Message From the President

Three Tests, No Extra Credit

This was a reflection at the Thanksgiving prayer service.

November 26, 2025

The Roman philosopher Seneca wrote, “Only the tested soul becomes strong.” Now Mr. Dave Burokas, ’85, obviously a classicist and the “easiest” teacher here at Prep, likes this quote an awful lot. Of course Seneca didn’t know about Saint Peter’s Prep or Jersey City or Jesuit education, but I think his words from 2000 years ago have something to teach us.

Academic tests are important at Prep…no one will ever argue that. But I am not talking about those tests today. This Thanksgiving season, I’ve been thinking about other types of tests: the tests that shape our hearts, the ones that happen at Prep and outside Prep.

I’m thinking about life tests…They’re the ones you can’t study for. You can’t ask for extra time. You can’t ask for extra credit. You can’t ask to retake them. Life is filled with many tests. But there are three that have been on my mind, and that I want to share with you. It’s the test of your effort, the test of your vision, and the test of your character.

And today, I am grateful for all three.

The test of your effort… Let’s call it the gift of being tired.

One test we all face is the test of effort —and I understand that leading up to Thanksgiving, a lot of us are tired. Teachers, coaches, admin, students alike. And not just the surface tired. I mean the deeper kind of tired, the tired that comes from pouring yourself into something that matters. My brothers — you feel it. Long days, late nights, studying, worrying about college, rehearsals, practices, clubs, jobs, expectations from your mom and dad…expectations from yourself. That stretch, that pressure, that makes you ask, “what do I have left in the tank?” That kind of feeling — that’s real. But you only get tired like that when something mattered enough to give yourself fully. Everything you got.

What most folks don’t say: This kind of tired is a privilege.

It means you are experiencing, living, the very things you once hoped for—the AP class you wanted to take, the Prep team you wanted to be on, the school you wanted to attend even though maybe it was far from home. You wanted, I hope, to do work that means something. That’s why this sense of being tired is a gift.

Because the real test isn’t whether you get tired — everyone gets tired. The real test is what that exhaustion reveals: whether you’re giving yourself to something you believe is truly worthy, something aligned with your why, your purpose. Because effort reveals the truth: what you’re willing to carry tells the world what you’re willing to become. What are you willing to carry?

Test number two: the test of vision, or said better, gratitude as a way of seeing the world.

In one sense, gratitude is a feeling; it’s a “thank you.” But more importantly, it’s a way of seeing. And that is profoundly Jesuit. St. Ignatius teaches us to look at our lives and ask: Where is God in this? Where is grace hiding in the tired days and sleepless nights? What blessing am I walking past? What prayer has already been answered but I haven’t noticed yet? This is the test of vision—learning to see the world through gratitude instead of complaint, presence instead of distraction, possibility instead of limitation…seeing the world not through the question, what if…but even if.

The test of “vision” is the test of noticing what God is doing before you rush to what’s missing in your life. Will you see the world through the lens of gratitude and grace? And this doesn’t make you soft or weak or naïve. Gratitude makes you stronger because it refuses to let your wounds, your disappointments, your losses, or your ego have the final word on who you are; it teaches you to stand in the full truth of your life…with a sense of confidence and pride even though you are not perfect. Gratitude keeps your heart open, and an open heart is always more vulnerable—but also more alive, more capable of love.

And the third and final (for now) The test of your character… in this case your response to being a part of the brotherhood.

This is one test life will keep handing you long after high school — the test of your character. I heard something recently: A real friend is the guy who stands over you when you are on the ground in pain, when you hit rock bottom and you are hurting more than you’ve ever had before, and says, “I got you. Stand up. Stop being an army of one.” That’s the test: When someone else is struggling, is unsteady — will you stand with them? Will you carry them? Will you let them carry you when you are down?

And I’m grateful that I learned to pass that test here. Right in this room. Maybe in these exact chairs. But we’ve been doing this for a long time, 153 years. Building men. Men who carry each other. Men who show up. Men who say, “I got you.” That is the brotherhood. That is character. That is the test. Will you be there when your brother needs you? And I am not necessarily talking about your four years here, although it’s important that you do that, and learn how to do that. I mean when you are 25 and 40 and 55. Will you be there for the people who need you? Will you remember to show up? That’s Prep for life…It’s a pretty important test you want to pass when called upon.

So three tests…they challenge your effort, your vision and character. And we’re taking these tests in a world right now, outside of here, that is loud, really loud. It’s hard to hear. There’s so much information. The volume is turned up. Life feels uncertain. It’s quick to divide and slow to forgive. Where ego gets rewarded more than empathy, and where power gets confused with purpose. But that’s exactly why these tests matter… “What am I investing my effort in and why? Will I see the world with gratitude and grace, and will I be there for my brother?”

These are the tests the world will give you —the ones you cannot reschedule, you can’t cram for, and you can never, ever avoid. And this is why Saint Peter’s Prep matters. And this Thanksgiving —as the kid from Bayonne who once sat where you sit, who taught here, coached here, served on the board here, and now has been in this position for seven years…I can say this without hesitation: Doing this with and for you is the greatest privilege of my life. And this Thanksgiving I am grateful for Saint Peter’s Prep. I am grateful for the mission. I am grateful for the brotherhood, alive and well. I am grateful for our teachers and coaches and staff. I am grateful for the men you are becoming. I am grateful for the work — and the tests — that strengthen our minds and hearts and characters. I hope join me in being grateful for the greatest school on the planet.

Sub Umbra Petri,