By Florida Catholic staff - Florida Catholic
Photographer: COURTESY PHOTO | St. Thomas University
Irena Gapkovska, a local artist and native Macedonian, poses with the Byzantine icon she created for the rededicated Kennedy Hall at St. Thomas University. Next to her is James Conley, interim dean of Biscayne College, one of the university's six schools.
MIAMI GARDENS � With a musical prelude, Augustinian vespers, Mass and a reception, St. Thomas University blessed its newly renovated Kennedy Hall offices and facilities.
The rededication March 8 provided a preview to the university�s upcoming 50th anniversary year and the commemorative events that are being planned. More than 1,000 alumni and former faculty were invited, and the event coincided with the annual workshop for adjunct faculty.
Sean Melvin, an alumnus who now teaches legal writing at Elizabethtown College in Philadelphia, was among those present. He dedicated a copy of his latest book to his former English professors, including James Conley, now interim dean of Biscayne College.
The evening ended with a wine-and-cheese reception and the music of a young harpist, Sacha Medici, while guests reviewed memorabilia and Biscayne College publications.
�This �opening of the house� came at a timely moment, as the first cycle of 50 years for Biscayne College/St. Thomas University transitions to another half century,� said Conley. �We blessed our new home and unveiled our Trinity Icon that will hopefully grace Biscayne College for decades to come.�
The icon was created in the Byzantine style by Irena Gapkovska, a local artist and native Macedonian.
Biscayne College offers degrees in the liberal arts and humanities and is one of St. Thomas University�s six schools. Its name harks back to the university�s original name when it was founded in Miami in 1961.
The roots of St. Thomas were planted in Havana, Cuba, when a group of Augustinian priests from Philadelphia founded the Universidad de Villanueva, Cuba�s first private Catholic university. At the height of its success, Fidel Castro�s militia confiscated the school�s land and expelled the Augustinian Fathers.
At approximately the same time, Bishop Coleman F. Carroll, Miami�s first archbishop, invited the Augustinian founders of the Universidad de Santo Tomas de Villanueva to establish a college for men in Miami. With a vacant lot, limited resources, and working out of their living room with a portable typewriter, Augustinian Fathers Edward J. McCarthy and Robert M. Sullivan began recruiting students and faculty.
With the assistance of Judge C. Clyde Atkins, Biscayne College was fully incorporated in Miami, founded through the willingness of faculty, many of whom taught at the Universidad de Santo Tomas de Villanueva in Havana, to work for small salaries and teach multiple subjects. Kennedy Hall was the first classroom building to open on campus.
In 1984, Biscayne College changed its name to reflect its history and pay homage to the patron saint of the Universidad de Santo Tomas de Villanueva. Today, St. Thomas is a Catholic university with a rich heritage and culturally diverse population, dedicated to developing leaders for life.
The university came under the sponsorship of the Archdiocese of Miami in 1988, conferring upon St. Thomas the distinction of being the only Catholic Archdiocesan-sponsored university in the state of Florida.
�Preparing students for leadership positions is our vision,� said Msgr. Franklyn Casale, St. Thomas University�s president, who celebrated the Mass and blessed the renovated building. �The intellectual challenges facing public and private sectors keep expanding and the 21st century needs broadly educated, ethically sensitive, and technically skilled public servants. They will have to demonstrate sophisticated interdisciplinary knowledge, historical understanding of how modern-day problems have evolved, and an operational grasp of clear, rational criteria for ethical decision making. Students will find all that in our Biscayne College�s humanistic curriculum.�
For additional information, please visit www.stu.edu or email [email protected].
The rededication March 8 provided a preview to the university�s upcoming 50th anniversary year and the commemorative events that are being planned. More than 1,000 alumni and former faculty were invited, and the event coincided with the annual workshop for adjunct faculty.
Sean Melvin, an alumnus who now teaches legal writing at Elizabethtown College in Philadelphia, was among those present. He dedicated a copy of his latest book to his former English professors, including James Conley, now interim dean of Biscayne College.
The evening ended with a wine-and-cheese reception and the music of a young harpist, Sacha Medici, while guests reviewed memorabilia and Biscayne College publications.
Photographer: COURTESY PHOTO | St. Thomas University
Artist Irena Gapkovska and James Conley, interim dean of Biscayne College, watch as Msgr. Franklyn Casale, president of St. Thomas University, blesses the icon Gapkovska created for the rededicated Kennedy Hall.
The icon was created in the Byzantine style by Irena Gapkovska, a local artist and native Macedonian.
Biscayne College offers degrees in the liberal arts and humanities and is one of St. Thomas University�s six schools. Its name harks back to the university�s original name when it was founded in Miami in 1961.
The roots of St. Thomas were planted in Havana, Cuba, when a group of Augustinian priests from Philadelphia founded the Universidad de Villanueva, Cuba�s first private Catholic university. At the height of its success, Fidel Castro�s militia confiscated the school�s land and expelled the Augustinian Fathers.
At approximately the same time, Bishop Coleman F. Carroll, Miami�s first archbishop, invited the Augustinian founders of the Universidad de Santo Tomas de Villanueva to establish a college for men in Miami. With a vacant lot, limited resources, and working out of their living room with a portable typewriter, Augustinian Fathers Edward J. McCarthy and Robert M. Sullivan began recruiting students and faculty.
With the assistance of Judge C. Clyde Atkins, Biscayne College was fully incorporated in Miami, founded through the willingness of faculty, many of whom taught at the Universidad de Santo Tomas de Villanueva in Havana, to work for small salaries and teach multiple subjects. Kennedy Hall was the first classroom building to open on campus.
In 1984, Biscayne College changed its name to reflect its history and pay homage to the patron saint of the Universidad de Santo Tomas de Villanueva. Today, St. Thomas is a Catholic university with a rich heritage and culturally diverse population, dedicated to developing leaders for life.
The university came under the sponsorship of the Archdiocese of Miami in 1988, conferring upon St. Thomas the distinction of being the only Catholic Archdiocesan-sponsored university in the state of Florida.
�Preparing students for leadership positions is our vision,� said Msgr. Franklyn Casale, St. Thomas University�s president, who celebrated the Mass and blessed the renovated building. �The intellectual challenges facing public and private sectors keep expanding and the 21st century needs broadly educated, ethically sensitive, and technically skilled public servants. They will have to demonstrate sophisticated interdisciplinary knowledge, historical understanding of how modern-day problems have evolved, and an operational grasp of clear, rational criteria for ethical decision making. Students will find all that in our Biscayne College�s humanistic curriculum.�
For additional information, please visit www.stu.edu or email [email protected].
Photographer: COURTESY PHOTO | St. Thomas University
After walking in procession from St. Anthony Chapel on campus, Msgr. Franklyn Casale reads the prayer of rededication of Kennedy Hall, the first classroom building on St. Thomas University's campus.
