Misplaced Pages

St. Viator College was a Catholic liberal arts college in Bourbonnais, Illinois. It is no longer in operation. Today, the site is home to Olivet Nazarene University.

History

St. Viator's grew out of the original Bourbonnais village school, founded in 1865 by the Viatorians, to an academy for boys with the help of Father P. Beaudoin and Brothers Martel and Bernard. On September 6, 1868 it became a four-year liberal arts college with the aid of Father Thomas Roy. After nine years of work, Father Roy returned to his home in Canada, and was succeeded by Father M. J. Marsile, who oversaw the college for another 25 years. In 1906, several buildings were destroyed by fire, but courses continued in improvised quarters and new buildings were erected. Father Marsile afterward resigned, and Reverend John Patrick O'Mahoney C.S.V. was appointed president. Under financial pressure, the college closed in 1938.

Campus

Roy Memorial Chapel was named for Father Thomas Roy, who served as president of the college. Marsile Alumni Hall was named in honour of Father M. J. Marsile, who was college president for 25 years. After St. Viator's closed in 1938, the campus was purchased by Olivet Nazarene College from Olivet, Illinois. Four buildings on the Olivet Nazarene campus are original from the days of St. Viator's 39-acre campus.

Academics

St. Viator College had a preparatory department and high school in addition to the college and seminary and, for most of its years, had an enrollment of over 300 students.

Student life

During its existence, St. Viator was the host of the Catholic State Basketball Tournament for Illinois. St. Viator College was a member of the Illinois Intercollegiate Athletic Conference from 1916 to 1938.

Notable persons

Many of the college's graduates were priests, but even more entered the professions of law and medicine. Notable alumni included John Tracy Ellis, Sam J. McAllister, Fulton J. Sheen, G. Raymond Sprague, Bernard James Sheil. and Joseph James Smith, youngest son of the notorious gangster and con artist "Soapy" Smith. Graduates entering the entertainment field include Jack Berch, popular singer and personality on four networks during the Golden Age of Radio.

See also

• Clerics of St. Viator
• Johnson, Vic and the Bourbonnais Grove Historical Society. 2006. Bourbonnais, Charleston, SC: Arcadia Pub.

References

1. "Page 17".
2. Viatorians: Where We Serve Around the World (Chicago) Archived 2008-08-28 at the Wayback Machine
3. ^ The Catholic Encyclopedia: An International Work of Reference on the Constitution, Doctrine, Discipline, and History of the Catholic Church. Catholic Encyclopedia Incorporated. 1 January 1913 – via Internet Archive.
4. History of the Village of Bourbonnais Archived 2008-04-23 at the Wayback Machine
5. IHSA. "Illinois H.S.toric - News & Media - IHSA".
6. "Archived copy". www.onr.com. Archived from the original on 16 March 2006. Retrieved 12 January 2022.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
7. "Archbishop Fulton Sheen Biography". fultonsheen.com. Archived from the original on 2008-04-10.
8. "Father Sprague, senior priest of diocese, dies at 92," Catholic Archdiocese of Peoria, Catholic Post, May 6, 2001. Archived January 13, 2004, at the Wayback Machine
9. "Meat, and a Bishop," Time, Monday, Jul. 24, 1939.
10. "Soapy's son James" Soapy Smith Soap Box, May 8, 2010.
11. "(untitled brief)". Pennsylvania, Altoona. Altoona Tribune. March 21, 1950. p. 13. Retrieved November 30, 2015 – via Newspapers.com.

External links

Media related to St. Viator College at Wikimedia Commons

• "PREPAREDNESS IN CATHOLIC SCHOOLS" by JOSEPH F. SMITH. New York Times, August 26, 1917, Sunday. Section: Instruction, Page 68, 1338 words

v t e Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Chicago
v t e Ordinaries of the Archdiocese of Chicago Bishops William Quarter James Oliver Van de Velde Anthony O'Regan James Duggan Coadjutor bishop Thomas Patrick Roger Foley Archbishops Patrick Feehan James Edward Quigley George Mundelein Samuel Stritch Albert Gregory Meyer John Cody Joseph Bernardin Francis George Blase J. Cupich Catholicism portal
v t e Churches in the Archdiocese of Chicago Cathedral Holy Name Cathedral Basilicas Basilica of Saint Hyacinth Our Lady of Sorrows Basilica Queen of All Saints Basilica Churches List List of churches in the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Chicago Chicago Holy Cross Church Holy Family Church Holy Innocents Church Holy Trinity Church Church of the Immaculate Conception Immaculate Heart of Mary Church Nativity of Our Lord Church Notre Dame de Chicago Old St. Patrick's Church Sacred Heart Church St. Barbara Church St. Clement Church St. Edward's Church St. Hedwig's Church St. Ita's Church St. John Cantius Church St. Josaphat Church St. Joseph Church St. Jerome Croatian Church St. Ladislaus Church St. Mary of Perpetual Help Church St. Mary of the Angels Church St. Mary of the Woods Catholic Church St. Michael's Church, Old Town St. Michael the Archangel Church, South Shore St. Stanislaus Kostka Church St. Thomas the Apostle Church St. Vincent de Paul Church Church of St. Vitus St. Wenceslaus Church Cook County Holy Family Church, North Chicago St. Anne Church, Barrington St. Mary of Częstochowa Church, Cicero Our Lady of Perpetual Help Church, Glenview SS. Cyril and Methodius Church, Lemont St. James Church, Lemont St. Martha Church, Morton Grove St. John Brebeuf Church, Niles St. Joseph Church, Wilmette Chapels Madonna Della Strada Chapel
v t e Education in the Archdiocese of Chicago Higher education DePaul University Dominican University Loyola University Chicago Saint Xavier University Stritch School of Medicine Seminaries Catholic Theological Union Saint Joseph College Seminary University of Saint Mary of the Lake High schools Chicago Brother Rice High School Christ the King Jesuit College Prep High School Cristo Rey Jesuit High School De La Salle Institute DePaul College Prep Hales Franciscan High School Holy Trinity High School Josephinum Academy Leo Catholic High School Marist High School Mother McAuley Liberal Arts High School Mount Carmel High School Notre Dame High School for Girls Our Lady of Tepeyac High School Resurrection High School St. Benedict High School St. Francis de Sales High School St. Ignatius College Preparatory School St. Patrick High School St. Rita of Cascia High School Cook County St. Viator High School, Arlington Heights St. Laurence High School, Burbank Marian Catholic High School, Chicago Heights Nazareth Academy, La Grange Park Mount Assisi Academy, Lemont Notre Dame College Prep, Niles Fenwick High School, Oak Park Trinity High School, River Forest Guerin College Preparatory High School, River Grove Seton Academy, South Holland St. Joseph High School, Westchester Loyola Academy, Wilmette Regina Dominican High School, Wilmette Lake County Woodlands Academy of the Sacred Heart, Lake Forest Carmel High School, Mundelein Cristo Rey St. Martin College Prep, Waukegan Former Higher education Barat College Lexington College St. Viator College High schools Academy of Our Lady, Chicago Archbishop Quigley Preparatory Seminary, Chicago Immaculata High School, Chicago Maria High School, Chicago Queen of Peace High School, Burbank St. Gregory the Great High School, Chicago St. Scholastica Academy, Chicago Saint Louise de Marillac High School, Northfield Grade school Our Lady of the Angels School, Chicago
v t e Clergy of the Archdiocese of Chicago Auxiliary bishops Alfred Leo Abramowicz Mark Andrew Bartosic Kevin M. Birmingham Robert Gerald Casey Edwin Michael Conway William Edward Cousins Michael Dempsey Gustavo García-Siller John R. Gorman Raymond E. Goedert Thomas Joseph Grady Wilton Daniel Gregory Jeffrey S. Grob Nevin William Hayes Ronald Aldon Hicks Raymond Peter Hillinger Edward Francis Hoban Thad J. Jakubowski Francis J. Kane Gerald Frederick Kicanas Jerome E. Listecki Robert J. Lombardo Timothy Joseph Lyne John R. Manz Alexander Joseph McGavick William Edward McManus William David O'Brien John L. May George V. Murry Cletus F. O'Donnell Thomas Paprocki Joseph N. Perry George J. Rassas Plácido Rodriguez Alberto Rojas Bernard James Sheil John George Vlazny Andrew Peter Wypych Priests who became bishop elsewhere Peter Joseph Baltes Robert Emmet Barron Romeo Roy Blanchette Stanislaus Vincent Bona Edward Braxton Maurice Francis Burke Edmund Michael Dunne Edward Joseph Dunne Edward Egan James Aloysius Griffin William Richard Griffin John Richard Keating James Patrick Keleher Moses E. Kiley Francis Joseph Magner Paul Marcinkus John McMullen Martin Dewey McNamara Peter Muldoon William Aloysius O'Connor Thomas Joseph Murphy Ernest John Primeau Paul Peter Rhode Patrick William Riordan Edward James Slattery Louis Tylka Raymond James Vonesh Aloysius John Wycisło Priests John George Alleman Thaddeus J. Butler Donald Martin Carroll George Clements Daniel Coughlin John Joseph Egan Andrew Greeley George G. Higgins Reynold Henry Hillenbrand Michael Pfleger Jeremiah J. Rodell
Other 28th International Eucharistic Congress
Catholic Church portal Chicago portal

• St. Viator College
• Defunct Christian universities and colleges
• Educational institutions established in 1865
• Defunct private universities and colleges in Illinois
• Educational institutions disestablished in 1939
• Burned buildings and structures in the United States
• 1865 establishments in Illinois
• 1939 disestablishments in Illinois
• Catholic universities and colleges in Illinois
• Education in Kankakee County, Illinois
• Defunct Catholic universities and colleges in the United States