MSB Footsteps of Benedict Jubilee Tour 2016 | Businesses

MSB Footsteps of Benedict Jubilee Tour 2016

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25.01.2022 Checked into our hotel in Bath and what a treat! Girls are over the moon... And staff of course!

24.01.2022 Having a beautiful day in Norcia, where Benedict and Scholastica were born. Explored around this lovely town and pieced together the beginnings of Benedict. We participated in midday prayer with the monks of Norcia and now enjoying the hospitality of the Benedictine nuns for lunch. Very spoilt!

24.01.2022 ::CAPTION THIS:: Getting into character

24.01.2022 We got into the Papal Mass!! What a way to begin the New Year, definitely one to remember for a while. Now waiting for the Pope to come in :)

23.01.2022 :: CAPTION THIS :: This was taken on the way to our hotel in Rome

23.01.2022 A very fun afternoon spent with the Sisters at Stanbrook today. Many laughs shared and definitely many memories made :)

23.01.2022 Treated to a lovely walking tour of Bath today and perhaps one of the best highlights was having a tour guide by the name of Tony Abbott. Golden!

23.01.2022 On our way to London by train. Lucky we packed lightly.... (Sort of)

23.01.2022 A belated post but a perfect send off with a beautiful sunrise when we left Montserrat!

21.01.2022 Today is our last day and we couldn't go past a Monopoly challenge while in London! Girls are very excited and we definitely have some travel agents in the making... Staff cannot contribute just supervise. It will be hard to channel the inner competitiveness (by that I mean the staff!)

21.01.2022 Today we visited Norcia, the town where Benedict and his sister Scholastica were born. We went inside the church and the site where Benedict was born. It was very special to visit a place that has an important and meaningful connection to our school. It was fitting that we took a photo in front of the statue of Benedict that overlooked the town square and we were served a delicious lunch by the Benedictine nuns from Norcia. A fantastic way to wrap up 2015...bring on 2016!! Written by Alana Sylvester (Year 9)

20.01.2022 An early morning flight to Barcelona this morning. Jubilee (aka Juba) is representing us in this photo because let's face it, we collectively look a little weary this morning! Had a fantastic time in Italy and now really excited to see Montserrat and have a slower paced leg of the journey.

20.01.2022 During our travels to Monte Cassino, we visited Benedict's cell where he wrote The Rule of Benedict and where he died. We learnt about the history of Monte Cassino and how it had been destroyed three times and rebuilt and miraculously, the remains of Benedict and his sister Scholastica were unharmed throughout the wars. Once we arrived at Subiaco, we were greeted with an overwhelming view of the stunning country side and surrounding mountains. This section of the trip was ver...y significant as we were able to go into the monastery and reflect on Benedict's life when he was a hermit and lived in the cave here. This was called the 'Sacro Speco'. It was here where many people were in awe of his religious and spiritual life and therefore he attracted many followers who were keen to follow in his footsteps. Written by Abbey Hurst & Ashleigh Schaafsma-Fullick (Year 11 students) See more

19.01.2022 :: CAPTION THIS :: Last one for 2015... Mrs Rowland sussing out our new communal bathroom at our hotel. Some would say architecturally genius, some might say convenient...we will leave it up to you! And yes, that's the toilet, shower and sink behind...all in one :)

19.01.2022 On our way to London for the UK leg of our journey. Juba was lucky to get a seat of her own and met some friendly British Airways staff :)

17.01.2022 HAPPY NEW YEAR SYDNEY!!! All the way from Norcia, Italy

16.01.2022 Juba is sad to leave her British friends but keen to come home as well. One last group photo of her new friends! See you soon Sydney!

15.01.2022 Waiting at Munich Airport en route to Rome this afternoon. Looking forward to hopefully slightly warmer weather although we have been blessed with some beautiful weather already! (PS it took some convincing for the girls to look up for the photo. Free Wifi was definitely a hit!)

13.01.2022 Words cannot begin to describe how lucky we are to be staying here on top of the mountains in Montserrat, right next to the Benedictine Monastery. A fantastic way to mark half way of our trip.

13.01.2022 A quick pit stop on our way to York. Two hours left of our 6 hour journey !

13.01.2022 Our visit to Stanbrook on our third day in York was filled with laughs and joy as we were thoroughly entertained by the sisters at Stanbrook Abbey. After a warm welcome, Mother Andrea addressed us about how the very modern Abbey was constructed and shared her story on how she came to be a nun. Surprisingly, Mother Andrea never imagined she would end up being a nun as she previously worked in a bank. Mother Andrea also shared with us the importance of living out the Benedictine values in everything they did and one of their focus points in building the new Abbey was Stewardship, a value that we have at MSB. Their new Abbey was thoughtfully designed and the whole building is highly sustainable in their commitment to live out this value. It was definitely an enjoyable day and one to remember! Written by Tilly Drake (Year 11 student)

10.01.2022 The official end of the Benedictine pilgrimage dinner selfie! Off to London tomorrow before we come home. Thank you Mr. Chippy's for having us !

08.01.2022 Just finished visiting Monte Cassino and now on our way to Subiaco. As Benedictine pilgrims we lived out our school song and value.."make a welcome space for those who come your way". Met some friends who needed a lift down the bottom of the hill from Monte Cassino!

08.01.2022 On our first full day in Bath we were greeted by our tour guides to take us on a 3 hour walking guide of Bath. Along the way, we visited the Jane Austen Centre where we learnt about her life and her time in Bath. We were even able to see the very house in which Governer Arthur Phillip resided and the assembly rooms in which many films used these elegant ballrooms as part of their set. Although the day was filled with wind and rain, we still enjoyed seeing the Circus, the War ...Memorial, the famous Roman Baths and the incredible architecture of Bath. When our tour concluded, we were given some free time to enjoy the variety of shops around the city. The next day we travelled to Downside Abbey. We joined the monks of the abbey for prayer, participated in a tour of the grounds and were provided with lunch. Our visit to Downside Abbey was important to our group and school community as John Bede Polding (Founder of the Good Samaritan Sisters) was a monk in the community there. As our school is part of the Good Samaritan Sisters, seeing where John Bede Polding began his monastic life was humbling to experience. Hopefully York will bring us ore amazing experiences and memories! Written by Anna-Cate Macoustra & Zali Levy (Year 9 students)

07.01.2022 We have arrived safely in Barcelona. Walking tour today and then off to Montserrat for the night

07.01.2022 **REFLECTION FROM FR SERGI'S STORY IN MONTSERRAT** Today when we visited the Montserrat Boys Choir school run by the Benedictine Monks, we were given a tour by Fr Sergi of the chapel, classrooms and music rooms that the monks and students use on a daily basis. Whilst in the space that the boys rehearse their choir songs, Fr Sergi told us about his personal journey to becoming a part of the community and joining the monastery. He told us that he was a student at the school bef...ore later returning to become a monk when he was 23 years old. Fr Sergi's story of how he became a monk was very inspiring and meaningful. After watching Dead Poet's Society, he was confronted with the feeling that his life had no purpose and as the movie says, in the moments before death when he looks back on his life and realised that he really hadn't lived at all, he would be saddened. This lead him to the monastery which he describes as a "love at first sight" feeling as he realised that this would give his life purpose. He told us that in our busy lives we need time to reflect on everything and appreciate the good things that have happened. For him, he does this through his private times in prayer. This is one of the best explanations of how becoming a monk is the right path for people that we have ever heard. Lastly, he told us that his mission at the school is not for the boys to become a monk but is for them to be happy and for them to find their own right paths that will give their life meaning just like he has found his. We would like to thank Fr Sergi for sharing his story as it is something that has really inspired us. (Written by Tahlia Duff, Lucy Koelmeyer, Abbey Harris & Lara Nicholson - Year 9 students) See more

07.01.2022 We have arrived in Rome!

05.01.2022 Sending our love to our friends and family back home from both the MSB Footsteps of Benedict and German Language Exchange crew at the Hofbrahaus in Munich!

05.01.2022 Girls were over the moon to meet this guy in London! What are the chances!

05.01.2022 Practicing the Benedictine values of peace, community and obedience whilst waiting in line for Musei Vaticani. And yes, we are in the short cut / special line.

05.01.2022 After arriving at Tutzing, we were able to explore the small town where we had a traditional schnitzel and chips for lunch and quickly became accustomed to the language barriers! Sister Katerina gave us a tour of the Benedictine monastery at Tutzing and showed us the history of the place and in particluar, the New Norcia girls on the trip were able to see the connection of our house and our house partner Bacolod, to the bigger Benedictine story. Sr Katerina shared her persona...l experience of becoming a nun and we were privileged enough to be able to share the evening Vesper prayer and Eucharist with the Sisters where we were invited to sing our College song as the offertory hymn. Her stories helped us gain an insight into the work and life of a Benedictine nun. On Tuesday, despite the fact that it was -2 degrees, we were given a tour of St Ottilien where we were staying from Fr Timotheus. He helped us gain an understanding into the monastic life of a Benedictine Monk and we were able to experience some Gregorian Chants at their 11:15 mass. After a walking tour of the City of Munich, we then spent an enjoyable night at the Hofbrahaus for dinner where we were able to share stories and have a mini reunion with the current students on the MSB German Exchange Trip that are due back in Sydney at the beginning of Jan 2016. Plenty more to come! - Written by Domnique Pigott (Year 11) See more

04.01.2022 Landed safely in London, making our way to Bath this evening.

04.01.2022 We began in St Peters Square, where we were privileged enough to be invited to the New Years Papal Mass with Pope Francis. Although the whole mass was said in Italian, the experience and significance of the mass was remarkable. Pope Francis' voice echoed throughout the grand walls of St Peters during the beautiful ceremony, celebrated with people from all around the world. After this we ventured through the streets of Vatican City and Rome on a walking tour with a guide who s...howed us many of the ancient Roman landmkars and famous monuments such as the Trevi Fountain, the City of Ruins and the Colosseum, all telling a story of a different time during European History. The next day, the group toured the excavation underneath St Peter's Basilica. During the Scavi Tour, we got to see the tomb of St Peter, the place in which he was buried and said our silent prayers. We had some time to explore around the area and then headed off to the Vatican Museum where we were given a detailed insight on the beautiful paintings and sculptures around the Vatican regarding important figures throughout Church history. We were then able to visit the Sistine Chapel which was breathtakingly beautiful, full of stunning painitings from Michelangelo telling many significant Christian stories. Written by Tameka O'Connell and Jasmin Raad (Year 10) See more

03.01.2022 :: CAPTION THIS :: This was taken near the Christmas Tree in the town square of Norcia!

03.01.2022 We had yet another amazing place that we have been lucky enough to visit. Montserrat has officially marked halfway of our trip! Montserrat has a significant importance to us, as it is a Benedictine Monastery which the school has a very close connection with. During our visit here, we were given a tour throughout the monastery and the school which is an all boys choir school run by Fr Sergi, a Benedictine Monk who is the principal of the school. We were also very lucky to be able to hear his story of how he became a monk. Montserrat is one of our eight school houses and we can all agree that Montserrat has definitely been one of the highlights of our trip so far. We can't wait till the next part! (Written by Rachelle Kashkourian (Year 9 student)

03.01.2022 Final ::CAPTION THIS:: Sydney bound...

01.01.2022 Happy (York) Birthday Alex!! Hope you enjoyed spending it with 41 of your closest friends :)