Page 3 - Priorities #72

Dear Priory Community,
With graduation festivities still barely behind us, we are elated to see the Class of 2019, one of our largest graduating classes, enter the next stage of their lives with a Priory diploma in hand. We are very proud of what they have accomplished; the friends they have made while here; their living out our Benedictine values and its influence on their daily lives; their true affection for the teachers, who have guided and served them in their educational journey; and their love for our Monks, who touch their hearts and souls each day.
It was a warm homecoming for commencement speaker Mark Lukach– former Priory teacher, coach, and now a bestselling author to address our graduates. Mark’s address was an inspiring reflection of his years at the Priory, colleagues who influenced him, and words of Benedictine wisdom for our Seniors and their families. The Priory made a huge impact on Mark as a young teacher and father.
This year, several faculty and staff members were recognized for their
years of service at our annual Faculty and Staff Appreciation Luncheon that
was wonderfully hosted by our parent volunteers. Lauren Donovan, Wei Kelly,
Father Matthew Leavy, O.S.B., Korinn Myers, Adam Siler, and Ali Shah were
all recognized for 10 years; Bob Bessin, Yvonne Faisal, and Maria Garcia were
recognized for 15 years and received the prestigious Saint Benedict Medal;
Reed Sullivan was honored for an amazing 20 years; and Al Zappelli was toasted as he leaves the Priory after 29 years. We truly thank each of them for their continued commitment and dedication to the Priory and making it a place like no other.
In early June, we were saddened to hear of the passing of Father William Sullivan, O.S.B. He was a pivotal member of the Priory community as he served in several roles over the years as the Prior, President, Headmaster, and teacher from 1985-1998. Father William will always be remembered for his sense of humor, a keen knack for storytelling and his infamous yearly Lobster Dinners auctioned off at the Gala. Additional information is available in the memoriam section of this issue. May he rest in peace.
Our exciting campus facility upgrades continue with the renovation and transformation of our dining hall and kitchen. Work began in early June and when completed in October, we will have a whole new look inside, and a new outdoor dining patio in the back. What will remain the same is the stunning view of Windy Hill. Our next phase of campus housing–six units–for faculty and staff, is in the permitting process and we hope to begin this fall and finish in summer 2020. It has been a busy five years for on-campus construction, but with each completed project we are able to better serve our students and faculty with attractive, adaptable spaces for all learning modalities that compliment our Benedictine values.
The theme for this year was Something Old, Something New, and at graduation, I mentioned that our history is something old, but our vision is something new, our five Benedictine values are something old with a twist of something new, our high school graduates years are now something old, but college is something new. Our Monks are NEVER something old, they are always something new and priceless.
The Monks and I extend our grateful appreciation to Mike Calbert who steps down as Board chair. Mike provided the Priory the leadership and guidance needed during our Monastic and Governance transitions over the past two years.
I also took some words of wisdom from the yearbook, each senior has a page and on some of the pages are pictures and a quote–I think you will enjoy these:
• Life is a lot like jazz, it is best when you improvise
• A ship in harbor is safe but that is not what ships are built for
• Who is Lulu and why are we bringing her lemons?
• Shorter people are more down to earth
• Noah’s ark was built by amateurs and the Titanic by professionals–never sell yourself short!
I hope your summer is filled with family and friends and provides some time away from your work life. We look forward to welcoming all our new students and families in August, as, Always We Begin Again.
Pax,
Tim Molak Head of School
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HEAD OF SCHOOL