Pride of place in the life of the Academy is given to the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass and the prayers and devotions that flow from it and lead up to it. Every way of life has a rhythm, whether it is set by the school bell or the time on the clock. At the Academy, the day, the week and the year move to the tempo of the Divine Liturgy which is the life of Christ as it unfolds in time. It gives formation to those who embrace it. The gymnastic of the Mass, its doctrinal content, its solemnity and silence, its antiquity and resistance to fad, its sheer beauty and the tranquility of order which it imparts to those who live it, make it the perfect instrument of education. Just as secular poetry provides us with new imaginative experiences of objects we may not have previously known, so the Catholic poetry of the liturgy gives us imaginative experience of supernatural realities and sacred truths. These become the living basis of our intellects’ acts of faith, hope, and charity. St. Gregory’s is not a school that happens to have the Extraordinary Form of the Mass said instead of the Ordinary; rather, the traditional Mass is an essential part of our education which, together with our secular studies and recreations, is integral to the formation of our students.
One way in which the Church encourages boys and young men to grow in devotion to the Mass is by inviting them to serve in the sanctuary, to assist her ministers in their sacred functions. When we participate in the liturgy of the Church our hearts and minds are elevated to a greater love and appreciation of what God has done for us. As part of their formation, the students of St. Gregory’s become skilled altar servers. The boys sing Gregorian chant and sacred polyphony at High Masses and at other liturgical events such as Compline, Benediction, and processions of the Blessed Sacrament. In addition to these liturgical exercises, the students pray the Rosary daily and have regular access to the Sacrament of Penance. Efforts are also made to keep Catholic customs alive and celebrate major Feast days with due merriment. Through these means, St. Gregory’s contributes to the spiritual lives of its students and the spiritual life of the Catholic Church in North America, training a new generation to participate with knowledge and devotion in the Sacraments and ceremonies of the Church.
