John Nobili , born Giovanni Pietro Antonio Nobili, (April 28, 1812 – March 1, 1856) was an Italian priest of the

Society of Jesus The Society of Jesus (; abbreviation: S.J. or SJ), also known as the Jesuit Order or the Jesuits ( ; ), is a religious order of clerics regular of pontifical right for men in the Catholic Church headquartered in Rome. It was founded in 1540 ...

. He was a

missionary A missionary is a member of a Religious denomination, religious group who is sent into an area in order to promote its faith or provide services to people, such as education, literacy, social justice, health care, and economic development.Thoma ...

in the

Oregon Territory The Territory of Oregon was an organized incorporated territory of the United States that existed from August 14, 1848, until February 14, 1859, when the southwestern portion of the territory was admitted to the United States, Union as the Oreg ...

and later founded Santa Clara College in California, United States. Born in Rome in 1812, and educated at the

Roman College The Roman College (, ) was a school established by St. Ignatius of Loyola in 1551, just 11 years after he founded the Society of Jesus (Jesuits). It quickly grew to include classes from elementary school through university level and moved to seve ...

. Nobili entered the

in 1828 and taught

humanities Humanities are academic disciplines that study aspects of human society and culture, including Philosophy, certain fundamental questions asked by humans. During the Renaissance, the term "humanities" referred to the study of classical literature a ...

in Jesuit colleges in Italy, notably the

Pontifical Gregorian University Pontifical Gregorian University (; also known as the Gregorian or Gregoriana), is a private university, private pontifical university in Rome, Italy. The Gregorian originated as a part of the Roman College, founded in 1551 by Ignatius of Loyo ...

in Rome. He was ordained a priest in 1843. Nobili was later assigned to do missionary work in North America and was assigned to accompany Father Pierre-Jean De Smet, S.J. in his missionary work in the Oregon Territory. Nobili's missionary work took him amongst the many Native American tribes in the territory, where he learned the tribes' languages and customs. Nobili stayed in the Oregon Territory until 1849, when he was ordered to go to California. Joined by Father Michael Accolti, S.J., Nobili first traveled to San Francisco, then onto San Jose. Upon his arrival in San Jose, Archbishop

Joseph Alemany Joseph Sadoc Alemany, Dominican Order, O.P. (Catalan language, Catalan: ''Josep Sadoc Alemany i Conill''; July 3, 1814 – April 14, 1888) was a Spanish Catholic Church in the United States, Catholic prelate who served as Roman Catholic Archdioc ...

appointed him the pastor of Mission Santa Clara, then recently acquired from the

Franciscans The Franciscans are a group of related organizations in the Catholic Church, founded or inspired by the Italian saint Francis of Assisi. They include three independent religious orders for men (the Order of Friars Minor being the largest conte ...

. He continued his missionary work in part, ministering to the sick and dying during a

cholera Cholera () is an infection of the small intestine by some Strain (biology), strains of the Bacteria, bacterium ''Vibrio cholerae''. Symptoms may range from none, to mild, to severe. The classic symptom is large amounts of watery diarrhea last ...

epidemic in 1850. As part of his pastoral work, Nobili established a preparatory school in 1851 on the mission's premises. In 1853 the school began offering advanced courses, and its name was changed to Santa Clara College. During Nobili's tenure as president, a new academic building and dormitory (1854), a gymnasium (1855), and a small gothic chapel (1856) were constructed. According to the 1854-55 Catalogue, he also directed the purchase of a "new and complete philosophical and chemical apparatus, comprising all the recent improvements" previously unavailable in California.Quoted in ''University of Santa Clara: A History''. Santa Clara, CA: University Press, 1912. The College would later grow into present-day

Santa Clara University Santa Clara University is a private university, private Jesuit university in Santa Clara, California, United States. Established in 1851, Santa Clara University is the oldest operating institution of higher learning in California. The university' ...

. While overseeing the construction of the chapel in January 1856, Nobili stepped on a nail. He died of Tetanus shortly thereafter in Santa Clara on the first day of March. Archbishop Alemany presided over his funeral Mass and laid his body to rest near the altar of the unfinished chapel. Nobili Avenue in Santa Clara and the Nobili Residence Hall at Santa Clara University are named in his honor.

References

External sources

*
Biography at the ''Dictionary of Canadian Biography Online''
{{DEFAULTSORT:Nobili, John 1812 births 1856 deaths 19th-century American Jesuits 19th-century Italian Jesuits Italian Roman Catholic missionaries Roman Catholic Archdiocese of San Francisco Religious workers from California Clergy from Rome Santa Clara University faculty Santa Clara University people Presidents of Santa Clara University Italian emigrants to the United States Roman Catholic missionaries in the United States Jesuit missionaries