Fonds AC 05 - Basilians at Assumption College and University fonds

Assumption College opened in February 1857 as a small Catholic institution of higher education for young men. Located in Assumption Parish along the Detroit River, adjacent to the town of Sandwich, Canada West (now part of Windsor, Ontario), the college was founded by the Jesuits, incorporated in 1858, and run by Benedictines, Jesuits, and diocesan clergy at various points in its first twelve years of existence.

In 1868 the Basilian Fathers assumed control, and the fledgling institution began to expand and develop in earnest, focusing on a combination of classical and commercial courses that prepared students for theological studies but also for business or professional careers. In 1919 the college affiliated with Western University (London, Ontario) and broadened its curriculum so that it could provide Bachelor of Arts and Bachelor of Science degrees, a Master of Arts in philosophy, and pre-professional programs feeding into engineering, medicine, and law. In 1934 the college became co-educational when it affiliated with Holy Names College for young women. Holy Names College closed as a separate institution in 1962, with Assumption continuing as a now fully-coeducational institution.

Assumption’s affiliation with Western ended in 1953, when the College received its own degree-granting powers as a university, and it was renamed Assumption University of Windsor in 1956. Around that same time it expanded its program offerings through affiliation agreements with Essex College (nondenominational), Holy Redeemer College (Catholic), and Canterbury College (Anglican).

In response to Windsor’s growth and the demographic pressures of the Baby Boom generation, in 1962 the government of Ontario created and incorporated a new, nondenominational, publicly-funded University of Windsor: the facilities and teaching faculty of Assumption were integrated into the new institution; Assumption University itself became a federated member. The University of Windsor’s first President (Rev. E.C. LeBel) and first Chancellor (Bishop J.C. Cody) were President and Chancellor of Assumption University, respectively. The development of a nondenominational provincial university out of a historic Catholic university was at that time unprecedented.

Assumption University has maintained a continued presence on the University of Windsor campus since 1962, offering a Catholic chaplaincy service, interfaith dialogue, and theological training, among other activities; in 2021 it initiated an academic revitalization plan aimed at creating new programs at both the undergraduate and graduate levels.

Sources: Contents of fonds; Assumption University, “History,” https://assumptionu.ca/about/ ; Devon Fraser, “Assumption College through the Decades,” https://collections.uwindsor.ca/assumption/welcome (both accessed 7 November 2024).

The Congregation of St. Basil (CSB), founded in 1822, is a male Roman Catholic community of priests, students for the priesthood, and lay associates focused on Christian education and evangelization. The order was founded by ten diocesan priests who defied anticlerical laws passed during the French Revolution and operated a seminary in a small village in southern France. The movement chose at its patron St. Basil the Great, a Greek Bishop of the 4th century, who incorporated secular learning into his Christian teaching, and was known as a defender of orthodox theology in a time of persecution. Other patrons of the Basilians are the Blessed Virgin Mary, St. Joseph, St. Francis of Assisi, St. Thomas Aquinas, St. John Bosco, and St. Oscar Romero, “who were chosen because they embody the common values of education, prayer, life in community, and service.” The order has always been small but composed of dedicated members with a special call to teach.

The Basilians first came to Canada in 1850, after receiving an invitation to assist in working with Toronto’s Irish Catholic community. The Basilian-run St. Michael’s College was opened in Toronto in 1852. The order expanded its work into Sandwich, Canada West (now Windsor, Ontario) in 1856, becoming responsible for the fledgling Assumption College, and beyond (including Owen Sound, Saskatoon, Edmonton, and Chatham, New Brunswick). Also active in the United States since the 19th c., the Basilians were responsible for opening Detroit Catholic Central High School in 1928, among other institutions. As of 2025 the order serves students and parishioners in four countries: Canada, the USA, Mexico, and Colombia.

The Basilians’ Latin motto is “Bonitatem et disciplinam et scientiam doce me” – “Teach me goodness, discipline, and knowledge.” The motto was brought to the congregation in the late 19th c. by Father Charles Vincent, CSB, one of the founders of St. Michael’s College. A version of this motto has been used by Assumption College and Assumption University, and their public successor institution, the University of Windsor, as well as many other Basilian-run educational institutions.