Faculty
Headmaster
Eric Bradley
Eric Bradley has the privilege of serving as the Founding Headmaster of Chesterton Academy of Blessed Michael McGivney. Mr. Bradley earned his bachelor’s degree in theology, philosophy, and English from Boston College and his master’s degree in philosophy from Holy Apostles College and Seminary. He has spent seventeen years teaching multiple subjects in Catholic high schools, has received the Summa Scholar Commended Teacher Award numerous times, and has served as the theology department chair in a local Catholic high school for nine years.
A convert to the Catholic faith, Mr. Bradley is deeply devoted to Catholic education and evangelization, and is eager to help build a thriving Catholic, classical school in the New Haven area.
A lifelong Connecticut resident, he and his wife currently live in East Haven with their three sons, the oldest of whom plans to attend Chesterton in the fall as a member of the founding class.
Mr. Bradley is excited to be teaching theology, the queen of the sciences, along with ancient philosophy and ancient history this founding year.
Instructors
Blaine Billings | Full-time Faculty
Blaine Billings is honored to form part of the foundational faculty of the Chesterton Academy of Blessed Michael McGivney. A native of South Carolina, he earned bachelor's degrees in mathematics, computer science, and Spanish from the College of Charleston. From there, he went on to obtain his master's degree in linguistics at the University of Hawai‘i at Mānoa where he is soon to complete his doctorate in the same field. After researching diverse disciplines for more than a decade, being awarded various national and international grants and fellowships, and benefiting from collaborative, community-based fieldwork, he is excited to share with the next generation his passion for education and learning directed ultimately and most importantly at the pursuit of God.
Mr. Billings is a convert to Catholicism, having been called and convinced by the goodness, truth, and beauty of our ancient faith. Heartfully dedicated to living out the joy of the Holy Spirit, he looks forward to entering a position where the call to live the gospel life is as explicit as it is implicit. He along with his wife and baby boy are moving from the Carolinas where they have spent most of their life, and they are excited to become part of the flourishing New Haven community. Mr. Billings will have the honor of teaching this first year across disciplines as varied and wide-ranging as his interests in the subject areas of Euclidean geometry, astronomy, Latin, and ancient literature.
Alex Hodgkinson | Music Instructor
British organist, conductor, and teacher Alex Hodgkinson serves as Director of Music at St. Theresa’s Church, Trumbull, Connecticut - the largest and one of the busiest churches in the Diocese of Bridgeport. He leads a vibrant music program made up of the Parish Choir, Children's Choir, and Junior Schola, and also teaches at the parish school.
Following an organ scholarship at Ely Cathedral, Mr. Hodgkinson read Music at the University of Oxford. There he was Organ Scholar of Keble College and spent a year as Acting Organ Scholar of New College. Mr. Hodgkinson was successively Head of Academic Music at Repton School and Director of Chapel Music at Marlborough College. He was subsequently appointed Director of Music at Christ’s Hospital, one of the UK's most historic and prestigious schools. He led the large music department, ran several choirs, oversaw the comprehensive restoration of the Chapel organ, and developed an ongoing partnership with the English Chamber Orchestra. Mr. Hodgkinson relocated to the US in 2023 to assume his current role.
As a conductor, organist, pianist, and composer, Mr. Hodgkinson has featured on CD recordings and on BBC Radio 3 & 4, and has toured across Europe. He has directed choral courses in the UK and Asia, and, in 2018, co-founded the Hackney Choral Course, a singing week for young people in North London.
Mr. Hodgkinson is a prizewinning Fellow of the Royal College of Organists and was awarded the Silver Medal of the Worshipful Company of Musicians. He is Co-Dean of the Greater Bridgeport AGO Chapter and a regular columnist and reviewer for The American Organist magazine.