“Fulfilling the Mercy Promise” is theme for Salve Regina’s 75th anniversary celebration

salvetoday Posted On March 15, 2022
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In a letter sent on this day 75 years ago – March 15, 1947 – Robert Goelet gifted the family’s Newport mansion, Ochre Court, in memory of his father, Ogden Goelet. A special meeting of the Salve Regina Corporation was held five days later, when the deed to Ochre Court was officially presented to the Sisters of Mercy to establish the new college on Aquidneck Island.

In the short months that followed, the Sisters of Mercy turned their dream into reality. They officially opened the college to students on Sept. 25, 1947.

Today, the University is announcing the theme for its yearlong celebration – “Fulfilling the Mercy Promise” – to commemorate the milestones of Salve’s 75th anniversary year. The celebration will highlight the continued development of Salve Regina’s academic community and honor 75 years of mercy in higher education. The celebration will take place between September 2022 and September 2023.

In celebrating its 75th anniversary, the University recognizes Catherine McAuley and the Sisters of Mercy, who as leaders of change since 1831 have responded with one voice to the unmet needs of the times.

Throughout the anniversary year, the University will share its history as a transformative, academic community and showcase the many ways it continues fulfilling the mercy promise of giving light to those around us, seeking where we can make an impact, and working for a world that is harmonious, just and merciful.

In her inaugural address in 2019, Dr. Kelli J. Armstrong, Salve Regina’s president, reflected on the legacy of the Sisters of Mercy and how their vision will endure in Salve Regina’s future.

“There is a deep need at this moment in history for an institution like Salve Regina and its graduates – a need for the depth and power of a Mercy education,” Armstrong said. “Salve has never lost sight of who we are. We have always stood behind our beliefs and our commitment to the idea that each student has a gift to bring to the world as well as the responsibility to do so.”