Rev. Brian J. Shanley, O.P. President | St. John's University website
Rev. Brian J. Shanley, O.P. President | St. John's University website
Students returning to St. John's University for the spring semester will find a notable addition to the southeastern side of the new St. Vincent Health Sciences Center. A statue of St. Vincent de Paul, founder of the Congregation of the Mission, has been relocated to this reflective space on the Queens campus.
Originally cast in France during the late 1800s, this statue was a gift from the Sisters of Charity after decades at St. Vincent's Catholic Medical Center in Staten Island. The hospital first opened as a 74-bed facility under their direction and closed in 2006, now operating as Richmond University Medical Center. From 2007, it stood near Loretto Memorial Library at St. John’s main entrance, embodying the university's Catholic and Vincentian identity.
Rev. Aidan R. Rooney, Executive Vice President for Mission and an alumnus of the Staten Island campus, remarked on this relocation: “The closure of the Staten Island campus and the opening of the new St. Vincent Health Sciences Center in Queens provided a fortuitous opportunity to relocate a powerful image of the universal patron of charity.”
In constructing this $106-million facility on campus grounds once occupied by old St. Vincent Hall, another piece of history emerged—a small metal time capsule containing a Miraculous Medal was found embedded in its cornerstone.
This religious medal was designed following visions experienced by French Daughters of Charity member St. Catherine Labouré in the 1830s and is worn worldwide today.
Both a Miraculous Medal and a St. Vincent de Paul medal are now part of the concrete foundations at this center—a tradition that has spanned nearly two centuries among Vincentians globally.
Fr. Rooney explained this practice: “It is a way of asking Mary’s intercession for success and safety for all who will live, learn, and serve in these special places.”
The newly installed statue depicts St. Vincent de Paul carrying an infant with another child beside him—symbolizing his work caring for abandoned children through groups he co-founded with St. Louise de Marillac.
Visible throughout campus are similar statues reminding students how members follow their mission serving vulnerable communities with care and compassion within such educational settings.
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