By Ava Gramer ’28

In 2016, Koen Pennings, an English teacher from the Netherlands, visited the United States for the first time and felt an immediate connection.

“The moment I stepped off the plane, I felt at home, strangely enough, and I sort of, I don’t know why, but I had such a strong connection with America,” recalled Pennings.

That feeling grew stronger when a few years later, Koen and his father, Arjan Pennings, were given a book: “Bernard Henry Pennings (1861-1955) Founder of the Norbertine Order in the USA,” written by Jean van Stratum. This book held the key to a huge part of their family history: Bernard Pennings was their great-uncle.

“You know, it’s not every day that you find out that somebody’s founded an abbey and he’s really important for this community here,” Koen Pennings said. 

Curious to see what this legacy looked like firsthand, the pair traveled from the Netherlands to De Pere in April, 127 years after the founding of St. Norbert College. 

During their visit, they toured campus, met with President Laurie Joyner and college leadership, and visited key sites tied to their great-uncle’s work. This included a tour of Old St. Joseph Church and also a guided tour of St. Norbert Abbey from current Abbot Bradley Vanden Branden, O. Praem., ’09.

Learning about Bernard Pennings’ accomplishments left a lasting impression.

“How much he actually accomplished. Which is something remarkable. Especially considering the time in which he did these things. It’s quite an undertaking.”

Koen Pennings

After gaining more knowledge about their great-uncle during this trip, and being able to see the college in person, they were asked how they were impacted by this trip.

“I'm so proud of it, really. It makes the family proud.”

Arjan Pennings

One question was still left unanswered despite the duo’s research. Why did Abbot Pennings come to this small community in northeast Wisconsin and make the mark he did?

“Obviously, the main question would be, why would you go?” Koen Pennings remarked. “Because you’re leaving so much behind for something that’s completely unknown. And it’s quite an undertaking.”

Koen Pennings expressed his favorite part of the journey: “Meeting the people. That’s what stood by me the most. The enthusiasm, and the proudness of these people talking about the place that they work at. And I think that is something that will stick with me for the rest of my life.” 

Reflecting on his earlier sense of connection when he visited the United States, Koen now wonders whether it was rooted in the family ties he later discovered through his great-uncle.

“It might be the case,” Koen Pennings said. “I didn’t know anything about Abbot Pennings himself, so maybe subconsciously? That might have been the case. I don’t know. I wasn’t aware of the link back then, so, who knows?”

For final thoughts, the pair wanted to express their gratitude to everyone involved in making their trip such a memorable experience.

“We’re very thankful for the opportunity to come here,” they said, “but without the people here, many of the things that we did here wouldn’t have been possible. A big shout out to all the people involved.”