I. Preparation Period |
1912 |
●Catholic laymen and literati, Mr. Ma Hsiang-Po and Mr. Ying Lien-Chih, wrote Pope Pius X to appeal for the establishment of a Catholic University in Northern China.
 
■Ma Hsiang-Po ■Ying Lien-Chih |
1913 |
●Mr. Ying Lien-Chih established the Fu Jen Academy near Peking for the education of young Catholics, following the meaning of the Analects of Confucius. Subjects taught at the Academy included Chinese classical literature and history. The effort ended because of financial constraints. |
1920 |
●Fr. George Barry O’Toole, member of the Third Order of the Order of Saint Benedict, who was then studying Chinese and doing missionary work in Peking, met Ying Lien-Chih to better understand the hope for the establishment of a Catholic University. Fr. O’Toole presented the plan to the Holy Father and the Abbot Primate of the Benedictines, and received their approval.
■Fr. George Barry O’Toole, OSB |
1923 |
●Pope Pius XI generously donated 100,000 Italian Lira as an initial fund for the establishment of the university.
●The Order of St. Benedict decided to put Archabbot Aurelius Stehle, OSB, from the St. Vincent Archabbey of Latrobe, Pennsylvania in charge of the project.
 
■Pope Pius XI ■ Archabbot Aurelius Stehle, OSB |
1924 |
●Benedictine Fathers Ildephonse Brandstetter and Placidus Rattenberger arrived at Peking and met Archbishop Celso Costantini, the first Apostolic Delegate in China, Ma Hsiang-Po and Ying Lien-Chih to discuss the establishment of a Catholic University in China.
■Fr. Ildephonse Brandstetter, OSB and
Fr. Placidus Rattenberger, OSB
■Archbishop Celso Costantini |
II. Peking Period |
1925 |
●Fr. George Barry O’Toole, OSB was appointed President of Catholic University of Peking by Archabbot Aurelius Stehle, OSB.
●The university purchased the Bei-le Palace in the west side of Peking City as its campus, and established the MacManus Academy of Chinese Studies.
●Ying Lien-Chih, the Director of the Fu Jen Academy, drafted the title “Prospectus for Fu Jen Academy, Affiliation to Catholic University of Peking”. Classes started in October, with 23 students enrolled.
■The Bei-le Palace in Peking City |
1927 |
●The Ministry of Education of the Beiyang Government officially approved the Catholic University, and the name was changed to “Fu Jen Catholic University”. Three departments were established: Chinese Literature, English Language and Literature, and History.
■September 26, 1927: Fu Jen Catholic University opening ceremony
|
1929 |
●In accordance with the University Law instituted by the Ministry of Education, the Liberal Arts Curriculum was changed into the College of Liberal Arts. In the same year, the College of Science and College of Education were added.
●The Board of Trustees was reformed. An application was sent to the Government in Nanking, which approved. Mr. Chen Yuan was appointed President of the University, and Fr. George Barry O’Toole, OSB as Regent.
●The undergraduate program had twelve departments. In addition, a boy’s high school, pre-medical program, and pre-art program were established as affiliations to the university.
 ■Chen Yuan, President |
1930 |
●The new building was built, and the original building transferred to the affiliated high school.
●The Sisters of the Saint Benedict’s Order (Minnesota, U.S.) went to China to set up education for girls.
■The new university building |
1931 |
●The first commencement ceremony was held with eleven students being awarded a bachelor’s degree.
■June 27, 1931: The first commencement ceremony |
1933 |
●The university received orders from the Congregation of Propaganda Fide, which announced that the Society of the Divine Word would take over the university. Joseph Grendel, SVD, Superior General, was appointed Chancellor and Fr. Joseph Murphy, SVD was appointed Regent of the university.
 
■ Fr. Joseph Grendel, SVD ■Fr. Joseph Murphy, SVD |
1937 |
●The campus was expanded with the acquisition of the Prince Gong Mansion.
●Application for the establishment of graduate institutes in the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences was approved. The “Typhus Research Center”, which is renowned for saving countless lives, was established.
●After the Marco Polo Bridge incident, the invasion of Northern China and the occupation of Peking by Japan, the international character of Fu Jen Catholic University saved it from a Japanese take-over, and it was able to continue. |
1938 |
●The University started to recruit female students for the Colleges of Liberal Arts and Education, and the Department of Mathematics in the College of Science, and placed them under the care of the Sisters Servants of the Holy Spirit (SSpS).
 
■Library for the Division of female ■Female students of FJCU students |
1945 |
●Professor Ying Chien-Li, Secretary General of the university, and a large group of faculty and students were arrested and imprisoned for anti-Japanese activities. After the end of World War II, the government approved degrees obtained by the students, partly in recognition of their loyalty to the national cause.
■Government Commendation (Source: Fu Jen Catholic University, archive of political files 1929-1947) |
1950 |
●The Ministry of Education of the People’s Republic of China took over Fu Jen Catholic University.
■The Ministry of Education of the People’s Republic of China took over Fu Jen Catholic University. |
1952 |
●After the implementation of “Faculty restructuring” by the Chinese Communist Party, Fu Jen Catholic University was annexed to Beijing Normal University. |
III. Re-establishment Period |
1956 |
●The Alumni Association of Fu Jen proposed the re-establishment of Fu Jen Catholic University in Taiwan.
■July 15, 1956: Establishment of the Alumni Association of Fu Jen Catholic University in Taiwan
■July 15, 1956: Mr. Chang Chi-yun, Minister of Education, attended the inaugural meeting of the Alumni Association of Fu Jen Catholic University.
|
1959 |
●The then Archbishop Yu Pin visited Rome on his return trip from the US to Taiwan. The proposal was brought to the attention of the Congregation of Propaganda Fide. The Prefect of the Congregation, Cardinal Agagianian, asked the archbishop to draft a plan, which was later approved. In the same year, Archbishop Yu Pin was appointed the first Rector Magnificus of Fu Jen Catholic University upon her re-establishment. His Holiness Pope John XXIII supported the project by contributing USD100,000 dollars as the initial fund. Cardinal Cushing of Boston responded by a pledge to raise one million US dollars for the restoration of the university. It was decided that the Chinese Diocesan Clergy, the Society of the Divine Word (SVD) with the help of the Sisters Servants of the Holy Spirit (SSpS), and the Society of Jesus (SJ) cooperate in the re-establishment of the university.
■November 3, 1959: Cardinal Agagianian, together with Archbishop Yu Pin, meeting with Pope John XXIII
 
■ Pope John XXⅢ ■Cardinal Agagianian
 
■ Archbishop Yu Pin ■ Cardinal Cushing |
1960 |
●Upon his return, Archbishop Yu Pin began the Re-establishment Preparatory Office and worked on organizing the Board of Trustees. Thomas Cardinal Keng-Hsin Tien, SVD was appointed Chair of the Board of Trustees. The Ministry of Education approved the incorporation of the Board of Trustees and appointed Rector Archbishop Paul Yu Pin as the organizer of the restoration.
●The Preparatory Office was established, with Msgr. John Niu and Fr. Joseph Kung as director and vice-director of the Preparatory Office.
■February, 1961: Members of the Preparatory Office. From left to right: Msgr. John Niu, Archbishop Yu Pin, and Fr. Joseph Kung. |
Ⅳ. Taiwan Period |
1961 |
●Two buildings on No. 37 and 39 of Chi-Lin Road, Taipei were purchased to house the Preparatory Office.
●Application for the establishment of the Graduate Institute of Philosophy and the College of Liberal Arts was approved by the Ministry of Education. Eight students were recruited for the first year.
■September 20, 1961: Commencement ceremony of the Graduate Institute of Philosophy at Chi-Lin Road. |
1963 |
●The Board resolved to purchase 34 hectares of land in Yingpan Vil., Xinzhuang, Taipei County as the site for the main campus. The same year, the university was allowed to join the National Joint Entrance Examination for universities, and held its first graduation ceremony.
■The price of land back in 1963: NT$146 per ping
●Established the College of Natural Science (renamed to the College of Science and Engineering in 1982) and the College of Law (renamed to the College of Social Sciences in 2003). ●518 undergraduate students were recruited for the first year with the official opening of the Xinzhuang Campus.
●The Board of Trustees approved the establishment of regents to be in charge of different colleges: Fr. Richard Arens, SVD for the College of Natural Science, Msgr. Eugene Fahy, SJ for the College of Law, and the Rector Magnificus, for the College of Liberal Arts.
  
■Mother of Human Ecology: ■Fr. Richard Arens, SVD ■Msgr. Eugene Fahy, SJ Sr. Urbania Tueshaus, SSpS
|
1967 |
●The first graduation ceremony of an undergraduate program was held in the Zhongshan Hall in Taipei, with 406 students receiving their undergraduate degree and 4 students receiving their graduate degree. During this ceremony, Madame Chiang Kai-Shek took over as the University’s honorary chairman.
■The university’s first graduation ceremon
|
1969 |
●The College of Business (renamed to the College of Management in 1982) and the Evening Division (renamed to the School of Continuing Education in 1997) were established. |
1978 |
●On August 16, Cardinal Yu Pin, the President, died of a heart attack in Rome; on August 28, he was laid to rest on the campus of Fu Jen Catholic University.
■The Mausoleum of Paul Cardinal Yu Pin |
1979 |
●The Fu Jen Catholic University History Office was established. |
1980 |
●The first College of Foreign Languages and Literatures in Taiwan was established.
■Aerial view of the campus from 1981 to 1985 |
1984 |
●The College of Arts was established. |
1990 |
●The College of Medicine was established. |
1994 |
●The College of Human Ecology was established. |
2002 |
●In response to the integration of the three units, the President Responsibility System was established; instead of having three Vice Presidents from three units, the President nominates three Vice Presidents of Mission, Academics, and Administration. |
2003 |
●The School of Law was established. |
2010 |
●The College of Education and the College of Communication were established. |
2012 |
●Fu Jen MRT Station started operation.
■Exit of the Fu Jen MRT Station |
2013 |
●In accordance with the Ministry of Education’s resolution No. 1020072777, the University’s official name change to “Fu Jen Catholic University School Legal Person Fu Jen Catholic University”, with the abbreviation Fu Jen Catholic University, was approved. |
2017 |
●The College of Fashion and Textiles was established.
●Opening ceremony of the Fu Jen Catholic University Hospital.
■Fu Jen Catholic University Hospital |
