Page 5 - Priorities #61 2015-April/May

The Priory’s mission has always been to educate students as lifelong learners, help them to explore tools for the 21st century, find ways to ignite change in their personal 5
and professional environment, live as citizens of the world, be global stewards, and relish the diversity of student life.
Once here, the task at hand was to get permission from Archbishop Mitty to start a school and then find a site. I often mention to our parents that one of the comments from the Archbishops was “yes you can start a school but make sure it does not compete with my schools, it has to be small and expensive.” Father Egon looked at property in the Central Valley and Marin before a friend mentioned there was a ranch for sale in Portola Valley and he should take a look. The Gilson Ranch on Portola Road consisted of a ranch house, a small stable and 16 acres (the Priory today is 51 acres). Father Egon began, in 1956, the one year task of preparing the ranch house for the other six Monks and the first class of students – which totaled nine – and he did not have to worry about an enrollment cap.
There was no mail service in Portola Valley in 1956, so the Monks rented a post office box in Redwood City. An interesting note, because of the post office box and not knowing the exact geographical location, some friends in Hungary thought the Priory was far out in the wilderness and the Monks would be doing “missionary work.” Those reading Western novels asked many questions about cowboys, sheriffs, gold, jail and the lawless conditions of the “Wild West.” I find myself laughing at all of that right now but as we all know this was pre-Silicon Valley and the Priory for all practical purposes was a long way out from Palo Alto.
The last paragraph of the book says “The seven exiled refugee Hungarian Benedictine monks settled happily in their new home in Portola Valley, Califor- nia and opened their college preparatory school in 1957."
Their hearts were full of gratitude and joy. They thanked in fervent prayer the goodness of the Almighty God, who guided their footsteps from Russian occupied communist Hungary into the hospitable shores of the United States where they could continue their monastic life renewing the Benedictine motto “Ora et Labora;” they prayed and worked at Woodside Priory.
The Priory is an amazing “startup,” well ahead of the times and we continue to be thankful to the vision and perseverance of Father Egon and our Founding Fathers for blessing us with a location and school like no other.
Always We Begin Again,
Tim Molak Head of School