Canizaro donation enhances Catholic studies at Loyola

By Christine Bordelon
Clarion Herald

Two years ago when Jesuit Father Nathan O’Halloran was selected as center director of the Catholic Studies program at Loyola University New Orleans, the seeds began to be planted to reignite a basically dormant minor course of study at the university that has been offered since 1998.

The Catholic Studies program, within the College of Arts and Sciences, has grown from one to 17 students since the fall of 2020.

And, on June 14, the program received a second shot in the arm with the announcement of a $5 million donation from local businessman, real estate developer and philanthropist Joseph Canizaro.


The program is now officially called the Canizaro Center for Catholic Studies at Loyola for undergraduate students.

Jesuit Father Justin Daffron, who was named interim president select of Loyola in February, said the transformative gift will help Loyola provide “robust experiences for undergraduate students” in Catholic Studies. It is among the most significant gifts in Loyola’s recent history.

“It provides us the resources to continue to invest heavily within the Catholic intellectual tradition and Ignatian spirituality to provide students best-in-class experiences,” with high-quality programming, Father Daffron said.

Within the Catholic Studies program, the interdisciplinary minor will enable students to study Catholic intellectual traditions through different pathways, particularly how their major coincides with a Catholic worldview. Faculty also will have learning opportunities “to develop an integrated approach to how one would envision a Catholic worldview.”

In addition to academics, a faith-formation component has been developed – to include dinners and speakers, retreats, global engagement through pilgrimages and service – to nurture students into “leaders in service to others.”

The success of the Catholic Studies minor since Father O’Halloran’s arrival is “largely why Mr. Canizaro believed in what we were doing because he saw the fruits of the interaction between the faculty, students and the community and wanted us to continue to do more there,” Father Daffron said.

Canizaro has long supported Loyola. His generosity has allowed students to make pilgrimages to Medjugorje, Yugoslavia, and helped fund the Chapel of St. Ignatius and the Gayle and Tom Benson Center.

Stakeholders survey taken
The center’s revival responds directly to the university’s recent Mission Priority Examen self-study with input from the university community and stakeholders, Father Daffron said.

Results showed a desire to provide “students a foundation in faith and character formation that would help prepare them personally and professionally to lead lives of leadership and service.” The study was a reaffirmation of Loyola’s Jesuit Catholic identity by the Society of Jesus. Father O’Halloran, ordained a Jesuit in 2014, was selected to strengthen that identity.

Father Daffron calls Father O’Halloran a “rock star” who has created unity among students from all faith backgrounds. In addition to being the Catholic Studies Center director, Father O’Halloran is an assistant professor of religious studies.

When Father O’Halloran was first appointed, he began developing a five-year plan. The way to attract young adults and build excitement for a Catholic Studies minor was to first build community, he thought. He said he consid ers it a privilege to be a part of young adult faith formation.

To jump-start those efforts, Canizaro donated $75,000 in seed money. In the spring of 2021, Father O’Halloran was able to host a fellowship night with a 5:30 p.m. Mass, followed by a free meal for students that included talks from local Catholic speakers on how faith inspires their life.

Having taught at Jesuit High School from 2008-11, Father O’Halloran called on former parents of Jesuit students and families he met at Holy Name of Jesus Parish to prepare the meals. 

Adoration led to Bible study
“This is where we started building Catholic communities,” he said. Wednesday night adoration then started to gain participation, followed by student-led Bible studies in fall 2021 and a few movie nights.To continue the momentum, Father O’Halloran has taken Catholic Studies’ students to a Catholic conference in Dallas, completed a pilot student pilgrimage/service trip this summer to Mexico and is working to bring a contingent of students to World Youth Day in Portugal in August 2023.

Looking toward the future, the center will offer a summer high school faith-development program to introduce them to Ignatian spirituality and host a major conference with Xavier University of Louisiana, featuring high-profile talks by business leaders in the Catholic tradition.

Father O’Halloran also is launching a studies abroad program in Rome in 2023. Spearheaded by the Catholic Studies program at Duquesne University, he said the program will allow students to live in Catholic community at the Pontifical Irish College in Rome while they take courses at Pontifical Gregorian University. A pilot group of undergraduates will take classes in the spring.

“This is very exciting,” Father O’Halloran said. “I think our Rome program will be the most attractive part of the program.”

Sees hope for Catholic Church
Father Daffron believes that any undergraduate who registers for this minor will have a premiere experience and implement that knowledge and experience to become community and ministry leaders.

“I believe that students who engage with us in this Catholic Studies program will have the intellectual and spiritual formation to truly be leaders within the church and in service to others,” Father Daffron said. “It will be the type of rich, transformative experience that allows them to understand their gifts and talents in a way that aligns with the vision toward the Gospel and provides great hope for the future of the church.

“We will be able to measure the success of these efforts decades from now when we see the people who have participated taking on different roles to continue to build up the church in the region.”

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