Page 6 - Priorities #20 2002-October

What were the early years like?
Partly ideal, partly difficult.
When we started the school, the revolution
broke out in Hungary. When I went for donations, they said, "Oh, Father, we are so sorry; we just gave to the Hungarian refugees."
The fathers and the few students formed one family. Our European discipline was too hard for our American students. For six years, we had classes on Saturdays. The fathers had to learn and respect the leisurely lifestyle of Californians. We had no money, and everything was needed: classrooms, a library, laboratories. A converted Army barrack served many purposes for years.
What were the difficult parts of the early years of the Priory?
For the fathers, it was difficult to resume community life after years going our separate ways. We had three doctors of sacred theology, one doctor in biology, one doctor in philosophy and one doctor in atomic physics. Some also had degrees in education and music. Five were teaching in universities, colleges or divinity schools. It was not an easy decision to return to teaching high school. If we had had the money, we would have opened only the monastery.
The rewards were moral and material support. The Americans, with great generosity, were helping us. In the second year, the parents asked us to raise the tuition. We asked so little, they said, people would not believe their children were getting a quality education. Real support came when our graduates were accepted in good universities.
Is the school still a source of satisfaction?
I am very pleased that the school is doing so well, that it has so many fine students and such a reputation. Finally, the school is making (enough) money! I am sorry we have so few monks.
–Gwynne Young
What brought you to California?
We were seven fathers from the same monastery scattered all over the United States. I came to the West because the population was growing, and they needed teachers and priests. There were no Benedictines in this part of the state. I thought we would have a better chance in this open Western territory.
I drove to San Francisco and went to the archbishop and obtained his permission to open a monastery and school.
How did you find the land?
It was the cheapest property I found. The price of most land was between $6,000 and $8,000. Here we started on 18 acres, at the price of $3,000 per acre. That was unusually inexpensive. It’s a good location. Portola Valley was not yet incorporated. If we had had money, we could have bought all the valley.
We borrowed the money for the down payment from Benedictine monasteries, from friends. Later we got a bank loan. We survived on loans on loans.
On the early years: “Our European discipline was too hard for our American students. For six years, we had classes on Saturdays. The fathers had to learn and respect the leisurely lifestyle of Californians.”
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