Dear Friends,

It may be only Feb. 10, but at Priory it feels like Spring has already come. Last Saturday’s auction was a success in so many ways, and I am overwhelmed by the generosity that all of you have shown in supporting our students, our mission, and our future. Thank you especially to Lori Willard, our Xanadu Chair, Faridah Burnett and the Advancement Office, our corps of volunteer parents, students, faculty, and staff, our catering and maintenance teams, the Business Office, and everyone who attended, bid, sponsored, or prayed to make Xanadu 2023 successful. May God bless you for your charity.

I also want to acknowledge the Scoreboard Committee that inspired our Fund-a-Need this year. They have been quietly working for months to secure additional funding to replace our scoreboards and they are very close to their goal. This achievement is a reminder of just how much our community can achieve when we work together for a common purpose. And of course, a tremendous word of thanks is due to Lise Riet-Lague, whose passion, energy, and zeal were instrumental in the Committee’s success.

If you haven’t given to this project yet, I encourage you to make a gift of any size. The Committee truly wants everyone to feel a sense of pride and ownership when the first Raven video-replay broadcasts from Busch Field and the Corley Gym.

Just as the work of fundraising never ends, so also the work of evangelization and formation. I want to conclude this message with a final word of thanks for the drug awareness program that Mike Nickolai has put together for our families with the support and guidance of Gage’s parents, Greg and Amy Huesgen, the DEA, and local law enforcement. We had nearly 200 registrations for this event before it was postponed, and I hope that all of you will participate in learning more about the risks facing all of our boys. May we unite behind this common purpose and work together to keep our young men as safe and healthy as we can.

With prayers,

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