Our Mission
Duquesne University of the Holy Spirit is a Catholic university founded by members of the Congregation of the Holy Spirit, the Spiritans, and sustained through a partnership of laity and religious.
Duquesne serves God by serving students through:
- Commitment to excellence in liberal and professional education
- Profound concern for moral and spiritual values
- Maintaining an ecumenical atmosphere open to diversity
- Service to the Church, the community, the nation, and the world
Distinctions of a Duquesne Spiritan Education
Hear from our students on how our mission makes for a meaningful college career.
Commitment to service
Commitment to service reflects the commonly-used expression of Duquesne’s mission—we serve God by serving students so that they, in turn, may serve others.
Building authentic relationships
Building authentic relationships means engaging others with humility and respect for their inherent dignity.
Walking alongside others
Walking alongside others, especially where the need is greatest, reflects the Spiritan call to stand in solidarity with people who are marginalized, underserved, or in need of companionship.
Openness to the spirit
Openness to the Spirit invites us to consider a sense of connection and purpose that extends beyond ourselves.
Spiritan Pedagogy at Duquesne
Spiritan Pedagogy is teaching in a way that purposefully reflects the values and ethos of the Spiritan mission of Duquesne University. While Spiritan Pedagogy is not a set of prescribed teaching practices, it is a way of teaching that purposefully chooses educational strategies to reflect the Spiritan charism.
In "The Heartbeat of Spiritan Education in the US," Jeff Duaime, C.S.Sp., lists seven marks of education in the Spiritan tradition. These marks illustrate some of the concerns that can make your teaching reflective of the Spiritan charism.
- Openness to the Spirit
- Global Vision
- A Sense of Community
- Concern for the Poor
- Commitment to Service
- High Academic Standards
- Academic Freedom
Campus resources to learn more about the Spiritans
- The Division of Mission and Identity promotes the integration of the University mission into all aspects of campus life.
- The Center for Spiritan Studies fosters research on Spiritan history, tradition and spirituality and publishes Spiritan Horizons, which regularly features articles on education.
- The Gumberg Library offers The Spiritans: A Research Guide for researching Spiritan resources and a Digital Collection of Spiritan Writings.
Fr. John Sawicki had a particular influence on me by emphasizing the importance
of servant leadership and using one's talents for the betterment of their community.
These experiences were pivotal in shaping my ability to lead with empathy and resilience.
Spiritan Clergy in Residence at Duquesne
Meet the Spiritan Priests Serving at Duquesne!
