08/15/2026
On this day in …
On August 15, 1854, Rev. Peter Blenkinsop, S.J. (1818-1896) was inaugurated as the 5th President of the College of the Holy Cross. He was born in Dublin, Ireland and came to America as a child before entering the Society of Jesus in 1834. Fr. Blenkinsop was assigned to Holy Cross in 1847. The dread fire of 1852 occurred during his tenure and he was given “ a seemingly impossible task— the [re]building of a college in hard times and with no resources.” At one point, classes were suspended because there was no coal to light the fires. On another occasion, Fr. Blenkinsop found difficulty in meeting an urgent bill. He humbly shared the situation with some of the students, who responded by raising the $500 needed to avert the crisis. In the end, “all things turned out prosperously” and Holy Cross not only survived but thrived. Fr. Blenkinsop died in 1896, known and remembered for his tenacity, assuredness, kindness, self-sacrifice and modesty as well as his service to the Jesuit communities of Georgetown and Holy Cross, and numerous parishes and missions in Pennsylvania and New England.
Use the link in our bio to read a detailed tribute written shortly after his death in The Purple, December 1896, p. 360-369.
