Records Relating to Rev. Joseph Hart, Superior ... | Saint Michael's College Archives & Special Collections

Rev. Joseph Hart, a native of Massachusetts, became the 12th Superior General of the Society of Saint Edmund in 1990. As a member of the Society, he spent some time in the Southern Apostolate before returning to Vermont in 1965. While at Saint Michael's he served as academic dean and directed the Counseling center. He then served as a counselor and Director of the House of Affirmation, a treatment and counseling center for priests and religious, for many years before returning to Saint Michael’s in 1988. In 1990, upon election, he ceased working for the college and devoted himself fully to leading the society. The major challenge facing Hart during his term was the continuing lack of personnel, in particular the continued lack of persistent vocations and the aging of active priests. A number of members died, and a number of priests and aspirants withdrew from the society. Despite the lack of personnel, the Society did open a major new endeavor. In 1994 the Society opened Bishop Perry Middle School, a school that offered a free education to boys in New Orleans while fostering respect, responsibility, a sense of community and a message of social justice based on the Nativity Model. Additionally, the Society sold Fairholt, consolidating the area priests at Saint Michael’s College. This sub-group is arranged alphabetically according to the original order. Records from both of his terms of office are included.