On October 9, Director of Mission & Ministry Matthew White led the annual Middle School Retreat for Delbarton 7^th and 8^th graders. For 7th graders, this was their first Delbarton retreat and an opportunity to learn about the life of a Benedictine monk and the Hallmarks of a Benedictine education.

The theme was Monk for a Day, and the first step was breaking into small groups where each boy was asked to choose his monk’s name from a list of 128 options: Basil or Bede, Paul or Paulinus, Wolfgang or Wunnibald…so many choices, so little time. Next, each group selected a monastic representative to go on stage, representing the group's ‘monastry’. Earlier, the middle schoolers had been incentivized to dress in monastic attire with the promise of a prize, and several boys took full advantage of the opportunity.

After a quick vote on stage, where attire appeared to be the key to success, the winner received a staggeringly large bag of candy (thank, you, Costco) and earned instant peer approval.

Next, 8^th graders trekked up to St. Mary’s Abbey for a behind-the-scenes tour the Abbey Church and the monastery with Fr. Joseph Voltaggio, O.S.B. They learned about the Abbey Church design, the daily prayer schedule, and saw where monks sleep, dine and host monastic community meetings.

7^th graders remained in the FAC to learn more from Br. Will McMillan, O.S.B. about Benedictine vows and the hallmarks of a Benedictine school like Delbarton.

After a snack break in the FAC featuring not one but two bags of chips (God gave us two hands for a reason), 8^th graders headed back up to the Abbey for a tour of the Orchard and the Abbey Cemetery with Br. Paul Diveny, O.S.B. who exemplified the Benedictine dictum of ‘Ora et Labora’, a daily habit of prayer and work.  Curious 8^th graders asked many excellent questions and were interested to learn more about the life of a Benedictine monk.

Fast Abbey Orchard Facts:

•    A monk from New Hampshire named Fr. Andrew, aka ‘Apple Andy’, planted the first fruit trees in the late 1940s
•    There are currently 50 apple trees (Yellow and red delicious, MacIntosh, Fuji, Gala...Baldwins failed)
•    4 peach trees
•    8 pear trees
•    2 cherry trees
•    4 bee hives to pollinate the fruit blossoms each spring
•    The Abbey hives are surrounded by an electric fence to deter area bears
•    Apples ripen as early as August and as late as the first frost
•    While not a Benedictine, St. Fiacre of Breuil (see Abbey Orchard statue below) is the patron saint of gardeners 

Sadly, likely due to a lack of water during some key 2024 summer weeks, Abbey Orchard fruit trees are barren this fall. On Homecoming morning, members of the alumni Ora et Labora committee dug trenches around the trees in an attempt to improve irrigation during the 2025 growing season.

Meanwhile, back in the FAC on retreat day, 7^th graders in groups, still acting as small monasteries, discussed, designed and colored their monastery’s seal and motto.

Next, 8th graders accompanied Br. Paul to the Abbey Cemetery where they learned, in a vividly poignant way, about the Benedictine vow of stability. Each monk commits to a life in the monastic community of St. Mary's Abbey, and his final resting place symbolizes that lifetime vow. 

Finally, all 8^th and 7^th graders gathered in the Abbey Church to learn more from Br. Will about the daily four-times-a-day prayer life of a Benedictine monk.

The Middle School Retreat accomplished a lot on one beautiful October morning at Delbarton. While their older brothers were took PSATs or toured colleges, our youngest students enjoyed an immersive experience in the life of a Benedictine, learning more about the beliefs and habits that form the cultural core of their Delbarton Experiences.