Dear Friends,

At 3 p.m. today, there will be a cheer throughout the halls as students rush to their lockers and cars, and my colleagues assemble at Switzer House for a toast. By 5 p.m., Priory’s campus will be as still as a late night in Bethlehem.

The rush, relief, and exhaustion that marks this day is typical. At Priory, everyone works hard and takes Christmas Break seriously. Two weeks to rest, to be with family, to be childlike again, to give thanks for our Savior.

But not all of us will find this break easy.

Many of us are grieving the loss of loved ones. Some are living far from family and friends. Some of us are sick or caring for the ill or dying. Some of us are worried about finances; some of us are out of work. Some of us may feel like we are carrying the world on our shoulders — even if we are only twelve or fifteen.

These experiences are real and sit uneasily alongside the joy of Christmas. Navigating the holiday’s expectations of happiness can be a real burden, alongside all the others that our community may be carrying.

However we experience this Christmas, we should not forget its most basic truth: no matter the circumstances, God is always with us, knit to our very flesh, by virtue of the birth of Jesus Christ. Through this mystery, we enjoy an intimacy with God that the angels envy, even when our sorrows weigh us down.

So, this Christmas, may we keep one another in prayer and put Christ’s love to work by strengthening hearts, easing burdens, practicing forgiveness, and deepening friendships. May God be with us all this Christmas and bless us in the new year.

In Christ,

Father Cuthbert Elliott, O.S.B., '02
Headmaster