“Brotherhood at Malvern Prep is alive and real,” the Rev. James R. Flynn, O.S.A., Head of School, is fond of saying.

At Malvern, students are not just friends, but are brothers who grow together in shared experiences that define who they are as young men. Malvern students are supported by the Augustinian ideals of Truth, Unity and Love. Malvern men strive to be kind, humble, honest, hardworking, grounded, thoughtful and unpretentious. They live Augustinian values.

This September, the idea of brotherhood was fostered at the school’s annual Brotherhood Ceremony, which formally welcomed the freshman class to the school.

The entire student body and the families of the class of 2014 were on hand for the ceremony, which brought together Malvern’s two groups of freshman students – those that had attended Malvern for middle school and those that were entering in the ninth grade.

As Flynn said during the ceremony, “Many of you are new to Malvern. It is exciting to have you here. We have waited three years for you to arrive, and now our class is complete. This is your school now. Be proud of that, and both on the campus and off, represent us well.”

During the ceremony, the members of the class of 2014 were presented with St. Augustine medals, which were placed around their necks by their parents or guardians. The medals depict the image of St. Augustine, the founder of the Augustinian Order of priests who established and support Malvern Prep, and reflect the students’ new status as Malvern Friars. Each student and his family were then blessed by one of four Augustinian priests participating in the ceremony. The new Friars then signed their name in a class of 2014 ledger, which symbolized their acceptance into the Malvern community.

Following a reading by theology teacher Bill Donaghy from the Confessions of St. Augustine (Book 4, Chapter 8), in which Augustine reflects on his life with his fellow students, Flynn offered a charge to the freshman class.

“You will hear those words again,” Flynn said, referring to the reading. “We will come together again at the Senior Tribute in May 2014, and the school will pay tribute to you for your accomplishments over these next four years. Scholars and artists and athletes will be saluted. We will honor you not just for what you have done in these four years upon which you today embark, but for who you have become over those four years.”