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Basilian Fathers

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In the early 2000s, Fr. William Young, CSB, former president of the University of St. Thomas, wrote a book on the Basilian Fathers and the University’s history. On page one, he cleverly included a quote from Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid: “Who are those guys?” Read on to get a sense of their fascinating story.

1822
The Basilian Fathers began in Annonay, France. Their founders were 10 diocesan priests/teachers at the College of Annonay. They petitioned the Bishop of Vivers, whose diocese they served, to form a religious community, believing that such a step would stabilize their work as Christian educators. They chose as their patron and namesake St. Basil the Great because he was a bishop, a humanist, a scholar, the founder of religious life in the Church of the East and an apt patron for the new Community.

1850
The Basilians continued their work in education exclusively in the Ardèche area until 1850, when one of their former students, Armand-François-Marie de Charbonnel, was chosen as Bishop of Toronto, Canada. He invited his former teachers to Toronto to begin a school for boys, a minor seminary. They directed St. Michael’s College since it was attached to Toronto’s St. Michael’s Cathedral.

Toward the end of the century, repressive anticlerical laws were promulgated, leading to the expulsion of school teachers who came from religious orders. 

1899
The Basilians continued to establish or staff schools and parishes in communities across North America including Waco, Texas.

1900
They founded St. Thomas College (High School) for boys in Houston, Texas.

1922
The French and North American Basilians separated to form two distinct communities. They reunited in 1955.

1930
The Basilians began ministering to Mexican migrants and Mexican Americans in Houston.

1947
The Basilian Fathers established the University of St. Thomas, and more than 100 of its members have served at UST.

1961
Encouraged by Pope John XXIII’s call to religious communities to send their people to Latin America, the Basilians expanded their ministry, working with Mexican migrant workers in south Texas by establishing an apostolate in Mexico.

1981
The Basilian Lay Associates (BLAs) were established at the General Chapter. BLAs are Catholic men and women called to the Basilian charism of community and education in the Church’s mission of evangelization.

1987
The Basilians established another project in Latin America and were intrigued by the possibility of a human development project in Columbia that combined evangelization, catechesis, education and social and economic development.

2003
The Basilians consisted of 300 members and had foundations in five countries: Canada, the United States, France, Mexico and Columbia.

2004
A large contingent of Basilians traveled to Rome for the episcopal ordination of Archbishop J. Michael Miller, CSB. He was named Archbishop Secretary of the Congregation for Catholic Education.

2017
The Basilian Fathers showed commitment to the University of St. Thomas when they relocated their Scholasticate—or formation house— to Houston from Toronto, Canada. Since this relocation, all Basilian priests complete their theological studies at the University of St. Thomas, and they study at St. Mary’s Seminary. To make room for both scholastics and priests, the General Council of the Basilian Fathers built a new Keon House building on University property.

2022
The Basilian Fathers celebrated their 200th Anniversary.

The Basilian view is that the quality of education is not about mastering a single discipline; it is about integrating a breadth of knowledge. UST’s core curriculum continues this tradition, enriching intellectual growth and every other dimension that defines a person: spiritual, moral, social and physical. 

Of all the institutions of higher learning in which Basilians are involved, the University of St. Thomas is the one most in harmony with the Basilian educational ideal. One might call it the flagship.

And that’s who “those guys” are.

The excerpts above come from Fr. Young’s book and the official timeline for the Basilians’ 200th anniversary document prepared in Toronto, Canada. Fr. Young’s primer is a touchpoint for many milestones. To learn even more about the Basilian Fathers and the history of UST, find Fr. Young’s book in the Doherty Library. And for the official timeline, go to Basilians.org.  

About the Author — UST Staff

AvatarThe UST staff strives to bring the most interesting, relevant and topical stories to our audience with each issue. These stories feature current UST students, alumni, professors, staff members and people we work with through our many partnerships. We hope you enjoy this glimpse of the UST community.

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