The Zen Garden

Perhaps the occasion arises now and then to add updates to our updates. This may occur in terms of making corrections. For example, a homily from Paschal Scotti we published recently included a transcription error claiming Pope St. John XXIII was the “first” of thirteen children. The dedicated historian, Fr. Paschal was quick to inform us that he had not said that, but rather had in fact said (correctly) that the pope had been “one of” thirteen, and not the eldest. Duly noted, et nostra culpa!

Other updates take the form of the discovery of additional information to previously published stories. We recently noted that monastic librarian Bobbie Stevens connected a note she had for many years from Fr. Damian Kearney to our article on “The Confederate in the Choir,” confirming the identity of William Dixon Horton, MD. Brother Sixtus Roslevich reported some time ago on the work Bobbie Stevens has been doing for the monastic community as its librarian. He wrote, “The old folks had a saying whenever a new person took over something, like a new-hire principal in a school: ‘A new broom sweeps clean,’ they would say. I think it makes for an appropriate introduction to this story. Roberta Stevens – affectionately known as Bobbie – in semi-retirement from Portsmouth Abbey and long identified with the library services of both the school and the monastery, recently brought a ‘new broom’ to the monastic library. She has segued from the School library to the monastic library, and this story begins with her. The monastic library proper is rarely visited by those outside the cloister, and perhaps in places is prone to the gathering of dust. A lot of cleaning has been going on since the summer, with Bobbie helping put our collections into better order.”

More recently, Bobbie’s sweeping and sleuthing uncovered that a Portsmouth Bulletin from 1973 included an announcement of the Daniel Sargent “mastership” honoring a faculty member in English. We recently published Sargent’s talk given to the School on “Galloping Time.” Bobbie’s work allows us to supplement that story with the following biographical background:

“The School is happy to announce the establishment of a mastership in English literature given by Mr. Daniel I. Sargent ‘42 in honour of his father, Daniel Sargent. The income from this generous gift, which comes to the School's endowment fund through the development program, is to be used to supplement the salary of a member of Portsmouth's English Department. The first recipient of the award, made for a three-year period, will be Mr. David R. McCarthy, who currently teaches two Sixth Form elective English courses on “The Romantic Mode”, medieval and modern, and on twentieth century literature. He also teaches a Fifth Form writing course and a Sixth Form elective for the Christian Doctrine Department on the Church's social teaching.

Abbot Matthew helping with a School “Telethon” in the early 1970’s

“Daniel Sargent is one of Portsmouth's oldest living friends, having been associated with the Monastery and School from their very beginnings. Born in Boston, Massachusetts on August 22, 1890, he was educated at Groton and Harvard from which he received his bachelor of arts degree in 1913 and his master's in 1914. In the ambulance service with the French Army in 1916, he was awarded the Croix de Guerre in the following year; later he rose to the rank of captain in the United States Army. From 1922 to 1936 he was a member of the faculty of Harvard University in the Department of History and Literature. A convert to Catholicism, Mr. Sargent is the author of numerous published works of poetry and prose on spiritual, literary and historical subjects. These span the years from 1915 to 1962 and include The Door (1922), Thomas More (1934), God's Ambuscade (1935), Catherine Tekakwitha (1936) and Christopher Columbus (1941). In 1953 the University of Notre Dame awarded him the honorary degree of doctor of law. A widower, Mr. Sargent makes his home in South Natick, Massachusetts. His last visit to Portsmouth was in the October of 1969, when it was heartening to have him and the late Cornelius C. Moore, friends of the School throughout its history, present at the Abbatial Blessing of Dom Matthew Stark.”

Discussion of renovating the Zen Garden came up at a visit of Abbot Matthew

with members of the class of 1976, including Tom Keough ’76, seated to his left

We also reported not long ago on the Zen Garden, the creation from the early 1960’s of Dom Hilary Martin (1907-1981), in a space adjacent to the Abbey Church and the monastery. Some members of the class of 1976 have taken an interest in renovating that space, as a gift to the monastery and school as their 50th Reunion approaches in 2026, the centennial of the founding of the school. Two members of that class recently visited the abbey on the Solemnity of All Saints Day, and got right to work with their clippers. Serendipitously, just inside the monastery from where they labored, was that week’s copy of The New York Times Book Review. In response to a question posed to Richard McGuire about the last great book he had read, the author of the graphic novel Here says, “[Artist Robert] Irwin’s approach was like a Zen monk, but a monk who grew up in Southern California, surfed, loved cars and won awards for swing dancing.” We can state, in fact, that our Dom Hilary was born in San Jose, in Northern California, but no records have surfaced yet about any love of cars, surfing or swing dancing which he may have harbored.

Chris Harty and Frank Tietje of the Class of 1976

at work in Zen Garden

During the 2-year construction of the elevator tower just next to the Zen Garden, adjustments were necessary to allow equipment, cranes and supplies to access the work site. Branches were pruned, several arbor vitae shrubs were uprooted and relocated, and many of the large rocks were stored nearby. With the ongoing work, the gravel path became essentially a gravel pit. With the completion of the elevator last May, several 1976 classmates gathered for breakfast in the Stillman Dining hall after Mass, and concocted some the preliminary plans for the restoration of the garden where several of these alums had gathered as schoolboys in between classes, though perhaps not for Zen Meditation. They included Christopher Harty, Francis J. Tietje, Thomas Keogh, and Hank Schmitt. In the ensuing months, a number of site visits have been made, a plan of action has been decided upon, and we look forward to reporting again as the work progresses, and updating the updates as necessary…