Miscellaneous
In the photo of Abbot Pennings, Br. Servatius and Fr. Lambert J. Broens, all three men are fresh to the priesthood, new to the Berne Abbey and greenhorns to the United States. Despite the shock of being in a new place, Pennings, Servatius, and Broens supported each other throughout the early years of their arrival. With that being said, Broens preceded Pennings in pastor ship of St. Joseph in De Pere.(van Stratum)
It is highly supported that Broens motivation to move to the Unites States to preach the word of God was highly facilitated by the fact that he had family in the Midwestern United States. He had a brother ministering and another brother in a priesthood based near Chicago. As for Pennings other companion, Brother Servatius, his motives for traveling to the states was unclear. From what is known, he had no relatives in America and tended to be shy. Therefore, the current belief is that he was a curious and caring man who the idea of helping those aboard was intriguing.(van Stratum)