gives life to everything we do.

To Our Students

You remind us why this mission matters. Your joy, questions, energy, honesty, and resilience inspire us daily. Whether you are learning to read in Kindergarten, leading a retreat in high school, serving at Mass, helping a classmate, or simply trying again after a tough day — you show us what growth in virtue looks like.

To Our Faculty

Your dedication is the quiet heartbeat of Royalmont. You pray for your students, prepare lessons with care, accompany young people through hard moments, and model Christian leadership in every hallway and classroom. Thank you for loving our students so well and helping them grow in virtue, wisdom, and confidence.

To Our Staff

You are the often unseen yet indispensable force that keeps our mission moving forward. You guide our communications, organize our calendars, plan our events, ensure our facility is clean and in working order, keep our computers running, keep our people safe, feed hungry mouths, take care of every “boo boo” and sickness, and so much more. Thank you for serving with excellence, consistency, and heart. Royalmont could not flourish without you.

To Our Volunteers

You give your time, energy, and heart with no expectation of recognition. Whether you are helping at lunch, coaching sports, supporting the Thanksgiving Feast, or stepping in wherever needed, you strengthen our culture of service and hospitality.

To Our RAPA Leadership

You build community, support teachers, and rally our families in countless ways. Thank you for creating opportunities for fellowship, celebration, and connection. You help make Royalmont feel like home.

To Our Board Members

You steward the long-term mission of this school with wisdom, faith, and generosity. Thank you for your counsel, your vision, and your commitment to building a strong foundation for future generations of Royalmont students.

To Our Priests, Consecrated Women, and Missionaries

Your spiritual leadership anchors us. Your presence in the classrooms, at retreats, during Mass, and in pastoral conversations helps form our students in the heart of Christ. Thank you for walking beside our young people with such care and intentionality.

To Our Benefactors and Supporters

You make formation possible. Through your generosity — both big and small — you sustain the programs, resources, and opportunities that help our students flourish. Your belief in our mission carries ripple effects far beyond the walls of Royalmont.

As we approach Thanksgiving Day, please know how deeply grateful I am for each of you. Royalmont is strong because of the people who believe in this mission and live it joyfully. May your week be filled with peace, family, and the quiet awareness of God’s faithful presence.

In Christ,
Josh Ater
Head of School, Royalmont Academy

For More Reading

A Thought from St. Thérèse of Lisieux

How great is the love and mercy of God. We could spend our whole lives contemplating His heart and still never reach the bottom of it.

To go deeper into her “little way” of trust in God’s merciful love, you may enjoy this reflection from the Holy Father: Apostolic Exhortation on St. Thérèse of Lisieux by Pope Francis

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