Page 3 - Priorities #71

Dear Priory Community and Friends,
I am finishing this Priorities letter on Ash Wednesday–today our students heard the Parable of the Talents, learned about our Rebuilding Together fundraiser (Lenten Talents), for Diane Robinson and her family and received a one dollar bill as a symbol of the “talent” they need to multiply over the next 40 days to provide the funding for the renovations of the Robinson home on April 27.
As Father Martin mentioned in his talk about Lent, it is a perfect time for self-reflection, aspiring to our better selves, making an intentional effort to behave in a way that builds up the Priory community and the relationships that strengthen our core Benedictine values.
I keep in one of my file cabinets, a folder entitled Chapel Talks. It is the repository of things that have struck me as possibilities for a chapel talk to our students, faculty, and staff. Yesterday when I was looking for another folder I saw that one and decided to take a look at what I had accumulated and there I found–The Rule of Saint Benedict: Insights for the Ages. Two pages of “insights” that Saint Benedict wrote in his Rule meant to guide his followers in finding a meaningful life. I share some of those now:
Do not say to yourself “be perfect” but “be honest about what you are and you will come to know yourself and God.”
Self-revelation is necessary for spiritual growth.
Listen, learn and be open to one another.
Humility is the foundation of our relationship and our connectedness to others, our acceptance of ourselves...the more we know of ourselves, the gentler we will be with others.
It takes a great deal of time to learn all of the secrets of life...by ourselves.
Benedict’s wisdom and insights, written centuries ago, provide a renewed vision for our 21st-century lifestyle and guidelines for balancing priorities in Silicon Valley.
In January, the WASC (Western Association of Schools and Colleges) Accreditation team came to Priory for a three-day visit in which they sat in on classes, spoke with students, faculty, and reviewed our comprehensive Self Study. Their report was full of commendations of our school community, our Catholic and Benedictine identity, our academic program, our Board of Trustees and our school leadership, our outstanding faculty/staff and our “exceptional” financial health. We are elated with the results of their report and will continue to live out our Mission in a way that creates a culture and an environment where we always–Listen...with the ear of our heart.
After 29 years of dedicated service to the Priory, Al Zappelli will be retiring at the end of this school year (you will read an article about him in this issue). I have fond memories of when he would organize five open houses a year with 25 families in attendance at each. We would serve a full breakfast to entice them to apply! Al’s commitment to Priory expanded beyond his role as the Director of Admissions for 25 years. He could be seen virtually anywhere on campus and off performing a variety of duties from setting up tables and chairs for an event to making connections with an alum over a cup of coffee. His presence will certainly be missed, and I wish him only the best as he looks forward to spending quality time with his wife Peggy and their grandchildren. His legacy lives on in our current student body and the hundreds of alumni who he introduced to the Priory Way.
We are also excited about two new projects in the works. We will begin the renovation of our kitchen and dining hall as soon as school ends with a completion date of mid-September. We are also in the final permitting stages for six new campus housing units. They will be located on the Gambetta Lane side of the campus and include 2 two bedroom and 4 three bedroom units. Once finished we will provide 23 houses and 2 apartments for our faculty and staff–completion will be in May of 2020.
There is a gas station in Gauteng, South Africa where they write uplifting quotes on a chalkboard–some food for thought during our Lenten season of prayer, fasting and almsgiving:
Why do we rest in peace? Why don’t we live in peace too? May your choices reflect your hopes, not your fears.
I am a woman–what’s your superpower?
In a world where you can be anything–be kind.
Be who you needed when you were younger.
It’s better to walk alone than with a crowd going in the wrong direction. Fall in love with yourself.
As we approach spring and Easter, know that our monastic community remembers you in their prayer intentions every single day and to our Founding Monks who started the Priory in 1957, in an out of the way place called Woodside, later Portola Valley, we thank them from the bottom of our hearts.
Always We Begin Again, With Peace,
Tim Molak Head of School
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HEAD OF SCHOOL