For Saint Vincent College to continue to flourish, it needs a steady reservoir of followers fit to steward its mission. Archabbot Boniface Wimmer, O.S.B., originally positioned a close-knit community of monks whose aims were to serve God and educate young people. One hundred eighty years later, a unique blend of good stewards continues to drive the College forward, always forward.

During Mission, Vision, Values Day late last year at the College, Sister Nicole Kunze, O.S.B., PhD, prioress of the Benedictine Sisters of Annunciation Monastery in Bismarck, North Dakota, encouraged fledgling faculty and staff to seek guidance from peers with seniority as well as monastic community members. In welcoming new faces into the Saint Vincent fold, Sister Nicole noted the similarities between introducing new people at the College and receiving new members into a monastery. From The Rule of Saint Benedict, when accepting new members into the monastic community, “a senior chosen for his skill in winning souls should be appointed to look after them with careful attention.”

Using her own life as an example, Sister Nicole highlighted a handful of mentors and mission stewards—a chemistry professor, a staff member with over a half-century of service, and a longtime photographer. “All our colleges have people like this,” added Sister Nicole, who in 2024 was conferred an honorary Saint Vincent College degree, “and we need them to help us take up this mission.”

She cautioned that transmission of the community’s traditions, mission, and values does not happen overnight nor by accident, but through formal and informal ways. Those conventional rituals include participating in traditions such as Founders’ Day, Wimmer’s Welcome and ensuing Mass, and Commencement ceremonies; casual rituals might include quiet conversation with experienced peers who share a more-informed perception.

“We cannot rush the process of becoming Benedictine,” Sister Nicole added. “As much as we want our new members—whether it’s at the College or in the monastery—to pick everything up and become experts, that’s just not how this way of life happens. We need some time to take it up.”

As we mature and learn traditions, faculty and staff are called to become stewards, carefully managing and utilizing resources. “We’re called to tend what we've received,” she said, “and then also to hand it on to the next generation.”