Saint Elizabeth University | Convent Station, New Jersey

Saint Elizabeth University in New Jersey

Saint Elizabeth University is a four-year private Catholic college in New Jersey.

For many years a women’s college, Saint E’s graduated their last all-female class in 2019.

Formerly known as the College of Saint Elizabeth, it achieved “university” status in 2020 and changed its name to reflect its new status.

However, the university is affectionately referred “Saint E’s” by locals.

The university has a beautiful campus mostly located in the Convent Station section of Morris Township, New Jersey.

The university website insists their location is in historic Morristown, New Jersey.

Wealthy Morris Township is a separate town that completely surrounds Morristown:

The township is the “doughnut” around Morristown and completely surrounds it, with at least five times the area, though near Morris Plains the width of Morris Township is less than a mile.

Parts of the campus are located in Florham Park, New Jersey. We’ll get to that later!

Convent Station is the name of the train station for the convent. It is located near both Fairleigh Dickinson University and Drew University in a wealthy and beautiful section of Morris County.

Parts of the campus are in Morristown, while some are technically in Florham Park.

The campus buildings also include a private high school for girls (Saint Elizabeth Academy, academic buildings, the motherhouse, St. Ann’s Villa (retirement home for nuns) – and a cemetery!

Most of the nuns who live here are also teachers, professors, or administrators.

I took all of these photos in June and August 2022.

They have a Shakespeare Garden:

The Shakespeare Garden, on the grounds of the Saint Elizabeth University, was once a beautiful place of pilgrimage. Conceptualized in 1920 by Sister Angela Dorety, the first nun in the United States to receive her Ph.D., the garden was inspired by several of Shakespeare’s plays and poems. Even though gardens dedicated to the bard were popular at the time, Dorety’s vision was revolutionary because she grouped the flowers according to the plays in which they were featured.

Holy Family Cemetery

As I have seen on other Catholic college campuses, there is a large cemetery!

Holy Family Cemetery is located in the Florham Park section of the campus.

The cemetery apparently includes many of the nuns who have worked here. You can see their names on the gravestones.

“In loving memory of our foundress Mother Mary Xavier Mehegan. Died June 24, 1915. May she rest in peace.”

Lourdes Grotto?

My husband and I were fascinated by this. Does it appear to be one statue worshiping the Mother Mary?

Not being a Catholic, I am not sure.

I have not been able to find out more about this, but I THINK it is a tribute to Our Lady of Lourdes.

It reminds me so much of the film The Song of Bernadette.

A great although overlong film about Our Lady of Lourdes.

Jennifer Jones won an Academy Award for her portrayal of Bernadette Soubirous.

A painting of the Miracle at Lourdes.

The Amphitheatre

The amphitheatre is part of the Greek Theater at Saint Elizabeth.

The Theatre’s Outdoor Stage is located on the campus of Saint Elizabeth University in nearby Florham Park (at the Convent Station train stop). The grass-and-stone amphitheatre, inspired by the Theatre of Dionysus in Athens, and one of the only theatres of its kind in the United States hosting a professional theatre company, debuted as a new performance space for the company in 2002. The venue accommodates approximately 500 audience members.

The New Jersey Shakespeare Festival is in very close proximity to St. Elizabeth.

Saint Elizabeth University To Provide Free Education For Needy Students

Newark scholars to get free education at Saint Elizabeth University! Click the link below!

https://www.dailyrecord.com/embed/video/9720724002/

You may also want to read about Fairleigh Dickinson University which is located nearby.

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