Walsh University
Markers, Monuments, and Sculptures
F.I.C. Statue: To commemorate the centenary of the death of Father Jean-Marie de la Mennais (1780-1860), founder of the Brothers of Christian Instruction, Brother Paul Leclaire, Provincial Superior in Dolbeau, Quebec, Canada, hired the services of the renowned Italian artist Guido Casini of Montreal, working for Barsetti-Manucci. Three identical copies of the same work were created and installed in the three Districts of the Brothers in the eastern part of the Province of Quebec: Pointe-du-Lac, Dolbeau and Saint-Romuals. The blessing of the monuments took place in August 1961.
The white faux-marble monument depicts three figures, the largest of which is 8 feet tall. We see Father de la Mennais entrusting the charge of a student to a Brother to whom the artist has given the very recognizable features of Reverend Brother Cyprien Chevreau, first Superior General of the Congregation after the Founder’s death.
When Juvenat Saint-Jean of Dolbeau closed its doors in July 2016, this monument, after having adorned the main lane in the grove for 55 years, was donated by the Brothers of North America to Walsh University, North Canton, OH, that the transmission of the Mennaisian spirit would endure beyond distance and time.
History Here
Mother Teresa: Mother Teresa was officially canonized as a saint in 2016 by Pope Francis. She was just “Mother Teresa” the Nobel Peace Prize laureate in June 1982 when she came to Ohio. Teresa spoke at Walsh University in North Canton that month and held a press conference with a couple dozen reporters. She was asked about the stories, even then, that she was a living saint. The small Albanian nun laughed and told the journalists to write something beautiful to lift the minds of their readers. “Sanctity is not the luxury of the few. It is a simple duty for each of you. You have to be holy in the work that God entrusted to you. So that you ask people who are writing take the trouble. As Jesus said, ‘I am the truth.’ Be the truth that you tell. Be the joy that you share.” She added, “What you do I cannot do but what I do you cannot do. But together we are doing something beautiful for God.” Six weeks after leaving North Canton, the 72 year old Mother Teresa brokered a cease fire in the Lebanon War so she could rescue children from a mental hospital in Beirut.
Historical Figures
Bob Huggins — He is an American college basketball coach, Nicknamed “Huggy Bear”, he is currently the head coach of the West Virginia Mountaineers men’s basketball team. Huggins previously held the head coaching positions at Walsh University (1980-1983), the University of Akron (1984-1989), the University of Cincinnati (1989-2005) and Kansas State University (2006-2007). He was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 2022.
Heritage Trail Sponsors:
Herbert W. Hoover Foundation
Walsh University
North Canton Public Library
Gary and Rita Wechter Family
North Canton Public Library
Cerreta Family
Stroia Family