“That college in the corn fields..."
DeSales University provides a spiritual context for learning, rooted in the Christian Humanism of St. Francis de Sales.
St. Francis de Sales felt that all people, in all walks of life, are called by God to and have the ability to live a devout life. He believed that love of God leads naturally to love for all persons, and his life was a model of servant leadership and gentleness. A prolific writer, St. Francis is the official patron for authors and journalists, and also for the deaf.
We believe that as a Catholic university, DeSales has a critical role in our rapidly changing world. We balance the pursuit of knowledge with a search for meaning, and we seek to ensure that knowledge and technological advancements are used for the good of individuals and human society.
We pursue this mission through the lens of Christian Humanism, the legacy of our patron saint. At the heart of St. Francis’ spirituality was his vision that man [is] the perfection of the universe, the mind the perfection of man, love the perfection of the mind, and charity the perfection of love.
Historical Information about DeSales
His Excellency, the Most Reverend Joseph McShea was appointed Bishop of the Allentown Diocese by His Holiness, Pope John XXIII on January 28, 1961.
This Diocese covers five counties in northeast Pennsylvania: Berks, Carbon, Lehigh, Northampton Schuylkill. One of the first actions of Bishop McShea was to study the educational facilities of the Diocese.
The Allentown Diocese already possessed a well-organized elementary and high school educational system. It was evident, however, that the system needed to be enlarged.
Bishop McShea announced that there would be a drive to obtain funds for the expansion of the high school system. At the same time, he called attention to the fact that there was no Catholic college for men in the Diocese.
At the request of the Bishop, the Oblates of St. Francis de Sales agreed to assume the responsibility for establishing a liberal arts college to serve this need.
- Planning for the new college began in April 1962.
- The charter for Allentown College of St. Francis de Sales, with full power to award the Bachelor of the Arts and Bachelor of Science degrees, was granted by the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania on May 27, 1964.
- Classes began for freshmen in September 1965.
- Allentown College was fully accredited by the Middle States Association of Colleges and Schools during the 1969-1970 academic year.
- In September 1970, the College became a co-educational institution.
- ACCESS, the College's continuing education department, was established in the fall of 1977.
- In the spring of 1988, the College opened the Easton campus, an extension of its ACCESS evening degree program.
- A Master of Science in Nursing degree was introduced in 1984.
- The Master of Science in Management Information Systems was founded in September 1988.
- The M.Ed. began in the summer of 1989.
- In August 1991, the College started its MBA program and in 1995, developed an MBA track in health and systems management, offered on the main campus and via distance learning in Harrisburg.
- In the fall of 1998, Allentown College began offering an undergraduate degree in elementary education with a special education minor, and the College became the first Catholic College in the country to offer a major in marriage and family studies.
- On March 1, 2000, Allentown College received official notification from the Pennsylvania Department of Education that its application for university status had been approved. In addition, the department approved the use of the name "DeSales University"; (DSU). The College's Board of Trustees voted in favor of these changes on April 13, 2000.
- The name and status changes, effective January 1, 2001, were made in recognition of the institution's academic excellence, faculty commitment, Catholic heritage and continued growth in graduate education.
DeSales University is named after St. Francis de Sales, a man who lived more than 400 years ago, yet whose lessons remain relevant today.
St. Francis de Sales is admired throughout the Church for his great sanctity, learning, missionary zeal, gentleness, and understanding of the human heart. He was a scholar, writer, pastor, guide for souls, diplomat, bishop, and Doctor of the Church. He is best described as a Christian Humanist, a potent spiritual force for creating a spirituality admirably suited to those in every walk of life, especially the laity, the common person.
No one could have imagined at the time of his death that the wisdom and teachings of this amazing human being would live on to touch the lives of countless people today.
Known as "The Gentleman Saint," his spirit of optimism, hope, freedom confidence in God's love prompts the Oblates of St. Francis de Sales to please God by doing everything - big or small enthusiastically and well.
He is the patron saint of adult education, the deaf, and journalists.
St. Francis de Sales was born in Thorens of the Savoy region of France on August 21, 1567. As a member of a noble family, he was educated in the humanities at the Jesuit college of Clermont at the University of Paris and received his doctorate in both civil and canon law from the University of Padua.
The French and Italian Renaissance greatly influenced St. Francis de Sales’ life. After his ordination to the Catholic priesthood in 1593, he began dangerous work in the Chablais region, attempting to reintroduce the Catholic religion in the midst of the Protestant Reformation. He developed a great reputation as a writer, preacher, and debater in defense of the Catholic faith.
In 1602, Francis Bishop of Geneva. One of the most important challenges he faced in the diocese was the reform of the clergy. Believing that learning for a priest was "the eighth sacrament" of the church, he went to work writing instructions and preaching sermons.
In 1604, while preaching during Lent, he met Jane Frances de Chantal, a recently widowed mother of four children. This was the beginning of one of the great spiritual friendships in Christian history. He became her spiritual guide and. In 1610, they established a religious community of sisters with Jane Frances de Chantal as the superioress. Other monasteries soon appeared, and Pope Paul V officially approved the Visitation of Holy Mary as a religious order in the Catholic Church in 1618.
To serve the many people entrusted to his care, Francis de Sales became a prolific writer. His writings comprise 26 volumes in the Annecy edition. Two of his books have become spiritual classics: “The Introduction to the Devout Life,” and “The Treatise on the Love of God.” In “The Introduction to the Devout Life,” Francis de Sales offers profound advice for the person living in the midst of the world and wishing to pursue a holy life.
Francis felt that all people in all walks of life are called by God to a devout life and that this type of living was possible and wonderful.
Through a series of well-crafted writings, Francis offers practical advice on how to navigate through the temptations of the world and make true progress on one's spiritual journey. His insights on the nature of prayer, the value of the sacraments, the role of friendship, the character of virtue, and the importance of devotion are timeless in their relevance.
“The Treatise on the Love of God” was written for individuals more advanced in the spiritual life. Francis remained as the spiritual advisor for the sisters of the Visitation and guided many of them to lofty peaks of holiness. He often recounted how grateful he was to God for the wisdom he gained from his correspondence with these holy women.
“The Treatise” speaks not only of the nature of God's love for humanity but of the possibilities within humanity for a return of this love. He sees all reality flowing from the loving heart of a providential God. Creation and, to an even greater degree, salvation, is witness to this incomparable love of humanity. The human's appropriate response is a joyful and total union of the human will with the loving will of God. The human mind and will find their fullest meaning when a person discovers and freely embraces the love of God.
Love of God for Francis naturally leads to love for all persons. His life became a model of selfless service to his God, his king, the pope, and the countless individuals who called upon him for advice.
He is the official patron for authors and journalists. He is also of the deaf because he developed a method for teaching a young deaf person the catechism.
On December 26, 1622, he suffered a cerebral hemorrhage and died the next day. He was buried in the church of the first Visitation monastery in Annecy, France. Pope Alexander VII proclaimed him a saint in 1665. Today, the Oblates of Saint Francis de Sales are one of several religious congregations in the Catholic Church founded under his patronage.
On January 8, 1661, Pope Alexander VII beatified St. Francis de Sales, and canonized him on April 19, 1665. He was proclaimed Doctor of the Universal Church by Pope Pius IX, in 1877. His feast day is celebrated on January 24.
The Congregation of the Oblates of St. Francis de Sales was founded to advance the Gospel through the spirit and teaching of its patron saint.
A chief focus of St. Francis de Sales was the gentleness and humanity of Jesus. The gentleman saint took this from his favorite Gospel quote: “Learn from me, for I am gentle and humble of heart” (Matthew 11:29). Working to “Live Jesus,” DeSales sought for himself and implored others to integrate the very person and personality of the Savior into the character of the disciple. Consequently, “Live Jesus” grew to become a popular maxim for DeSales.
One of the foremost Christian humanists of his day, St. Francis de Sales developed a fascinating and engaging perspective of the human person. He said, “The person is the perfection of the universe, the mind is the perfection of the person, love is the perfection of the mind and charity is the perfection of love.”
This unique conjunction, interpenetration and interaction of intellectual and affective elements sees a person in his or her totality. In the Salesian view, with its attempt to harmonize and integrate the divine and human aspects, anthropology becomes inseparable from theology. Everything truly human comes under the study, care and concern of the person. That is why Christian humanism engenders a universal openness and awareness.
Mother Mary Chappuis, a nun from the Order of the Visitation founded by St. Francis de Sales and St. Jane de Chantal, prevailed upon Father Louis Brisson to form a congregation of men committed to living and transmitting this ideal of Salesian humanism. In 1876 a small band of six men, led by Father Brisson, professed their first vows as Oblates of St. Francis de Sales and began to live the religious life in Troyes, France.
Despite humble beginnings, the order grew quickly. Oblate communities now exist in India, Austria, France, Germany, Italy, The Netherlands, South America, South Africa, Namibia, Switzerland, and the United States.
The first foundation in the United States was Salesianum School, a high school for boys in Wilmington, Del., in 1903.
In the United States, the Oblates primarily focus on Christian education for youth. However, members also engage in a variety of other activities to meet diverse human needs.
At DeSales University, you will be exposed to the virtues and philosophy of Christian Humanism as developed by our patron saint, St. Francis de Sales.
Salesian Christian Humanism celebrates the glory revealed by God, who guides history towards perfect love. It acknowledges that humans, created in God’s divine image and likeness, find their fullness in Jesus Christ, the incarnate Word.
Interest in the human person and the positive affirmation of human life and culture which stems from faith is the hallmark of any humanism qualified as “Christian.” Several salient features distinguish its worldview, including:
- an understanding of human nature as dependent on one’s relation to God.
- an acknowledgment of human sinfulness and faith in the power of forgiveness.
- an emphasis on human freedom as ordered to ultimate beauty, truth, and goodness.
- an emphasis on human responsibility and against forms of determinism.
- a vision of the individual as rooted in communion with God and others through the Church.
- a vision of the universe as ordered by divine providence and oriented toward salvation.
- a conviction that human history as a purpose for which Jesus Christ is the key.
The ongoing promotion of Christian humanism seeks to provide a necessary corrective to other forms of humanism that can threaten human life in the twenty-first century, including:
- a scientific humanism that proclaims itself capable of explaining the human mind, human qualities, and religious faith itself, entirely by means of physical laws.
- a technological humanism that locates meaningfulness in human capabilities alone, and fulfillment material objects of human production.
- a secular humanism that seeks the full meaning of human existence within the boundaries of this age and this world itself.
- an ethical humanism that values responding to human need but rejects religion as failing to foster independence and courage.
Campus Ministry
We want to empower our students to mature into the joyful, passionate and optimistic Christians God has created them to be.
Whether it be at daily Mass or informal prayer, at faith-sharing groups, retreats or social justice programs, the gentle spirit and practical teachings of St. Francis DeSales pervade every activity of Campus Ministry, helping students to "Live Jesus" in their daily lives.
DeSales University Campus Ministry is a proud member of the Catholic Campus Ministry Association (CCMA).
