Benedictine Library Dedication with U.S. Supreme Court Justice Barrett
Associate Justice Amy Coney Barrett – Collection of the Supreme Court of the United States
The new Independence Hall-inspired library at Benedictine College in Atchison, Kansas, is complete and will be formally dedicated on September 26 during the college’s Family Weekend. The Moritz Library in D’Aniello Hall will be the center of attention in a ceremony that includes remarks from U.S. Supreme Court Justice Amy Coney Barrett. The event is free and open to the public and will begin at 10:00 a.m. in the courtyard south of the library.
“This is an exciting milestone for Benedictine College,” said Benedictine College President Stephen D. Minnis. “The library will not only demonstrate our commitment to academic excellence and the Catholic Intellectual Tradition, but it will also be a symbol of our love for this great country of ours.”
The college is pleased to have Justice Barrett as part of the dedication ceremony. Originally from New Orleans, she received her undergraduate degree from Rhodes College and her Juris Doctor degree from The University of Notre Dame Law School. She served as a law clerk for Judge Laurence H. Silberman of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit and Justice Antonin Scalia of the Supreme Court of the United States. After two years in private practice in Washington, D.C., she joined the faculty of the Notre Dame Law School in 2002. She was appointed a Judge of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit in 2017. President Donald J. Trump nominated her as an Associate Justice of the Supreme Court, and she took her seat on October 27, 2020.
The new library was built to resemble Independence Hall in Philadelphia and includes museum-quality reproductions of the Liberty Bell and the Assembly Room where the Declaration of Independence and U.S. Constitution were debated and signed. The Assembly Room and Liberty Bell were opened for the 250th Birthday of America on July 4, when the college presented 250 new scholarships as the successful conclusion to the “250 for 250” campaign. Benedictine’s Center for Constitutional Liberty has also relocated to offices in the building.
The 58,000 square foot library symbolizes Benedictine College’s commitment to academic excellence. It is home to the college’s Department of History and Department of Political Science, as well as the collection of more than 230,000 bound volumes, multiple classrooms, a large coffee shop, and three times the study space of the old facility.
Founded in 1858, Benedictine College is a Catholic, Benedictine, residential, liberal arts college located on the bluffs above the Missouri River in Atchison, Kansas. The school is honored to have received a top 10 ranking by U.S. News & World Report, to be ranked in the nation’s 10 most-recommended colleges by The Wall Street Journal, and named one of the top Catholic colleges in the nation by the Newman Guide. It prides itself on outstanding academics, extraordinary faith life, strong athletic programs, and an exceptional sense of community and belonging. Benedictine College is dedicated to Transforming Culture in America through its mission to educate men and women within a community of faith and scholarship.
