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"It might be a more noble thing to raise prize priests than prize pigs."
That was the argument that the Rev. Dominic Lavan used in 1952 with Rex Olson that led to the presence of Benedictine monks in Elkhorn. The Feast of St. Michael on Sunday marks the 50th anniversary of Olson's donation of his Journey's End farm - with all its buildings, livestock and equipment - to the monks of Conception Abbey in Missouri. "It was an ideal place for a seminary," Abbot Theodore Wolff said. In 1956, the monks at Conception - at the request of the Archdiocese of Omaha - created St. John Vianney Seminary on the land. In 1970, the school was renamed Mount Michael and was turned into a prep boarding school. Today, the Benedictine motto of work and prayer - which goes back 1,500 years to the Rule of St. Benedict and focuses on communal living - can be seen in every activity at Mount Michael. All the monks have a job to do, from teaching to fixing cars, and everyone partakes in the continuous cycle of prayer. The 29 monks - two of whom are away volunteering - start their days with prayer at the chapel at 6:30 a.m. At 7:15 a.m., they partake in the daily Eucharist. After breakfast and various occupational duties, the monks have a noon prayer. "It's like a dynamic duo," said the Rev. Dan Lenz, a Mount Michael teacher who attended the school in the 1970s. "Serving and the praying, they need each other to keep the energy going."
Lunch and more work follow. Evening prayer is at 5:15, with dinner immediately after. Night prayer is at 7:15 in the abbey. The monks then have free time until their 10:30 p.m. curfew. It's a culture of sorts, its own little town tucked away on the highest point in Douglas County, just northwest of Elkhorn. "Our life is a family life," Wolff said. The family life, brotherhood and emphasis on hard work and faith also are practiced within the walls of the boarding school. The students, required to dress in collared shirts and ties, have the option of breakfast at 7 a.m. and/or Mass at 7:15 a.m. Classes run from 8 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. Students then can participate in sports until 5:30. Dinner and free time last until 7:30 p.m. Then the boys are hard at work in study hall until 9 p.m. Lenz said he still feels the need to learn on a daily basis because of that required study period. "It's a certain discipline that gets in your system," he said. More free time lasts until curfew: 10 p.m. for freshman, 10:30 p.m. for upperclassmen. Then it's lights out for all at 11 p.m. The school has room for 150 boarders, but this year, five day students have started attending Mount Michael. They participate in all the same activities as the boarders. Their parents are asked to enforce the 7:30 p.m.-to-9 p.m. study period at home. The young men who have chosen to attend the school have various reasons for doing so. Some go for its academics. Some go for the small class sizes and greater personal attention. Still others go for its rite of passage. "You live away from your parents and find out who you are," sophomore Brent Lockee said. "You have a lot more freedom." "I chose (Mount Michael) because of its structure," junior John Peiper said. "It's kind of like being at camp." The monks offer friendship and inspiration to the young men who attend the prep school. "The monks are great people," said Ben Hankey, a sophomore. "They're a standard we can hold in our everyday lives." In addition to the boarding school and abbey, the school boasts horses and a Victorian farmhouse that formerly was used as monk quarters. The St. Benedict's guest house now holds office space and a gift shop for visitors and is used for teas and luncheons. Wolff, who spent several years at the abbey in Missouri and had the option of returning there after his initial stay at Mount Michael, said Mount Michael has become his home and has provided a great life for him. "I'm able to lead a balanced life," Wolff said. "There's time for work, prayer and leisure." Similarly, the monks feel a strong fondness for the abbey and the school. Lenz said his experience at Mount Michael has been life-altering. "It has really changed my life," Lenz said. "How I walk, how I talk. It's made me a more gentle person, more aware of other's needs." |
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