June Marks the 160th Anniversary of the Naming of the College

It was June 18, 1843 when Bishop Fenwick formally announced the establishment of the College of the Holy Cross. He named the College after his cathedral in Boston, Mass. Just three days later, on June 21, 1843, the cornerstone was set in place. A ceremony was held at midday to mark the event.

A procession of visitors nearly a mile long followed Bishop Fenwick to the corner of the building which would later be named Fenwick Hall. With a band playing loudly and cannons thundering in the background, a crowd of priests, Boston citizens and local parishioners gathered for the laying of the cornerstone. During the ceremony, Bishop Fenwick intoned the following prayer,

"In the faith of Jesus Christ we lay this first stone on this foundation in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, that true faith may flourish here, and the fear of God, and fraternal affection…"

The cornerstone contained coins and medals, newspapers, and photographs of Daniel Webster and President John Tyler. Also contained within the stone was a copy of the oration given by Daniel Webster four days earlier at the dedication of the Bunker Hill monument and a Latin document that included the names of President John Tyler, Governor Marcus Morton, and Rev. Thomas F. Mulledy, S.J., the first president of Holy Cross.

The above information was taken from Thy Honored Name: A History of the College of the Holy Cross, 1843 - 1994, by Rev. Anthony J. Kuzniewski, S.J.

A professor in the history department, Fr. Kuzniewski, has been rector of the Holy Cross Jesuit community since 1998. He also serves as assistant archivist for the New England Province, as chaplain to the Holy Cross Athletic Association, and as a trustee of Loyola University in Chicago, Cheverus High School in Maine and The Nativity School of Worcester.