Monks force out Benedictine headmaster, take increased role at school
The Rev. Gregory Gresko is Benedictine’s new headmaster.
Benedictine High School's headmaster has been forced out by senior monks who are reorganizing the administration of the 98-year-old school .
McGinty
The monastic order in charge of the school says it is undertaking the changes to save money and take a greater role in Benedictine's operations.
The decision, reached Sunday by unanimous consent of 11 senior monks at Mary Mother of the Church Abbey in Goochland County, forces out current Headmaster John McGinty, who has led the school since 2003.
The Rev. Gregory Gresko, the Abbey's second in command, will become the school's new headmaster effective July 1.
"The monastic community is acting in a renewal of its commitment to the high school," Gresko said today. "This action is being taken -- including the placement of other monks from the monastery into various administrative roles -- with intention of reinvigorating the monastic presence at the school."
Gresko noted that Benedictine was founded in 1911 by the Benedictine monks, but over the past few decades they had played a less active role in managing and directing the school.
"We're returning to our traditions, we're returning to our roots," Gresko said.
Gresko said McGinty's contract was not renewed as headmaster, but he was offered another position "that would have changed some of his responsibilities." He declined.
McGinty was a fixture at Mills Godwin High School in Henrico County for 21 years before accepting the headmaster's position at Benedictine in September 2003. In a statement e-mailed to the Richmond Times-Dispatch, he said, "I have enjoyed my six years at Benedictine immensely. I will miss being a part of such an outstanding and close knit school community."
Gresko said, "John McGinty has given great things to Benedictine, and we very much appreciate his years of service. ...He's hired many wonderful new faculty members."
The school's current Board of Trustees is also in process of being re-organized, Gresko said.
"We've been seeking to work cooperatively with all those who have been serving on the board up to this point," Gresko said. "We believe there are a lot of very good people who have a strong loyalty and love for the school. We're looking to have some of those members actually serve on the new board."
Gresko said he expects the reorganization to result in "significant cost savings." That should help the school's bottom line in the current economic downturn and keep tuition costs in line, he said.
"There's been great success in increased enrollment at the school, and there's been significant growth in its academic programs," Gresko said. "But there has been increased costs and overruns that have been incurred that have required our immediate attention."
"When you combine that with the severe economic downturn, and the economic effects that have followed, even more financial pressure has been put on the school, due to reduced financial support," he added.
The important thing, Gresko said, is to provide a quality education for the most affordable cost. "Out of fairness to our parents, who we know are strained in this current economy, we are looking to reduce any increase in tuition . . . and not pass unneeded expenses on to parents."
-- Mark Bowes
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Reader Reactions
I feel that everyone knows just as well as I do that the school will not be moved out to the Abbey, strictly because of the uproar of the community. I cannot see how many people are offended by the transition to Fr. Greg as headmaster, because he is a very holy man and fantastic person. We should not be choosing sides, like McGinty fans vs. Fr. Greg fans. We should all unite together as fans of the school, as we all are.
The monks own the school, and they have nothing but the best intrest in mind. I know they plan to care for the school as they have for nearly the past 100 years. As to all of the ludacris rumors of the monks stealing money, riddle me this. If you are a part of the school, you know the great man Fr. Adrian. He is a monk at Mary Mother of the Church Abbey, and is still a dedicated educator and presence in the school community. Do you think he would steal from the school or allow the members of the monastic community to do so? I think not. I find this nothing but a positive change (Yes McGinty is a good person, and a fantastic administrator), and if we can channel all of the emotions that everyone is feeling into dedication to the school, I cannot see why it would not survive another 100 years. You want to show true support to the school, then stop spreading untue rumors, stop complaining, and give back to a community that has given so much to each and every one of us.
That President-Headmaster concept is interesting. Why was that never brought up? It would also ensure a smooth transition of Fr. Greg to the Headmaster position.
Before a caring community steps too firmly into adversarial camps, each with heartfelt concerns and a legitimate mindset, please allow me to offer a few thoughts.
The Benedictine family is nothing if not incredibly passionate. This passion can lead us all down a very dangerous and divisive road if we do not consider our thoughts and temper our emotions.
Do I agree with the reality that John McGinty; a brilliant educator, was relieved of his duties? No I do not! He was a leader, one who cared deeply. He will be missed!
Do I think it would have made better sense to appoint Father Gregory as President and allow John to remain Headmaster? Yes I do! It would have provided the involvement and oversight the Abbey seeks and transitional continuity for the school.
Do I believe the Cadets will benefit from an increased involvement from the Monastic Community? Yes I do! We were blessed in the 70’s to have the Priests part of our daily life.
Do I thank the Board for their many hours of dedication and support? You better believe I do! Few realize that these men and women work 50+ hours at their jobs before volunteering 10, 20 and 30 hours each week to the school. That left few hours for their immediate family with so many committed to their extended one. I want to thank the two Board Presidents I know personally. Jeff Gill `77 and Jim Harenchar `82 worked harder than anyone can ever imagine positioning Benedictine as “The Place to Be”.
Do I believe the Monks are best equipped to lead the school? I don’t really know them so I cannot comment. I pray that they are!
Should the parents and alumni challenge the new Headmaster to clearly identify his plans to lead the school? Definitely!
Do I believe we will come out the other side stronger than ever? Absolutely! The alumni are concerned, but they will not turn their back on their school, regardless of the circumstances leading to the recent decisions.
Please keep in mind one simple fact … Mary Mother of the Church Abbey owns the school. They are responsible for its direction and can make any decision they like. If it falls apart, it is their fault! No, that is not right … it is our fault! Every student, parent, alumnus and Monk has a vested interest in its future!
We cannot lose sight of what is really important … THE CADETS!
Enrollment is projected at over 275 for the coming year thanks in large part to the gifted Admissions Director; Greg Lilly. The current fiscal year which ends in a few weeks will see the highest level of giving EVER for the Father Adrian Annual Education Fund. I applaud Annual Fund Director; Terri Quinan, the Board of Trustees, the Alumni Board, John McGinty and all the donors. We must keep the momentum going and not allow our community to get trapped into placing blame in a situation we cannot change.
I know of no one who loves the school anymore than me. It has been a beacon of educational light for nearly a century. It has provided an academic foundation for many generations of students. I admire the school’s ability to deal with adversity. The school burned and we bounced back! We will survive! Cadets are resilient. We will get through this!
The Abbot (Patrick Moore) has stated that he wants the schools to “remain affordable and viable for the next 100 years.”
As upsetting as his recent decisions appear on the surface, I choose to believe him! It would be easy for me to withhold my donations, but who really suffers with this reaction? The Cadets!
I personally blasted the Abbot, but then took a deep breath. Can we all please take a similar breath at this time? I think it would be prudent.
I can find many debatable points today. What will I gain by pressing them forward? More importantly … at what cost?
I will not risk losing one Cadet because of my own personal feelings. The school graduates leaders. No way can I let my personal thoughts affect this mission.
My son has graduated! Why do I care? Because Father Adrian taught me to care! He has taught fifty-four years of students to think of the big picture. I beg all of us to keep our eye squarely focused on the big picture.
Warren Rutledge, a legendary man, stood tall on principle. He coached us to stand up for what we believe. I believe Benedictine is a great school! Go to a graduation, walk the halls or attend a basketball game to discover the passion I offered earlier. We cannot let the tradition die!
The reasons to work through this are too many to list. Now is the time to move forward. God, in his infinite wisdom placed our eyes in front of our head so that we may see where we are going. He wants us to focus on the future and not relive the past.
Life is not about what happens to us! It is all about how we react to what has happened.
What is done is done! Let’s move forward together! Why? THE CADETS!
Thomas J. Lukish, Jr.
Cadet Class of 1976
i know plenty of parents who live in goochland and drive their kids to benedictine every day. i know parents and alumni who live(d) in varina and drove their kids to benedictine. i know parents in chesterfield who drove their kids to benedictine! moving to goochland won’t change that.
No parent is going to drive from Varina to Goochland. Just to drive from Chesterfield to the abbey took me 45 mins.
If the school moves out to the Abby the plan is not to build some spectacular new facility. That would cost 20-25 million, which they clearly do not have right now, nor could obtain.
The plan is to move into the current Abby, which for those who have been there looks something like a high school built in the 1960’s. It is starting to look pretty long in the tooth, and any kind of respectable renovation would start around 4-5 million and probably end up closer to 10 with a gym.
jham: location of a private school is important…to a degree. it is not as paramount as you think. tell me: if benedictine was right next to TJ or right next to Ghettobrook, do you think your education would have been any worse? it’s not the location of the building that makes the institution, it’s the enforcement of its values that makes it a great place of character. do you really think any diversity of enrollment is a direct cause of its location in the museum district? here’s a surprise: i lived in the museum district for almost 4 years and do you know what i saw? a bunch of upper-middle to upper-class white people. in fact, i was the only non-white on my block. i mean, my god i was absolutely blown away by the amount of diversity in my community! (can you sense my sarcarsm?) give me a break jham, there is NO diversity in that community. i’m sure that the majority of the ‘diverse enrollment’ you’re talking about in the student body comes from the disbursement of scholarships and financial aid, something that won’t change with a different address.
sorry if i’m being a bit caustic, but if you truly believe that moving the school will cause the enrollment to change that drastically then i’m afraid you’re mistaken and have thus put too little faith in the values that the school itself stands for.
it sounds to me like people will just be complaining because they’ll have to drive their kids out to goochland for school instead of just around the block. too bad. sacrifice a little something for your child’s education. i know plenty of parents who live in goochland and drive their kids to benedictine every day. i know parents and alumni who live(d) in varina and drove their kids to benedictine. i know parents in chesterfield who drove their kids to benedictine! moving to goochland won’t change that.
jham: i have little doubt at all that this could be about a prime piece of real estate, but i think i differ from everyone else in what the underlying intentions as to the change might be. if the school property is sold: does the institution change just because it’s under a different roof?
i’m sure the abbey is in financial trouble, what institution isn’t? i’m also willing to bet that the school is feeling much tighter financial restraints as well. bottom line: if you have x amount of dollars in the coffers and it costs (y+z) *3 to run the school, what options are there? mr. mcginty is a great leader and has spent just about all of his career in education, i have no doubt he did great things to increase the standards of excellence and education at benedictine during his time. and i’m sure his salary also reflects it.
monks don’t get paid for their work. does the school break even every year? do alumni contributions fully cover the operational defecit? if not, do you think the parents will happily pay, say a 10% hike in tuition? or do you just close the doors and say that’s it?
i would really like to hear what mr. mcginty thinks about all of this. since he’s a man of such great dignity i’m sure he won’t say anything, but i have a feeling he doesn’t completely disagree with the actions taken.
momof3,
I am sorry you had to learn about it that way. From what I understand the meeting is definitely on in the Lecture hall at 5:00 today. Not mentioning the meeting does not suprise me after the way this has been handled.
I agree that location is important. The diversity of the student population is a key element to the overall education given to Cadets. You will not find this at other private secondary schools where it is common to find a minority population of 2%.
Benedictine is also committed to providing tuition assistance to many of its students. As an alumnus I am proud of this even though it may add to the disparity between expenditures and revenue. With this role, Benedictine fills a void in the private education community within the city limits.
For those of you not in the Benedictine community, this on-line discussion might seem too passionate and at times might not make a lot of sense. However, in the beginning of such discussions that is what you will find (just look at the 90+ comments posted on today’s article regarding restoration of The Diamond).
For parents of Cadets and potential Cadets, please let this run its course and gather all the facts.
I cannot believe that as a BHS parent that I am only finding out about this at 4:00pm Wednesday, and only because I had pulled up the Times Dispatch website in a few quite minutes at work! I have seen several mentions of a meeting today at 5:00. Is that for sure? I don’t see anything about it on the BHS website. I’m blown away at the lack of respect and consideration to the parents of students. How will I possibly make it to a meeting that I’ve heard nothing about until one hour beforehand??
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