A BENEDICTINE SCHOOL

Glenstal Abbey School is the only Benedictine school for boys in Ireland. Monasticism is central to the school, not simply because it is adjacent to a monastery, but because of the many monks who work in the school, as headmaster, housemasters, tutors, guidance counsellors, chaplain, teachers and sports coaches.

This living presence of a large number of monks is complemented by a professional lay staff committed to the Christian values of Saint Benedict. These include three core values of reverence for God and the human person, respect for learning and order, and responsibility for the shared experience of community life.

In the Rule of Saint Benedict, the monastery is described as a school of the Lord’s service. Many of the values of the Rule are applicable to education and to the life of the school. The school is a place of personal and spiritual growth, where the love of learning and the desire for God are continually fostered. Students are encouraged to develop their talents as much for others as for themselves and so serve both God and their neighbour. The life of the school is structured “so that the strong have something to strive after, and the weak may not fall back in dismay” (Rule of Saint Benedict [RB], 64:19).

The secure and stable educational environment, in a setting of great natural beauty, opens the heart to the beauty of life and of the world. Benedictine respect for the individual encourages the development of a strong character and a sense of responsibility for oneself and others.

The religious spirit of the school reflects the character of monastic life in its continuous search for God and its ecumenical openness to people from all religious traditions. Since our vision is directed by the teaching of Christ, and our ethos is drawn from Saint Benedict’s Rule, we believe that the whole person must be educated.

Although academic prowess is important we seek to educate students more widely through the appreciation of music, art and sporting endeavour. We believe that by being engaged at many different levels, young minds can be awakened to the splendour of humanity and to God. By providing a broad education in a secure and caring environment, we are confident of leading young people to take a free and responsible place in the world. Our ethos can be summed up in these few words of the Bible, incorporated in Saint Benedict’s Rule:

“Not to us O Lord, not to us, but to your name give the glory” (Psalm 115:1)