Dear Friends of Saint Peter’s Prep,
Five hundred years ago Saint Ignatius Loyola was struck by a cannon ball in a battle. That event led him to transform his life and commit himself in service to the Lord. In the years following this pivotal moment Ignatius founded the Jesuits, a Catholic order of priests, and they opened their first school in Messina, Sicily in 1548. Ever since, schools across the world have called students to dedicate themselves to their studies in the hopes that they would one day transform the world. In 1872, Saint Peter’s Prep opened, and the Jesuits who founded the school had the same grand plans that began in Messina for their graduates in downtown Jersey City.
In my experience as a student, coach, faculty member, and administrator at Prep I have witnessed the opportunities that Jesuit education presents to the students at Grand and Warren on a daily basis. It can be hard to encapsulate the power of Jesuit education into words, but for me, one word does come to mind: transformative. At Saint Peter’s Prep students are challenged by teachers both inside and outside of the classroom to seek God in all things and by doing so, advance the common good. We ask students each and every day to reflect on their experiences in the context of the greater society that surrounds them, but we do not stop there. Instead, we push our students to see how they live in that context and ultimately, affect change in the world. This transformative mindset builds leaders in the classroom, on athletic teams, on stages, in co-curricular clubs, and on retreats and service trips.
As we celebrate our 150th year of existence many things have changed about Saint Peter’s since 1872, but many things remain the same. Our faculty and staff remain dedicated to providing a rigorous educational experience along with a dedication to service and faith to ensure that students are prepared for the many challenges the world will present to them. No matter where our students and families find themselves after their time at Prep, we want them to know that they are part of our family at Prep, for life.
Thank you for your interest in Prep and we welcome you to visit here at the corner of Grand and Warren!
Sincerely,
Chris Caulfield, ’03
Principal
Principal@spprep.org
201-547-6411