Nicholas Russo (April 24, 1845 – April 1, 1902) was an Italian Catholic priest, Jesuit, philosopher, and missionary. Born in Italy, he ran away from his family and joined the Society of Jesus in France in 1862, where he was educated and began teaching. In 1875, Russo was sent to the United States to study at Woodstock College. For ten years, he was a professor and the chair of philosophy at Boston College and became its first faculty member to publish a book. Specializing in Thomism, he was regarded as a successful professor. He served as president of the college from 1887 to 1888.
In the 1890s, Russo left a successful career in academia to minister for more than ten years to the Italian immigrants in New York City's Lower East Side, who faced poverty and discrimination by local priests. He founded the Church of Our Lady of Loreto in 1891, which grew to 3,000 weekly parishioners, as well as schools for boys and girls and parochial clubs and sodalities.
Early life
Nicholas Russo was born on April 24, 1845, in Ascoli Piceno in the United Provinces of Central Italy, today located in the Marche region of central Italy. His mother died when Russo was a young child. His father was a prominent physician in the town. Russo excelled in school, especially in Latin and Ancient Greek. When he reached the age of six, Russo expressed an interest in entering religious life and, with one of his sisters, made pilgrimages to shrines and observed the Catholic feasts and days of abstinence. Intending Nicholas to also become a physician, Russo's father had Nicholas attend surgeries with him, and a nurse assisted Nicholas and his sister keep their religious practices secret from Russo's father.
Russo desired to enter the Society of Jesus but feared that his father would not permit him to do so. Thus, on August 8, 1862, telling no one but his sister, Russo ran away from home. With two friends, he traveled on foot to France, begging for food and shelter along the way, and ultimately entering the Jesuit novitiate in Pau on September 7, 1862. They were accepted on probationary status and Russo was instructed to obtain the consent of his family. Russo never saw his family again, but received a letter from his father, who was on his deathbed, approving of Russo's decision to enter the Jesuits, and the superiors permitted him to continue his Jesuit formation. Russo's father died shortly thereafter.
After professing his vows, Russo went to Saint-Acheul for two years to complete his juniorate. He then proceeded to Vals for his philosophical studies. Afterwards, he spent five years as a grammar teacher and the prefect at the Jesuit college in Saint-Affrique.
Academic career
In 1875, the Jesuit province of Naples sent Russo to the United States for his theological studies, and he proceeded to Woodstock College in Maryland. He excelled during his time as a student. Russo was ordained a priest in 1877, and in September of that year, he was sent to Massachusetts to teach logic and metaphysics at Boston College. He remained in this position for nearly ten years, becoming the chair of philosophy, and taking a reprieve only for the academic year of 1872 to 1873, to complete his tertianship in Frederick, Maryland. Russo was also the college librarian, and, during the physical enlargement of the library in 1876, he and another Jesuit instituted an accurate card catalogue.
During his time at Boston College, Russo published his first book, , comprising philosophy lectures he had delivered to students. With this, he became the first member of the Boston College faculty to publish a book while associated with the institution. As a teacher, he lectured in Latin, and was known as stern but effective. He also lectured on Catholicism and published his second book on the subject. Russo was well versed in the scholastic tradition, as well as Thomistic philosophy and theology. Given Pope Leo XIII's mandate that the Thomism should be taught at Catholic universities, Russo became a prominent teacher. One of his students was the future cardinal and archbishop of Boston, William Henry O'Connell, who wrote in an 1880 letter: Russo professed his fourth vow on August 15, 1884.