We believe that the divine presence is everywhere. – RB 19

Our Mission

Saint John’s Preparatory School educates our students for a lifetime of learning, leadership, and service in a global society, celebrating our Catholic Benedictine tradition.

An Arts and Sciences World School in the Catholic Benedictine Tradition

Since its founding in 1857, Saint John’s Preparatory School has provided exceptional education in the Catholic Benedictine tradition. Prep has continuously dedicated itself to both educational development and personal formation, seeking to prepare our students for lives of purpose, service, and achievement.

The Benedictine values and wisdom tradition that defined our founding continue to animate the soul and practice of Saint John’s Prep. We strive to “listen with the ear of the heart,” as Saint Benedict directs us in the Rule, to the needs of all members of our school community. Benedictine education calls for a lively interplay between rigorous thinking and the development of practices for a purpose-filled life. Though 1,500 years old, it remains a vital, living tradition.

We prize and prioritize community at Saint John’s Prep, the awareness that each of us is not only an individual but also part of God’s entire creation. Community formation provides opportunities to embrace difference and provide mutual support. Shaped by our Benedictine values, the educational experience at Prep sets its sights on the transformation of mind and heart. We encourage an active sense of belonging in our school and empathic engagement with the world around us.

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Developing a Well-Rounded Child

 

Our Benedictine Values

Awareness of God

We seek God not in the abstract but in the ordinary events of each day. We find God in our work, our prayer, and our leisure.

“We believe that the divine presence is everywhere.” RB 19

Community Living

We become who we are by our relationships with others. We find strength and purpose in supporting one another.

“Let all things be common to all.” RB 33

Hospitality

We offer acceptance, joy and empathy in welcoming others. We actively strive for peace in our communities.

“Let all … be received as Christ.” RB 53

Justice

We work toward a just order in our immediate environment and in the larger society. We create and sustain a culture of respect, dignity and understanding.

“… that in all things God may be glorified” RB 57

Listening

We listen keenly and sensitively to the voices of all people. We believe that God works in and through all of creation.

“Listen carefully … with the ear of your heart.” RB Prologue

Respect for Persons

We respect all people, honoring each person’s unique gifts and abilities. We discover new truths about ourselves and our world by engaging others across difference.

“No one is to pursue what is judged best for oneself, but instead, what is better for someone else.” RB 72

Stewardship

We foster a fundamental reverence toward the creation that God has made. We care for the school as well as the earth and the environment.

“[R]egard all the tools and goods of the monastery as the sacred vessels of the altar, aware that nothing is to be neglected.” RB 31

Moderation

We honor all of God’s creation by living with balance and gratitude. We encourage balance in school work and activities, recreation, prayer and reflection.

“All things are to be done with moderation.” RB 48

Core Values

COMMUNITY

Our school is a community, providing hospitality and demonstrating citizenship. Life together in this place is built on trust, love, respect and a genuine interest and concern for one another, which includes welcoming, helping, listening, caring and being present to others. Learning is a communal activity of students, teachers, parents, alumni/ae, friends, board. We embrace the opportunity to work for the common good of the larger community, one that reflects the broad diversity of the real world. “The workshop where we are to toil faithfully at all these tasks is the enclosure of the monastery and stability in the community.” (Rule of Benedict 4:78) Faithful citizenship in this community includes not only rights and privileges – it also includes obligations to the individual citizens, to the Prep School community, and to society. “If the visiting monk wishes to remain and bind himself to stability…, let him be received as a member of the community.” (RB 61:5, 8)

INTEGRITY

Being true to God and true to self. Truth, justice, sincerity, morality are its hallmarks both individually and communally. Community members strive to integrate the qualities of trust, respect, and civility into their actions, which in turn transform their innermost beings. “That a monk always manifest humility in his bearing, no less than in his heart.” (Rule of Benedict 7:62) Saint Benedict when speaking of the Abbot says, “he must point out to them all that is good and holy, more by example than by words…, if he teaches his disciples that something is not to be done, then neither must he do it.” (Rule of Benedict 2:12, 13)

EXCELLENCE

A commitment to quality. Quality faculty, curriculum, programming, facilities, equipment urge each person, each department, the whole school to seize every moment for doing their very best. Enthusiastically educating and being educated; inspired and inspiring. Learning opens our eyes to what is possible so that we can better strive for the highest standards of performance. “Every time you begin a good work, you must pray to God most earnestly to bring it to perfection.” (Rule of Benedict Prol:4)

SPIRITUAL GROWTH

Teaching sound principles for our students to live by with the following:

  • Weekly prayer service or Celebration of Mass
  • Community Formation Colloquium assemblies
  • Peer Ministry and Service Program
  • Benedictine Presence
  • Theology Classes
"Great place for students to develop themselves and prepare for college and beyond. Each student is treated as an individual, instead of a number like other larger schools. The faculty and staff are well trained and prepared for their positions, and the extracurricular programs let students explore their interests in a friendly environment."
Seanan, Alum from Hong Kong
"I am really proud of all the friends I have made, from all different cultures and countries. I love Saint John’s Prep because they make you feel as though you were home."
Patricio, student
"Excellent middle and high school, top notch students and staff!"
Rebecca, parent