Lessons From the Leahy House

“All guests who present themselves are to be welcomed as Christ, for he himself will say: I was a stranger and you welcomed me (Matthew 25:35)

-The Rule of Benedict, Ch. 53

The Leahy House is a residence hall on the grounds that houses international students, visiting students, and most notably local students who don’t have anywhere else to go. The Leahy House is one of my favorite aspects of Benedict’s, especially because of the organized chaos– imagine what a residence hall filled with 70+ teenage boys looks like. The Leahy House is also where to find some of the most driven, kind, and compassionate young men on this campus. 

Talking about the Leahy House always carries some emotional weight to it, especially when speaking to the monks, who sometimes become their de facto guardians. Many of the kids have been victims of horrific neglect and abuse, and some have even been abandoned by their parents on the doorstep of the house. The problems of high school and academics seem pretty small to a kid who has just been left with all of their belongings and told by their parents that “they never want to see them again”. The Leahy House succeeds by fostering brotherhood and guidance from peers and live-in adult mentors, several of whom were residents of the house when they themselves went to Benedict’s. In addition, Benedict’s provides an incredible level of mental health and counselling services to the students. 

It’s hard not to carry some kind of stigma towards some of the kids from the Leahy House as being “broken” or “problematic”. I find myself constantly shocked when the well-spoken kid from class or the hard-worker in the wrestling room turns out to be a resident of the house with a troubled background. My first shock is that even coming from such a traumatic and disadvantaged background that these kids can still turn out to be so wildly successful. The second shock comes from the idea that some parents won’t properly care for, or will simply abandon such incredible kids.

For most of the people reading this, when you look back at your life, you realize that it would be near-impossible for you to be where you’re at right now without the help of the family that raised you, and the support system that has carried you this far. Here are kids that have had very little of that trying their best to make it. Saint Benedict’s Prep prides itself in providing an environment where even kids who have had large amounts of trauma in their life can learn, grow, and be successful. I’ll point back to some statistics I mentioned earlier– a 98% college attendance rate, with 86% of those going on to earn a degree. To use one of my favorite words, those statistics are BANANAS. 

However, I do find myself wondering what the lives of some of these students will be like long-term. I think of how much harder it would be to go through the challenges of college without parents to guide me, give support when necessary, or even just provide me with a loving home to go back to over holidays. Beyond college, the transition to adulthood is another step made more difficult without a support system. I can’t imagine where I would be right now if I didn’t have the safety net of my parents to fall back on after my first postgraduate plans went up in flames. I mean, living in a one-room house in Bemidji with my parents for a few weeks wasn’t exactly ideal, but a roof and free food sure beats sleeping on the street. 

I’m not trying to kid myself into thinking that my few months here will make a lasting difference in the student’s lives, but simply getting to observe and lend a hand when I can is worth it to me.