January 23: The Blue and the Gray

Welcome to the American Catholic Daily Reader podcast. Today is January 23rd, and our story is The Blue and the Gray. The boys of the Georgetown College Boat Club had a problem. The 1876 rowing season was upon them, and unlike their rivals, Harvard and Penn State, Georgetown had no distinctive colors to help their fans on shore identify them.

To solve the problem, they formed a committee and weighed their options. Their decision? Blue and gray. The blue would represent the students from the northern states, the gray would represent the students from the southern states, and together, the two colors would represent the unity of the students on campus, a unity that just 10 years before seemed unthinkable. Georgetown, the oldest Catholic and Jesuit institution in the United States, had nearly closed its doors in the immediate wake of the Civil War. Nearly 1,200 students and alumni had fought in the conflagration, and in 1861, the U.S.

Army took over the university's campus to house Union soldiers. By 1869, its graduates numbered exactly seven. The Jesuits who ran the school, however, were determined to see it survive. The land for the college had been purchased on January 23, 1789, by America's first bishop, the Jesuit John Carroll, and since then, Catholic men from across the country had worked hard to attend the school. In 1873, Father Patrick Francis Healy assumed the presidency of the college. Some thought he would close its doors.

Healy, however, became like a second founder, erecting new buildings, reforming the curriculum, and improving alumni relations. Within a decade, the school was on sure footing once more. Today, Georgetown University educates more than 7,500 undergraduate and 11,000 postgraduate students. Considered one of the most prestigious schools in the country, with more than 27 Rhodes Scholars, a U.S. President, and dozens of civic and cultural leaders on its alumni rosters, its blue and gray colors still represent the university and its 29 intercollegiate athletics teams.

Georgetown's story of the blue and gray reminds us that even in the aftermath of conflict, intentional acts of cooperation can build lasting bridges. It challenges us to consider where in our own lives we can take action to heal relationships. Today, we have to consider where in our lives we can take action to heal relationships. Today, Take courage and find a way to encourage dialogue, understanding, or reconciliation in your own family or community. Thank you for listening to the American Catholic Daily Reader Podcast. Join us tomorrow, January 24th, for another story of faith and courage in America.