Benedictine College Preparatory | |
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Address | |
12829 River Road Richmond, Virginia 23221 United States |
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Information | |
School type | Private, Military, Day, College-prep |
Motto | Ecce Homo (Behold The Man) |
Religious affiliation(s) |
Roman Catholic (Benedictine) |
Patron saint(s) | St. Benedict |
Established | 1911 |
Founder | Benedictine Monks |
Sister school | St. Gertrude High School |
President | Fr. Adrian Harmening, OSB |
Headmaster | MAJ Jesse Grapes, USMC |
Commandant | Brooks York |
Grades | 9–12 |
Gender | Boys |
Enrollment | 270 (2017) |
Campus | Suburban |
Color(s) | Green and White |
Nickname | Cadets |
Rivals |
St. Christopher's Collegiate School |
Accreditation | Virginia Association of Independent Schools |
Newspaper | The New Chevron |
Yearbook | The Cadet |
Tuition | $16,500 |
Website | |
Benedictine College Preparatory
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Coordinates | 37°33′26″N 77°28′35″W / 37.55722°N 77.47639°WCoordinates: 37°33′26″N 77°28′35″W / 37.55722°N 77.47639°W |
Built | 1911 |
Architect | Father Michael McInerney |
Architectural style | Romanesque Revival |
Part of | Museum District, Richmond, Virginia (#94000153) |
Designated CP | March 7, 1994 |
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Benedictine College Preparatory is a private, Roman Catholic military high school in Richmond, Virginia. It is part of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Richmond, and is owned and operated by the Benedictine Society of Virginia, part of the American-Cassinese Congregation. Benedictine offers education through a private military institute model, which has long been a traditional form of education for young gentlemen in the American South, especially in Virginia. Benedictine's primary focus is on building young men of conscience, discipline, and achievement, and to provide a strong college preparatory academic curriculum.
Benedictine College Preparatory was founded in 1911 with 29 students, under the name of Benedictine College, by a group of Benedictine monks from Belmont Abbey in North Carolina. Seeking to continue the work of their founder by establishing learning and culture, they came to Richmond to establish a Catholic high school for boys. They adopted the successful and prestigious military academy type model, which also meshed well with the monastic life of the monks. The order, discipline, and hierarchy of the military is very much analogous to the structures in the monastery and the Church. The aim was, and continues to be, to form young men in body and soul —- to nourish a love of Truth, foster the life of virtue, and promote a healthy life.
In 2009, the school board was dissolved and Headmaster John McGinty was ousted by vote of 11 senior monks of Mary Mother of the Church Abbey. Fr. Gregory Gresko, OSB, the second-in-charge of the abbey, said that McGinty's contract was not renewed for financial reasons. The school, whose enrollment under McGinty had risen to 267, was under financial stress and running on a deficit. Gresko took on the position of temporary headmaster, saying that having a Benedictine in a leadership position after years of absence was "returning to our roots."