Benedictine Leadership Studies at Saint Vincent College

04/28/2026

Congratulations to our BLS seniors for their awards at last week’s Honors Convocation!
C**t Easterling: SGA Senior Award, Communications and Media Studies Award; Alicia Boretti: Political Science Award; Corey Beougher: Theology Award; Hope Farley: Accreditation Council for Business Schools and Programs Award; Carolina Walter’s: President’s Award

04/19/2026

We snuck in a hike today, just before the ridiculously late snow. Hey, Old Man Winter, don’t you know that spring is here?!

03/31/2026

What a great time we had at Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra’s performance of Beethoven’s Eroica this past Saturday. An angel moved us from the nose bleeds to fifth row! A tremendous performance, and this Holy Week we will be thinking about how Beethoven’s work in dedication of “a great man” can help us prepare us for Triduum and the Resurrection!

03/19/2026

BLS is now a part of Saint Vincent College’s brand-new Honors Community! On this day of giving, please consider donating to SVC Honors to support our students’ Catholic, Benedictine, Liberal Arts formation. On this Solemnity of St. Joseph, may their prayer and work, and that of our benefactors, bear fruit!

I’m ready to support The SVC Honors Program on March 19, 2026 during Saint Vincent College Day of Giving 2026. Learn more about The SVC Honors Program and all the other initiatives participating in Saint Vincent College Day of Giving 2026.

03/10/2026

Last stop, Paris! Our time there began at the Eiffel Tower and a boat cruise dinner, followed the next morning by a tour of Notre Dame and its towers. An incredible highlight was First Friday mass featuring our own Br. Jose and Fr. Henri. The main celebrant even switched to English at one point to welcome Saint Vincent College! Lunch featured cheese tasting in the St. Catherine Labouré Garden, and then we were off to the St. Vincent de Paul Shrine, a tour of the Sorbonne, and a stop at St. Stephen’s. We wrapped up the trip with dinner at Le Procope, the oldest restaurant in Paris, and a stop at St. Benedict Street where our Benedictine guides happily posed for one last selfie. Adieu, France!

03/08/2026

Our next day trip was to the 17th century chateau of Champs de Bataille and to the beautiful town of Bec, home to to the great Benedictine Doctor of the Church, St. Anselm. Such beauty (as St. Anselm would say) is proof that Goodness, Greatness, and Being exists: thanks be to God!

03/07/2026

Next stop, Mont Saint Michel! A Benedictine monastery for 1000+ years, and supplied by monks from Saint-Wandrille (as you can see, Fr. Henri called Fr. Max to brag about this), it still stands as a testament to the beauty of the Benedictine, Catholic vision of elevating the City of Man by pointing it to the City of God.
We wrapped up this outing with a stop at the American World War II Cemetery, where the Kroms paid tribute to their ancestor who paid the last full measure in the liberation of France. Thank you, Uncle Mac, for our freedom! Br. Jose and Julian were honored to pay tribute at the tomb of a soldier known only to God.

03/06/2026

Our first outing was to Lisieux for a pilgrimage to St. Therese’s convent for mass, her childhood home, and the basilica built in honor of the Little Way. A visit to Les Buissonnets (her childhood home) is a must: seeing where she played with her sisters and brought her sisters such joy was a powerful reminder that holiness can be found by doing ordinary things in an extraordinary manner. In obedience and humility, all things can be sanctifying when done with charity!

03/04/2026

Bonjour de Saint-Wandrille, France! The Saint Vincent College Honors Community is on our first ever spring break trip to France. This post introduces you to our home-away-from-home: Saint-Wandrille, France. Nestled in the Normandy countryside and built around the 1400 year-old Benedictine Abbey from which it gets it’s name, it is picturesque and peaceful. This post introduces you to the town. Stay tuned for posts on the monastery, group photos, and trips to Lisieux, Mont Saint Michel, the World War II Cemetery, Paris, and more!

02/07/2026

Spread the word - registration for the 2026 Saint Vincent College Faith and Reason Summer Program is now open!

01/30/2026

Alumni Spotlight: Matthew Kenney, DO (Class of 2018) is a Family Medicine and Sports Medicine Physician for the US Army, currently working at Fort Belvoir in Virginia. In his own words, "My time in BLS provided me a strong, Catholic, Benedictine foundation for leadership that I have applied to my careers as a US Army officer and physician. No matter the situation I have found myself in, the Benedictine principles can be applied to help me to objectively problem-solve from the Catholic Benedictine lens." He is especially thankful for the Rome pilgrimage as a capstone trip that solidified his commitment to servant leadership. That trip led him to discern that God was calling Him to practice love of neighbor by serving in the armed forces. In addition to practicing personal care for each and every one of his patients, he is committed to the Benedictine hallmarks in his personal life. Whether he is mentoring high school students or medical residents, devoting time to his wife and daughter, participating in parish life at the Basilica of St. Mary's in Old Town Alexandria, or spending free time fishing or birding, he retains St. Benedict's insistence to conduct his life so that in all things God may be glorified.