Fall 2012 - Cistercian Preparatory School

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8 THE CONTINUUM • FALL 2012Fr. Paul McCormick withthe chalice willed to himby his mentor, Msgr.Henry A. Drouilhetof Beaumont.
F A L L 2 0 1 2CISTERCIAN’S NEW HEADMASTERcommon uncommonTOUCH IDEALSAn abiding faith in God leads Fr. Paul McCormick as he bringssingular talents and a fresh perspective to the job of headmasterBRITT WESLEY MCCORMICK WAS ENJOYINGthe company Christmas party with his co-workersin 1991 when his boss, also the host of the party,strolled over.“Britt,” said Rob Rutherford, manager ofcommunity economic development for GTETelephone Operations, “We need to talk.” The pair broke from thecrowd and moved toward a quiet corner.McCormick had been working for GTE in Las Colinas for ninemonths while he completed graduate studies at night. Everyone inthe office seemed to like McCormick. Rutherford also was wellaware of his horsepower: 4.0 student of economics at the Universityof Dallas, excellent writing skills, and a soon-to-be MBA. He hadbeen valedictorian of his high school class of 247, president of thestudent body, editor of the newspaper, and an Eagle Scout.“I’d like to propose something to you, Britt.”“You know we think highly of you,” he began. “We think you’remanagement material. So, I’d like to give you a chance to go to GTE(now Verizon) headquarters in Stamford, CT, to enter the corporatemanagement training program.“Well, Britt, what do you think?”Thoughts swirled around McCormick’s head.“I had been waiting for a sign from God that I was meant forthe priesthood,” recalled Fr. Paul McCormick at a September 2012alumni gathering at The Old Monk. “But at that point, I knew if Itook the management training position, I would never fulfill myBY DAVID EXALL STEWARTcalling of becoming a priest.”The calling that he first sensed in fifth grade became full-blownby his senior year of high school with the support of his spiritualguide, Monsignor Henry A. Drouilhet. In college he majored infinance “to give me something to fall back on in case I changed mymind about becoming a priest.”The decision he had been postponing — one he’d pondered forso long — was bearing down on him. There was no longer muchtime for delay.“Rob,” McCormick said, “let me think about it over theweekend.”So that weekend in December 1991, McCormick prayed on thenature of God’s call, consulted Dietrich Bonheoffer’s discourse ondiscipleship, and shared his thoughts with Abbot Denis Farkasfalvy.Monday following the Christmas party, McCormick declinedthe offer and told Rutherford of his decision to join the monastery.“You could have knocked me over with a feather,” Rutherfordremembered. It quickly became a joke around the GTE offices thatworking for Rutherford was a fast track to the monastery.“The monastery is like a big family,” he had told his mom, RitaMcCormick, who hoped that a priestly vocation might bring her sonback to Beaumont.McCormick failed to mention, however, that his Cistercianfamily had some significant problems – divisions between factionsand generations. And barely a trickle of new vocations to renew itsranks. The future of the abbey appeared far from certain.Photo by Jim ReischFALL 2012 • THE CONTINUUM9
Page 1 and 2: For family, friends, and alumni of
Page 3: CISTERCIANPREPARATORYSCHOOLRev. Pau
Page 6 and 7: News & notesALUMNI AWARDTO GO TO RO
Page 10 and 11: FORMATIVE YEARSBritt McCormick grew
Page 12 and 13: FORM MASTER & MOREFr. Paul’s joy
Page 14 and 15: GIVINGBUSINtheThe “Burger Boys”
Page 16 and 17: Owen Hannay ‘81 (left) ofSlingsho
Page 18 and 19: Andrew Roberts ‘82 (left)and Ken
Page 20 and 21: Spring sportsWilliam Howard ’14TE
Page 22 and 23: How a Cistercian classmate saved my

Fall 2012 - Cistercian Preparatory School

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