Tradition is integral to Catholicism, uniting generations and, through Catholic schools, connecting students, faculty and families. But for years, St. Clement School in Cincinnati lacked one vital symbol of tradition: an alma mater song.

Brother Ed Arambasich, OFM, first noticed the school had no alma mater. “I asked several people who went to school at St. Clement as far back as the 1950s, [and] I called the chancery … they had no idea,” he said. “Everyone I talked to said, ‘No, we don’t have an alma mater.’” A native of Joliet, IL, Brother Arambasich explained, “All [my schools] … had alma maters, and I thought [it was] strange not to have one here … I got the idea that tradition is important, [so] I decided it would be really nice to have a school song that [students could all] sing together after their school Mass on Wednesdays.”

When he took it upon himself to create one, school principal Terri Cento enthusiastically supported him. “I was all for it!” he said. “[I was] educated in Catholic schools, [and] having a school song or alma mater has seemed to be a staple. It will be a great thing for [graduates] to reflect back on their time at St. Clement and come together with their alma mater song.”

The new alma mater opens with the school colors:

Red and white our banners fly for all to see and tell!

A place for all who dwell within a place of gospel love!

Prayer and work our motto be and all that we may do!

Our alma mater St. Clement, Hail to you! Hail to you! Hail to you!

Brother Arambasich noted that while in school, students learn “an awful lot about things that are important … however, one [thing] they won’t ever forget is their school song. The alma mater sums up everything that we stand for here at St. Clement. Being Franciscan in our own friar tradition, we see the gospel as our rule of life, words of Jesus to help us to become the best we can be for others. Our students are young people who are filled with prayer and work. Two gifts that we give to the Church at large [are] to work and to pray. And then [we] give three cheers to St. Clement who was Pope and … a great defender of the Catholic faith.”

“When Brother Arambasich introduced the song [this school year] during our first all-school Mass, it was done very quietly,” said Cento. The third graders sat closest to Brother Arambasich “and they were very intrigued … when Mass was over, all the children gathered around [him] at the organ and began learning the song. It was a precious and pure moment!”

Brother Arambasich said that, with their teacher, Ms. Miller, the third graders first sang the alma mater at the school Mass to the attending friars “because they were the oldest group here at St. Clement.” “I’m not sure how old the school is, but the friars have been here since 1850,” said Father Jud Weiksnar, OFM, parochial vicar at St. Clement.

“I felt very proud of our kids,” Brother Arambasich shared. “They did a fabulous job, [singing first to the friars] … then to their classmates. They received a standing ovation!” They also signed a copy of the song’s words, which will be framed and displayed in the school, Father Weiksnar said.

With Tradition as the cornerstone of Catholic education and the alma mater now in place, the students at St. Clement proudly sing their shared identity and values.

This article appeared in the November 2024 edition of The Catholic Telegraph Magazine. For your complimentary subscription, click here.