Nicholas Congiato (14 September 1816 – 10 May 1897) was an Italian-born Jesuit priest. He was born in

Cagliari Cagliari (, , ; ; ; Latin: ''Caralis'') is an Comune, Italian municipality and the capital and largest city of the island of Sardinia, an Regions of Italy#Autonomous regions with special statute, autonomous region of Italy. It has about 146,62 ...

, Sardinia and entered 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 ...

, an order of the

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, when he was fourteen years of age. After his initial education, he went to

Turin Turin ( , ; ; , then ) is a city and an important business and cultural centre in northern Italy. It is the capital city of Piedmont and of the Metropolitan City of Turin, and was the first Italian capital from 1861 to 1865. The city is main ...

, Italy, for advanced studies in philosophy. Congiato then became Vice-President of the

College of Nobles A college (Latin: ''collegium'') may be a tertiary educational institution (sometimes awarding degrees), part of a collegiate university, an institution offering vocational education, a further education institution, or a secondary school ...

in Turin and held a similar position at the

Jesuit College The Jesuits (Society of Jesus) in the Catholic Church have founded and managed a number of educational institutions, including the notable secondary schools, colleges, and university, universities listed here. Some of these universities are in t ...

Fribourg or is the capital of the Cantons of Switzerland, Swiss canton of Canton of Fribourg, Fribourg and district of Sarine (district), La Sarine. Located on both sides of the river Saane/Sarine, on the Swiss Plateau, it is a major economic, adminis ...

, a city in

Switzerland Switzerland, officially the Swiss Confederation, is a landlocked country located in west-central Europe. It is bordered by Italy to the south, France to the west, Germany to the north, and Austria and Liechtenstein to the east. Switzerland ...

. In 1847, he was sent to the United States, where he led St. Joseph's College in

Bardstown, Kentucky Bardstown is a list of Kentucky cities, home rule-class city in Nelson County, Kentucky, United States. The population was 13,567 in the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. It is the list of counties in Kentucky, county seat of Nelson Count ...

, ministered to Indian missions in the

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, and, in 1854, came to California to take over as Superior General of the Jesuit Missions of California and Oregon. Congiato became the second president of two different Jesuit colleges in the San Francisco Bay Area. Upon the death of

John Nobili John Nobili , born Giovanni Pietro Antonio Nobili, (April 28, 1812 – March 1, 1856) was an Italian priest of the Society of Jesus. He was a missionary in the Oregon Territory and later founded Santa Clara College in California, United States. ...

in 1856, he assumed the presidency of

Santa Clara College 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' ...

. His tenure in Santa Clara, (1856–1858), saw the construction of the first chapel, renovations of the theatre and gymnasium, and the establishment of the Philhistorian and Philalethic Debating Societies. During that time, a swimming pond was also added. Afterwards, Congiato succeeded

Anthony Maraschi The Reverend Anthony Maraschi, S.J. (1820 - 1897) was an Italian-born priest of the Society of Jesus. He was a founder of the University of San Francisco and Saint Ignatius College Preparatory as well as the first pastor of Saint Ignatius Church ...

as president of Saint Ignatius College in San Francisco in 1862, serving two separate terms and presiding over Saint Ignatius' expansion in downtown San Francisco. After 1858, Congiato remained the Superior of the

Oregon Oregon ( , ) is a U.S. state, state in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States. It is a part of the Western U.S., with the Columbia River delineating much of Oregon's northern boundary with Washington (state), Washington, while t ...

Missions, and twice (1865–1868 and 1883–1888) was appointed Superior of the Mission of California. For nearly twenty years he served as the pastor of St. Joseph's Church in

San Jose, California San Jose, officially the City of San José ( ; ), is a cultural, commercial, and political center within Silicon Valley and the San Francisco Bay Area. With a city population of 997,368 and a metropolitan area population of 1.95 million, it is ...

and constructed the Jesuit Novitiate at

Los Gatos Los Gatos (; ; ) is an incorporated town in Santa Clara County, California, United States. The population is 33,529 according to the 2020 census. It is located in the San Francisco Bay Area just southwest of San Jose in the foothills of t ...

, where he died in 1897.

References

* * * * Santa Clara College (corporate authorship). ''Souvenir of Santa Clara College''. Santa Clara, CA: University Press, 1901. (Page 18) {{DEFAULTSORT:Congiato, Nicholas 1816 births 1897 deaths 19th-century American Jesuits 19th-century Italian Jesuits Santa Clara University faculty Santa Clara University people Presidents of Santa Clara University Presidents of the University of San Francisco Italian emigrants to the United States People from Cagliari