Page 4 - Priorities #13 2000-July

Benedictine Letter
Dean of Students Russell Shaw is leaving WPS for Pennsylvania, where his wife will pursue rabbinical studies. Father Martin asked Russell to use this forum to discuss his perception of Benedictine life on this campus. John Provost, formerly head of the Theology Department, is the new Dean of SCtudents.
all me the Wandering Jew. After leaving my work as a legislative assistant to a
congressman in Washington, DC, I
worked first for Voyageur Outward Bound School in Minnesota, then for Thornton Friends School, a Quaker school in Maryland, and finally for the past three years at a Benedictine Catholic school in California called Woodside Priory.
Each of these experiences has helped me to grow spiritually in different ways, and perhaps ironically, each of these jobs has given me a clearer sense of what it means to be a Jew.
I still vividly remember my day of interviews to be the Priory’s Dean of Students. At the time, I didn’t know the difference between an abbot or a prior, a FatheroraBrother,aJesuitoraBenedictine. But Father Martin put me at ease with his first interview question—"So, how does it feel to be sitting in an office in Silicon Valley being interviewed by two men in black dresses?"
During my time at the Priory, I have come to cherish our weekly chapel meetings, to love and respect the monastic community, to value the Rule of St.Benedict. Ihavealsodiscoveredimportant parallels between Jewish and Benedictine practices and ideals, and these have helped me to be a better Jew.
The rule of St. Benedict begins with the exhortation, "Listen, with the ear of your heart." Brother Edward teaches that this means "to listen in a way that you can be changed by what you hear."
Significantly, Judaism’s central prayer, known as the Shema, also beginswithacalltolisten. This idea of listening, and listening in such an honest and open way, resonates with me and is an important foundation of my own faith.
During my first mass at the Priory,Ifeltlikeaninterloper. The symbolism, the ritual, the music all felt unfamiliar and somewhat alienatingtome. Andyet,Isoon
begantorecognizelandmarks. Theblessingofthe wine and bread (in the form of communion wafers) and the ritual hand-washing all parallel the sabbath ritualsmywifeandIperformeachFridaynight. And the blessing at the end of the mass, "May the Lord bless you and keep you..." is the same blessing that is recited by rabbis in Hebrew in synagogues the world over.
Perhaps more important than the symbolism is the way the Benedictine definition of hospitality pervades thiscampus. InChapelwesometimessingthat"All are Welcome," and this translates into an environment where each spiritual journey is supported. Individuality is honored at school retreats. Diverse and unfiltered voices speak in Chapel. Students find opportunities to connect with God in their own ways during reflection walks in theology class. In these and other ways, Priory encourages and nurtures each person’s spiritual search, whatever its roots.
Andsowheredoesthisleaveme? Afterthree transformational years at the Priory, I leave this magical campus in Portola Valley and take a piece of it with me. I’ll find a new school on a new coast, and yet my work will be forever informed by the spirit of St.Benedict. Ifeelblessedtohavebeenchangedby my time at the Priory, to "begin again" with a clearer sense of who I am and what is important to me.
Russell Shaw
Former Dean of Students
I discovered important parallels between Jewish and Benedictine practices and ideals. These have helped me to be a better Jew.