Assistant Head of School Michael Nerbonne Reflects on "Mission" Theme

During the Academic Awards Assembly on February 4, 2026, Assistant Head of School Michael Nerbonne gave the following speech as he addressed students on this year's theme of "Mission."

View video recording of speech ►

Our Head of School, Mr. Brendan Sullivan, has given us a most important and meaningful theme for this academic year: mission. So important and meaningful that we cannot speak in any specific way about St. Sebastian’s without reflecting on and discussing the School’s mission. And evidence for this can be seen in so many places around campus, in our printed materials, on our website, where mission takes center stage.

I would like to focus this morning on another facet of mission, one related certainly to the mission of St. Sebastian’s, but something even more fundamental in each of our own lives: what is our individual mission in life?

It is difficult for me to speak about mission without also mentioning the concept of vocation. In fact, I believe that these two notions, vocation and mission, are inseparable.

So, what is the relationship between the two ideas? I would like to suggest this morning that one of them presupposes the other. In other words, vocation precedes and informs mission. Or to say it more personally to each one of you, your vocation and your understanding of it will determine your mission in life.

Vocation and mission have something else in common. Now, please bear with me as I talk about some Latin grammar, which is usually a signal to you that it’s time to doze off. Both vocation and mission are formed from the perfect passive participles of two Latin verbs. Voco, “to call” which gives us vocatus, “having been called”, hence “vocation”, and mitto, “to send” gives us missus, “having been sent”, hence “mission”.

I’m suggesting that we have to hear and understand our sense of being called in order to understand and pursue our mission. One other item I would like to highlight while I am focused on Latin grammar: these passive forms also presuppose some agency, in other words, called by whom and sent by whom. Most of you know me well enough that I want to suggest to you that Our Lord Jesus is the one who calls and sends. And the New Testament is rife with examples of this theme of calling and sending, especially prevalent in our Lord’s relationship with his disciples. They had to be called before they could be sent. So it must also be with all of us.

This brings me to a wonderful quotation from St. John Henry Newman, who was canonized a saint just a few years ago and just this fall, was declared a Doctor of the Church and also a patron of the Church’s educational mission, especially in Catholic schools, a distinction he shares with St. Thomas Aquinas. Here’s what St. John Henry Newman said about vocation and mission:

“God has created me to do Him some definite service. He has committed some work to me which He has not committed to another. I have my mission. I may never know it in this life, but I shall be told it in the next.

Therefore, I will trust Him. If I am in sickness, my sickness may serve Him, in perplexity, my perplexity may serve Him. If I am in sorrow, my sorrow may serve Him. He does nothing in vain. He knows what He is about.”

I love this reflection because it speaks to each one of us of the unique nature of the vocation and mission entrusted to us by our Lord. It also makes abundantly clear that this mission will not always be an easy path. Most of all, I find it so encouraging to hear that, despite our own doubts and fears, we can rest assured that God knew what he was doing when he chose us for the unique vocation and mission which he entrusted to us when he created us.

Viktor Frankl wrote on this topic in a very similar way in his book, Man’s Search for Meaning:

“One should not search for an abstract meaning in life. Everyone has his own specific vocation or mission in life to carry out a concrete assignment which demands fulfillment. Therein he cannot be replaced, nor can his life be repeated. Thus, everyone’s task is unique as is his specific opportunity to implement it.”

I think that it’s worth highlighting here aspects of vocation and mission which Mr. Frankl emphasizes, namely that our calling is not at all vague or abstract but unique, specific, concrete and something which makes demands of us.

One aspect of our unique vocation and mission in life, which I want to emphasize, is the relationship of these to our joy and happiness. In fact, I believe that a good test of vocation and mission is to ask ourselves to what extent does my calling and purpose bring me happiness and joy.

Ralph Waldo Emerson wrote on this topic: “The high prize of life, the crowning fortune of a man, is to be born with a bias to some pursuit which finds him in employment and happiness-whether it be to make baskets, or broadswords, or canals, or songs.”

I’d like to share a brief personal anecdote on this topic. A few years ago, my Greek class travelled on a field trip to the Harvard Art Museums, a journey we take each spring to view and discuss various works of ancient art in the Museum which are related to topics from my Greek course. For a couple of hours, we were toured around the museum by a rather elderly woman, called a docent, who is responsible for providing some background on the various works of art in the Museum.

At the end of the tour, my students, your fellow Arrows, headed for the doors, eager to get to our next destination on our trip, namely lunch. As I was following the group, who were now all outside just as I reached the doors, the docent summoned me back, obviously needing to share some information with me. My mind raced as I immediately began to imagine any number of infractions possibly committed by our Arrows, which she obviously needed to share with me: they must have leaned on something, or written on something, or even broken something or said something which she didn’t appreciate.

As I approached her, now filled with dread and eager to apologize for whatever was said or done, she called me in close, looked me in the eye, and said, “I’ve been watching you for the past few hours, teaching, mentoring, and interacting with your students. I think that you were born to do this work.”

Now I admit to feeling a little guilty for imagining the worst from my students, and I was certainly relieved that all was well regarding their behavior. But I relate this story because of my gratitude to this nameless woman for recognizing and mostly for sharing with me something which really mattered to me and which I will never forget.

I am also quite certain that this docent didn’t say those words to me because she was thinking about our curriculum, or course content or subject matter. I think that she simply observed how happy I was to be working with my students. Back to Emerson, to paraphrase, the docent noticed that I was engaged in a pursuit which found me in employment and happiness. And God bless her for noticing and being eager to share.

One final thought on this idea of the inextricable link between vocation and mission on the one hand and joy and happiness on the other. I encourage all of you to pay attention to that which brings you happiness and joy because therein you will find your calling. This is especially true in situations and endeavors where our weary world needs your love and attention and energy and talent.

Frederick Buechner wrote on this very topic, “Your calling is the place where your deep gladness and the world’s deep hunger meet.” So, our collective prayer for all of you this morning is that Our Lord will guide you to that sacred place where your talent and joy will meet the world’s greatest needs.

Thank you and God bless.