Bringing St. Norbert to Life

There’s always more to the St. Norbert College Magazine that lands in your mailbox – more photos, more stories and even video. These online exclusives can all be found at snc.edu/magazine. Here’s a sampling to whet your appetite.

Man on fire
Those familiar with Norbert of Xanten know him as a legendary peacemaker, a defender of the Eucharist and a strong-willed church reformer. But other characteristics of Norbert have been difficult to decipher. A new book by President Emeritus Tom Kunkel, “Man on Fire: The Life & Spirit of Norbert of Xanten,” brings to life Norbert the man and shows that he, as most saints did, led a life that was emotional, conflicting and, frankly, a bit messy. In short, Norbert led a life that was altogether human.

“We have a culture of sainthood, for a good reason, that goes back to the beginning of the church, and it’s very valuable to us,” Kunkel says. “But it’s also very wrongheaded and mystifying and shrouded in ignorance or mischaracterizations. These were people. These were people who had real problems and made real mistakes. … But what they all had in common was that, at some point, they figured it out.”

Kunkel joins Judy (Sprangers) Turba ’76 and two young Norbertines, Fraters Johnathon Turba and Jordan Neeck ’11, to talk about the writing of his “Man on Fire.” Watch the video

Inspired
Karlyn Crowley (CVC, English) reflects on her road to Earlham College, on Quaker pedagogy and on the Earlham professors who inspired her own teaching. Read more

In the Bible
Images from a service of blessing at St. Norbert Abbey reveal the rich experience that The Saint John’s Bible opens to all who explore its pages. View the gallery

In the big leagues
Spenser Thompson-Myers ’19 kicked his way into the record books, and the NFL took notice. Watch the video

In BIOL 320
Students take on some visual learning, revealing our inner workings in the Human Anatomy & Histology course taught by Deb Anderson (Biology). Watch the video

July 30, 2019

Also in Print: Fulbrighter Extends Language Legacy

Not every element in the print issue of St. Norbert College Magazine makes it into our online issue. Here's a bonus item to enjoy.

Emily Steuer ’19 has been chosen to represent the United States as a Fulbright student in Germany.

Steuer is one of some 2,000 students in the U.S. to receive the honor. “It basically is the real deal,” says Nick Humphrey (Modern Languages & Literatures). “It’s a State Department grant, and it is the flagship grant – the highest level of educational-exchange grant you can win from Washington. That’s important, not just for Emily and what she wants to do, but also because it puts St. Norbert on the map.”

Steuer will spend 2019-20 teaching English to primary- or secondary-school children. “I feel teaching English is really important because you’re bridging cultures, [building] a continuing globalized and interconnected world through a shared language,” she says.

Humphrey, a Fulbrighter himself in 1998, has mentored two other students in their Fulbright journeys. Lisa (Aldrich) Manicke ’04 traveled to Germany and now runs an exchange program with her host city and the DeForest, Wis., school where she teaches. Emily Zaeske ’11 traveled to Austria and now lives and works there.