St. Bonaventure University

St. Bonaventure University is located in Cattaraugus County in western New York. The university was established by the Franciscan Brothers in 1858 and is a private, Catholic university, located near Olean, New York. It has roughly 2,750 students. The current president is Sister Margaret Carney OSF, the 20th president and the first sister religious to hold the position. Its sports teams, called the Bonnies, play NCAA Division I sports in the Atlantic 10 Conference.

The Franciscans & the university

The school is the largest Franciscan-affiliated institution of undergraduate higher education in the English-speaking world. The friars at the St. Bonaventure Friary belong to the Holy Name Province, OFM. Franciscan brothers at the school are members of the Order of Friars Minor, the most senior of the orders of Franciscan brothers.

Related Topics:
Franciscan - Holy Name Province - Order of Friars Minor - Franciscan brothers

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The Bonaventure friars are involved in a number of activities in the greater Olean community, besides ministry on campus. They administer St. Bonaventure's Parish in Allegany, called "Little Bona's". There is a strong Franciscan presence at Olean General Hospital, and the university operates the area soup kitchen. Also adjacent to campus is the Motherhouse of the Franciscan Sisters of Allegany, a group of sisters religious and part of the Order of Saint Francis (OSF) or "Poor Clares".

Related Topics:
Allegany - Franciscan Sisters of Allegany - Order of Saint Francis (OSF)

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St. Bonaventure himself (1221-74), born John of Fidenza, was a cardinal and Doctor of the Church. A theologian and contemporary of St. Thomas Aquinas at the university in Paris, he became head of the Franciscan order and did much to institutionalize that order. His most famous work is Itinerarium mentis in deum, or The Soul's Journey to God. Bonaventure was canonized in 1482 by Sixtus IV.

Related Topics:
St. Bonaventure - St. Thomas Aquinas - Sixtus IV

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