Peter M. Donohue
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Rev. Peter M. Donohue, O.S.A. is a Roman Catholic priest to be inaugurated as Villanova University's 32nd President in September of 2006. He has served as the Chair of the Theater Department for that institution since 1992.
Ordained in the Order of Saint Augustine in 1979, Fr. Peter received his M.A. in Theater from The Catholic University of America in 1983 and an 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, 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. Peter 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. Peter has served on the Board of Trustees of Merrimack College from 1994-2002.
In addition to his work with the University, Fr. Peter 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. Peter has been seen in Twelfth Night, Don Juan, The Trojan Women, and The Passion of Christ.
He has long been a fixture of the campus community, clad in his tunic and a pair of sandals, and is held dear by nearly all of his students as a prominent spiritual and educational guide. He has performed over 50 weddings 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 inherently dramatic nature and gifted oratory skills makes him a favorite to officiate special liturgies for Alumni Chapters, Homecoming, and various student groups.
His inauguration on September 8, 2006 will be the culmination of a long and distinguished career.
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