History
The Marymount History:
The Marymount tradition traces its origins to the city of Béziers in the south of France. One hundred and fifty years ago on February 24, 1849, the first community of the Religious of the Sacred Heart of Mary gathered at the Refuge and Orphanage of the Good Shepherd. It was founded by Father Jean Gailhac and Appollonie Cure-Pelissier, later known as Mother Saint John, and included only five women. The newly-formed community focused on the development of the human person in society, and the RSHM soon became involved in the education of women as a powerful means of transforming society. Together with their growing numbers, they founded a religious order that flourished from Béziers to four continents. Today, the congregation, numbering 1,200 sisters, serves in 15 countries in Europe, Africa, and North and South America. Education was one of the most urgent needs in countries where the RSHM found themselves, and many schools were established.
The first Marymount College in America was founded in Tarrytown, New York, in 1907. The RSHM then came to Los Angeles at the request of Bishop Cantwell in 1923 to “train Catholics in their faith and in the principles of social justice.” Marymount College in Los Angeles was established in 1933 and Marymount Junior College in Palos Verdes in 1968. In 1973 Loyola University and Marymount College merged. Teaching the fine and performing arts was one of Marymount College’s unique contributions when the college merged, and this tradition is one of many preserved. The Marymount Institute is designed to help strengthen the contribution of the Marymount tradition to the LMU community.
The Marymount Institute for Faith, Culture, and the Arts was founded in 1991 and endowed by a generous contribution from the Leavey Foundation to preserve the legacy and contributions of the Religious of the Sacred Heart of Mary. The institute attends to the relationship between different faiths, unique human cultures, and the arts. The programs within the Institute are interdisciplinary in nature, challenging both faculty and students to think in creative and holistic ways about human knowledge as we move forward in the 21st century.
Logo: In the 1999 Spring semester, Graphic Design students at LMU entered a competition to design a logo for the Marymount Institute for Faith, Culture and the Arts. The winning student, Jordan Edell, produced the design which now appears on all Marymount Institute publications.
The Marymount Institute is directed by a Board of Advisors composed of representatives from the College of Liberal Arts, the College of Communication and Fine Arts, the Religious of the Sacred Heart of Mary and alumnus of Marymount College. Professor Theresia de Vroom is the Director.