Saint Vincent Archabbey commemorated the 100th anniversary of Fu Jen University’s founding with a series of events on 4 April 2025 in Latrobe, Pennsylvania. The day began with a solemn Mass at St Vincent Basilica, presided over by Archabbot Martin Bartel, OSB, followed by an academic conference attended by international guests, university officials and Benedictine scholars. The occasion honoured the legacy of the Benedictines who established Fu Jen in Beijing in 1925 and underscored its continuing influence in East-West educational dialogue.

The academic conference featured reflections from Archabbot Martin, Saint Vincent College President Fr Paul Taylor, Monsignor Veceslav Tumir representing the Holy See, Bishop Matthew Zhen of Beijing, Fu Jen President Francis Lan and Professor Sophia Geng of the Loe China Studies Center. Archabbot Martin traced ongoing Benedictine engagement with China to Fu Jen’s foundation, crediting figures like Fr Hugh Wilt with sustaining this legacy. President Taylor celebrated the shared mission between Saint Vincent and Fu Jen, and President Lan highlighted the university’s evolution and its strategic plan for navigating modern educational challenges.

A highlight of the event was Monsignor Tumir’s reading of a letter from Pope Francis. The Pope praised the university’s foundation as a model of cultural and academic integration, recalling how Benedictine monks brought a scholarly and spiritual vision to China. He reaffirmed the Church’s commitment to education as a vehicle for dialogue and peace. Cardinal Pietro Parolin, in a separate letter, acknowledged the importance of the anniversary and expressed the Vatican’s solidarity through the Nunciature’s presence.

The first presentation dealt with Ying Lianzhi, the Chinese Catholic scholar responsible for getting the Vatican interested in having a Catholic university in China and with whom the Benedictines worked in setting up Fu Jen University. This presentation also introduced the Chinese historian Chen Yuan who became the president of Fu Jen University in 1929 and who closely cooperated with the Benedictines. The other presentations treated of the Benedictines important for the founding of Fu Jen University, which includes a Benedictine Oblate.

Archabbot Aurelius Stehle, OSB, was the archabbot of Saint Vincent Archabbey who was ordered by the Vatican to start a Catholic university in Beijing. Fr. Barry O’Toole, a good friend of Archabbot Aurelius and a Benedictine Oblate, was appointed as the first president of Fu Jen University. Fr. Ildephonse Brandstetter, OSB, was the Prior of the Benedictines in Beijing and closely involved with the setting up of the university. Fr. Francis Clougherty, OSB, a diocesan priest who had been working in China, joined the Benedictines in Beijing and was active in the university work. Fr. Gregory Schramm, OSB, a monk of Newark Abbey, was a science teacher at Fu Jen University, and later, it was because of him that the Loe China Center was established at Saint Vincent College.

The centennial gathering not only recalled Fu Jen’s historic beginning but also rekindled the monastic commitment to global partnership and education. With roots in both East and West, and with ongoing ties to its Benedictine founders, Fu Jen continues to serve as a testament to the enduring mission of Catholic higher education in a pluralistic world.