Portsmouth Abbey

2019 Works

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- Works
  
  Portsmouth Abbey, in its monks, oblates, and extended school community, is engaged in service to the community in a variety of ways. These works, commanded by Christ in his central commandment to love God and neighbor, are outlined in Benedict's Rule, Chapter Four, which provides an extensive catalogue of good works.
- September 2019
  
  OUR COMMON HOME
  
  Students recently began a fall term service internship program which includes assisting across Cory’s Lane at the Green Animals Topiary Garden. Their initial visit introduced them to the wide array of plantings present there, in their seasonal array and variation, and, most visibly, in their beauty. The Brayton family property, eventually bequeathed to the Newport Preservation Society, boasts now of an internationally known topiary, and remains part of the Society’s sites, visited annually by over 25,000 admirers. The Abbey’s connection reaches far back with the Green Animals, most notably in the close relationship with George and Mary Mendonca, friends of the Abbey who worked there and lived many years in the Caretaker’s House. Students encountered some of the visible remnants of their love and labor and experience the beauty of creation in this rare venue. Pope Francis in “Laudato Si” proposes, “…if we feel intimately united with all that exists, then sobriety and care will well up spontaneously.” This encounter with the beauty of the gardens just across the lane reminds us indeed o
  f the beauty of “our common home.”
  
  WHERE DOES THE FOOD GO?
  
  While not taking collections at Mass throughout the year, the monastery has for years quietly placed a basket for food donations at the main entrance of the church. One enters, and sees bags of groceries gradually collecting in this spot. What happens to this food? It is brought to the St. Vincent de Paul food pantry of St. Barnabas Church in Portsmouth. The parish maintains a food pantry which serves hundreds of our neighbors in need annually. Over the years, students and faculty have helped in transporting the gifts placed in our food basket to this pantry. The Rhode Island Food Bank notes that 33% of all recipients of food assistance statewide are children; 68% report of having to choose between medicine and food, 22% are or have family in poor health. Please consider dropping off some supplies on your next visit to the church.
  
  October 2019
  
  Portsmouth Abbey, in its monks, oblates, and extended school community, is engaged in service to the community in a variety of ways. These works, commanded by Christ in his central commandment to love God and neighbor, are outlined in Benedict's Rule, Chapter Four, which provides an extensive catalogue of good works.
  
  WE ARE "MY BROTHER'S KEEPER
  The relationship of the Abbey in its extended service commitment to My Brother’s Keeper (MBK) has been flourishing over the past several years. Work with MBK has been associated with Wednesday’s “Gameday” for Service Interns, so labelled by Miss Therese Thomas, a former faculty member at the School who initiated contact with the agency when MBK opened its facility in Dartmouth, Massachusetts in 2013. Portsmouth Abbey students were the first to regularly connect with MBK’s work in the Southcoast area, according to Josh Smith, director of the Dartmouth program. Students have been returning ever since, hefting furniture and “delivering the Love and Hope of Jesus Christ,” as the frequently echoed mission statement says. Dr. Marc Lavallee’s “Topics in Theology” classes begin their second year visiting the agency. This experience of “service learning” draws students into an active engagement in the ethical topics they explore in the classroom. The Confirmation program has also worked with MBK, and School dress down days have raised both awareness and funding for the agency’s work.
  
  Founders Jim and Terry Orcott, started the agency in 1988 in Taunton, Massachusetts, having been inspired by the film “God Bless the Child,” which deals with the struggles of homelessness. Seeking in prayer to discern how they might address poverty in their own community, the two discovered a variety of issues, and continued to be drawn toward the effort to provide for some basic needs. The agency soon grew to two large warehouse facilities and a fleet of vans and delivery trucks. MBK benefits from an army of volunteers, who truly make its work possible. Josh Smith often reminds volunteers that if they had not arrived to help that day, several families might well be spending additional nights sleeping on floors.
  
  One of the core messages the agency seeks to convey to all of its workers and volunteers is found in the image of the washing of Peter’s feet. Peter finds it very difficult to have his feet washed by Christ. It is a humbling but precious moment for him, calling forth an acceptance of his humanity, his weakness, and his need for Christ’s mercy. This moment in its essence is found again and again in the moments where the agency’s clients receive assistance. The agency distributes a crucifix at the end of each furniture delivery, with the repeated refrain that, “We are just the delivery people, but the Gift is from Him.”
  
  November 2019
  
  Portsmouth Abbey, in its monks, oblates, and extended school community, is engaged in service to the community in a variety of ways. These works, commanded by Christ in his central commandment to love God and neighbor, are outlined in Benedict's Rule, Chapter Four, which provides an extensive catalogue of good works.
  
  THE STAR KIDS CONNECTION
  
  Both the Monastery and the School have strong ties to The Star Kids Scholarship
  Program, based in Newport, beginning with its founder, Dr. Timothy Flanigan ‘75. Dr. Flanigan, an alumnus of the School and a deacon of the diocese of Providence, as well as an Abbey parent and member of our board of Regents, founded Star Kids in 2000, while working at the Rhode Island State Prison. In his work with substance-abusing women he, “witnessed the seemingly insurmountable struggles the families encountered, including addiction, unemployment, depressions, family disintegration, and homelessness – but their primary concern was their children. The need for a program in which children could escape this terrible cycle was self-evident…” (see the Star Kids website). Dr. Flanigan determined that he could best work to break the cycle of substance abuse in families by helping to supply a quality education and more direct support for their children. The Star Kids Scholarship Program was launched to address these at-risk children in the communities of Newport County, RI and Fall River and New Bedford, MA.
  
  Portsmouth Abbey School’s connection to the program’s directorship extends beyond its founder to its executive directorship. Suzanne Petronello, M.Ed., its first Executive Director, is a Past Parent of the School, with two children who are alumni. In 2011, Kathleen Burke, M.Ed., also a Past Parent and the wife of Patrick Burke, former Director of Development at the School, succeeded her as Executive Director of the Newport/Fall River Chapter, overseeing the growth of the program to 95 students by 2014. And Kathy Stark, formerly of the School’s Communications Office and a Past Parent as well, became the Executive Director in 2016. The School has served several Star Kids, and our students have joined Star Kids in several longstanding service events. These have included “Dinner and a Show,” in which Abbey students have invited Star Kids to dinner, followed by performances of the school plays. Star Kids and their families continue to appreciate the hospitality of Mr. Bragan and the drama department, enjoying the School’s winter musicals. The Abbey-Star Kids connection has also been manifest in an annual “Fun Day” in the fall, where Star Kids are invited to an afternoon of crafts, games, and treats. This has become a perennial favorite for the students, who have organized creative and engaging activities for the Star Kids. The School includes several Star Kids among its alumni and current students, further cementing our close relationship.
  
  December 2019
  
  Portsmouth Abbey, in its monks, oblates, and extended school community, is engaged in service to the community in a variety of ways. These works, commanded by Christ in his central commandment to love God and neighbor, are outlined in Benedict's Rule, Chapter Four, which provides an extensive catalogue of good works.
  
  THIRTY YEARS OF CLOTHE-A-CHILD
  
  St. Hugh's Dorm Raffle 2019
  
  Clothe-a-Child 2016
  
  Each December, for three decades now, the School community has raised funds to help provide for local families in need. The Clothe-A-Child program was initiated in 1990 by nurses Nancy Weida and Pam Gorman of the Infirmary staff. Working for years with the Students Against Destructive Decisions group, and eventually with all of the School’s dormitories, the two were able to incorporate an ever-growing segment of the student body, with faculty, staff, and families, as well as the monastery, joining in these efforts. The Clothe-A-Child fund has raised thousands each year, providing by now thousands of children with winter coats, as well as offering other needed supplies for Christmas time.
  
  This year’s overall student organizer, Maddie Knudson ’20, is helping orchestrate an array of fundraising events. She notes that, “It all comes together pretty quickly; it is a busy time of year!” In this hectic two weeks, the fundraising drive has elicited the creative side of our students, with events ranging from crepe breakfasts to pies-in-the-face. The School has witnessed dance-off competitions, winter dunk tanks, ice-bucket challenges and more. Pam Gorman tells a story from the 2013 drive: "I learned of a great sale online at Macy’s and decided to order $2,000 worth of coats at $20 apiece. I had trouble with the online order and had to call for customer service. The young man who assisted me was completely bowled over when I told him what we were doing. He gave me free overnight shipping and I couldn’t get him off the phone. He kept saying that it was an honor to help me and he was happy to be a small part of what was being done.” This year’s drive includes a raffle for Patriots tickets, a crepe breakfast, empanadas, a dorm dinner, a coffeehouse, and a dance – with other ad hoc events likely to crop up in the meanwhile!
  
  Recipients of the coats have included a wide range of local agencies, including the Salvation Army in Newport, RI, and Fall River, Mass., the Boys and Girls Club of Newport; Lucy's Hearth in Middletown (a transitional shelter for homeless women and their children); two elementary schools in Central Falls, RI; Job Corp. (a federally run school that provides job training for adolescents) in Exeter, RI; Hathaway School in Portsmouth; the Portsmouth Middle School; and the Martin Luther King Center, in Newport. The drive has been featured in local publications, such as the Portsmouth Patch and the Rhode Island Catholic, which reported in 2010 of the remarkable 487 children who were served by the drive that year. Ms. Gorrman noted: “I am wildly impressed by our community, and we feel incredibly fortunate to be a part of this special project. When we hear of local children who must share a coat with a sibling at this time of year when the weather is so frigid – one wearing the coat one day, and the sibling wearing the coat the next day – we realize what a difference our coats will make to underprivileged children in our area. We thank all who helped us this year: students, faculty, staff and parents, as well as the employees at the retail stores where we shopped who were so happy to assist us...” The thanks have continued, through another decade since then, and we hope this good work continues for many more!