College of St. Scholastica (CSS) is a private Benedictine college in Duluth, Minnesota, United States. It was founded in 1912 by a group of pioneering Benedictine Sisters and enrolled about 3,000 students as of 2023. The college offers a liberal arts education and is located on 186 wooded acres overlooking Lake Superior. Saint Scholastica was a Christian hermit traditionally regarded as the founder of the Benedictine nuns.
== History ==
The College of St. Scholastica owes its existence to the combining of two forces: Benedictine missionaries and the settlement of Duluth. In 1892, Mother Scholastica Kerst and 28 sisters arrived from St. Joseph, Minnesota, to spearhead the establishment of a Benedictine motherhouse and an academy, known as the Sacred Heart Institute, in Duluth.
The school and convent were located at Munger Terrace before growth required a move to a new facility at Third Avenue East and Third Street. Named Sacred Heart Institute, the high school continued to grow rapidly. Duluth's rapid expansion …
