St. Viator College
Encyclopedia
St. Viator College was a Catholic liberal arts college
in Bourbonnais, Illinois
. It is no longer in operation.
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, and in 1868 to 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, it closed in 1939.
. Four buildings on the Olivet Nazarene campus are original from the days of St. Viator's 39-acre
campus.
from 1914-1938.
, Fulton J. Sheen
, G. Raymond Sprague, Bernard James Sheil. and Joseph James Smith, youngest son of the notorious bad man "Soapy" Smith
.
Liberal arts college
A liberal arts college is one with a primary emphasis on undergraduate study in the liberal arts and sciences.Students in the liberal arts generally major in a particular discipline while receiving exposure to a wide range of academic subjects, including sciences as well as the traditional...
in Bourbonnais, Illinois
Bourbonnais, Illinois
Bourbonnais is a village in Kankakee County, Illinois, United States. The population was 15,256 at the 2000 census, but it was estimated to have grown to 19,119 in 2009...
. It is no longer in operation.
History
St. Viator's grew out of the original BourbonnaisBourbonnais
Bourbonnais was a historic province in the centre of France that corresponded to the modern département of Allier, along with part of the département of Cher. Its capital was Moulins.-History:...
village school, founded in 1865 by the Viatorians, to an academy
Academy
An academy is an institution of higher learning, research, or honorary membership.The name traces back to Plato's school of philosophy, founded approximately 385 BC at Akademia, a sanctuary of Athena, the goddess of wisdom and skill, north of Athens, Greece. In the western world academia is the...
for boys with the help of Father P. Beaudoin and Brothers Martel and Bernard, and in 1868 to a four-year liberal arts college
Liberal arts college
A liberal arts college is one with a primary emphasis on undergraduate study in the liberal arts and sciences.Students in the liberal arts generally major in a particular discipline while receiving exposure to a wide range of academic subjects, including sciences as well as the traditional...
with the aid of Father Thomas Roy. After nine years of work, Father Roy returned to his home in Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
, 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, it closed in 1939.
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 1939, the campus was purchased by Olivet Nazarene College from Olivet, IllinoisOlivet, Illinois
Olivet is a census-designated place in Elwood Township, Vermilion County, Illinois. As of the 2010 census, its population was 428.-External links:*...
. Four buildings on the Olivet Nazarene campus are original from the days of St. Viator's 39-acre
Acre
The acre is a unit of area in a number of different systems, including the imperial and U.S. customary systems. The most commonly used acres today are the international acre and, in the United States, the survey acre. The most common use of the acre is to measure tracts of land.The acre is related...
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 ConferenceIllinois Intercollegiate Athletic Conference
The Illinois Intercollegiate Athletic Conference was a college athletic conference that existed from 1908 to 1970 in the United States.-History:...
from 1914-1938.
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. McAllisterSam J. McAllister
Sam J. McAllister was an American college basketball, baseball and football coach.- Early life and education :McAllister attended St. Viator College in Bourbonnais, Illinois, where he was standout athlete for the St. Viator Irish football, basketball and baseball teams.- Coaching career...
, Fulton J. Sheen
Fulton J. Sheen
Servant of God Fulton John Sheen, born Peter John Sheen was an American archbishop of the Catholic Church known for his preaching and especially his work on television and radio...
, G. Raymond Sprague, Bernard James Sheil. and Joseph James Smith, youngest son of the notorious bad man "Soapy" Smith
Soapy Smith
Jefferson Randolph "Soapy" Smith II was an American con artist and gangster who had a major hand in the organized criminal operations of Denver, Colorado; Creede, Colorado; and Skagway, Alaska, from 1879 to 1898. He was killed in the famed Shootout on Juneau Wharf...
.