How Sacred Heart Got Started: A Bishop and a Pope
The roots of a liberal arts college in the Catholic tradition in the Diocese of Peterborough go back to 1989, when an agreement with the Faculty of Theology at Saint Paul University launched the Certificate in Theology Program. Credits earned in this program were transferable towards a Bachelor's Degree conferred jointly by the University of Ottawa and Saint Paul University. Twenty-two courses were offered on a rotational basis for fourteen years. In 2006, with the personal encouragement of the Holy Father, Pope Benedict XVI, Bishop Nicola De Angelis took steps to renew and deepen this commitment to Catholic higher education in the form of Sacred Heart of Peterborough. Upon the retirement of Bishop De Angelis in early 2014, Bishop William McGrattan was appointed Bishop of the Diocese of Peterborough by Pope Francis, and became Chancellor of Sacred Heart. It was under Bishop McGrattan's leadership that Sacred Heart first obtained consent from the Ministry of Advanced Education and Skills Development to offer its own degree program in Catholic Studies. In 2017, we welcomed a new Bishop, and Chancellor of Sacred Heart College, His Excellency, the Very Reverend Daniel J. Miehm.
A Decade of Progress: 2007-17
Our progress to date has been remarkable. The commencement of teaching; the acquisition of a campus; the beginnings of a library; the opening of two student residences; the establishment of a Board of Trustees; the generous participation and assistance of the priests and sisters of the Institute for the Incarnate Word; the support and assistance of the Sisters of St. Joseph; the development of a group of supportive teachers and academic advisers who constitute the nucleus of a faculty; the securing of substantial financial resources; the widespread support and good will of the community, including our Mayor; and support from a constituency of friends and donors that grows steadily throughout the Trent Valley, the GTA, and far beyond. A Memorandum of Understanding with Trent University in 2011 was also an important milestone. This association with Trent will continue to grow to our mutual benefit, including access to shared library resources and non-core breadth electives.
Sacred Heart sets out to enlarge and enrich the educational and cultural life and resources of our community, adding to the opportunities for postsecondary study and research, to the economy and other resources of the community. Furthermore, we are in keeping with one of the oldest and strongest traditions in Canadian higher education: Across Canada, there are universities which have a family of associated or federated or affiliated colleges which have some special religious tradition or heritage of their own: Catholic or Anglican or Methodist/United Church, Mennonite, Evangelical, Lutheran, Aboriginal, and more. These arrangements are well-established and they are an important part of the university scene in our country. They add tremendously to the quality of life and of education and scholarship in Canada.
2017 and on: A Time of New Plans and Programs
