School Life
Chapel and Spiritual Life

A Bestseller of a Life Story

Rev. Angelo V. Chatmon inspires students to make good decisions as they live out the stories of their lives
As he raised a small, red ball-point pen above his head, the Rev. Angelo V. Chatmon repeated slowly three times the phrase he wanted every Trinity student to remember: “The pen that is writing the story of your life is in your hands.”

Chatmon is university pastor and director of church relations at Virginia Union University on Richmond’s north side, and he spoke at Chapel on the morning of Monday, October 21, delving deeply into the analogy of life as a story one writes for him or herself. 

“At some point, you become the author of your own story when you become responsible for the decisions you make” he said, offering students three specific guidelines to ensure that their life stories become ones they would be proud to read decades later. 

“First, surround yourself with good editors,” he said, “people, like the faculty and administration here at Trinity, who have your best interests at heart.”

“Number two, minimize bad storylines in your journey. There are going to be some times when you’re not doing so well. Put a period to it as quickly as possible… and move on to the next sentences of your life story.”

“And finally, make God a part of your story formation. I’m not trying to tell you what your religion should be,” he said, “but develop a devotional life for yourself where you can get in touch with a source outside the world that can influence some of the decisions you make, who knows what your complete potential is.”

Trinity students responded enthusiastically to Rev. Chatmon’s engaging and accessible message, giving him a standing ovation.

“I look forward to hearing about the ‘bestsellers’ that will come forth from Trinity Episcopal School,” Rev. Chatmon concluded. “Thank you all for allowing me to be in your energy and your presence today. I will go away from this moment even better than I was!”

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Each Monday the school gathers together with a guest speaker, faculty member or student speaker to engage with issues around spiritual life, societal participation and character development. Guest speakers from a broad range of spiritual traditions are invited to create opportunities for inter-faith education and dialog. Students, teachers and guests share their life experiences that may range from community service to mission travel to mindfulness.

Learn more about Chapel & Spiritual Life at Trinity by visiting trinityes.org/chapel.
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