The College of Saint Benedict (CSB) in Minnesota, which forged a path of education, leadership and friendship for generations of women who are known as Bennies, celebrated its centennial year, and a century of connection in July 2013, but the celebration continues as the university's officials travel to different countries where there are Bennie alumni to celebrate with them, in an attempt to pull the alumni together.
And The Bahamas is the next stop on the world tour to celebrate the 100th anniversary of CSB. President MaryAnn Baenninger, who celebrates a decade of service to CSB, will be present at the Bahamian celebration on Saturday, January 25 to update Bennies on the state of the college at a gala banquet on Saturday, January 25 at Sapodilla Restaurant on West Bay Street.
Sister Annie Thompson, a Bennie from the Class of 1967 who is acting in the public relations roll for the celebration along with fellow Bennie, Renee Knowles, is happy that the celebration is coming to The Bahamas. Sister Annie is calling for all Bennies to participate.
"It's a celebration of 100 years of liberal arts education for women that started out in Minnesota, but has branched out to all parts of the world," said Sister Annie, adding that most of the foreigners who attended the school came from The Bahamas. "It's an outstanding women's liberal arts college, and they've produced many women in the Bahamas who have obtained an education in The Bahamas."
To date, Sister Annie says close to 800 Bahamian women have attended the university with about 600 having actually graduated.
The first Bahamian graduate was Virginia Baker in 1952. Telzena Coakley and Rosalba Lundy (deceased) were the second set of graduates in 1962, followed by Jacqueline Barnett-Bethel in 1964 and Sister Mary Benedict and Sister Annie in 1967.
Recalling her time at CSB, Sister Annie said she loved it there, even though when she went to Minnesota initially she did not intend to going to university.
"I went to go to the convent, where I thought I would go in and be cloistered for the rest of my life," she said. "But they said I had to go to school."
She did not regret it.
"It was a small, rural school of about 700 to 800. When I went, it was 60 in the freshman class, now it's 500 freshmen easy," said Sister Annie. "The College of Saint Benedict has done an excellent job and has incorporated all different nationalities and countries. It's a great university."
Sister Annie credits CSB with helping many of the country's teachers to obtain their Bachelor of arts degrees through the intervention of Coakley in 1974, when CSB started a four-week training course for teachers which then became the continued extension program from The Bahamas.
In 1979, Sister Annie started the freshman program with Ron Clarke and as a result they had girls and boys enrolled in the freshman program through St. Bens' in The Bahamas, and who could attend any accredited university they wanted to after that one year.
Ticket prices for the Bennies celebration are $100 per person. The banquet takes place 6 p.m. to 10 p.m. with the proceeds benefitting the Bahamian scholarship fund at CSB. Tickets can be purchased from Renee Knowles at The Catholic Archdiocesan Pastoral Office in St. Francis Xavier Cathedral yard between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m. weekdays, telephone 322-8919 or from Sister Annie at St. Martin's Monastery, Nassau Street, telephone 323-5466 or 323-5517.

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