Elisabeth Bruyère

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D’YOUVILLE COLLEGE CELEBRATES ONE HUNDRED YEARS

Centennial statue erected in front of the first building

In 1857, only twelve years after her arrival in Bytown, Mother Elisabeth Bruyère and Sr. Thibodeau accompanied four professed Sisters and one novice to Buffalo in New York State, to establish the first mission on American soil.  The Oblates of Mary Immaculate were already present and the reputation of the Grey Nuns had not wasted any time in reaching them.

Original entrance to Holy Angels Academy

The first task was the establishment of a parish school – Holy Angels.  Without delay, evening courses were organized for the women in the parish.  Home visits to the poor and the sick became a regular activity of the Sisters.  A small boarding school – Holy Angels Academy – saw the light of day in 1861.  Courses in music, crafts and art were part of the curriculum as they had been introduced by the Grey Nuns in Bytown.

Very first building erected by the foundresses and housing today the administrative offices

In 1908, on the recommendation of the Bishop of Buffalo, Charles Colton, the Sisters undertook the establishment of a baccalaureate program to continue the courses at the Academy.  Thus, D’Youville College was born.  With time, the College not only offered a variety of courses during the academic year, but opened its doors during the summer months to the women religious of the different congregations in the area so that its members could obtain the needed diplomas to better fulfill their role as educators.  In 1921, with the foundation of the Grey Nuns of the Sacred Heart, this institution was transferred to them along with Holy Angels Academy.

Historical marker erected on the College grounds

Today, this College, on the eve of receiving its charter as a university, is renowned for its programs in the various health care disciplines.  A new building will soon house a School of Pharmacy with the possibility of offering a doctorate.

Mother Bruyère wrote to her Sisters in Buffalo on November 5, 1862, “Great works are built on the cross, and since they were not lacking to our dear Sisters who began the work…all leads me to believe that our dear little congregation will prosper in Buffalo, perhaps even more than in other areas.”  Prophetic words?

Cover of the Centennial Celebration booklet

The weekend of September 19 – 21, Sisters Paula Bradley and Pauline Leblanc officially represented the Congregation at the Eucharist and at the banquet to celebrate the centennial of D’Youville College in Buffalo, New York.

Sr. Denise Roche. GNSH, President of D’Youville College, during the official presentation to Sr. Pauline Leblanc, SCO

The ties with Ottawa were highlighted at the Eucharist when a Grey Nun of the Sacred Heart read certain meaningful texts from Elisabeth Bruyère as a reflection after Communion.  At the banquet, a work of art, linking a tribute to St. Marguerite to certain symbols of the College’s history, was presented to each of the two “Grey” congregations as well as to the Oblates of Mary Immaculate in recognition of the role all three played in the growth of the College.  This art piece, the work of Rev. Thomas Ribits, OSFS, College chaplain, is already displayed in the Mother House Museum.

 

 

 

l.-to-r.  Sr. Pauline Leblanc, Rev. Thomas Ribits, OSFS, Sr. Paula Bradley with the art piece.	The art piece
The central part of the art piece	The plaque on the art piece