About Manor College
Message from the President
"At Manor College, the academic curriculum, with its strong liberal arts core, helps you to develop a sense of inquiry, become a critical thinker, and teaches you effective communication skills. Manor also offers you an opportunity to gain professional competency through its career-oriented programs and excellent externship experience." "The Basilian tradition of education challenges you to develop into a mature person. This challenge calls you to integrate the intellectual and spiritual dimensions of your person through the education and services offered by Manor."
Sister Mary Cecilia Jurasinski, OSBM, President
History
Manor College is a private, Catholic, co-ed college that was founded in 1947 by the Byzantine Ukrainian Sisters of Saint Basil the Great. In 1959, Manor College was chartered and incorporated in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. The College was approved by the State Council of Education Department of Instruction on June 17, 1964. The legal governing body of Manor College is the Board of Trustees, which is comprised of 21 members, including lay men and women from the business and professional communities and religious Sisters of the Order of Saint Basil the Great.
Byzantine Archdiocese
Manor College is related to the Ukrainian Catholic Church, whose liturgy, spirituality, and life is of the Eastern Christian tradition. Some of the characteristics of this tradition are the Patristic influence of the Cappodocian Fathers: Saint Basil the Great, Saint Gregory of Nazianzus and Saint Gregory of Nyssa; the centrality of the Divine Liturgy; the monastic tradition; the concepts of Divinization; Deification; and the role of the Trinity in Christian life. For more information on the Eastern Christian tradition, see the Apostolic letter of Pope John Paul II, "Orientale Lumen" or "The Light of the East" dated May 2, 1995. It is important to note that Saint Basil the Great and his sister, Saint Macrina, laid the spiritual foundation for the Order of the Sisters of Saint Basil the Great, who founded and sponsor Manor College.
Philosophy
Manor believes that the ideals and values of the Judeo-Christian tradition are an integral part of human existence that give purpose and meaning to education and should illuminate every field of study and college life. Fundamental among these values are life and human dignity.
Manor believes that education heightens a person’s self-awareness in his/her relationship to others, to the world and to God. Manor also believes that education will help generate a commitment to a peaceful world, which alone can inspire confidence in the present and hope for the future.
The intrinsic relationship of theory and practice, and the social responsibility of the educated person are emphasized. In its academic, student and institutional support programs, Manor is committed to providing those services, experiences and programs which will enhance and strengthen this educational process.
Heritage
Manor's objective to foster an awareness and appreciation of the Ukrainian heritage and culture is accomplished through its on-campus Ukrainian Heritage Studies Center which was established in 1977. The UHSC encompasses four major areas: Academic Studies, a Ukrainian Library, a museum collection of Ukrainian traditional arts and an Archives Division.
Degrees
The College confers the Associate of Arts and the Associate of Science degrees in Liberal Arts and in its transfer and career-oriented programs. Certificates and diplomas are also conferred upon students in various areas of study. In all areas of study, Manor provides students with equal opportunities, without discrimination, reflecting its Basilian tradition, and meeting its commitment to providing quality, meaningful education and building a caring, faith community.
About the Sisters of Saint Basil the Great
The Sisters of Saint Basil the Great, who established Manor College in 1947, were founded in the 4th century by Saint Basil the Great and his sister Saint Macrina. Basil and Macrina were from a well-established family of saintly and intellectual leaders in the community. The primary influence in their lives was the Gospel imperative to love all human beings, and serve each person in the name of God.
Saint Basil and Saint Macrina, also the founders of Eastern monasticism, urged their followers to be "co-workers with God" in the task of developing the potential of each human being through the means of education as a partnership with God in the creative act of the development of the whole person. The Basilian tradition spread throughout Asia Minor and Europe. By the 11th century, this tradition was rooted in Ukraine.
In 1911, the Sisters were invited by the Most Reverend Solter Ortynsky, the first Ukrainian Bishop in the United States, to come to Philadelphia and open an orphanage and school at North 7th and Parrish Streets.
Mother M. Josaphat Theodorowych, OSBM, Major Superior of the Philadelphia Province of the Sisters of Saint Basil the Great was determined to found a school of higher education in the tradition of the great educator and founder of the Basilian order, Saint Basil the Great. Originally designed as a four-year liberal arts college, Manor College was to serve as a learning center for the religious of the Order of Saint Basil, and would also provide an opportunity for young women of Ukrainian ancestry to pursue higher learning in a setting where the culture and heritage of their ancestors would be preserved.
In the fall of 1947, the plans for a college were realized and a unique institution of higher learning was born. Manor College witnessed its beginnings in an old farmhouse on the grounds of the Basilian Motherhouse in Fox Chase. The College, initially named Saint Macrina College, opened its doors to eleven eager students who sought entrance in the first year of the school's existence.
In 1931, the Sisters of Saint Basil the Great founded Saint Basil Academy, a private, Catholic high school for girls. To learn more about the Academy, please visit www.stbasilacademy.org
Presently the Order of the Sisters of Saint Basil the Great has its central government in Rome, Italy. There are foundations in Ukraine, Poland, Hungary, Romania, Argentina, Brazil, Australia, the United States, Germany, the Czech Republic, Slovakia, Bosnia, Croatia and Italy. To learn more about the Sisters of St Basil, please visit www.stbasils.com or write to: Vocation Directress, 710 Fox Chase Road, Fox Chase Manor, PA 19046-4198.
You can also visit the Generalate webpage at www.basiliansisters.org, you can also visit the website of the Sisters of Saint Basil in Argentina: http://www.hermanasbasilianas.org.ar/
Catholic Identity
Students
At the Orientation programs in June, August and January, Manor's Mission Statement is presented to parents and students, along with an explanation of the College's Catholic/Basilian identity and an introduction of the College's sponsors -- the Sisters of Saint Basil the Great. A guided tour of the chapel, and an explanantion of the Campus Ministry program, are provided at this time. Student receive additional information on Manor's Mission, its Catholic/Basilian identity and on the Sisters of Saint Basil the Great.
Employees
As part of Manor's hiring process, all employees receive a copy of Manor's Mission Statement. Each employee is made aware of Manor's Catholic/Basilian identity. The President meets with new employees in key positions to further review the implications of Manor's Catholic/Basilian identity. Each August, at the Faculty/Staff Orientation program, the President delivers an address on some aspect of Manor's Catholic/Basilian identity. The MosaiC, Manor's weekly employee newsletter, often includes attachments on St. Basil the Great, the meaning of Manor's Catholic identity and seasonal prayer sheets. As part of Manor's 50th Anniversary celebration, the College has published a Manor College Community Prayer Book, consisting of prayers and reflections submitted by the members of the Manor community. Every convocation, Board of Trustees meetings and Administrative Council meeting is opened with a prayer and/or a reading from Scripture. At Founders Day, celebrated in January, the President delivers an address on the Basilian identity.