Happy Saint Patrick’s Day and welcome back from spring break.
With the construction of the North Addition now underway, I am pleased to announce that the large auditorium on the ground floor will be named the John Francis Cardinal O’Hara, C.S.C., Auditorium.
We chose this name to honor Cardinal O'Hara, our founding dean, who exemplifies the servant leadership qualities we aim to develop in today's students. I am most grateful to the generous benefactors who have chosen to remain anonymous and instead wanted to honor and celebrate our founding dean, the Congregation of Holy Cross, and our Catholic mission.
O'Hara's quote — "The primary function of commerce is service to mankind" — has guided the College for over a century. Beyond this quote, O'Hara's life and leadership deeply reflect the College's mission and vision. In the new addition, we plan to celebrate these connections through murals, art and other installations.
I’d like to briefly share some of his story:
O’Hara was inspired by a global vision for business’ impact on society as a teenager when his father became an American consult and moved the family to Uruguay. O’Hara eventually entered Notre Dame as a student in 1909, studying economics and political science, and later attended the University of Pennsylvania’s Wharton School of Finance and Commerce.
According to “O’Hara’s Heirs: Business Education at Notre Dame 1921-2021,” O’Hara joined the Notre Dame faculty in 1916 as a “serious, devout and ambitious 28-year-old.” In the post-World War I period, Americans were coming to terms with what it meant to be involved in a global conflict and its impact on political, economic and civic perspectives. O’Hara saw a great need for a school that was as focused on the students’ moral and ethical development as on their business knowledge.
O'Hara tirelessly campaigned for Notre Dame to establish a college of commerce. His "energetic pursuits" to raise the necessary endowment included distributing pamphlets, delivering public lectures and writing scholarly articles promoting global business and business education. He also expanded the University's business curriculum and recruited new faculty. On April 20, 1921, the University established the College of Foreign and Domestic Commerce with Father O'Hara as dean, starting with nearly 400 students and 13 faculty members.
The College had its detractors. In fact, O’Hara wrote the quote we know so well in 1923 to defend against those at the University who considered business as “vocational” and not in keeping with Notre Dame’s reputation as providing a true liberal arts education.
In addressing critics, O’Hara wrote an essay containing the now-renowned words underlying Mendoza’s mission: “The primary function of commerce is service to mankind. Business has a code of ethics based very largely on divine principles. When this code is followed, commerce can and does advance civilization.”
O’Hara served as dean until 1924. He would go on to be named as vice president of Notre Dame in 1933 and then president the following year. As president, he was known for being a builder, constructing a new laundry, the post office, an infirmary and the Rockne Memorial, and the Cavanaugh, Zahm and Breen-Phillips dormitories. He also was a football fan, writing, “Notre Dame football is a spiritual service because it is played for the honor and glory of God and of his Blessed Mother.”
In 1939, O’Hara was appointed bishop of the military, serving as a military chaplain during World War II. After the war, O’Hara was appointed bishop of Buffalo, New York, then archbishop of Philadelphia before being elevated to cardinal in 1958. He died at the age of 72 on Aug. 28, 1960 and is interred in the Basilica on campus.
O’Hara is sometimes called “the unwilling cardinal” because even as he served in higher and higher offices, in his heart, he remained a humble priest who felt he served best as a “priest confessor always waiting for his penitent sons.”
It is truly an honor to recall Father O’Hara’s legacy in the name of our new auditorium, and to renew our commitment to serving our students with his vision, relentless faith and humility in the same manner.
In Notre Dame,
Martijn