Canisius College

Canisius College was founded by priests of the Society of Jesus in 1870. The first Bishop of Buffalo, John Timon, was anxious to provide Catholic education for his people and persistently appealed to Jesuit superiors to open a college in the Buffalo area. At first these requests were denied, due to a shortage of personnel and financial resources but in 1870, responding to the request of Bishop Steven Ryan, successor to Bishop Timon a start was made which has continued and expanded ever since.

Originally the new college was located in a small building in downtown Buffalo, N.Y., while a larger building was being constructed a block away. The college was patterned after the European plan for a "college" corresponding to our contemporary four years of High School and the first two years of College. A classical course and a commercial course were offered. In 1912, the upper classes (College courses in our familiar terminology) were separated from the High School and moved to a new site (once belonging to Sisters Hospital of Buffalo), about three miles from the original downtown location. The process of expansion for the college has continued from the one building in downtown Buffalo to some forty-one buildings at present with more construction planned, and an enrollment in all divisions close to 5,000 students.

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