On Sept. 14, the exact date of its founding in 1959, Christian Brothers Academy (CBA), Lincroft, officially marked its 50th anniversary with a day-long series of events.

The celebrations began with a Mass in the morning and continued with inspirational alumni presentations – and the Heath Run, formerly known as the Freshman Run – in the afternoon.

The all-boys private high school was founded in the LaSallian tradition and opened with a freshman class of 150 boys and a faculty of six Christian Brothers, led by Brother Bernard McKenna, principal.

By 1963, when the first class graduated, CBA had a student body of 750 with a faculty of 30 Brothers and five laymen. Today, there are 959 students, 77 teachers and 54 additional people employed, according to Brother James Butler, principal.

Students, alumni, former faculty, former principals, parents and friends filled the auditorium for the Mass celebrated by Father John T. Folchetti, school chaplain and pastor of St. Leo the Great Parish, Lincroft.

In his remarks, Folchetti spoke about faith and service and implored students to be “strong, active and humble servants to the Lord despite the disruptive and turbulent times of today.”

He recognized the academy as one that has been highly successful in shaping both the academic and spiritual lives of its students. During the Mass, 35 young men were installed into the CBA liturgical ministries including acolyte, extraordinary ministers of Holy Communion, sacred music and Proclamation of the Word of God.

Father Folchetti emphasized that each had heeded the call to serve and would be joining what he had counted as 1,670 others over the course of 22 years.

Brother James shared his thoughts and noted, “A number of the schools I have worked in are 150 years old. By those standards, CBA is just a youngster. Yet it is remarkable what this young school has achieved. Its place among educational institutions in our area is unique and not easy to imitate. The daily exchange among motivated students, committed faculty, and involved parents has been a winner for a half-century now.”

Many alumni returned to participate in the celebration – former students from the 1960s through the 1990s – to provide current students with perspective, advice and oftentimes entertaining and humorous anecdotes of their time at the academy.

CBA president Brother Frank, who graduated in 1975, characterized CBA as a permanent part of his life.

“It wasn’t just a four-year experience; it is one that has lasted all my life. I have great friends and great memories,” Brother Frank stated.

Chris Bennett, a 1994 graduate who returned to CBA as a track coach last year, said that he always wanted to return.

Bennett also spoke about the enthusiasm at CBA sporting events and led the students in a cheer, encouraging and preparing them for the traditional Heath Run, formerly known as the Freshman Run.

“Do the best you can,” he said, “and continue that momentum for the next four years.”

The Heath Run is mandatory for the freshman class and is a crosscountry, on-campus run. The first twenty finishers are offered spots on the cross-country team, according to Bennett. Afterward, he noted the run was one of the fastest ever.

Reflecting on the day, Brother James pointed to the scores of alumni that returned for the celebration in addition to those who have returned to teach at the academy.

“They came – some even flew in – because this school meant something to them. It means something to them now. It changed their lives; it’s changing lives now. When students write letters in the admission process, the often proclaim, ‘I want to be a part of the best high school in New Jersey.’ I don’t know what metrics you could ever apply to validate a claim like that, but I like to think that each day in the next 50 years we will take another step toward making it true.”