CatholicVote President Calls Students to Help Revive Civilization
Kelsey Reinhardt Anchors Convocation as Keynote Speaker
Kelsey Reinhardt with Benedictine College students.
Benedictine College celebrated the start of the 2026-2027 academic year on Tuesday, September 1, with an All School Mass and traditional Opening Convocation. The event welcomed 618 new Ravens, one of the largest incoming freshman classes in the school’s history. Kelsey Reinhardt, president and CEO of CatholicVote, was the keynote speaker.
Reinhardt spoke of mountaintops, mustard seeds, and civilizations as metaphors for life and cultural pursuits and likened St. Benedict’s soul to a mountaintop.
“There is also a mountain within you,” she told the gathering of freshmen, upperclassmen, faculty and staff gathered for the Convocation. “Do not be afraid. Do not forget to climb this mountain when all around is flat and dreary. No matter your goals for this year and beyond – your hopes, your fears – your mission is not only to ascend, but to be that beacon at the top of the mountain.”
Regarding civilization, she talked about how St. Benedict became the patron saint of the entire European continent through his regulations on how a monastery should operate. She distilled the Rule of St. Benedict down to two words, prayer and work, known as Ora et Labora in Latin and challenged students to do just that in America today.
“Every dark corner is a place waiting to be lit,” she said. “May you summit the mountain, encounter the mystery of the mustard seed of faith, as your patron did, and so build a civilization of love.”
Later, at a luncheon with student leaders, she specified specific ways students could serve in public life, and answered questions about how to face the difficult issues of our day. She fondly remembered Benedictine College students who had worked with Catholic Vote including Jack Figge, Hannah Hiester and Shelby (Bland) Buman.
A “Freshman” Raven Priest
Fr. Dan Mauro recognized by Benedictine College President Stephen D. Minnis at the 2026 Opening Convocation.
Additional honors went to Fr. Dan Mauro, a Benedictine alum from the Class of 2020, who offered the homily at the All-School Mass. Fr. Dan is Associate Pastor at Holy Trinity Catholic Parish in Lenexa, Kansas, and St. James Academy Chaplain. He was a pre-med student at Benedictine before discerning religious life.
He told students to take advantage of Benedictine’s high aspirations. “The way to transform culture in America is to take what has been given to us and to elevate it,” he said. “This is the great eloquence of a Catholic college library being made after the model of Independence Hall. Instead of an act of contempt for America, we will transform our nation firstly by an act of thanksgiving.”
He also joked that he entered the seminary soon after his freshman year, meaning he could only relate to that part of the college experience. But the students soon had the opportunity to enter that experience fully.
The incoming freshmen concluded “Beanie Week” and were welcomed into the college community. The practice of freshmen wearing beanies dates back generations and Benedictine College may be the only college in America that still observes the tradition.
“Having experienced the benefits of a Benedictine College tradition, and been welcomed into the Raven family, you are now fully incorporated into the college. You may now remove your beanies,” said President Minnis. The event ended with the singing of the alma mater and Raven Fight Song.
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.
