Monthly Musings
REVERENCE FOR GOD AND THE HUMAN PERSON
RESPECT FOR LEARNING AND ORDER
RESPONSIBILITY FOR THE SHARED EXPERIENCE OF COMMUNITY LIFE
This is part of an ongoing series of informal communications with Portsmouth Abbey School's constituents. Parents, alumni/ae, and friends have all expressed an interest in hearing more about our school, more often. It is meant to be one element among a number of activities designed to keep you better informed about the School, the Monastery and our community.
Right Reverend Caedmon Holmes Receives Abbatial Blessing: The Right Reverend Dom Caedmon Holmes, O.S.B., was blessed as Abbot on October 11, 2007, by The Most Reverend Thomas J. Tobin, Bishop of Providence, at a Mass celebrated in the Abbey Church of St. Gregory the Great.
Also in attendance and concelebrating the Mass were The Most Reverend George H. Pearce, S.M., Archbishop Emeritus of Suva, The Most Reverend Ernest B. Boland, O.P., Bishop Emeritus of Bultan, and The Right Reverend Dom Richard Yeo, Abbot President, along with nine visiting abbots, two priors, and numerous priests from across the USA and England, including the Reverend Dom Luke Travers '75 and the Reverend Catesby "Chris" Clay '92. The Portsmouth Abbey monastic community also joined in the pageantry and ceremony.
The special Liturgy began with a procession from the Monastery into the Church, which was filled with the Portsmouth Abbey School community as well as Abbot Caedmon's family, friends and well-wishers. The Very Reverend Dom Ambrose Wolverton welcomed Bishop Tobin, and readings were given by Dr. Mary Beth Klee P '04, Portsmouth Abbey Board of Regents Vice Chairman, and Mr. Robert Magnuson, an oblate of Portsmouth Abbey.
Dom Julian Stead '43 and Dom Ambrose presented Abbot Caedmon to the Bishop for the Abbatial Blessing. Following the questioning by the Bishop, Abbot Caedmon prostrated himself on the Church floor, facing the altar, and the congregation sang the Litany of the Saints. The Bishop then presented Abbot Caedmon with the Holy Rule, the ring, and the pastoral staff, all symbols of his new roles and responsibilities.
At the conclusion of the Mass, Abbot Caedmon thanked Bishop Tobin and the other dignitaries for honoring Portsmouth Abbey and School with their presence and participation. He explained that the motto on his Coat of Arms (a verse from the Fifty-first Psalm that says, "Create in me a clean heart, O God") was to remind him to keep praying to God, who alone has the wisdom and power to make the heart fit to enter God's presence, the goal of the monastic life and the deepest desire of all our hearts. The Mass was followed by a celebratory luncheon in the Stillman Dining Hall.
Abbot Caedmon joined the Portsmouth community as a lay teacher of Classics in 1965. He entered the Monastery in 1969, made his first profession of monastic vows in 1970, and continued to teach Classics for several years. He later began teaching Christian Doctrine, and from 1979 taught primarily CD. He served as head of the Christian Doctrine Department from 1992 until 1997, when he took over as head of the Classics Department at the retirement of Peter Harris. Abbot Caedmon then resumed teaching Classics full-time until he was named Prior Administrator in March 2005 and served in that capacity until his election as Abbot on August 22, 2007.
View photos of the Blessing of the Abbot and luncheon.
Reunion '07: October 12-14 saw more than 250 Abbey alumni and friends on campus for various events in celebration of Reunion '07. Friday night was busy with Class Dinners celebrated at various locations throughout Aquidneck Island. Saturday began with classroom visits by alumni to current School courses. Brother Joseph staged an informative session on the wind turbine, making a quick turn-around following the turbine tour to become hay ride chauffeur. Father Damian held a special "Back-to-School" class which drew a crowd to the McGuire Fine Arts Center, including Jim Shriver '45, a classmate of Dom Damian's who was on his first return visit to Portsmouth since graduation!
Alumni Steve Cunningham '72, Joe Gallagher '77, Marchi Lopez-Linus, M.D., '87, Brian Walsh '97 and Lisa Hoffmann '02 held a panel discussion for the Sixth Form entitled, "Individual Choices in a Time of Challenge," which concluded with questions from the students. The lively discussion was moderated by Cliff Hobbins. The Diman Club luncheon was a hit, as alumni who have already celebrated their 50th year out of Portsmouth Abbey attended lunch with Headmaster Jim DeVecchi and his wife, Deb. Paul Jestings, director of operations, led a "green features" tour of our stunning new St. Brigid's dormitory. Lunch on Saturday was a terrific New England clambake, complete with live music, which was enjoyed by all. Some alumni then headed to the athletic fields to cheer on the Ravens in various sports events; others stepped aboard the Newport Touring Train for a special ride along the western shoreline of Aquidneck Island.
The evening culminated with a cocktail party in the Dom Bede Gorman Squash and Healey Fitness Center, followed by a festive dinner under the Reunion Tent. After presentations by Jim DeVecchi, newly elected Abbot Caedmon and Assistant Headmaster for Development Patrick Burke '86, guests gathered for class photos and took to the dance floor. The weekend wrapped up with Mass and brunch on Sunday.
Thank you for coming back; we truly enjoyed hosting you all! View photos of Class Dinners and Reunion Activities here.
Faculty Art Exhibit Offers Impressive Collection of Work: Artists and Educators, the current exhibit in the McEvoy Gallery, showcases the depth and breadth of talent that can be found in Portsmouth's art program. Head of Visual Arts Colleen Dolan Sanchez teams up with fellow art teachers Dom Gregory Havill, David Barnes and Dan McManus for an impressive show of imagination and skill.
Mrs. Sanchez's work, a compilation of black and white photographs focusing on equine and marine subjects, is graphically striking and holds the eye with its sharp contrast and inventive composition. Mrs. Sanchez, who holds a B.F.A. from the University of Kansas and an M.A.T. from Webster University, teaches Art 1, Art 2, Advanced Art, History of Art (AP) and Photography.
Dom Gregory treats the viewer to a look at his bronze studies. The photos of his figurative plasters range from the classical, with finely rendered busts, to the ironic portrait of a man being hit with a ball, to the interpretive figures of man rooted to the earth but searching for transcendence. Dom Gregory holds degrees in art and sculpture from Beloit College, the University of Wisconsin, and Michigan State University, and has been a professional sculptor for more than 30 years. In addition, he taught sculpture at California State University (Humboldt), at Alma College, and at Southern Connecticut State University.
David Barnes, in his paintings, reveals a mastery of several media from his fluid charcoal portrait to his painterly scenes of Rome applied to copperplate, and in his smaller oils featuring glimpses of hurricane devastation. Mr. Barnes holds a B.F.A. from the University of New Hampshire and an M.F.A. from the University of Massachusetts.
Photography teacher Dan McManus, a graduate of Massachusetts College of Fine Art, presents us with a haunting installation consisting of eight pieces involving photo transfer on metal and the use of antique toys as subject matter. Mr. McManus combines the photographic process with painterly techniques to create textural abstractions and ambiguities in this captivating series.
Don't miss this extraordinary look into the talent and experience of Portsmouth Abbey's art faculty, on exhibit now through January in the McGuire Arts Center's McEvoy Gallery.
Parents' Weekend: This Friday, October 19, Portsmouth Abbey School will begin a two-day Parents' Weekend. Parents will come to the School from all over the world to meet with their children's teachers and experience a "slice of life" here on campus. In addition to parent/teachers conferences, parents will be able to: attend classes with their children; watch athletic practices and games; watch a Performing Arts preview; listen to presentations on summer trips to Europe; attend the dedication of St. Brigid's dormitory; and take part in a session on "The State of Portsmouth Abbey," as presented by Headmaster Jim DeVecchi. For specific times and activities, please consult the schedule. We look forward to welcoming all parents to School for two days of fun activities and helpful information that will provide an in-depth look at on-campus life. We'll see you this weekend!
National Hispanic Scholar Award to Katherine Pereira '08: Sixth Former Katherine Pereira has been recognized by the College Board's National Hispanic Recognition Program (NHRP) as a Scholar.
The NHRP, a College Board Program, was initiated in 1983 to identify academically outstanding Hispanic high school students based on their PSAT/NMSQT®/PAA™ test scores and grade point averages. Each year, the NHRP identifies more than 4,000 of the highest-scoring high school juniors who took the PSAT/NMSQT and designated themselves as Hispanic (out of the more-than 196,000 so-designated students nationwide who take the tests). The nationwide selection includes U.S. students as well as students from Puerto Rico, the U.S. Virgin Islands, Guam, and U.S. citizens attending international and APO schools. In addition to qualifying PSAT/NMSQT scores and ethnicity, Katherine had to have a cumulative GPA of 3.5 or above to be recognized as a "Scholar." Congratulations, Katherine!
New College Counseling Center Opens: The newly expanded and refurbished College Counseling Center is open for business! The new space, located on the second floor of the Administration Building, features a resource library, computers, a conference table, and comfortable furniture for students to spend their free time perusing college materials.
"We are very pleased to have this new space," said Director of College Counseling Mary McDonald. "With a growing library of guide books, "how-to" books on every aspect of the college search and application process, and college view books and catalogues, as well as several computers, we now have an area where students can research colleges and work on applications. There is also ample space for students to meet with college admission representatives. In addition, Christy Johnson, our new assistant, is available to greet students and visitors, answer questions, arrange appointments, and assist in processing college applications. We feel that having a College Counseling Center that is both inviting and functional will ensure that students feel comfortable with and supported by our team." View photos of the new College Counseling Center.
Annual Fund News: The inaugural Class Agent Appreciation Dinner was held on Friday, October 12, 2007. Class Agents ranging from 1941 to 2003 were in attendance and enjoyed a lovely evening on campus. The highlight of the night was the presentation of the newly established McShane Cup, by Annual Fund Chairman John Phelan '80. The award is named in memory of Gordon McShane '41, in honor of Mr. McShane's decades-long dedication to the Annual Fund and his role as a Class Agent. The McShane Cup will be presented to the Class Agent from the class who boasts the highest-percent participation at the close of each fiscal year. This year the Cup was awarded to Hugh Tovar, Class Agent for the Class of 1941 whose class closed last fiscal year with 82% participation. The recipients of the Elliot Cup, Headmaster's Award, Raven Cup, Chairman's Cup, and Class of 1992 Award were also announced at the dinner.
Model U.N. to Compete at Brown University: Students from the Abbey will participate in an upcoming Model U.N. to be held at Brown University over the weekend of November 9-11, where they will represent the countries of Indonesia and Finland. In this challenging yet rewarding experience, which simulates the United Nations, each student is assigned to a different committee that, over the three days, tackles two or three issues facing those nations. Following the Model U.N., each student must author a position paper that reflects the view held by the country he or she represented on that particular issue, and how that country dealt with the issue. Model U.N. is great opportunity, for students to learn about a country from a perspective different from their own and to educate themselves about important issues facing that nation. Some 700 high school students from around the USA will compete at the Brown Model U.N. Dr. Fred Zilian serves as Model U.N. advisor.
Development Information: If you're looking for the most tax-effective gift to make to Portsmouth Abbey School, your individual retirement account (IRA) may very well be the best choice; however, time is running out on this opportunity as the Pension Protection Act of 2006 is set to expire on December 31, 2007. If you would like to make a gift from your retirement account, provide the letter found here to your IRA administrator to get the process started.
The Pension Protection Act of 2006 presents a new giving opportunity. The law allows individuals aged 70½ or older to make gifts using funds transferred directly from their IRAs. Furthermore, you will not have to pay taxes on the amounts transferred. You can transfer any amount you desire up to $100,000 on or before December 31, 2007. The benefits are many, but to name a few: the transfer counts toward your minimum required distribution as long as you have not yet received your 2007 distribution; the transfer generates neither taxable income nor a tax deduction, so you will receive the benefit even if you do not itemize your tax deductions; and you can witness the difference your philanthropic dollars make to Portsmouth Abbey School. If you have any questions about this or other gift vehicles, please contact our Development Office at 401-643-1307.
Alfonso Ossorio '34 Exhibit in St. Thomas More Library: The work of alumnus and renowned artist Alfonso Ossorio '34 is currently on display in the St. Thomas More Library. The exhibit features a sampling of the 45 pieces that were gifted to the School from the Ossorio Foundation in 2003 and are now part of the School's permanent collection. The collection includes a range of the artist's work from his representational period in the 30s to his surrealistic and abstract pieces later created in the style of his friend Jackson Pollack, from woodcut to oil painting and multimedia sculpture.
Portsmouth was one of the institutions at which Alfonso acquired the formation which was to make him a leading figure in the artistic world of the twentieth century. The Ossorio Foundation was established after his death in 1990 to insure that Alfonso's artistic reputation would be preserved. The Foundation, located in Southampton, Long Island, served as a place to view a representative sampling of Alfonso¹s work between exhibits, as well as to store the thousands of artifacts, drawn, painted or composed during the long span of his life.
In 1930 Alfonso Ossorio was the first of three younger sons of the Ossorio family from the Philippines to enroll in the Portsmouth Priory School. From his entry as a Third Former, Alfonso quickly demonstrated his intellectual gifts, placing third in the Honor Roll and contributing poetry of a high order to The Raven, the School newspaper, which also served as a literary journal.
Alfonso was fortunate in having John Benson, a recent convert to Catholicism, as his art instructor for his formative years. Benson had been associated with the School from its inception and began what soon became a flourishing art department, even though only on a part-time basis, because art was considered more as an activity than a recognized academic discipline. Benson was deeply influenced by Eric Gill's theories of art, and in many ways he resembled him, both physically and philosophically. Both were intellectuals, both were recognized as leading exponents of work in stonecutting, lettering, calligraphy, sculpturing of bas-reliefs, and composition of prints. Religion, too, played a dominant role in the lives of both men, directly affecting their art and their lifestyle. A glance at their work reveals many resemblances, both in their subjects and in their method of composition. Alfonso was drawn to the artistic theory and style of Eric Gill as mediated through John Benson.
In addition to this display of the artist's work, original Ossorio paintings, prints and sculpture can be found throughout the Portsmouth Abbey campus.
Save Time for Abbey Players' American Clock: Saturday, November 10, and Sunday, November 11, the Abbey Players will present the stage production of Arthur Miller's moving play, American Clock, which originally premiered at the Spoleto Festival in South Carolina in 1980, and was staged in New York City shortly thereafter. The play shines a hard light on the devastating effect of the Great Depression on all Americans, from shoeshine boys to stockbrokers. Inspired by the epic documentary Hard Times by Studs Terkel, the play focuses on members of a well-to-do Manhattan family struggling to hold on to their dignity as they are forced to move into more modest quarters with their Brooklyn relatives. One of Miller's later plays, American Clock expounds upon the playwright's signature theme of family unity in the face of extreme adversity. Don't miss the Abbey Players' unforgettable production of this haunting work by one of America's greatest playwrights, under the direction of Head of Performing Arts Jay Bragan and Technical Director Dom Joseph Byron. See photos of the cast and stage crew hard at work.
Admissions News: The Admission Office will be hosting prospective student receptions in the following cities at the end of this month and in November: Greenwich, CT; Plymouth, MA; and Wellesley, MA. See schedule below. Please call the Admissions Office if you would like to attend any of these events, or RSVP to rsvp@portsmouthabbey.org.
Upcoming Receptions:
Greenwich Parents and Admissions, Tuesday, October 30th at the home of Creighton and Anne Condon '73, P '07, '10.
Cape Cod Parents and Admissions, Sunday, November 4th at the home of Rick and Margaret Holden P '08.
Boston Reception, Wednesday, November 7th, The State Room, 60 State Street, Boston. Hosted by Chuck '77 and Carla Kenahan and Tim '74 and Kathleen Cunningham P '08,'09,'11.
Boston Parents and Admissions, Sunday, November 11th at the home of T.J. and Kristin Hughes P '08.
Abbot's Reception, Wednesday, December 5th, New York Yacht Club, 37 West 44th Street, New York. Hosted by Don Dowd '84 and Gregg Dietrich '74.
Admissions Open House Reminder: The Admissions Open House is Saturday, October 27. Please call by October 24th to register: 401-643-1248.
Upcoming School Events:
Thursday, October 25 - 12th International Student Dinner, Stillman Dining Hall
Saturday, October 27 - Admissions Open House
Fri.-Sat., November 9-11 - Model U.N., Brown University
Sat.-Sun., November 10-11 - The Abbey Players Present: American Clock
Monday, November 12 - Headmaster's Run
Saturday, November 17 - Term exams end; Thanksgiving Recess begins
Monday, November 26 - Thanksgiving Recess ends.
Answer to September Question of the Month: Since the founding of Portsmouth's English Benedictine Congregation by Dom Leonard Sargent, how many monks (including Dom Leonard) have made their profession of monastic vows for Portsmouth? Since 1915, when Dom Leonard Sargent professed for Portsmouth, 41 monks have made their solemn profession to Portsmouth Abbey, the most recent being Dom Gregory Havill, on February 2, 2006.
October Question of the Month: When and how did the "Holy Lawn" come to be? Please email your answers to communications@portsmouthabbey.org.
We Welcome Your Input: If you have questions, comments or ideas for Monthly Musings, please send them to the School's Communications Department at communications@portsmouthabbey.org .
|
|
Jim De Vecchi
Headmaster |
Annual Archive
2003-04 Musings
2004-05 Musings
2005-06 Musings
2006-07 Musings
