Holy Spirit College (HSC) is a

private Private or privates may refer to: Music * "In Private", by Dusty Springfield from the 1990 album ''Reputation'' * Private (band), a Denmark-based band * "Private" (Ryōko Hirosue song), from the 1999 album ''Private'', written and also recorded ...

Catholic college located in

Atlanta Atlanta ( ) is the List of capitals in the United States, capital and List of municipalities in Georgia (U.S. state), most populous city in the U.S. state of Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia. It is the county seat, seat of Fulton County, Georg ...

, Georgia, United States. The college describes itself as an "authentic Catholic college" in the spirit of the

apostolic constitution An apostolic constitution () is the most solemn form of legislation issued by the Pope.New Commentary on the Code of Canon Law, pg. 57, footnote 36. By their nature, apostolic constitutions are addressed to the public. Generic constitutions use ...

'' Ex corde ecclesiae'' of

Pope John Paul II Pope John Paul II (born Karol Józef Wojtyła; 18 May 19202 April 2005) was head of the Catholic Church and sovereign of the Vatican City State from 16 October 1978 until Death and funeral of Pope John Paul II, his death in 2005. In his you ...

. Pontifex University is the

online In computer technology and telecommunications, online indicates a state of connectivity, and offline indicates a disconnected state. In modern terminology, this usually refers to an Internet connection, but (especially when expressed as "on lin ...

counterpart to Holy Spirit College.

History

Holy Spirit College was founded in 2005 as an undergraduate college offering courses in the

liberal arts Liberal arts education () is a traditional academic course in Western higher education. ''Liberal arts'' takes the term ''skill, art'' in the sense of a learned skill rather than specifically the fine arts. ''Liberal arts education'' can refe ...

to students of

Holy Spirit Preparatory School Holy Spirit Preparatory School (abbreviated HSP) is an independent, Roman Catholic preparatory school located in Atlanta and Sandy Springs, Georgia. It was originally established in 1996 as Donnellan School. Location and administration Pre-K4 ...

. Starting in fall 2010, the college admitted its first class of full-time undergraduate students pursuing bachelor's degrees in philosophy. These students were offered majors in philosophy, theology and Catholic education.

Coat of arms

The college's

coat of arms A coat of arms is a heraldry, heraldic communication design, visual design on an escutcheon (heraldry), escutcheon (i.e., shield), surcoat, or tabard (the last two being outer garments), originating in Europe. The coat of arms on an escutcheon f ...

was created by the heraldic designer James-Charles Noonan, and is

blazon In heraldry and heraldic vexillology, a blazon is a formal description of a coat of arms, flag or similar emblem, from which the reader can reconstruct an accurate image. The verb ''to blazon'' means to create such a description. The visual d ...

ed as follows:

''
Azure Azure may refer to: Color * Azure (color), a hue of blue ** Azure (heraldry) ** Shades of azure, shades and variations Arts and media * ''Azure'' (Art Farmer and Fritz Pauer album), 1987 * Azure (Gary Peacock and Marilyn Crispell album), 2013 * ...
, between three
fleur de lys The ''fleur-de-lis'', also spelled ''fleur-de-lys'' (plural ''fleurs-de-lis'' or ''fleurs-de-lys''), is a common heraldic charge in the ( stylized) shape of a lily (in French, and mean and respectively). Most notably, the ''fleur-de-lis ...
, one in bend in the
dexter Dexter may refer to: People * Dexter (given name) * Dexter (surname) * Dexter (singer), Brazilian rapper Marcos Fernandes de Omena (born 1973) * Famous Dex, also known as Dexter, American rapper Dexter Tiewon Gore Jr. (born 1993) Places United ...
chief point, one in bend
sinister Sinister commonly refers to: * Evil * Ominous Sinister may also refer to: Left side * Sinister, Latin for the direction "left" * Sinister, in heraldry, is the bearer's true left side (viewers' right side) of an escutcheon or coat of arms; see dex ...
in the sinister chief point, one in
pale Pale may refer to: Jurisdictions * Medieval areas of English conquest: ** Pale of Calais, in France (1360–1558) ** The Pale, or the English Pale, in Ireland *Pale of Settlement, area of permitted Jewish settlement, western Russian Empire (179 ...
in center base point or, on a
nimbus Nimbus, from the Latin for "dark cloud", is an outdated term for the type of cloud now classified as the nimbostratus cloud. Nimbus also may refer to: Arts and entertainment * Halo (religious iconography), also known as ''Nimbus'', a ring of ligh ...
set around the rim with three equidistant bosses or, the dove of the Holy Spirit descending
argent In heraldry, argent () is the tincture of silver, and belongs to the class of light tinctures called "metals". It is very frequently depicted as white and usually considered interchangeable with it. In engravings and line drawings, regions to b ...
flammant
proper Proper may refer to: Mathematics * Proper map, in topology, a property of continuous function between topological spaces, if inverse images of compact subsets are compact * Proper morphism, in algebraic geometry, an analogue of a proper map for ...
.''

The

crest Crest or CREST may refer to: Buildings * The Crest (Huntington, New York), a historic house in Suffolk County, New York * "The Crest", an alternate name for 63 Wall Street, in Manhattan, New York * Crest Castle (Château Du Crest), Jussy, Sw ...

is blazoned as:

''On a
torse In heraldry, a torse or wreath is a twisted roll of fabric laid about the top of the helmet and the base of the crest. It has the dual purpose of masking the join between helm and crest, and of holding the mantling in place. The torse is som ...
of the colors argent and azure a lamp of learning or, its flames proper.''

Governance

The college's

chancellor Chancellor () is a title of various official positions in the governments of many countries. The original chancellors were the of Roman courts of justice—ushers, who sat at the (lattice work screens) of a basilica (court hall), which separa ...

is Monsignor Edward J. Dillon, J.C.D.; the college's president is Gareth N. Genner, and Archbishop

Gregory John Hartmayer Gregory John Hartmayer, O.F.M. Conv. (born November 21, 1951) is an American Catholic prelate who has served as archbishop of Atlanta in Georgia since 2020. From 2011 to 2020, Hartmayer served as bishop of Savannah. He is a member of the Ord ...

is rector.

Campus and student life

The college's campus is located on grounds shared with Holy Spirit Parish and Holy Spirit Preparatory School. A Commons Building provides the college with facilities for study, dining and relaxation; the parish complex offers a library and college lecture halls.

Academics

The college was founded for the purpose of providing programs to

leading to an Associate of Arts degree or certificates in philosophy or the liberal arts. In 2010, the college announced that it planned to expand its course offerings and academic focus. Starting in the fall of 2010, the college now offers a

bachelor's degree A bachelor's degree (from Medieval Latin ''baccalaureus'') or baccalaureate (from Modern Latin ''baccalaureatus'') is an undergraduate degree awarded by colleges and universities upon completion of a course of study lasting three to six years ...

program, while maintaining an emphasis on theology, philosophy and liberal arts. After a period of decline, the undergraduate program was reinvigorated and the college began to gear up for the Fall of 2019 when it would begin to recruit students in a more focused manner.

Affiliations and accreditation

Though an independent Catholic college not affiliated with any religious order or congregation, Holy Spirit maintains a close association with Holy Spirit Parish, and the

Archdiocese of Atlanta The Archdiocese of Atlanta () is a Latin Church ecclesiastical jurisdiction, or archdiocese, of the Catholic Church in northern Georgia in United States. The archdiocese is led by a prelate archbishop, who also serves as pastor of the mother chu ...

. The college is authorized to grant degrees by the Georgia Non-Public Secondary Education Commission (GNPEC). The college also maintains memberships in the

American Catholic Philosophical Association The American Catholic Philosophical Association (ACPA) is an organization of Catholic philosophers established in 1926 to promote the advancement of philosophy as an intellectual discipline consonant with Catholic tradition. Among the means used t ...

(ACPA), the Society for Ancient Greek Philosophy, the American Association of Collegiate Registrars and Admissions Officers (AACRAO), the Fellowship of Catholic Scholars, and the Shakespeare Association of America. Holy Spirit is not accredited by the

Southern Association of Colleges and Schools The Southern Association of Colleges and Schools (SACS) is a regional educational accreditor recognized by the United States Department of Education and the Council for Higher Education Accreditation. As of 2022, the organization oversees ap ...

, the

regional accreditation Higher education accreditation in the United States is a peer review process by which the validity of degrees and credits awarded by higher education institutions is Quality assurance, assured. It is coordinated by accreditation commissions mad ...

association which covers Georgia.

References

External links

Holy Spirit College

Holy Spirit Catholic Church

Atlanta’s College Start-Up
{{authority control Educational institutions established in 2005 Universities and colleges in Atlanta Catholic universities and colleges in Georgia (U.S. state) 2005 establishments in Georgia (U.S. state)