The monastery invites one and all to join in a Mass of celebration of the monastery’s 100^th year, at 5:00 p.m. on Saturday, September 21. This extraordinary event will take place under a large tent to be set up on the Holy Lawn. The event will be enhanced by the presence of alumni at Reunion Weekend, with the full school to be in attendance. On our website notes some of our school’s history. Our founder, Fr. Leonard Sargent (pictured at left), was an American-born member of the English Benedictine Congregation. He was later assisted by another late American vocation, Fr. John Hugh Diman - both older converts to Roman Catholicism. Fr. Hugh was instrumental in starting the monastery's school seven years later. Eventually called Portsmouth Priory, and later elevated to the status of Abbey, this monastery represented the early entry of English Benedictine communites in the United States, together with Saint Anselm's in Washington D.C., and later Saint Louis Abbey in Saint Louis, Missouri. 

The school’s various orientations to start the year include one on Spiritual Life for new students. Headmaster Dan McDonough spoke at this first Sunday session on the significance of prayer here at Portsmouth. The monks, he told them, are praying for them every day, and hopefully the students realize and feel that support. “And while God is indeed everywhere, we believe that He has a special presence in the church in which you are sitting. Try to carve out time and to consider the church a true place of refuge. Prayer is a conversation, between you and God,” he said, encouraging them to pray for friends and for their own troubles. Here, in the tabernacle, God is present: “consider visiting Him, listening to Him, to actually give God the chance to do something for you.” Fr. Michael echoed these comments, “It is a big part of our education here, to learn about our relation to God. It is something to work on every day.” Fr. Michael continued this exhortation for the entire school in his homily at the Mass for the opening of the school year. You can find his full homily here.

Students, monks, and faculty participated in array of summer programs, such as the Portsmouth Institute’s Oxford Summer Programme, the School’s Lourdes trip, and “The Rome Trip,” led by Peter and Michelle O’Connor. The Oxford Summer Programme included participants both from Portsmouth and from Saint Louis Priory School, developing the links connecting these two monasteries. Combining early morning study with afternoon exploration, the students became familiar with the storied landmarks of the city of Oxford, making side trips to London, Stratford-upon-Avon, and elsewhere. The students were able to stay at Saint Benet's Hall, the Benedictine college at Oxford, established by Ampleforth Abbey in 1897. Meanwhile, Peter and Michelle O'Connor, assisted by Fr. Edward Mazuski, led an energetic group of students - who must "love to walk," as Mr. O'Connor requires - through some of the seemingly endless religious and cultural sites in the Eternal City. Students are also able to visit Monte Cassino and Subiaco, personally encountering these founational places in the Benedictine tradition. The Rome Humanities Program has grown into a staple of the School's summer offerings, with returning students carrying back a greatly deepened awareness of the vital history of the Catholic Church and a tangible sense of Benedictine origins. The Lourdes Pilgrimage (more on this here), started through the generous dedication of Hugh J. Markey '40, continued its work with Ampleforth College, spending a week in Lourdes assisting pilgrims in need. Collectively, these programs make a notable impact on students returning from the summer, an impact filtering into both academic experience and the spirtual life of the community.