“Integrating the Love of God and Neighbor”: The Vincentians and American Higher Education A Catholic Church Historian muses, “Today the two largest Catholic universities in the United States are St. John’s, founded in Brooklyn in 1870, and DePaul, founded in Chicago in 1898. The two schools between them have nearly fifty thousand students. Their alumni include judges and lawyers, politicians and public servants, clergy and educators. In their commitment to service and the public good, they operate in the spirit of the religious community that founded both schools, the Vincentian Fathers and Brothers, officially titled the Congregation of the Mission.”
He offers a quick historical journey journey in pictures and words concluding with “Today the Vincentian approach to education is more relevant than ever. In a world that too often negates the person’s innate dignity, St. Vincent calls men and women to work for change in society, a change rooted less in a vague philanthropy than in a concrete, joyful experience of the Lord’s deep love, a love impelling us to translate it into action, to bring the Good News to God’s least, and to realize God’s Kingdom more fully, both today and tomorrow.”
See also Niagara University.
Tags: dePaul (De Paul University), Niagara University, St. John's University, Vincentians
Let’s not forget the Setonian inspired or sponsored institutions
Cincinnati, OH College of Mount St. Joseph
Leavenworth, KS University of St. Mary
Convent Station, NJ College of St. Elizabeth
Bronx, New York College of Mount Saint Vincent
Greensburg, PA Seton Hill University
Although the attached article may be a bit lengthy, I think that St. John’s alumni and alumnae, as well as friends of the university, may find it of interest. It’s an account of the First Commecement Exercises from the pages of the Brooklyn Eagle in 1873. (Hey, you never know– somebody listed there might be an ancestor of yours!)
http://irishcatholichumanist.blogspot.com/2011/01/first-newspaper-account-of-commencement.html
My friends in the Brooklyn Diocese may recognize some of the names as future priests.
Hope all of you have a great day!
Best as always,
Pat McNamara
Dear Friends,
As Founders Week at St. John’s ends, I’d feel remiss not adding something about the parish itself. So I offer the following piece from a 1902 history of Long Island:
http://irishcatholichumanist.blogspot.com/2011/01/st-john-baptist-church-bedford.html
My goal this week has been to express my gratitude to the Vincentian family. A Vincentian approach to education is more needed than ever. All of you at St. John’s, Niagara, and DePaul, in your various ministries, help young men and women encounter St. Vincent as a person of deep faith and love, not just a statue they pass on their way to class.
Thank you all for everything you do! As that eminent theologian Carol Burnett said, “I’m so glad we’ve had this time together!”
Sincerely,
Pat McNamara