In 1847, nearly fifteen years before the start of the Civil War, Pittsburgh Bishop Michael O'Connor invited six Franciscan friars from Ireland to establish a school and gave them the land for this purpose. It was located in a forest near Loretto, Pennsylvania, where the friars labored to clear the land and then construct the foundations of what would one day become Saint Francis University.

Soon after its humble beginnings, Saint Francis University was recognized by the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania and given the authority to grant educational degrees. Historically, the University ranks as one of the first Catholic Universities in the nation, the first Franciscan college in the country, and one of the first Catholic Universities to become co-educational in the United States.