The Reverend Nicholas Congiato, S.J. (14 September 1816 – 10 May 1897) was born in
Cagliari
Cagliari (, also , , ; sc, Casteddu ; lat, Caralis) is an Italian municipality and the capital of the island of Sardinia, an autonomous region of Italy. Cagliari's Sardinian name ''Casteddu'' means ''castle''. It has about 155,000 inhabitant ...
, Sardinia and entered the
Society of Jesus, an order of the
Roman Catholic Church, when he was fourteen years of age. After his initial education, he went to
Turin, Italy, for advanced studies in philosophy. Fr. Congiato then became Vice-President of the
College of Nobles in Turin and held a similar position at the
Jesuit College
The Jesuits (Society of Jesus) in the Catholic Church have founded and managed a number of educational institutions, including the notable secondary schools, colleges and universities listed here.
Some of these universities are in the United Stat ...
in
Fribourg, a city in
Switzerland
). Swiss law does not designate a ''capital'' as such, but the federal parliament and government are installed in Bern, while other federal institutions, such as the federal courts, are in other cities (Bellinzona, Lausanne, Luzern, Neuchâtel ...
.
In 1847 he was sent to America, where he led
St. Joseph's College in
Bardstown, Kentucky, ministered to Indian missions in the
Rocky Mountains, and, in 1854, came to California to take over as Superior General of the Jesuit Missions of California and Oregon.
Fr. Congiato became the second president of two different Jesuit colleges in the San Francisco Bay Area. Upon the death of Fr.
John Nobili
John Nobili, born Giovanni Pietro Antonio Nobili, (S.J.) (April 28, 1812 – March 1, 1856) was an Italian priest of the Society of Jesus. He was a missionary in the Oregon Territory and later founded Santa Clara College in California, United Sta ...
in 1856, he assumed the presidency of
Santa Clara College
Santa Clara University is a private Jesuit university in Santa Clara, California. Established in 1851, Santa Clara University is the oldest operating institution of higher learning in California. The university's campus surrounds the historic Mis ...
. His tenure in Santa Clara, (1856–1858), saw the construction of the first chapel, renovations of the theatre and gymnasium, and the establishment of the
Philhistorian and
Philalethic Debating Societies. During that time, a swimming pond was also added. Afterwards, Fr, Congiato succeeded Fr.
Anthony Maraschi
The Reverend Anthony Maraschi, S.J. (1820 - 1897) was an Italian-born priest of the Society of Jesus. He was a founder of the University of San Francisco and Saint Ignatius College Preparatory as well as the first pastor of Saint Ignatius Churc ...
as president of
Saint Ignatius College in San Francisco in 1862, serving two separate terms and presiding over Saint Ignatius' expansion in downtown San Francisco.
After 1858, Fr. Congiato remained the Superior of the
Oregon Missions, and twice (1865–1868 and 1883–1888) was appointed Superior of the Mission of California. For nearly twenty years he served as the pastor of
St. Joseph's Church in
San Jose, California and constructed the Jesuit Novitiate at
Los Gatos, where he died in 1897.
References
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*
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* Santa Clara College (corporate authorship). ''Souvenir of Santa Clara College''. Santa Clara, CA: University Press, 1901. (Page 18)
{{DEFAULTSORT:Congiato, Nicholas
1816 births
1897 deaths
19th-century American Jesuits
19th-century Italian Jesuits
Santa Clara University faculty
Santa Clara University people
Presidents of Santa Clara University
Presidents of the University of San Francisco
Italian emigrants to the United States
People from Cagliari