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The Benedictine mission of community, faith and scholarship transformed culture in Europe at the dawn of Western Civilization and Benedictine College in Atchison, Kansas, believes it can do the same in America today. To Transform Culture in America, Benedictine College plans to Form its students deeply in the mission, Advance its mission through alumni in every walk of life, and Extend its mission regionally and nationally.Patrick Reilly noticed something at the March for Life this year.
“Seeing all those schools and colleges represented made me very proud of our Catholic educators and their continued renewal of Catholic identity,” he wrote at the National Catholic Register on Feb. 5.
Reilly, president of the Cardinal Newman Society for Higher Education, also noticed the group Students for Life America, whose leaders credit their college preparation for their pro-life zeal.
“Katie Portka credits her faithful Catholic education at Benedictine College in Atchison, Kansas, with strengthening her pro-life convictions. Portka learned about Benedictine through The Newman Guide, and then, while a senior in high school, saw the College’s students carrying the banner at the head of the March for Life,” he wrote.
“I loved how energetic they were — this huge group of young adults who were so full of life and passionate,” Portka told him.
Before long she was herself leading Benedictine College students on the March for Life. Katie (Probst) Portka attended the school and graduated in 2018 after serving as coordinator for the March.
“The school at large was a very pro-life campus,” she told Reilly, “in the dorms, in classes, and in the faculty.”
Portka added “really did embody the Church’s teaching on life and the dignity and sanctity of life,” says Portka. “In college was when I realized why I was pro-life and why I wanted to be pro-life.”
As Reilly puts it, “When Catholic education is done well, it prepares its students to be ethical leaders and to transform the culture. And nothing could be more important than defending the weakest among us, the innocent baby in the womb.”
Read Reilly’s entire article here.
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 been named one of America’s Best Colleges by U.S. News & World Report, the best private college in Kansas by The Wall Street Journal, and one of the top Catholic colleges in the nation by First Things magazine and 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.
