of John Bernard Fitzpatrick, the Bishop of Boston. After graduating, Healy entered the Society of Jesus on September 17, 1850, and proceeded to the novitiate in Frederick, Maryland. He worried that his mixed race would present an obstacle to his entrance into the Jesuit order, but this did not prove to be a problem. The fact that Healy's parents were never formally married meant that, under canon law, Healy was born out of wedlock; this required that he obtain a dispensation to join the order, but none was ever sought and he was admitted without issue. With his admission to the Society of Jesus, he became the first Black American Jesuit. After two years of study, Healy professed his first vows, and was sent to teach at Saint Joseph's College in Philadelphia. In 1853, he was transferred back to the College of the Holy Cross. While teaching there, he found that some students who knew his brothers learned of his racial background and made disparaging comments about him in secret. In 1858, Healy went to Georgetown University, where he studied philosophy and theology. The Jesuit superiors at Georgetown were impressed by his skill in philosophy and decided to send him to Europe, where he continued his studies. He first went to Rome, but his health declined during the winter, and he transferred to the Saint-Sulpice Seminary in Paris. He eventually went to Belgium to complete his studies at the Catholic University of Louvain. While there, he was ordained a priest on September 3, 1864. He also became fluent in Latin, French, Italian, and German. On July 26, 1865, he received a PhD in philosophy, making him the first Black American ever to earn a PhD. Racial identity Throughout his life, Healy's race was the subject of speculation. According to the one-drop rule, which prevailed during his lifetime, he was considered a "negro" because he had at least one black ancestor. The Healy brothers considered themselves White, rather than Black. Of them all, Patrick Healy most readily passed as White. Indeed, his passport described his complexion as "light", suggesting he passed as a light-skinned White man, rather than as a light-skinned Black man. Though he himself identified as White, knowledge of his mixed race background would not be a secret while he served as president of Georgetown University. His fellow Jesuits knew of his mixed race, but it is unlikely that