What Makes Malden Catholic Different?

Back in 1975, the coming-of-age event was getting your first 10-speed bicycle.  All the boys had them.  Most of them were some versions of a Schwinn – the Varsity or Le Tour.  I was one of the last boys still waiting to get one.  I had asked my parents and was patiently waiting for the day I could ride around the neighborhood with all ten speeds at my disposal.

 

The day finally arrived when my father pulled a box out of the family station wagon. Inside the box was a fully dismantled 10-speed (or at least it looked like the parts for one).  It wasn’t a Schwinn, but some brand called the “American Arrow.”  My father got straight to work with his tools, and after a few hours the 10-speed was ready to go.

 

Soon, I was out riding with all the other boys.  Mine was different, unique.  Instead of a Schwinn-branded blue or yellow, mine was orange.  Though all my friends owned Schwinns and sometimes ribbed me about my bike being different, it performed just as well.  The orange, off-brand bicycle lasted well past college.

 

The real difference and value of my American Arrow was it reflected my father’s love.  He had chosen the bike for me.  One time during 7^th grade, I had foolishly ridden it over some rough road and returned home with the back rim bent out of shape.  After spending about an hour to two trying to fix it for me, my father eventually surrendered and bought a new one.

 

Just as my American Arrow was unique and different, Malden Catholic is, too.  We are a Catholic, Xaverian Brothers Sponsored School (XBSS) and share a common mission with twelve other schools in our network.  Our charism (gift or grace) calls us to live lives with extraordinary purpose, embracing the values of humility, simplicity, compassion, zeal, and trust.  We are called to build enduring personal relationships and place ourselves in the service of God. 

 

We are codivisional, which can be difficult to explain.  We are “co” (together) and “divisional” (separate).  Before school, our young men and women are together in common areas such as the cafeteria.  Once the bell rings for classes, they separate into single-gender classrooms.  Our faculty can tailor instruction in classrooms with less distraction.  After school, students can come back together and continue to socialize.  We call it having the best of both worlds.

 

We have a new, state-of-the-art building with a new middle school.  Our facility at 50 Crystal Street was completed in 2025 and is one of a kind.  It contains an indoor turf field, a new gymnasium, and a weight training room.  High school classrooms offer real-world experiences (STEM, entrepreneurship, financial literacy).  Lastly, on the top floor is our Ryken Division middle school program.

 

We are more affordable than other top private schools.  An article in the Boston Globe (November 2024) compared the affordability of over forty top private schools, including Malden Catholic.  We are one of the most accessible private schools in the Greater Boston area.  Our tuition is less than one-third the tuition of many leading independent schools and substantially below several Catholic competitors.  We provide extraordinary value with a more affordable tuition and a top-notch educational experience.

 

But what really makes the difference, just like my American Arrow, is that Malden Catholic reflects a father’s love - our Heavenly Father.  The grace He provides is reflected through the very special people who make up our school.  Yes, we are unique in many ways – a Catholic, Xaverian Brothers co-divisional school with great values and state-of-the-art facilities.  But it’s the people who make up our special community, “earthen vessels” who come together around a common mission, who, carrying His divine power within, possess the ability to carry and live out that mission.