BENEDICTINE

1902
M I L I TA RY S C H O O L

The Banner
Leaders are Made.

A BC Hero Returns
SPC. Christopher “Kit” Lowe stepped up to the microphone and looked out at the faces of 315 Benedictine Military
School cadets seated before him. Just four years ago, he was among them. Yet in a surreal personal moment Tues-
day morning, Lowe took to the stage not simply as a 2005 school alumnus, but also as the decorated war hero he has
become at the tender age of 23.

“I remember sitting there, where you are,” Lowe told his audience. “I slept through the ring ceremony.” A low, know-
ing laughter rippled through the school cafeteria. “But what you learn here at school is something you will take into
college and your personal life,” he added.

Lowe went on to talk about the camaraderie he first discovered as a cadet at Benedictine and relied on down range
in Afghanistan, when he deployed with the 1st Squadron, 108th Cavalry Regiment, 48th Infantry Brigade Combat
Team, Georgia Army National Guard.

Lowe’s year-long deployment was cut short in August, when he took a bullet to the right leg while providing cover
for a medic tending to the mortally wounded Marine Corps Pilot Capt. Matt Freeman, from nearby Richmond Hill.
An enemy’s bullet ripped through Lowe’s leg and severed a nerve. He continued to hold his position - despite the
wound - until reinforcements arrived. Lowe has spent the past two months in rehabilitation at Walter Reed Army
Medical Center, near Washington, D.C. He walks without a crutch, but his leg is encased in a large, medical boot.
“Alum gives Purple Heart to BC” -- By Pamela E. Walck Savannah Morning News 10.21.09 (cont. pg. 6)

November 2009
 Letter from the Principal...
Dear BC Family, Board of Directors
This is the month during which we celebrate Thanksgiv-
ing. The month when little children learn about the Pil- Officers
grims and their travels, which landed them at Plymouth
Rock. They use their little hand tipped sideways to draw a Chairman:
turkey and then they color it in with fall colors. As fami- Mr. William E. Schmitt
lies, we gather and enjoy a Thanksgiving feast. It’s a time to count one’s bless-
ings, big and small. In our house, in the kitchen, we have a plaque in Fall colors Vice Chairman:
that says “Every Day is a Gift”. I see it and look at it every morning. Then I get Mr. J. Marc Friday ‘78
in my car and drive here to work. I’d like to tell you one recent story that exem-
Secretary/Treasurer:
plifies why I’m so thankful to be here.
Mr. Jeffrey A. Iannone ‘87
At the end of October, one of our Cadets, a junior, lost his mother on a Saturday,
after only two days of illness. A story that only begins not ends with heartbreak.
Board of Directors
First thing Monday morning, members of the Junior Class made it known to me
that they were seeking permission to attend their classmate’s mother’s funeral. Mr. Odilo Blanco ‘55
“Of course,” I said, “it’s the right thing to do.” I reminded them they would Rev. Robert E. Chaney ‘78
need a signed permission slip to leave. Not long after that, other class members
came to me to say they all wanted to wear their Class A military uniforms and Mr. Joseph M. Gannam ‘77
sit together. I admired their devotion to their classmate and their school. After Dr. Joseph K. Hogan ‘82
lunch that same day, yet other Juniors came to me to say they would like to collect
money to buy their classmate his class ring. Permission again granted, with my John E. Jaugstetter, Ph.D ‘55
comments to them how pleased and proud I was of their efforts to help a fellow Rev. Philip Kanfush, O.S.B.
Cadet. They simply smiled and left as if to say “it’s a no-brainer what we’re sup-
Rev. Michael J. Kavanaugh ‘76
posed to do”.
Sister Johanna Maguire, R.S.M.
The day of the funeral, every Junior was present in the Cathedral of St. John the
Mr. Thomas J. Mahoney III ‘81
Baptist, and they all sat shoulder to shoulder as their classmate served Mass at his
mother’s funeral. At Mass’s end, the Cadets formed a column through which the Dr. James W. Miller
casket passed on its way down the Cathedral steps to the hearse. A heart wrench- Hon. Mary Kathryn H. Moss
ing sight to behold, a true representation of the brotherhood formed, of the bond
that exists between BC brothers. A quarter of the class went to their classmate’s Mr. Walter B. Murphy III ‘71
house after the funeral, and, later, a handful took him for a burger at Five Guys Mr. William W. Shearouse, Jr. ‘66
downtown. This Cadet returned to school and classes the very next day, as if
things were normal. For him, they were – he was back among his brothers, his Sister Lourdes Sheehan, R.S.M.
teachers - parents away from home to him, back among his family, right where he Mrs. Kathy H. Siler
belongs. Should he falter, we’re right there to catch him, should he need comfort,
our arms are wide open. Rt. Rev. Placid D. Solari, O.S.B.
It is an honor and a privilege to tell you this story, as it gives further meaning Mr. Donald M. Thompson ‘65
to, and is yet another example of, the spirit that is in the soul of the Benedictine
Mr. O.C. Welch III ‘73
Military School Family.
Dr. Edward J. Whelan III ‘71
May God blessings be upon Susan Jackson and her son, Jacob Geriner, now and
always.

May we all remember the meaning of “Thanksgiving”,

Deb Antosca, Principal

 Letter from the Headmaster...

Dear Friends of BC,

First of all, I need to correct a mistake that I made in the last Banner; it was Patrick
Eberwein who was the recipient of this year’s Lions Club, Hugh O’Brien Award
for Leadership; my apologies to Patrick and his family and my congratulations for
a distinction which was well deserved. My thanks go to Mr. Larry McDonald who
pointed out my mistake.

I must confess to mixed emotions during last Friday Night’s Senior Night event. How I hope that the
memories of so many meets, games and practices will serve our seniors well in their years to come. I
hope too that the moment itself was a deeply satisfying one for our senior cross-country runners, football
players and cheerleaders. I can go back no further than their sophomore year and yet, I can readily say
that they will be missed. I could only imagine how proud their parents must have been and what wonder
they must have felt to have now come to this point. My appreciation for what they have done for BC and
the commitment they made in order to make that contribution; it was great.

My thanks too go out the coaches whose countless hours of practice gave our cadets and cheerleaders
the confidence to tackle whatever came their way. I have to believe that far more than just technique
was taught. These deeply committed men and women understood their role as the communicators of life
lessons.

Our cadets had the opportunity to hear from one who not so long before, sat in their seat and has since
gone off to apply the lessons learned at BC on the world’s stage. Last week, SPC Kit Lowe related to our
students his experience in Afghanistan and his role in saving another. His Purple Heart Medal, which he
presented to the school, stood in eloquent testimony to what General Douglas MacArthur described as the
“simplicity of true greatness”. Kit’s presentation of his medal to Dr. Antosca spoke to me of one brave
soul communicating to another on terms that only they could truly appreciate.

On Wednesday, the junior class, in an instant, displayed the meaning of brotherhood as they surrounded
their classmate Jacob Geriner during his mother’s funeral. The testimony of their presence and Jacobs’
grateful response were eloquent beyond words.

The prayers of the Benedictine community are requested for Mrs. Susan Jackson, Jacob and his family.

Sincerely,

November Faculty
Fr. Frank
and Staff Birthdays
Carl Moore - 11/9
Dr. Antosca - 11/27
 November Calendar
11/6 - Varsity Football @ Appling County - 7:30
11/8 - Cross County State Championships (Carrollton, GA) 11:30AM
11/9 - Student Fall Dance - 8:00PM - 11:00PM
11/11 - Veteran’s Day - HOLIDAY
11/13 - Sophomore Retreat
11/15 - BC Open House (2:00PM Program Start)
11/17 - School Mass
11/20 - BC Basketball @ South Effingham High School 5:30PM
11/21 - BC Wrestling - Groves Rebel Duals 9:00AM
BC Basketball @ South Effingham High School 4:30PM
11/24 - BC Wrestling @ Appling County - 6:00PM
11/25-11/27 - Thanksgiving Holidays
11/25 - BC Wrestling @ South Effingham Duals - 9:00AM

THE 400. BE ONE.

Don’t miss the BC Open House -
Sunday, November 15th. Program begins at 2:00 PM.
Please contact Director of Admissions, Will Fleming at
912.644.6532 or
william.fleming@bcsav.net for more details.

8th Annual Grand Night in the

Cathedral with Ole BC
Benedictine Military School will present the 8th Grand Night in the Cathedral
with Ole BC, on Sunday, 13 December 2009 at 7:00 p.m. at the Cathedral of
Saint John the Baptist. The concert will feature the BC Cadet Chorus and the
Senior Class of 2010 directed by Dewain Smith, Ceremonial Brass directed by
Robin Beauchamp, 13th Colony Sound Barbershop Chorus and the Savannah
Storm Barbershop Youth Chorus directed by Jeremy Conover, the award win-
ning quartet On Demand, and Timothy V. Hall playing the magnificent Cathe-
dral organ.

This concert is designed to help you get in the spirit of Christmas by enjoying and participating in
the sounds of Christmas from a variety of musical genres. All of this for ticket price of $5.00. Tick-
ets can be purchased at the Benedictine Military School Business Office (912-644-7006), beginning
November 2, 2009.
 JROTC Cadet of the Month
Winners for October are:
Cadet SGT Nick Mock, 3rd Squad, 2nd Platoon,
A Company, 1st Battalion.

Cadet SGT Conrad Ezequiel Tebyanian-Haro, 3rd Squad,

2nd Platoon, D Company, 2nd Battalion.

Cadet Ben Cannoles, 1st Squad, 1st Platoon,

F Company, 3rd Battalion.

JROTC Squad of the Quarter Winners for

1st Quarter Are:
3rd Squad, 1st Platoon, A Company, 1st Battalion. Squad leader is Cadet CPL Thomas Mahoney.

3rd Squad, 1st Platoon, D Company, 2nd Battalion. Squad Leader is Cadet CPL Bryce Bailey.

2nd Squad, 2nd Platoon, F Company, 3rd Battalion. Squad Leader is Cadet SGT Davis Remler.

Fr. Frank and Fr. Anthony Celebrate at the

Pulaski Jubilee
On October 9th, Fr. Frank and Fr. Anthony participated in a
ceremony held at Ft. Pulaski in remembrance of the 230th an-
niversary of the mortal wounds received by Brigadier General
“Count” Casimir Pulaski, “Father of the American Cavalry”,
during the October 1779 Siege of Savannah and in observance
of the 85th anniversary of the creation of Fort Pulaski as a Na-
tional Monument by proclamation issued by President Calvin
Coolidge. Fr. Frank and Fr. Anthony participated in the parade
of flags of Pulaski’s life and legacy which included the Unit-
ed States, France, Haiti, UK, China, Poland, Ireland, Hungary,
Greece and Germany.
 A BC Hero Returns (cont. from cover)
“What SPC. Lowe isn’t telling you is that
he’s standing before you with 70 stitches and
a bullet hole in his leg,” said Deborah Anto-
sca, the school’s principal. “He can’t feel his
right leg from the knee down. “And when he
leaves Savannah today to go back to Walter
Reed, he will undergo a painful surgery there
to take the nerve out of his left leg and place
it in his right leg.” Antosca tried to get her
cadets to understand the gravity of Lowe’s
war experience. She read the definition of
“hero” from a tattered Webster’s Dictionary.
She reminded them that just four years ago,
Lowe sat among them. She noted he wasn’t BC Seniors Joey Friess and Howie Pavlo lead the Cadets in a round of The Fight Song
talking big about his injuries, but rather about in honor of Spc. Lowe.
a school-wide drive to collect supplies to send
to the children of Afghanistan, many of whom don’t even have the tiniest pencil stub for school. It was an idea
Lowe said Freeman had but never got to implement.

And the import of the moment finally seemed to sink in, moments later, when Lowe presented the cadets and
Antosca a rectangle-shaped box. “This is the only medal you never want to receive in the military, because it
means you were a bullet-catcher,” Lowe said, as he opened the box to reveal the Purple Heart he received for his
injuries.

He has a matching medal back home. One given to him by Theresa Freeman, the slain Marine’s wife, as a thank
you for Lowe’s efforts that day.

Lowe said he can’t wait to get better, so he can go to college and become an officer in the Marine Corps. So he
can honor Capt. Freeman’s memory. At that moment, the significance of Lowe’s sacrifice hit its mark.

The cadets jumped to their feet and applauded. They honored Lowe with the school fight song. And a few lin-
gered afterward, to meet the kind of man they hope to become.

A Generous Heart
The year’s Canned Food Drive to benefit America’s Second
Harvest Food Bank is $1,000 more successful due to the
generous heart of BC Senior, Chip Reisman. During the
summer, Chip an avid golfer, played in the Walmart First
Tee Open and had the opportunity to apply for a Unilever
Leadership Grant to benefit his local community. Chip
chose to donate that check in a presentation held on Octo-
ber 22nd in front of the student body to America’s Second
Harvest Food Bank. Congratulations and thank you to Chip
for his generous spirit!

Fr. Frank, Chip Reisman, Mary Jane Crouch, Director of America’s

Second Harvest Food Bank and Mark Stroud.
 The True Meaning of “SUCCESS”
On October 27, 2009 BC Students, Faculty, Staff, Alumni, and Board Members, along with
Hancock Day School middle school students, were treated to an awe inspiring presentation
from Lt. Clebe McClary, USMC. After an introduction like no other from his wife Deanna,
McClary, who described among other things, the strength and passion for life her husband
has maintained, Lt. McClary arrived and took the stage in his dress Marine Corps uniform
with one lost at the elbow, an eye patch and a commanding stage presence. From the first
moment he began speaking, all eyes were riveted on him, a Vietnam Veteran, rattling off
jokes about Clemson football intermixed with family anecdotes and, of course, the main
reason for his visit, to impart his lessons learned to the Cadet student body.

With his infectious laughter and his soothing South Car-

olina accent, Lt. McClary spent the majority of his hour
long talk on the true meaning of “SUCCESS.” In a most entertaining way,
Lt. McClary detailed “See, U you, Communicate, Commitment, Enthusiasm,
Start, Sustain the Pace.” Sprinkled with serious discussions of his experi-
ence in Vietnam and how he lost an eye, his arm below the elbow and how he
has come through 33 surgeries successfully with his faith in God and the love
of his wife and family, Lt. McClary finished with several other acronyms he
finds useful. “PIG” – Professionalism, Integrity, Guts. “PRIDE” – Personal
Responsibility In Daily Effort. “BIONIC” – Believe It Or Not, I Care, and
“FIDO” – Forget It and Drive On.

After his presentation, Lt. McClary and his wife stayed on to sign copies of his
book “Living Proof” and speak with the Cadets. For more information on Lt.
McClary, visit www.clebemcclary.com.

Alumni Association Breaking Bread with Commissionees

In honor of their recent achievement, the newly commissioned
senior officers were treated to lunch on September 16th by the
Benedictine Alumni Association. The lunch, catered by Barnes
Restaurant and owner
Hugh Barnes ’80, is
part of an initiative for
the Alumni Association
to be more involved
with the school and the student body. Paul Painter ’95, President-Elect
of the Alumni Association, spoke to the seniors, reminiscing about his
own Commissioning experience and how his participation in JROTC has
influenced his life.
 PARENT
TEACHER
ORGANIZATION
Can you believe it’s that time of year -starting to think about the holidays!! I smile, but I also get that
moment of panic. Every event is like that -so many things are coming and going. Take advantage of the
moment...don’t put off another opportunity to volunteer.

We have completed two events: the Tuition Raffle and Butter Braids. Thank you to
Kathy Vaught, who led this year’s outstanding Tuition Raffle. Kathy and her crew
made this tuition raffle the best ever-with a 41% increase
from last year! Thank you for all of your hard work!!

Thank you to Lisa Ganser, the chair of the Butter Braid

fundraiser. This is a short but sweet event. Thank you all for taking advantage
of this opportunity to order a tasty treat for yourself or as a gift!

Just a reminder that the Second Annual “A Night in Ol’ BC” Auction is February
27th and if you would like to volunteer, you can e-mail Susanna Powers at supowers1@bellsouth.net and
Kim Fogarty at fogartysavannah@aol.com.

What’s coming up immediately...We are in need of chaperones for the Fall Dance- November 7th. Please
call or e-mail Brigitte Rentiers if you can help: 484-4793 cell or brigfit@aol.com.

We would like to thank you for the time and energy you put into your son’s school. These are the years
that go by so quickly -take a chance and volunteer -you will be glad you did!!

See you at the next event!!

Brigitte Rentiers and Susanna Powers
(Co-President) (Co-President)

DON’T MISS
THIS YEAR’S
AUCTION...
SAVE THE DATE!
 It’s Almost Time to Take it to the Hoop!

Date Day Opponent Place Fresh JV Varsity

Nov. 20 Fri Brantley County S. Effingham 5:30
Nov. 21 Sat. Rockdale County S. Effingham 4:30
Dec. 5 Sat. Glynn Academy Glynn Academy 5:00 6:15 7:30
Dec. 8 Tue. Long County Ludowici, Ga 5:00 7:30
Dec. 11 Fri. Jeff Davis BC 5:00 6:30
Dec. 12 Sat. Pierce Co. BC 6:15 7:30
Dec. 15 Tue. Windsor Forest BC 5:00 6:15 7:30
Dec. 18 Fri. Calvary Day School Calvary TBD
Dec. 19 Sat. Sav. Holiday Classic TBD TBD
Dec. 21 Mon. Sav. Holiday Classic TBD TBD
Dec 17-19 BC JV Christmas Classic BC Check Brackets for time
Dec. 29 Tue. Sav. Country Day Effingham High 5:30
Dec. 30 Wed. Effingham / Jenkins Effingham High TBD
Jan. 8 Fri. Brantley Co. BC 6:15 7:30
Jan. 9 Sat. Tattnall Co. Tattnall 4:15 7:30
Jan. 12 Tue. Appling Co. Appling 5:30 7:30
Jan. 15 Fri. Charlton Co. Charlton 7:30
Jan. 16 Sat. Brantley Co. Brantley 8:00
Jan. 19 Tue. McIntosh Co McIntosh 4:30 7:30
Jan. 22 Fri. Long County BC 5:00 6:30
Jan. 23 Sat. Jeff Davis Jeff Davis 4:00 7:30
Jan. 26 Tue. Pierce Co. Pierce Co. 7:30
Jan. 30 Sat. Charlton Co. BC 7:30
Feb. 5 Fri. Tattnall Co BC 5:00 6:30
Feb. 6 Sat. Appling Co. BC 6:15 7:30
Feb. 12 Fri. McIntosh Co (Senior Night) BC 6:15 7:30

New Seats for Basketball Fans!

When basketball season starts, BC fans will get a nice surprise
in the form of new bleachers that have arrived in one of the
home seating sections! The new section of bleachers comes
complete with several insets for handicapped accessibility,
hand rails, and an overall sense of security that the outdated
wooden bleachers could not provide any longer. Thank you to
the BCAA for their generous donation and hard work getting
the bleacher project rolling. The completion of the bleacher
project is dependent upon donations, so if you would like
to contribute to the BC Gymnasium Bleacher Project, please
contact Rick Saunders with the BCAA at 912.398.7359.
New bleachers in the gym, folded into the wall.
 PTO Tuition Raffle Winners Announced
1st Prize $5,000 cash………………….L. Brady’69
2nd Prize $1,000 cash………………….B. Sharpley
3rd Prize $500 gas cards………………Judy Byers
4th Prize A Big New Desk! ……….....170 current and future
students of Benedictine!

and:

THE GRAND PRIZE! …………….. Win or Lose - the joy and satis-
faction in joining with others in supporting the raffle that makes such
good things happen for our school and our students.

Congratulations and thanks to everyone - Faculty, Staff, Board, Stu-
dents, Parents, Alumni and Friends that sold a ticket, bought a ticket, or in any way supported
this year’s PTO Tuition Raffle. Good job! Together you raised $31,000 dollars that will benefit
current and future BC students for years to come.
CADETS PERFORMANCE REPORT:

• WIN - Students were challenged to exceed the prior year’s accom-

plishment of 642 books sold - hanging in the balance was the prize of
a Day Off from School. Their goal was set at 643 books. When it was
over – the student body had sold over 800 books – and won a well-
deserved day off from school!

• WIN – Homeroom classes were challenged to become the homeroom

with the highest equivalent ticket sales per student -hanging in the balance was a
restaurant lunch-out for the entire homeroom. Chief Schaefer’s freshmen homeroom (A-2)
obliterated the competition with sales equating to 4.84 books per student and will be missed by
all in the cafeteria as they will be dining out for lunch in the near future!

• WIN – This year, coinciding with the PTO Tuition Raffle, was an “In-House Raffle “where
for each ticket book sold by a cadet he received an “in-house raffle ticket” that would be thrown
into the pot for a random drawing at the end of each week of the month-long raffle. The prize was
$100 cash- on -the spot. It was a win, win, win, win!!
Week 1 – David Zambito
Week 2 – Travis Tucker, Jr.
Week 3 – Matt Shay
Week 4 – T.J. Mahoney

Outstanding job y’all – enjoy the desks!

 Football, Hotdogs and Homecoming Queens, Oh My!
BC SPIRIT!! BC SPIRIT!! Nothing less could be seen or heard by one walking the halls of BC during
homecoming week this year.

The cadets kicked off the week with collegiate spirit day, dressing up in their favorite college team’s ap-
parel being the biggest fan they could. It was almost like living in Athens. The students also competed by
homeroom in the Banner Drawing contest. If you never knew about the artistic side of BC, you should
have seen some of these banners. They looked great. Winners were picked for each grade and were: Mrs.
Gerry’s homeroom for freshmen, Mr. Horne’s homeroom for the sophomores, Mr. Blackston’s homeroom
for juniors, and Mrs. Ganem’s room for seniors. Moving into Tuesday with spirits high the students faced
character day with big smiles. They dressed up in costumes resembling superheroes, cartoon characters,
animals, and the crowd favorite… mocking teachers. Costumes were judged in the gym just before the
start of the War Ball Tournament. Of the best dressed were Lt. Dangle (Matt Shay), CW4 Schaefer (Tim
Dotson), and Chris Turk (Derek Smith). Well, the War Ball Tourney put on by JROTC was a huge success
once again. Headquarters proved to be the company to beat. Thursday found the boys decked out in all
of their maroon and white for BC spirit day. Closing the day was yet another competition between home-
rooms and grade level…. touch football. The boys loved getting to play against their fellow classmates in
the clash. Thursday night found teachers, students, parents, and alumni back at school for one awesome
pep rally. The senior student council officers did a great job of planning the evening’s events and keeping
the crowd’s interest and spirits high. Friday was homecoming T-shirt day where they wore their new or
old homecoming T’s. We ended the week with the annual hotdog eating competition, where one individual
from each homeroom is selected to eat as many hotdogs and buns as possible within three minutes time.
This year’s champion, two years running, was Cinnegar White representing the A-6 Houligans. Closing
out the Homecoming festivities was the annual Homecoming football game where at halftime the Home-
coming Court was announced. This year’s 2nd runner up is Dria DeLoach, a Senior at St. Vincent’s. 1st
runner up is Molly Regan, a Senior from St. Vincent’s and the 2009 Homecoming Queen is Alyssa Barn-
hill, a Senior from St. Vincent’s.
 Freshman Retreat
Every year, each grade level has the opportunity to participate in a grade appropriate retreat led by the Campus
Ministry Department and Fr. Ronald Gatman, O.S.B. the Campus Minister. This year the Freshmen Retreat took
place in the BC Gymnasium where the Fr. Ronald performed a Mass specifically for the Freshmen. After Mass,
Chris “Pig” Phillips ’79, father of Will Phillips of the Class of 2013, gave a presentation on what a Benedictine
education truly means and recounted some of his favorite memories from his time at BC. As a special treat, the
Class of 2013 feasted on a lunch provided by Spanky’s thanks to David Silverman and the Alumni Association.

Class of 2013!

The Cadet Shop

Time is flying by....before you know it the holidays will be here! Please keep the Cadet Shop in mind for
your Christmas shopping! We have new items that will make great gifts for everyone. We just received
ladies pink baseball caps, beautiful maroon Christmas ornaments, maroon skullies for the cold weather,
hoodies and children’s t-shirts in white. We also have 3ft X 5ft maroon flags and umbrellas and beach
towels are on the on the way (just in time for summer!). Remember that all monies go right back to the
school. Also, don’t forget to check us out on www.thebc400.com at the “Cadet Shop” link!

Thanks for your support--call for special appointment times-644-7018/644-7000

Betty Shay
Paula Summerlin

Congratulations to Ricky
Mcallaster for being selected as a member of Team Palmetto,
the select traveling South Carolina Lacrosse team. Look for
Ricky to be a part of the new BC Lacrosse Team this year!! For
more information on Team Palmetto visit
www.teampalmettosc.com.
 GOAL Scholarship Deadline Extended
The opportunity to make a no cost donation to the GOAL Scholar-
ship Program has been extended.

The Georgia Department of Revenue (DOR) has informed us that

the November 1 deadline for submitting the IT-QEE-TP1 pre-ap-
proval forms to the DOR was only intended to be a recommenda-
tion to facilitate the timely processing of these forms. Thus, the
DOR is waiving the November 1 filing deadline and will accept
pre-approval forms filed after that date. However, the deadline re-
mains in effect requiring taxpayers to have their contributions to
GOAL postmarked by December 31, 2009.

The DOR has indicated that it will do its best to process TP1 Forms on a timely basis; however, the sooner that
taxpayers submit these forms the better.

GOAL donations are deductible as charitable contributions on the taxpayer’s federal return. For Georgia income
tax purposes, the GOAL donation is returned to the donor with a dollar for dollar tax credit.

This credit reduces the donors’ Georgia income tax liability by an amount equal to the donation amount. Limits
for GOAL donations are:

$1,000 for single filers

$1,250 for married filing separately
$2,500 for married filing jointly
75% of the Georgia income tax liability for C Corporations

Please contact John Boyle at John.Boyle@BCSav.net or (912) 644-7017 for additional information on making
this donation to Benedictine.

Coming Soon to a Computer Near

You...BC LIVE!
New to www.thebc400.com is a tab on the left hand side of the site that says
“BC Live.” Here’s your opportunity to see events such as student assem-
blies, honor ceremonies, cross country races and other events that are going
on around the BC campus that you may not otherwise get the chance to see.
The events will be “live” streamed to your computer at a specific time and
date, no events will be catalogued on the site. Don’t miss the first BC Live event, the Cross County State
Competition which will be broadcast on Sunday, November 8th at 7:00PM. Just click on the “BC Live”
tab on the left hand side of the website and it should begin immediately! A schedule of upcoming BC
Live events will be posted on the “BC Live” tab on the website. For any questions concerning BC Live,
please contact Fr. Anthony Wesolowski, O.S.B (912.644.6500).
 exchange club student of the

Written by: Jan Rogers

and Larry McDonald
month for october

Congratulations to Matthew Shay for being

selected as the October Exchange Club of Sa-
vannah, Student of the Month. On October 19,
2009, Matthew and his parents, Betty and Rick
were invited to the monthly luncheon meeting
GUIDANCE of The Exchange Club of Savannah to receive
his award. During the meeting, Matthew had
an opportunity to speak to the Exchange Club
members about what receiving the award means.

Freshman/Sophomore News

Freshman and sophomore teachers are in the process of meeting

with parents regarding grades for the first quarter. Parents are
advised to contact the guidance office @ 644-7010 for schedul-
ing meetings with teachers regarding grades of their students.

Students with three or more failures will have counselor confer-

ences, and the parents will be called to schedule teacher confer-
ences. These conference topics will include grade and/or disci-
pline issues.

Most grade issues involve students not giving enough time for study outside of school. A
set time for study and review of homework and class work is a necessity for students, once
they leave school. Having a time and place for uninterrupted work is important for build-
ing good study habits for college and for reinforcing class work at BC.

Parents are reminded that the first and second quarter grades are averaged for a first semes-
ter report that is incorporated into the transcript that is sent to college for initial entrance.
The semester grades are part of the official transcript from our school.

Please Note as of October 1st the Guidance Counselors

will be operating on an alternative schedule.
Jan Rogers will be in the office on Mondays and
Wednesdys while Larry McDonald will be in the office
Tuesdays and Thursdays. Both will alternate Fridays.

The Guidance Department can be reached at

912.644.7011 or 912.644.7010.
 BC Basketball
Fan Fest
Friday, November 13th
8:00 PM
BC Gym
Come see the players in action at the BC
version of “Midnight Madness”

Don’t miss:
*Inter-squad scrimmage
*3 Point Shooting Contest
*Slam Dunk Contest
and your first chance to join
HELTON’S HOULIGANS
for more details contact
jason helton at 912.644.6520
 Campus Ministry
By: Fr. Ronald Gatman, O.S.B. - Campus Minister

I AM A BOW IN YOUR HANDS LORD

The Greek writer, Nikos Kazantzakis, wrote an autobiographical novel titled: “Report to Greco.” In the pages
immediately preceding the main text he presented three brief sentences which have stayed with me over the years.
He said, “I am a bow in your hands Lord, draw me lest I rot. Do not overdraw me Lord, or I shall break. Overdraw
me Lord, and who cares if I break.” These three short sentences capture our relationship with the Divine that we
have all probably experienced at one time or another.

The First: “I am a bow in your hands Lord, draw me lest I rot.”

From time to time in our lives for longer or shorter periods of time we all become stagnant, unproductive, and
inert. Life proceeds along at an easy routine pace, we coast. We become comfortable with the lowest common
denominator, our efforts at work or at home become minimal. We just exist. We are not using our God-given
talents to the full. Certainly we all need our proper rest, but God does not want us to go to pot. (No pun intended).
Jesus made this clear when he stated his mission to his disciples. He said, “I have come that you might have life
and have it to the full.” Christ demands the very best that we have to give. He calls upon us to use the gifts that he
has bestowed upon us. He calls us to strive for excellence. The root meaning of ‘excellence’ is to move away from
where you are, meaning to continually grow and improve your lives every day. Above all in the end it means to
draw closer to God, the source of our life and of eternal life. But how do we exercise our potential to the fullest
and develop into a well-rounded, balanced, and wholesome person, in other words, become holy? Jesus gives us
the answer. He tells us that we must serve the needs of others. It is only by going outside ourselves that we truly
become our best self. When we serve the needs of others out of our love for God we become truly alive since we
are dying to ourselves and living for others. This is the key to peace and joy and happiness that Jesus revealed to
us through his service to others and especially in his sharing of himself in the Eucharist and his death on the cross.
May we all imitate our Lord Jesus Christ and live. “Draw me Lord, lest I rot.”

The Second: “Do not overdraw me Lord, or I shall break.”

Years ago a spiritual writer, Rudolf Otto,described our condition when we are in the presence of God as one that
is: “Mysterium tremdum et fascinans,” meaning that we are at one and the same time both drawn toward God and
repelled by Him. We are drawn toward Him because we are attracted by His goodness and love, but we are re-
pelled by Him because we fear his almighty power. We are like a moth which is drawn to the light of a candle, but
fear to come too close lest we burn up. We know that our God is a demanding God and that He desires to see us
become perfect. He wants to get everything out of us that He can, and He does this for our own good, not His.

As followers of Christ we want to surrender ourselves to the will of the Almighty Father. We want Him to take
us and do with us what He wills. Yet at the same time we are afraid that if we give ourselves totally to God and
leave ourselves behind we will be led into the unknown, the unfamiliar, and this frightens us. And in fact we are
unable on our own to give ourselves totally to God unless we are aided by faith in Him. This is the only thing that
permitted Abraham to say, Yes, to God when God told him that He wanted Abraham at the age of 75 to leave his
homeland and family and go off into an unknown land that He would show him.
 Campus Ministry
It couldn’t have happened otherwise because we are attached to our fi-
niteness, we are mortal, and want to save our lives. Here again we see
one of the profound spiritual insights that Jesus shared with his disciples.
He tells them, “Whoever saves his life, (that is, clutches it, holds on to
it for dear life), will lose it. While he who loses his life for my sake and
the Gospel’s will find (save) it.” Although we know that Christ spoke the
truth often we still hold back, we don’t give our all to God. We are afraid
that “we will break.” We must pray always, Lord, send your Holy Spirit to us to strengthen us and give us
the courage to do whatever You will on earth, as it is done in heaven.

The Third: “Overdraw me Lord, and who cares if I break.”

Finally, what would happen to us if we did give ourselves over completely to God’s will and do what He
asks? Would we ‘break’?

Would we be destroyed as the moth in the flame? I think not. Certainly we would suffer,because if we
enter into the fire of the Holy Spirit we will be cleansed and transformed like the Scripture says happens
when gold is tested in fire. The dross is burned away and the gold becomes pure. The famous Trappist
monk, Thomas Merton,said, “He who gets involved with the Holy Spirit gets involved with death.” One
must die to self in order to live. This must be understood in light of the words spoken at a Mass of Chris-
tian Burial in the Catholic Church, “for your faithful Lord, life is changed not ended.” It is only through
the process of death that things are transformed, whether this be in smaller matters such as dying to hateful
anger, or relinquishing the hold that things have on us, or in the great exodus to the heavenly kingdom at
the end of life here on earth. Death to self in this life which leads to everlasting life as I see it,is like the
scene in the Book of Exodus in the Hebrew Scriptures, where Moses is on Mt. Sinai and he encounters a
bush that is on fire but is not consumed by the fire because it is the Fire of God that transforms and raises
us to new life. This same image in its exalted form is found in the scene of Jesus dying on the cross, where
he passes over from death to LIFE.

A thing to consider when pondering over this last statement about being overdrawn and breaking is the
words of Scripture that tell us that God will not let us be tested beyond our limits, but with every testing
He provides a way out. This holds true even for the death of our mortal selves. At the hour of death a door
opens for us. And when that door opens we find Christ standing before us welcoming us. Remember Jesus
said, Here I am standing at the door and knocking. Whoever opens to me I will enter in and we will sit
down and have supper together. (paraphrase)

A final plea. Lord God, overdraw me each and every day, that I may break away from my selfish self and
live in the light of Christ, that holy light in which we experience the freedom of the sons and daughters of
God. Amen.
 New Materials Available in the Media Center
Fiction

F Bra Fahrenheit 451 (3) Bradbury, Ray

F Bro The Lost Symbol Brown, Dan

F Doy Sherlock Holmes: The Complete Novels and Stories, Volume I (3) Doyle, Arthur Conan

F Fit Babylon Revisited Fitzgerald, F. Scott

F Fra Cold Mountain (3) Frazier, Charles

F Haw The Scarlet Letter (3) Hawthorne, Nathaniel

F Hem The Old Man and the Sea (3) Hemingway, Ernest

F Hur Their Eyes Were Watching God (3) Hurston, Zora Neale

F Lon The Call of the Wild London, Jack

F Mel Moby-Dick (2) Melville, Herman

F Oco A Good Man Is Hard to Find (2) O’Connor, Flannery

812 Wil The Glass Menagerie (2) Williams, Tennessee

F Rem All Quiet on the Western Front (2) Remarque, Erich Maria

822.3 Sha Hamlet (3) Shakespeare, William

F Ste The Grapes of Wrath Steinbeck, John

F Wil The Picture of Dorian Gray (3) Wilde, Oscar

Nonfiction

921 Bak Growing Up Baker, Russell

DVD

DVD 217 One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest (133min.)

 Join us for the inaugural
Coach Harry Deal Classic
Sunday November 8th
Hunter Army Airfield Golf Course
Shotgun start at 12:30
ƒ The tournament is an 18-hole, Father/Son* two man scramble.
ƒ Entry fee is $100 per team.
ƒ Mulligans will be sold for $10 with a limit of 5 per team.
ƒ Hole Sponsorship $100

All proceeds will go to fund the golf team with items such as:
Shirts, Tournament Entry Fees, Gas, Lodging, etc.

Names_______________________________________________________

Phone Number_________________________________________________

Address______________________________________________________

E-mail_______________________________________________________

Please send your entry fee and the info above to:
Chip Reisman
103 Winterberry Drive
Savannah, GA 31406
912.355.6591
chipper-10@live.com

Entry deadline is October 31st or the 1st 64 teams. Entries may be mailed to the
address above or brought directly to BC with attention to Chip Reisman.

You may request two teams to play with and we will do our best to accommodate
one of these requests:

_____________________________________________________________

If you are not able to play in the tournament but would still like to make a
donation to the BC Golf team, please contact Doug Willett, Head Golf Coach (912.644.7000).