Reverend Francis X. N. McGuire, O.S.A.
(1909-2003)
Twenty-fourth President
1944-1954
Father Francis Xavier
McGuire, son of Francis and Bridget (Foley) McGuire, was born in the Bronx,
New York, on November 21, 1909. On December 5, 1909, he was baptized in
Saint. Nicholas of Tolentine Church, New York. He began his early education
at Saint Nicholas of Tolentine Parochial school, St. Ann Academy, and
Augustinian Academy, Staten Island, New York, where he was admitted as a
postulant. He began his novitiate at New Hamburg, New York, on September 8,
1927, professed first vows a year later, and received solemn profession on
September 9, 1931.
In 1932, after graduating from Villanova College with a BA degree, he
studies theology at the Gregorian University in Rome, was ordained to the
priesthood in Rome on July 21, 1935, and earned his Doctorate of Divinity in
1939.
Father McGuire’s first assignment was assisting at St. James Parish in
Carthage, New York. In September 1939, he began teaching theology at
Villanova College, and served as prefect of studies until 1941. During the
Provincial Chapter of 1941, Father McGuire was appointed Vice President of
Villanova College and three years later, at age 34, became Villanova’s 24th
president.
While President of Villanova from 1944 to 1954, Father McGuire oversaw
the transformation of Villanova College from a small liberal arts college to
an expanded institution of higher education, culminating in Villanova’s
elevation to University status in 1953. During Father McGuire’s tenure as
President, new buildings were erected on campus to accommodate the
increasing enrollment; namely, Falvey Library, Barry Hall, Dougherty Hall,
the Chemical Engineering Building, the Commerce and Finance Building and
Mendel Hall. The College of Nursing, Villanova Law School, and part-time
studies program were established during his presidency. Between 1945 and
1954, the year he retired from office, he had received honorary Doctor of
Law degrees from LaSalle College, and Saint Joseph University, both of
Philadelphia, Pa., and Doctor of Humane Letters from Long Island University
in New York. In 1954, he directed Villanova’s Development Foundation until
1959.
Father McGuire’s
career as an Augustinian priest included his call to be professor of
philosophy and religious studies, while on Boards of Trustees at Villanova
University and Rosemont College. He was elected Counselor to the Provincial
from 1950 to 1956. He served on the Joint State Government Commission of
Pennsylvania, and held an executive position of the Association of Naval
Reserve Officer Training Colleges and Universities.
After Father McGuire
left Villanova He shared his expertise in Augustinian parishes. Parishioners
remember him for his keen mind, charm and quick wit, all interwoven with a
deep spirituality. His magnetic personality developed from both his
reputation as a spiritual leader and educator and the fact that, when he
spoke, people listened. They marveled at his insight, wisdom and humorous
anecdotes.
Father McGuire
taught at Merrimack College, in North Andover, Massachusetts, before
continuing parochial ministries in Andover and Lawrence, Mass.; Jamaca, the
Bronx, and Staten Island, New York. His last active assignment was prior of
the Retreat House, formerly Augustinian Academy, Staten Island, New York.
In 1996, when his
health began to fail, Father McGuire returned to Saint Thomas Monastery, at
Villanova. He remained in the Health Care Unite at the monastery until
January 2003, when he moved to Sacred Heart Manor in Philadelphia. Father
McGruire died at the age of 93. A Mass of Christian Burial was celebrated in
Saint Thomas of Villanova Church on campus. His body was interred at the
Augustinian Cemetery on Villanova’s campus, on Thursday, May 15.
Source: Necrology of the Augustinian Provinces of the United States
of America, 2003. |