OTIS, Rev. ALPHONSUS ELMER, S. J.
Rev. Alphonsus Elmer Otis, S. J., who was appointed rector of St. Mary's University, April 3, 1907, was born at Columbus, Ohio, July 1, 1864. He is a descendant of the James Otis family of Massachusetts, in which state his father, Col. Elmer Otis, was born. Colonel Otis was an officer in the United States army, being colonel of the Eighth United States Cavalry. For four years he was in command at Fort Sam Houston, San Antonio. He was retired in 1891 and died in 1898. Agnes (Boone) Otis, mother of the rector of St. Mary's is a great-granddaughter of Daniel Boone, the Kentucky pioneer. She is now living at San Diego, California.
The childhood of Father Otis was spent chiefly in the military posts of the West, in Oregon, Washington, North Dakota and elsewhere. In 1877 he entered the Jesuit College of St. Mary's (Kansas), but ill health compelled him to abandon his work after the first session. From September, 1879, to June, 1884, he attended Notre Dame University (Indiana), where he graduated with the degree of Bachelor of Science, and remained a year in that school as professor of mathematics. In September, 1885, he became a clerk in the commissary department at Fort Sam Houston, San Antonio, and remained four years. In September, 1889, he began the long and arduous training required by the Jesuit order, and June 27, 1901, at Woodstock College, Maryland, was ordained to the priesthood by Cardinal Archbishop Martinelli.
Previous to his appointment as rector of St. Mary's he was stationed at the Jesuit Colleges of Spring Hill in Mobile, Alabama, and of New Orleans. Father Otis is a splendid scholar, especially in mathematics and the sciences. He also possesses the ability of the organizer and executive, and no small part of St. Mary's substantial prosperity is due to his efficient administration.
Historical Review of South-East Texas and the Founders, Leaders and Representative Men, Vol 2, by Dermot Hardy and Maj. Ingham S. Robert, by The Lewis Publishing Company, Chicago, 1910
ST MARY'S UNIVERSITY was founded at Galveston in 1854. The venerated Bishop Odin, the first vicar apostolic of Texas and the organizer of the church during the republican and early statehood period of Texas, was the founder of the university. One of the earliest institutions of higher education in Texas, St. Mary's has been the alma mater to hundreds of men who were trained within its walls for the responsibilities of civic and business leadership. Many of the well-known and successful citizens of Southeast Texas, now active in affairs, were students in St. Mary's at sometime within the last half century.
On June 21, 1909, St. Mary's celebrated the silver jubilee of its administration by the Society of Jesus. In 1884 the Jesuit Fathers assumed control of the university, and their management has resulted in the highest degree of prosperity in the history of the institution. Under the present rector, Father A. E. Otis, St. Mary's ranks among the fore most Catholic colleges of the south.
The history of St. Mary's is part of the history of Galveston. There have been prominent Catholics among the citizens of Galveston since the founding of the city. Colonel Menard, who was president of the City Company, which bought the league and labor of land on Galveston Island in 1838, was a member of the church. Texas, as a province of Spain and Mexico, had acknowledged the Catholic church as a state religion. When it became independent in 1836, all denominations were placed on an equality, and each sect had to struggle independently to establish its worship and institutions in the new republic. In order to maintain its hold and further the progress of the church in Texas the Holy See in 1840 made Texas a prefecture apostolic, with Very Rev. John Timon as prefect apostolic. Father John Mary Odin was his vice prefect, and two years later, when the Republic was raised to the dignity of a vicariate apostolic, the latter was appointed its first vicar apostolic. In 1847 the Galveston diocese was created, and Father Odin became its first bishop. In 1841 he had put up frame church in Galveston, and his first work as bishop was to begin the erection of St. Mary's Cathedral, which was consecrated in 1848.
In this outline of the church's early history the founding of St. Mary's University is one of the next events of importance. Bishop Odin understood that the best security for the progress of the church lay in the establishment of sound Catholic schools. Accordingly, in 1847, he brought the nuns of the Ursuline order to Galveston and founded the convent for the education of young women. His efforts to found a similar boys' school did not succeed until 1854. In that year the Galveston City Company donated as a site for the proposed school, block 193, on Broadway between Thirteenth and Fourteenth streets. On these grounds a three-story brick building was completed in the fall of 1851, and the doors were opened to students in November. The $20,000 for building the college came from two sources. The Oblate Fathers, who were put in charge of the school, had been given a certain sum for their Texas mission, and this they used for brick and mortar for the new building. The zealous Oblate missionary, Father Parisot, collected the rest of the money among the rich planters of Louisiana.
A charter was applied for to the state legislature, but was not granted until August 23, 1856, being the first charter granted to a Catholic college in the state. St. Mary's had varying fortunes during the first thirty years of its existence. It was opened as a mixed boarding and day college, with Father Julian M. Baudre as first president. Father A. Gaudet was the last president during the Oblate administration. The Oblate Fathers moved to Brownsville in October, 1857, and a secular priest, Father James A. Miller, with several laymen assistants, had charge of the school for the following year. The next two years it was in the hands of the fathers of the Order of the Minor Conventuals. In 1860 the Brothers of the Christian Schools took charge and managed the institution during the Civil war until 1867. Many of the older pupils entered the army, and the younger pupils also knew the meaning of war, for at the bombardment of Galveston in January, 1863, some Yankee shells made a gap in the walls and tore up the adjoining grounds.
The yellow fever epidemic of 1867 caused an abandonment of the school for a time, and it was resumed under the direction of Rev. Thomas J. Johnson, a secular priest, with several secular assistants. In August, 1870, the Brothers of the Holy Cross took charge, with Brother Boniface as president. He was succeeded in 1873 by Brother John Chrysostom, who was president until the Brothers of the Holy Cross were recalled to Notre Dame, Indiana. During the next seven years the school was under the management of the seculars. Rev. A. M. Truchard, president from 1879 to 1884, was one of the ablest men who have directed the affairs of the university. He conducted it as a mixed boarding and day school, and the large number of pupils made necessary the erection of the three halls which now form the center of the college buildings.
The history of the delivery of the school to the Society of Jesus is given in the college diary as follows: "June 21, 1884. The Right Rev. Nicholas Aloysius Gallagher, D. D., made this day a donation of the institution and grounds known as the University of St. Mary, in the city of Galveston, Texas, viz., all the buildings and grounds contained in block 193, to the Fathers of the Society of Jesus of the Mission of New Orleans, and handed over the same to them in the person of their superior, the Very Rev. Theobald Walter Butler, S. J."
Under the Jesuit Fathers, St. Mary's was reorganized and for twenty-five years has enjoyed steady prosperity and growth. It was opened as a day college only on September 1, 1884, with fifty-three pupils, but by the end of the first term there were 150 students enrolled. Since then, except for the disappearance of some of the oldest buildings and the erection of new ones, the career of the university presents few annals. In the storm of 1900 the buildings were seriously damaged, and during the following weeks of rescue and restoration the university halls were converted into a hospital.
The first rector under the Jesuit administration was Rev. John Francis O'Connor, S. J., who was proclaimed August 15, 1884. His successors, with date of appointment, have been: Rev. John O'Shanahan, S. J., October 15, 1887; Rev. Theobald Walter Butler, S. J., May 4, 1888; Rev. John O'Shanahan, S. J., 1892 to 1896; Rev. John B. Quinlan, S. J., September 1, 1896; Rev. Amadeus Guyol, S. J., February 14, 1899; Rev. Daniel J. Murphy, October 8, 1902; Rev. Alphonsus Elmer Otis, April 3, 1907
Rev. Alphonsus Elmer Otis, S. J., who was appointed rector of St. Mary's University, April 3, 1907, was born at Columbus, Ohio, July 1, 1864. He is a descendant of the James Otis family of Massachusetts, in which state his father, Col. Elmer Otis, was born. Colonel Otis was an officer in the United States army, being colonel of the Eighth United States Cavalry. For four years he was in command at Fort Sam Houston, San Antonio. He was retired in 1891 and died in 1898. Agnes (Boone) Otis, mother of the rector of St. Mary's is a great-granddaughter of Daniel Boone, the Kentucky pioneer. She is now living at San Diego, California.
The childhood of Father Otis was spent chiefly in the military posts of the West, in Oregon, Washington, North Dakota and elsewhere. In 1877 he entered the Jesuit College of St. Mary's (Kansas), but ill health compelled him to abandon his work after the first session. From September, 1879, to June, 1884, he attended Notre Dame University (Indiana), where he graduated with the degree of Bachelor of Science, and remained a year in that school as professor of mathematics. In September, 1885, he became a clerk in the commissary department at Fort Sam Houston, San Antonio, and remained four years. In September, 1889, he began the long and arduous training required by the Jesuit order, and June 27, 1901, at Woodstock College, Maryland, was ordained to the priesthood by Cardinal Archbishop Martinelli.
Previous to his appointment as rector of St. Mary's he was stationed at the Jesuit Colleges of Spring Hill in Mobile, Alabama, and of New Orleans. Father Otis is a splendid scholar, especially in mathematics and the sciences. He also possesses the ability of the organizer and executive, and no small part of St. Mary's substantial prosperity is due to his efficient administration.
Historical Review of South-East Texas and the Founders, Leaders and Representative Men, Vol 2, by Dermot Hardy and Maj. Ingham S. Robert, by The Lewis Publishing Company, Chicago, 1910
ST MARY'S UNIVERSITY was founded at Galveston in 1854. The venerated Bishop Odin, the first vicar apostolic of Texas and the organizer of the church during the republican and early statehood period of Texas, was the founder of the university. One of the earliest institutions of higher education in Texas, St. Mary's has been the alma mater to hundreds of men who were trained within its walls for the responsibilities of civic and business leadership. Many of the well-known and successful citizens of Southeast Texas, now active in affairs, were students in St. Mary's at sometime within the last half century.
On June 21, 1909, St. Mary's celebrated the silver jubilee of its administration by the Society of Jesus. In 1884 the Jesuit Fathers assumed control of the university, and their management has resulted in the highest degree of prosperity in the history of the institution. Under the present rector, Father A. E. Otis, St. Mary's ranks among the fore most Catholic colleges of the south.
The history of St. Mary's is part of the history of Galveston. There have been prominent Catholics among the citizens of Galveston since the founding of the city. Colonel Menard, who was president of the City Company, which bought the league and labor of land on Galveston Island in 1838, was a member of the church. Texas, as a province of Spain and Mexico, had acknowledged the Catholic church as a state religion. When it became independent in 1836, all denominations were placed on an equality, and each sect had to struggle independently to establish its worship and institutions in the new republic. In order to maintain its hold and further the progress of the church in Texas the Holy See in 1840 made Texas a prefecture apostolic, with Very Rev. John Timon as prefect apostolic. Father John Mary Odin was his vice prefect, and two years later, when the Republic was raised to the dignity of a vicariate apostolic, the latter was appointed its first vicar apostolic. In 1847 the Galveston diocese was created, and Father Odin became its first bishop. In 1841 he had put up frame church in Galveston, and his first work as bishop was to begin the erection of St. Mary's Cathedral, which was consecrated in 1848.
In this outline of the church's early history the founding of St. Mary's University is one of the next events of importance. Bishop Odin understood that the best security for the progress of the church lay in the establishment of sound Catholic schools. Accordingly, in 1847, he brought the nuns of the Ursuline order to Galveston and founded the convent for the education of young women. His efforts to found a similar boys' school did not succeed until 1854. In that year the Galveston City Company donated as a site for the proposed school, block 193, on Broadway between Thirteenth and Fourteenth streets. On these grounds a three-story brick building was completed in the fall of 1851, and the doors were opened to students in November. The $20,000 for building the college came from two sources. The Oblate Fathers, who were put in charge of the school, had been given a certain sum for their Texas mission, and this they used for brick and mortar for the new building. The zealous Oblate missionary, Father Parisot, collected the rest of the money among the rich planters of Louisiana.
A charter was applied for to the state legislature, but was not granted until August 23, 1856, being the first charter granted to a Catholic college in the state. St. Mary's had varying fortunes during the first thirty years of its existence. It was opened as a mixed boarding and day college, with Father Julian M. Baudre as first president. Father A. Gaudet was the last president during the Oblate administration. The Oblate Fathers moved to Brownsville in October, 1857, and a secular priest, Father James A. Miller, with several laymen assistants, had charge of the school for the following year. The next two years it was in the hands of the fathers of the Order of the Minor Conventuals. In 1860 the Brothers of the Christian Schools took charge and managed the institution during the Civil war until 1867. Many of the older pupils entered the army, and the younger pupils also knew the meaning of war, for at the bombardment of Galveston in January, 1863, some Yankee shells made a gap in the walls and tore up the adjoining grounds.
The yellow fever epidemic of 1867 caused an abandonment of the school for a time, and it was resumed under the direction of Rev. Thomas J. Johnson, a secular priest, with several secular assistants. In August, 1870, the Brothers of the Holy Cross took charge, with Brother Boniface as president. He was succeeded in 1873 by Brother John Chrysostom, who was president until the Brothers of the Holy Cross were recalled to Notre Dame, Indiana. During the next seven years the school was under the management of the seculars. Rev. A. M. Truchard, president from 1879 to 1884, was one of the ablest men who have directed the affairs of the university. He conducted it as a mixed boarding and day school, and the large number of pupils made necessary the erection of the three halls which now form the center of the college buildings.
The history of the delivery of the school to the Society of Jesus is given in the college diary as follows: "June 21, 1884. The Right Rev. Nicholas Aloysius Gallagher, D. D., made this day a donation of the institution and grounds known as the University of St. Mary, in the city of Galveston, Texas, viz., all the buildings and grounds contained in block 193, to the Fathers of the Society of Jesus of the Mission of New Orleans, and handed over the same to them in the person of their superior, the Very Rev. Theobald Walter Butler, S. J."
Under the Jesuit Fathers, St. Mary's was reorganized and for twenty-five years has enjoyed steady prosperity and growth. It was opened as a day college only on September 1, 1884, with fifty-three pupils, but by the end of the first term there were 150 students enrolled. Since then, except for the disappearance of some of the oldest buildings and the erection of new ones, the career of the university presents few annals. In the storm of 1900 the buildings were seriously damaged, and during the following weeks of rescue and restoration the university halls were converted into a hospital.
The first rector under the Jesuit administration was Rev. John Francis O'Connor, S. J., who was proclaimed August 15, 1884. His successors, with date of appointment, have been: Rev. John O'Shanahan, S. J., October 15, 1887; Rev. Theobald Walter Butler, S. J., May 4, 1888; Rev. John O'Shanahan, S. J., 1892 to 1896; Rev. John B. Quinlan, S. J., September 1, 1896; Rev. Amadeus Guyol, S. J., February 14, 1899; Rev. Daniel J. Murphy, October 8, 1902; Rev. Alphonsus Elmer Otis, April 3, 1907
OTIS, Rev. ALPHONSUS ELMER, S. J.
Rev. Alphonsus Elmer Otis, S. J., who was appointed rector of St. Mary's University, April 3, 1907, was born at Columbus, Ohio, July 1, 1864. He is a descendant of the James Otis family of Massachusetts, in which state his father, Col. Elmer Otis, was born. Colonel Otis was an officer in the United States army, being colonel of the Eighth United States Cavalry. For four years he was in command at Fort Sam Houston, San Antonio. He was retired in 1891 and died in 1898. Agnes (Boone) Otis, mother of the rector of St. Mary's is a great-granddaughter of Daniel Boone, the Kentucky pioneer. She is now living at San Diego, California.
The childhood of Father Otis was spent chiefly in the military posts of the West, in Oregon, Washington, North Dakota and elsewhere. In 1877 he entered the Jesuit College of St. Mary's (Kansas), but ill health compelled him to abandon his work after the first session. From September, 1879, to June, 1884, he attended Notre Dame University (Indiana), where he graduated with the degree of Bachelor of Science, and remained a year in that school as professor of mathematics. In September, 1885, he became a clerk in the commissary department at Fort Sam Houston, San Antonio, and remained four years. In September, 1889, he began the long and arduous training required by the Jesuit order, and June 27, 1901, at Woodstock College, Maryland, was ordained to the priesthood by Cardinal Archbishop Martinelli.
Previous to his appointment as rector of St. Mary's he was stationed at the Jesuit Colleges of Spring Hill in Mobile, Alabama, and of New Orleans. Father Otis is a splendid scholar, especially in mathematics and the sciences. He also possesses the ability of the organizer and executive, and no small part of St. Mary's substantial prosperity is due to his efficient administration.
Historical Review of South-East Texas and the Founders, Leaders and Representative Men, Vol 2, by Dermot Hardy and Maj. Ingham S. Robert, by The Lewis Publishing Company, Chicago, 1910
ST MARY'S UNIVERSITY was founded at Galveston in 1854. The venerated Bishop Odin, the first vicar apostolic of Texas and the organizer of the church during the republican and early statehood period of Texas, was the founder of the university. One of the earliest institutions of higher education in Texas, St. Mary's has been the alma mater to hundreds of men who were trained within its walls for the responsibilities of civic and business leadership. Many of the well-known and successful citizens of Southeast Texas, now active in affairs, were students in St. Mary's at sometime within the last half century.
On June 21, 1909, St. Mary's celebrated the silver jubilee of its administration by the Society of Jesus. In 1884 the Jesuit Fathers assumed control of the university, and their management has resulted in the highest degree of prosperity in the history of the institution. Under the present rector, Father A. E. Otis, St. Mary's ranks among the fore most Catholic colleges of the south.
The history of St. Mary's is part of the history of Galveston. There have been prominent Catholics among the citizens of Galveston since the founding of the city. Colonel Menard, who was president of the City Company, which bought the league and labor of land on Galveston Island in 1838, was a member of the church. Texas, as a province of Spain and Mexico, had acknowledged the Catholic church as a state religion. When it became independent in 1836, all denominations were placed on an equality, and each sect had to struggle independently to establish its worship and institutions in the new republic. In order to maintain its hold and further the progress of the church in Texas the Holy See in 1840 made Texas a prefecture apostolic, with Very Rev. John Timon as prefect apostolic. Father John Mary Odin was his vice prefect, and two years later, when the Republic was raised to the dignity of a vicariate apostolic, the latter was appointed its first vicar apostolic. In 1847 the Galveston diocese was created, and Father Odin became its first bishop. In 1841 he had put up frame church in Galveston, and his first work as bishop was to begin the erection of St. Mary's Cathedral, which was consecrated in 1848.
In this outline of the church's early history the founding of St. Mary's University is one of the next events of importance. Bishop Odin understood that the best security for the progress of the church lay in the establishment of sound Catholic schools. Accordingly, in 1847, he brought the nuns of the Ursuline order to Galveston and founded the convent for the education of young women. His efforts to found a similar boys' school did not succeed until 1854. In that year the Galveston City Company donated as a site for the proposed school, block 193, on Broadway between Thirteenth and Fourteenth streets. On these grounds a three-story brick building was completed in the fall of 1851, and the doors were opened to students in November. The $20,000 for building the college came from two sources. The Oblate Fathers, who were put in charge of the school, had been given a certain sum for their Texas mission, and this they used for brick and mortar for the new building. The zealous Oblate missionary, Father Parisot, collected the rest of the money among the rich planters of Louisiana.
A charter was applied for to the state legislature, but was not granted until August 23, 1856, being the first charter granted to a Catholic college in the state. St. Mary's had varying fortunes during the first thirty years of its existence. It was opened as a mixed boarding and day college, with Father Julian M. Baudre as first president. Father A. Gaudet was the last president during the Oblate administration. The Oblate Fathers moved to Brownsville in October, 1857, and a secular priest, Father James A. Miller, with several laymen assistants, had charge of the school for the following year. The next two years it was in the hands of the fathers of the Order of the Minor Conventuals. In 1860 the Brothers of the Christian Schools took charge and managed the institution during the Civil war until 1867. Many of the older pupils entered the army, and the younger pupils also knew the meaning of war, for at the bombardment of Galveston in January, 1863, some Yankee shells made a gap in the walls and tore up the adjoining grounds.
The yellow fever epidemic of 1867 caused an abandonment of the school for a time, and it was resumed under the direction of Rev. Thomas J. Johnson, a secular priest, with several secular assistants. In August, 1870, the Brothers of the Holy Cross took charge, with Brother Boniface as president. He was succeeded in 1873 by Brother John Chrysostom, who was president until the Brothers of the Holy Cross were recalled to Notre Dame, Indiana. During the next seven years the school was under the management of the seculars. Rev. A. M. Truchard, president from 1879 to 1884, was one of the ablest men who have directed the affairs of the university. He conducted it as a mixed boarding and day school, and the large number of pupils made necessary the erection of the three halls which now form the center of the college buildings.
The history of the delivery of the school to the Society of Jesus is given in the college diary as follows: "June 21, 1884. The Right Rev. Nicholas Aloysius Gallagher, D. D., made this day a donation of the institution and grounds known as the University of St. Mary, in the city of Galveston, Texas, viz., all the buildings and grounds contained in block 193, to the Fathers of the Society of Jesus of the Mission of New Orleans, and handed over the same to them in the person of their superior, the Very Rev. Theobald Walter Butler, S. J."
Under the Jesuit Fathers, St. Mary's was reorganized and for twenty-five years has enjoyed steady prosperity and growth. It was opened as a day college only on September 1, 1884, with fifty-three pupils, but by the end of the first term there were 150 students enrolled. Since then, except for the disappearance of some of the oldest buildings and the erection of new ones, the career of the university presents few annals. In the storm of 1900 the buildings were seriously damaged, and during the following weeks of rescue and restoration the university halls were converted into a hospital.
The first rector under the Jesuit administration was Rev. John Francis O'Connor, S. J., who was proclaimed August 15, 1884. His successors, with date of appointment, have been: Rev. John O'Shanahan, S. J., October 15, 1887; Rev. Theobald Walter Butler, S. J., May 4, 1888; Rev. John O'Shanahan, S. J., 1892 to 1896; Rev. John B. Quinlan, S. J., September 1, 1896; Rev. Amadeus Guyol, S. J., February 14, 1899; Rev. Daniel J. Murphy, October 8, 1902; Rev. Alphonsus Elmer Otis, April 3, 1907
Rev. Alphonsus Elmer Otis, S. J., who was appointed rector of St. Mary's University, April 3, 1907, was born at Columbus, Ohio, July 1, 1864. He is a descendant of the James Otis family of Massachusetts, in which state his father, Col. Elmer Otis, was born. Colonel Otis was an officer in the United States army, being colonel of the Eighth United States Cavalry. For four years he was in command at Fort Sam Houston, San Antonio. He was retired in 1891 and died in 1898. Agnes (Boone) Otis, mother of the rector of St. Mary's is a great-granddaughter of Daniel Boone, the Kentucky pioneer. She is now living at San Diego, California.
The childhood of Father Otis was spent chiefly in the military posts of the West, in Oregon, Washington, North Dakota and elsewhere. In 1877 he entered the Jesuit College of St. Mary's (Kansas), but ill health compelled him to abandon his work after the first session. From September, 1879, to June, 1884, he attended Notre Dame University (Indiana), where he graduated with the degree of Bachelor of Science, and remained a year in that school as professor of mathematics. In September, 1885, he became a clerk in the commissary department at Fort Sam Houston, San Antonio, and remained four years. In September, 1889, he began the long and arduous training required by the Jesuit order, and June 27, 1901, at Woodstock College, Maryland, was ordained to the priesthood by Cardinal Archbishop Martinelli.
Previous to his appointment as rector of St. Mary's he was stationed at the Jesuit Colleges of Spring Hill in Mobile, Alabama, and of New Orleans. Father Otis is a splendid scholar, especially in mathematics and the sciences. He also possesses the ability of the organizer and executive, and no small part of St. Mary's substantial prosperity is due to his efficient administration.
Historical Review of South-East Texas and the Founders, Leaders and Representative Men, Vol 2, by Dermot Hardy and Maj. Ingham S. Robert, by The Lewis Publishing Company, Chicago, 1910
ST MARY'S UNIVERSITY was founded at Galveston in 1854. The venerated Bishop Odin, the first vicar apostolic of Texas and the organizer of the church during the republican and early statehood period of Texas, was the founder of the university. One of the earliest institutions of higher education in Texas, St. Mary's has been the alma mater to hundreds of men who were trained within its walls for the responsibilities of civic and business leadership. Many of the well-known and successful citizens of Southeast Texas, now active in affairs, were students in St. Mary's at sometime within the last half century.
On June 21, 1909, St. Mary's celebrated the silver jubilee of its administration by the Society of Jesus. In 1884 the Jesuit Fathers assumed control of the university, and their management has resulted in the highest degree of prosperity in the history of the institution. Under the present rector, Father A. E. Otis, St. Mary's ranks among the fore most Catholic colleges of the south.
The history of St. Mary's is part of the history of Galveston. There have been prominent Catholics among the citizens of Galveston since the founding of the city. Colonel Menard, who was president of the City Company, which bought the league and labor of land on Galveston Island in 1838, was a member of the church. Texas, as a province of Spain and Mexico, had acknowledged the Catholic church as a state religion. When it became independent in 1836, all denominations were placed on an equality, and each sect had to struggle independently to establish its worship and institutions in the new republic. In order to maintain its hold and further the progress of the church in Texas the Holy See in 1840 made Texas a prefecture apostolic, with Very Rev. John Timon as prefect apostolic. Father John Mary Odin was his vice prefect, and two years later, when the Republic was raised to the dignity of a vicariate apostolic, the latter was appointed its first vicar apostolic. In 1847 the Galveston diocese was created, and Father Odin became its first bishop. In 1841 he had put up frame church in Galveston, and his first work as bishop was to begin the erection of St. Mary's Cathedral, which was consecrated in 1848.
In this outline of the church's early history the founding of St. Mary's University is one of the next events of importance. Bishop Odin understood that the best security for the progress of the church lay in the establishment of sound Catholic schools. Accordingly, in 1847, he brought the nuns of the Ursuline order to Galveston and founded the convent for the education of young women. His efforts to found a similar boys' school did not succeed until 1854. In that year the Galveston City Company donated as a site for the proposed school, block 193, on Broadway between Thirteenth and Fourteenth streets. On these grounds a three-story brick building was completed in the fall of 1851, and the doors were opened to students in November. The $20,000 for building the college came from two sources. The Oblate Fathers, who were put in charge of the school, had been given a certain sum for their Texas mission, and this they used for brick and mortar for the new building. The zealous Oblate missionary, Father Parisot, collected the rest of the money among the rich planters of Louisiana.
A charter was applied for to the state legislature, but was not granted until August 23, 1856, being the first charter granted to a Catholic college in the state. St. Mary's had varying fortunes during the first thirty years of its existence. It was opened as a mixed boarding and day college, with Father Julian M. Baudre as first president. Father A. Gaudet was the last president during the Oblate administration. The Oblate Fathers moved to Brownsville in October, 1857, and a secular priest, Father James A. Miller, with several laymen assistants, had charge of the school for the following year. The next two years it was in the hands of the fathers of the Order of the Minor Conventuals. In 1860 the Brothers of the Christian Schools took charge and managed the institution during the Civil war until 1867. Many of the older pupils entered the army, and the younger pupils also knew the meaning of war, for at the bombardment of Galveston in January, 1863, some Yankee shells made a gap in the walls and tore up the adjoining grounds.
The yellow fever epidemic of 1867 caused an abandonment of the school for a time, and it was resumed under the direction of Rev. Thomas J. Johnson, a secular priest, with several secular assistants. In August, 1870, the Brothers of the Holy Cross took charge, with Brother Boniface as president. He was succeeded in 1873 by Brother John Chrysostom, who was president until the Brothers of the Holy Cross were recalled to Notre Dame, Indiana. During the next seven years the school was under the management of the seculars. Rev. A. M. Truchard, president from 1879 to 1884, was one of the ablest men who have directed the affairs of the university. He conducted it as a mixed boarding and day school, and the large number of pupils made necessary the erection of the three halls which now form the center of the college buildings.
The history of the delivery of the school to the Society of Jesus is given in the college diary as follows: "June 21, 1884. The Right Rev. Nicholas Aloysius Gallagher, D. D., made this day a donation of the institution and grounds known as the University of St. Mary, in the city of Galveston, Texas, viz., all the buildings and grounds contained in block 193, to the Fathers of the Society of Jesus of the Mission of New Orleans, and handed over the same to them in the person of their superior, the Very Rev. Theobald Walter Butler, S. J."
Under the Jesuit Fathers, St. Mary's was reorganized and for twenty-five years has enjoyed steady prosperity and growth. It was opened as a day college only on September 1, 1884, with fifty-three pupils, but by the end of the first term there were 150 students enrolled. Since then, except for the disappearance of some of the oldest buildings and the erection of new ones, the career of the university presents few annals. In the storm of 1900 the buildings were seriously damaged, and during the following weeks of rescue and restoration the university halls were converted into a hospital.
The first rector under the Jesuit administration was Rev. John Francis O'Connor, S. J., who was proclaimed August 15, 1884. His successors, with date of appointment, have been: Rev. John O'Shanahan, S. J., October 15, 1887; Rev. Theobald Walter Butler, S. J., May 4, 1888; Rev. John O'Shanahan, S. J., 1892 to 1896; Rev. John B. Quinlan, S. J., September 1, 1896; Rev. Amadeus Guyol, S. J., February 14, 1899; Rev. Daniel J. Murphy, October 8, 1902; Rev. Alphonsus Elmer Otis, April 3, 1907
Family Members
Sponsored by Ancestry
Advertisement
Advertisement
