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NewsUpdates

From Europe to the Illinois Valley: The Journey that Led to Saint Bede

Goldie Rapp

Long before the first students walked through the doors of Saint Bede in 1891, the Academy's story had already crossed continents.

It began more than 1,300 years ago with St. Benedict of Nursia, whose Rule shaped a way of life centered on prayer, learning, community and hospitality. That Benedictine tradition spread throughout Europe, eventually taking root at Metten Abbey in Bavaria. From there, a young monk named Fr. Boniface Wimmer, OSB carried the Benedictine mission across the Atlantic, finding Saint Vincent Archabbey in Latrobe, Pa, in 1846.

Just 15 years later, Benedictine monks arrived in Illinois to serve the growing German Catholic community at St. Joseph Church in Chicago. As they traveled throughout northern Illinois, they recognized another opportunity - not simply to serve parishes, but to establish a school that would educate young men while forming them in the Benedictine tradition.

Their vision found an eager supporter in Bishop John Lancaster Spalding of Peoria. Together, they selected a 200-acre farm between Peru and Spring Valley as the future home of the new school. Construction began in 1889, but the project was anything but easy. Money was scarce, and the monks borrowed heavily to keep construction moving while overcoming obstacles that included finding a reliable water supply. Their perseverance paid off.

On Sept. 7, 1891, Saint Bede College welcomed its first class of 50 students. Named for the Venerable Bede - an English monk, scholar and teacher whose lifelong pursuit of knowledge reflected the school's mission - the new institution quickly became a place where faith and education flourished together.

When the college was formally dedicated on Oct. 12, 1891, hundreds of guests from around the Illinois Valley and beyond gathered to witness the opening of the new Benedictine college, Bishop Spalding marked the occasion with a special address on the front steps of the Academy. In the address, he declared Saint Bede would educate both the mind and the soul. He challenged the new college to become a place where faith, scholarship and service would shape generations of students. Now, 135 years later, that vision continues to guide Saint Bede Abbey and Academy.