Peter M. Donohue
Encyclopedia
Rev. Peter M. Donohue, O.S.A. is a Roman Catholic priest
who was inaugurated
as Villanova University's
32nd President on September 8, 2006. He had served as the Chair of the Theater Department for that institution since 1992.
Fr. Donohue received his bachelor's degree
from Villanova University in 1975. Ordained
in the Order of Saint Augustine
in 1979, Fr. Donohue received his M.A.
in Theater from The Catholic University of America
in 1983 and a Master of Divinity
from Washington Theological Union
in 1985. He was conferred a Ph.D.
in Theater from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
in 1990, while also managing the Krannert Center for the Performing Arts
.
His early years as an educator were spent serving the St. Augustine Parish in Andover, Mass
, and at Archbishop Carroll High School in Washington, DC. From 1985 through 1990, he was an instructor in Villanova's Theater Department.
While at Villanova, he designed The Augustinian Connection, a history of the Augustinian Friars and their involvement with Villanova University, which is shown to all incoming Freshmen during New Student Orientation. He has served as a resident hall minister and as chaplain
of Villanova's renowned Naval ROTC program, and presides over their annual commissioning
Mass
.
Fr. Donohue has served as a faculty representative on the Villanova Board of Trustees, the Academic Affairs Committee, the University's College of Liberal Arts & Sciences Diversity Committee, the University's Judicial Boards, the Strategic Planning Committee, the Fine Arts Subcommittee Curriculum Program, the College Diversity Subcommittee, the Planning Committee for the Church in the Modern World Conference, and the Preparation Committee for Rhodes Scholars Interviews. In addition, Fr. Donohue served on the Board of Trustees of Merrimack College
from 1994-2002.
In addition to his work with the University, Fr. Donohue is known as the director of the University's spring musical each year, with several Barrymore Award nominations to his credit. He has received nominations for his direction of Parade
, Children of Eden
, Into the Woods
, Evita, and Chicago
which received nine nominations and three awards, including Outstanding Direction of a Musical. Other directing credits include Candide
, Once on This Island
, The Mystery of Edwin Drood
, A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum
, and West Side Story
. As an actor, Fr. Donohue has been seen in Twelfth Night, Don Juan
, The Trojan Women
, and The Passion of Christ
.
He has performed over 50 wedding
s for Villanova students and alumni in the last two years alone, and has been known to preside over the Sunday evening "student" masses at St. Thomas of Villanova Church
. His oratory skills make him a favorite to officiate special liturgies
for Alumni Chapters, Homecoming, and various student groups.
Priest
A priest is a person authorized to perform the sacred rites of a religion, especially as a mediatory agent between humans and deities. They also have the authority or power to administer religious rites; in particular, rites of sacrifice to, and propitiation of, a deity or deities...
who was inaugurated
Inauguration
An inauguration is a formal ceremony to mark the beginning of a leader's term of office. An example is the ceremony in which the President of the United States officially takes the oath of office....
as Villanova University's
Villanova University
Villanova University is a private university located in Radnor Township, a suburb northwest of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, in the United States...
32nd President on September 8, 2006. He had served as the Chair of the Theater Department for that institution since 1992.
Fr. Donohue received his bachelor's degree
Bachelor's degree
A bachelor's degree is usually an academic degree awarded for an undergraduate course or major that generally lasts for three or four years, but can range anywhere from two to six years depending on the region of the world...
from Villanova University in 1975. Ordained
Ordination
In general religious use, ordination is the process by which individuals are consecrated, that is, set apart as clergy to perform various religious rites and ceremonies. The process and ceremonies of ordination itself varies by religion and denomination. One who is in preparation for, or who is...
in the Order of Saint Augustine
Augustinians
The term Augustinians, named after Saint Augustine of Hippo , applies to two separate and unrelated types of Catholic religious orders:...
in 1979, Fr. Donohue received his M.A.
Master of Arts (postgraduate)
A Master of Arts from the Latin Magister Artium, is a type of Master's degree awarded by universities in many countries. The M.A. is usually contrasted with the M.S. or M.Sc. degrees...
in Theater from The Catholic University of America
The Catholic University of America
The Catholic University of America is a private university located in Washington, D.C. in the United States. It is a pontifical university of the Catholic Church in the United States and the only institution of higher education founded by the U.S. Catholic bishops...
in 1983 and a Master of Divinity
Master of Divinity
In the academic study of theology, the Master of Divinity is the first professional degree of the pastoral profession in North America...
from Washington Theological Union
Washington Theological Union
Washington Theological Union is a Roman Catholic graduate school of theology and ministry in Washington, D.C., with a mission of educating and forming candidates for the priesthood and other church ministries. WTU is accredited by the Association of Theological Schools in the United States and Canada...
in 1985. He was conferred a Ph.D.
Ph.D.
A Ph.D. is a Doctor of Philosophy, an academic degree.Ph.D. may also refer to:* Ph.D. , a 1980s British group*Piled Higher and Deeper, a web comic strip*PhD: Phantasy Degree, a Korean comic series* PhD Docbook renderer, an XML renderer...
in Theater from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
The University of Illinois at Urbana–Champaign is a large public research-intensive university in the state of Illinois, United States. It is the flagship campus of the University of Illinois system...
in 1990, while also managing the Krannert Center for the Performing Arts
Krannert Center for the Performing Arts
Krannert Center for the Performing Arts was built in 1969 in Urbana, Illinois, USA, on the campus of the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign as an educational and performing arts complex. Herman C...
.
His early years as an educator were spent serving the St. Augustine Parish in Andover, Mass
Andover, Massachusetts
Andover is a town in Essex County, Massachusetts, United States. It was incorporated in 1646 and as of the 2010 census, the population was 33,201...
, and at Archbishop Carroll High School in Washington, DC. From 1985 through 1990, he was an instructor in Villanova's Theater Department.
While at Villanova, he designed The Augustinian Connection, a history of the Augustinian Friars and their involvement with Villanova University, which is shown to all incoming Freshmen during New Student Orientation. He has served as a resident hall minister and as chaplain
Chaplain
Traditionally, a chaplain is a minister in a specialized setting such as a priest, pastor, rabbi, or imam or lay representative of a religion attached to a secular institution such as a hospital, prison, military unit, police department, university, or private chapel...
of Villanova's renowned Naval ROTC program, and presides over their annual commissioning
Officer (armed forces)
An officer is a member of an armed force or uniformed service who holds a position of authority. Commissioned officers derive authority directly from a sovereign power and, as such, hold a commission charging them with the duties and responsibilities of a specific office or position...
Mass
Mass
Mass can be defined as a quantitive measure of the resistance an object has to change in its velocity.In physics, mass commonly refers to any of the following three properties of matter, which have been shown experimentally to be equivalent:...
.
Fr. Donohue has served as a faculty representative on the Villanova Board of Trustees, the Academic Affairs Committee, the University's College of Liberal Arts & Sciences Diversity Committee, the University's Judicial Boards, the Strategic Planning Committee, the Fine Arts Subcommittee Curriculum Program, the College Diversity Subcommittee, the Planning Committee for the Church in the Modern World Conference, and the Preparation Committee for Rhodes Scholars Interviews. In addition, Fr. Donohue served on the Board of Trustees of Merrimack College
Merrimack College
Merrimack College is an independent college in the Roman Catholic, Augustinian tradition located in North Andover, Massachusetts, north of Boston, Massachusetts. It offers undergraduate degrees in business, education, science, engineering, and the liberal arts...
from 1994-2002.
In addition to his work with the University, Fr. Donohue is known as the director of the University's spring musical each year, with several Barrymore Award nominations to his credit. He has received nominations for his direction of Parade
Parade (musical)
Parade is a musical with a book by Alfred Uhry and music and lyrics by Jason Robert Brown. The musical was first produced on Broadway at the Vivian Beaumont Theater on December 17, 1998. The production was directed by Harold Prince and closed 28 February 1999 after only 39 previews and 84 regular...
, Children of Eden
Children of Eden
Children of Eden is a two-act musical play with music and lyrics by Stephen Schwartz and a book by John Caird. The musical is based on the Book of Genesis. Act I tells the story of Adam and Eve, Cain, and Abel, and Act II deals with Noah and the Flood...
, Into the Woods
Into the Woods
Into the Woods is a musical with music and lyrics by Stephen Sondheim and book by James Lapine. It debuted in San Diego at the Old Globe Theatre in 1986, and premiered on Broadway in 1987. Bernadette Peters' performance as the Witch and Joanna Gleason's portrayal of the Baker's Wife brought acclaim...
, Evita, and Chicago
Chicago (musical)
Chicago is a musical set in Prohibition-era Chicago. The music is by John Kander with lyrics by Fred Ebb and a book by Ebb and Bob Fosse. The story is a satire on corruption in the administration of criminal justice and the concept of the "celebrity criminal"...
which received nine nominations and three awards, including Outstanding Direction of a Musical. Other directing credits include Candide
Candide (operetta)
Candide is an operetta with music composed by Leonard Bernstein, based on the novella of the same name by Voltaire. The operetta was first performed in 1956 with a libretto by Lillian Hellman; but since 1974 it has been generally performed with a book by Hugh Wheeler which is more faithful to...
, Once on This Island
Once On This Island
Once on This Island is a one-act musical with a book and lyrics by Lynn Ahrens and music by Stephen Flaherty. Based on the novel My Love, My Love by Rosa Guy, set in the French Antilles in the Caribbean Sea...
, The Mystery of Edwin Drood
The Mystery of Edwin Drood (musical)
Drood is a musical based on the unfinished Charles Dickens novel The Mystery of Edwin Drood. It is written by Rupert Holmes, and was the first Broadway musical with multiple endings . Holmes received Tony Awards for Best Book and Best Original Score...
, A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum
A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum
A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum is a musical with music and lyrics by Stephen Sondheim and book by Burt Shevelove and Larry Gelbart....
, and West Side Story
West Side Story
West Side Story is an American musical with a script by Arthur Laurents, music by Leonard Bernstein, lyrics by Stephen Sondheim, and choreographed by Jerome Robbins...
. As an actor, Fr. Donohue has been seen in Twelfth Night, Don Juan
Don Juan
Don Juan is a legendary, fictional libertine whose story has been told many times by many authors. El burlador de Sevilla y convidado de piedra by Tirso de Molina is a play set in the fourteenth century that was published in Spain around 1630...
, The Trojan Women
The Trojan Women
The Trojan Women is a tragedy by the Greek playwright Euripides. Produced during the Peloponnesian War, it is often considered a commentary on the capture of the Aegean island of Melos and the subsequent slaughter and subjugation of its populace by the Athenians earlier in 415 BC , the same year...
, and The Passion of Christ
Passion (Christianity)
The Passion is the Christian theological term used for the events and suffering – physical, spiritual, and mental – of Jesus in the hours before and including his trial and execution by crucifixion...
.
He has performed over 50 wedding
Wedding
A wedding is the ceremony in which two people are united in marriage or a similar institution. Wedding traditions and customs vary greatly between cultures, ethnic groups, religions, countries, and social classes...
s for Villanova students and alumni in the last two years alone, and has been known to preside over the Sunday evening "student" masses at St. Thomas of Villanova Church
Thomas of Villanova
St. Thomas of Villanova, O.S.A. , was a preacher, ascetic, writer andSpanish friar of the Order of Saint Augustine....
. His oratory skills make him a favorite to officiate special liturgies
Liturgy
Liturgy is either the customary public worship done by a specific religious group, according to its particular traditions or a more precise term that distinguishes between those religious groups who believe their ritual requires the "people" to do the "work" of responding to the priest, and those...
for Alumni Chapters, Homecoming, and various student groups.