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Center for Benedictine Values

The Center for Benedictine Values

Ut in omnibus glorificetur Deus – That in all things God may be glorified.

Mesa, students studying on campus, study group

Center for Benedictine Values Mission Statement

The Center for Benedictine Values serves the entire Benedictine University community, advances the mission of the University, and enhances the distinction of the University as a values-driven institution by:

  • promoting awareness, appreciation, and affirmation of Benedictine values,
  • fostering innovative and interdisciplinary study of Benedictine values,
  • supporting and enacting vibrant application of Benedictine values in all areas of life and work.
Peter Huff, Center for Benedictine Values

Peter Huff, Ph.D.
Chief Mission Officer,
Director of the Center for Benedictine Values

Welcome to Benedictine University’s Center for Benedictine Values!

The Center for Benedictine Values is dedicated to the advancement of Benedictine University’s distinctive mission and the achievement of its bold vision. Our mission and vision are deeply rooted in our long and storied history and profoundly shaped by positive engagement with contemporary culture and the latest, most innovative, developments in Catholic higher education.

The Center provides mission-centered orientation and continuing education for the entire University community. We seek to foster awareness and appreciation of the Catholic intellectual tradition, Catholic social teaching, and the legacy of Benedictine wisdom. Annual signature events organized by the Center include the Visiting Scholar in Catholic Thought lectures every fall and the Benedictine Heritage Lecture and the Faith and Reason Symposium every spring.

On this site, you can read the core documents that shape our Catholic and Benedictine identity: Ex Corde Ecclesiae and our Mission and Vision Statements. In Education within the Benedictine Wisdom Tradition, from the Association of Benedictine Colleges and Universities, you can read about our core values, the Ten Hallmarks of Benedictine education: love, prayer, stability, conversatio (transformation), obedience, discipline, humility, stewardship, hospitality, and community.

The Neff family farmhouse, the location for the Center, was the original heart of the Lisle campus when Benedictine monks from Saint Procopius Abbey moved from Chicago to DuPage County over 100 years ago. Today, the iconic stone structure is an enduring symbol of our commitment to inspiring values stretching back nearly fifteen centuries to Saint Benedict, one of the most important figures in world spirituality.

Pope John Paul II spoke eloquently about the Catholic university as “born from the heart of the Church.” From that heart spring values of justice, respect for persons, and the quest for truth that resonate richly with the highest ideals of all religions and cultures.

At Benedictine, we welcome people of all cultures, all racial and ethnic identities, all genders, and all faiths and no faith. All are cherished partners in the evolving project called Benedictine University.

We invite you to join with the Center for Benedictine Values as we contribute to the inauguration of the next exciting chapter in Benedictine University’s great mission-driven story.

Education within the Benedictine Wisdom Tradition

From the earliest years of Christianity the disciples of Jesus faced the challenge of how to live faithfully and with integrity in the world in which they found themselves.  READ MORE About the Education within the Benedictine Wisdom Tradition >>>

Constitution on Catholic Universities by Pope St. John Paul II

BORN FROM THE HEART of the Church, a Catholic University is located in that course of tradition which may be traced back to the very origin of the University as an institution. READ MORE About the Constitution on Catholic Universities by Pope St. John Paul II >>>

University Mission Statement

Benedictine University is an inclusive academic community dedicated to teaching and learning, scholarship and service, truth and justice, as inspired by the Catholic intellectual tradition, the social teaching of the Church, and the principles of wisdom in the Rule of St. Benedict.

University Vision Statement

Benedictine University aspires to be a thought leader in Catholic higher education. We seek to provide a transformative and integrative educational experience grounded in Benedictine values, helping students shape lives of meaning and purpose as engaged citizens who care for the Earth, welcome people of diverse faiths and cultures, and promote the common good.

Upcoming Events:

Click on the event for additional information and registration information.

Center for Benedictine Values Blogs

Pope Francis speaking in the US Congress in 10 years ago

Pope Francis at 10 Years

Do you remember where you were when you saw the white smoke? Ten years ago this week, Jorge Mario Bergoglio was elected pope—one of the most surprising popes in a […]

Mehnaz-Afridi

Three Scholars, Three Religions, One God of Love and Justice

A Jew, a Christian, and a Muslim walk onto a stage … It sounds like a well-worn joke. But it’s not. It’s one of the blessings of being Benedictine! And […]

MLK speaking at a graduation ceremony

Honoring King by Living Our Vocation

This week the Benedictine community takes time to remember, honor, and learn from Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Most of us have heard of King our whole lives. Some […]

Pope Benedict XVI

Remembering Pope Benedict XVI

Remembering Pope Benedict XVI (1927-2022) Ten years ago, around this time, I was beginning to teach a course on Pope Benedict XVI—as far as I know, the only full course […]

C.S. Lewis The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe book cover

Benedictine Christmas Every Day

“Always winter and never Christmas.” That’s how Mr. Tumnus the Faun in C. S. Lewis’s classic “The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe” describes for Lucy Pevensie the state of […]

stary sky background image

Fifteenth Annual Faith and Reason Symposium

Benedictine’s Fifteenth Annual Faith and Reason Symposium: Nov. 15-16 “Faith and reason are like two wings on which the human spirit rises to the contemplation of truth.” With these words […]

Vincent Lloyd

Visiting Scholars in Catholic Thought are a Signature Tradition

The annual Visiting Scholar in Catholic Thought Lecture, sponsored by the Center for Benedictine Values, is a signature tradition of Benedictine University. Every year we bring a prominent thought-leader in […]

Dorothy-Day-with-granddaughter-Martha-Hennessy-1972

Lots of kids grow up thinking their grandmothers are saints

Lots of kids grow up thinking their grandmothers are saints. Martha Hennessy’s actually is. Or almost is. It depends on your definition. According to the technical language the Vatican has […]

Motto St Procopius College Seal

Benedictine has a Motto

Benedictine has a motto. Do you know what it is? Almost every college has one. Other institutions have them too. Aristocratic families have them. States and territories have them. Bishops […]

male student using laptop

Autocorrect is not always correct

It’s almost blasphemy in the digital age, but it has to be said: autocorrect is not always correct. The same goes for spellcheck. I suppose every profession has its way […]

Frederick Buechner

Each Life…

“Each life,” Frederick Buechner once observed, “is not just a journey through time, but a sacred journey.” Today, the celebrated spiritual writer’s own journey through time came to an end. […]

Pope goes to confessions

Popes go to confession. Like everyone else, they have personal sins to acknowledge.

Popes can also confess the sins of the entire church. At the beginning of the new millennium, John Paul II famously offered a litany of mea culpa’s, asking forgiveness for, […]

The Center for Benedictine Values condemns racism in all its forms, including structural and systemic racism. Racism and acts of hate and bias are in direct opposition to the fundamental ideals of our University. We pledge to do all within our power to make Benedictine University an anti-racist institution.

 

Peter A. Huff, Ph.D.
Chief Mission Officer
Director, Center for Benedictine Values
Professor of Theology and Religious Studies
Neff Center
(630) 829-6664
[email protected]