New Student Center Interior (ikon.5 architects)

The School held its Class Reunions this past weekend, featuring the 5 and 10 year classes, with the earliest reunion group reaching back 65 years. On Friday, September 27, the Dom Luke Childs lecture series kicked off its series for the year with a presentation by Dr. Paul Speer of the class of 1974, celebrating its fiftieth. The lecture series was founded in honor of the late Dom Alexander Luke Childs, a monk of Portsmouth and alumnus of the School who died suddenly at the age of 36 in August of 1976. Dr. Speer began his remarks referring to his personal contact with Father Luke as a student at the Abbey, recalling him as a dynamic and spiritual leader in the community. Dr. Speer, currently the Chief Operating Officer of the University of Chicago’s Marine Biology Laboratory, addressed the School on his career journey and the impact Portsmouth had played along the way.

Dr. Paul Speer ‘74The talk provided a kind of inaugural event for alumni gathered for Reunions. With the large tent set up near the athletic fields, the grounds were filled with visiting alumni, families, and opposing teams for the weekend events, which were blessed with clement weather. From the earliest class represented was that of 1959, marking its 65th anniversary, Br. Sixtus Roslevich mentions “two dapper gentlemen who made the drive to Portsmouth for the weekend,” completing the circle of a story we covered in a previous issue. Raul R. de Brigard and his close chum, Charles Donahue, a law professor at Harvard, were joined by Br. Sixtus for the clambake under the tent, where they each “enjoyed a succulent whole lobster – rarely ever on the menu in the monastery.” The connection to our previous story: Br. Sixtus had met Mr. Donahue’s two talented grandsons, Seamus and Eamon, on his trip to St. Anselm’s 100th anniversary events in Washington, D.C. They are students at St. Anselm’s School, Seamus in Form VI and Eamon close behind in Form IV. The visit truly “brought home the cross-generational pride and love between the grandfather and his grandsons, based on a foundation of Benedictine educational principles.”

Also occupying much of the weekend for many of the monastic community was the presence of our School’s Board of Directors. The sessions, which were joined by a number of participants through video conferencing, addressed important topics in the governance and future of the School. Prayers were offered for the repose of the soul of our Catherine Abbate, wife of the board chair Christopher Abbate ’88. Catherine’s funeral Mass had just been held at St. Mary’s Church in Newport, Rhode Island, the Tuesday prior to our board sessions, attended by many of our board, as well as by numerous alumni and friends who have come to know Catherine and the Abbate family well.
Reunion TentThe natural beauty of our grounds was brought even more visibly to our attention for the weekend activities by the diligent work of Mr. Mitch Kriner and our grounds crew, tasked, in addition to their already filled work docket, with the reseeding and rejuvenation of the area adjacent to the stunning new Student Center. A gift of the Healey family, the Student Center now enhances the space between St Brigid’s and St. Martin’s dormitories, completing what has come to be called the “RavensQuad,” with the fourth side of the “quad” being the beautiful panoramic view of Narragansett Bay. One of Mitch Kriner’s additional duties is to keep our hockey rink operational. Visitors this weekend may have also noticed the new pile of snow accumulating outside the rink, a telltale sign that it is now ready and open for business for the new skating season which runs from October to March.

Between board members and visiting alums, the monastery was afforded a chance to offer hospitality to our guests, many of whom joined the community not only for Mass but for the Divine Office as well. Abbot Michael acknowledged the large number of alumni joining the School’s Mass for the 26th Sunday in Ordinary Time, many of whom lingered for the morning jazz brunch in the Stillman Dining Hall. The weekend successfully completed, we now look forward in two weeks to the arrival of parents and families for Parents’ Weekend, continuing what is truly high season for School life.

Vespers of Saturday, September 29, 2024