Fr. Kilian celebrates 101! September 20, 2022 By Collegeville Institute Leave a Comment On Friday, September 16, Fr. Kilian McDonnell, the founder and president of the Collegeville Institute, celebrated his 101st birthday. Fr. Kilian is a member of Saint John’s Abbey and the Order of Saint Benedict (OSB) who is a widely recognized theologian and advocate for ecumenicism. The Collegeville Institute, founded in 1967, itself celebrated its 50th birthday in 2017, showing the longevity of the impact Fr. Killian has been making in the OSB and the College of Saint Benedict’s/Saint John’s University community and beyond. Collegeville Institute staff Executive Director Dr. Jacqueline Bussie and Administrative and Program Assistant Connor Kockler, and current Resident Scholar Andre Price visited Fr. Kilian on September 15 to wish him well on his special day. The three had a long and joyful visit with Fr. Kilian, asking him about his birthday and talking about how his work has inspired them. In an example of the tremendous legacy of achievement and scholarship Fr. Kilian has built, Andre showed Kilian a copy of his book The Other Hand of God, that Andre is using in writing his dissertation. Dr. Bussie also gifted Fr. Kilian an audiobook of her title Love Without Limits, which features her stories and advice on building community and bridging divides as Christians. Continuing a tradition from Fr. Kilian’s 100th birthday a year ago, his family brought him down by car to see the Collegeville Institute on Friday the 16th. Fr. Kilian continues to inspire us at the Collegeville Institute every day. Happy Birthday again Fr. Kilian! Andre Price, Dr. Jacqueline Bussie, and Connor Kockler met with Fr. Killian in St. Raphael Retirement Center on September 15. Like this post? Subscribe to have new posts sent to you by email the same day they are posted.
