“Pro Ecclesia, Pro Texana” (Baylor University motto)

“Pro Ecclesia, Pro Texana” (“for church, for state/Texas”) is the motto on the seal of Baylor University in Waco. Baylor is a Baptist university, and the motto was put on a chapel wall by a past president of the university, Rufus Columbus Burleson (1823-1901).
   
   
Wikipedia: Baylor University
Baylor University is a private, Baptist-affiliated research university located in Waco, Texas. It is the largest Baptist university in the world by enrollment. Founded in 1845, Baylor is the oldest university in Texas operating under its original name. Baylor is accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools and is a member of the Association of Southern Baptist Colleges and Schools.
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Motto
Pro Ecclesia, Pro Texana
(Latin for “For Church, For Texas”)
 
About Baylor
Mission of Baylor University
The mission of Baylor University is to educate men and women for worldwide leadership and service by integrating academic excellence and Christian commitment within a caring community.
 
Chartered in 1845 by the Republic of Texas and affiliated with the Baptist General Convention of Texas, Baylor is both the state’s oldest institution of higher learning and the world’s largest Baptist university. Established to be a servant of the church and of society, Baylor seeks to fulfill its calling through excellence in teaching and research, in scholarship and publication, and in service to the community, both local and global. The vision of its founders and the ongoing commitment of generations of students and scholars are reflected in the motto inscribed on the Baylor seal: Pro Ecclesia, Pro Texana-For Church, For Texas. 

Handbook of Texas Online
BURLESON, RUFUS COLUMBUS (1823-1901). Rufus C. Burleson, pioneer Baptist minister and college president, the son of Jonathan and Elizabeth (Byrd) Burleson, was born on August 7, 1823, near Decatur, Alabama. His mother was descended from the Byrd family of Virginia. He entered Summerville Academy in 1837 and remained for two years, then spent some time at schools in Danville and Decatur. His desire was to be a lawyer. After a religious conversion in April 1839, however, he felt a call to preach. He matriculated at Nashville University in 1840 to prepare for the Baptist ministry, but ill health forced him to withdraw in 1841. He studied Greek, Hebrew, and Bible history while recuperating at home. After the return of his health he taught until 1845 in Mississippi, where he was ordained and served briefly as pastor of three churches near Starkville. Burleson entered Western Baptist Theological Seminary in Covington, Kentucky, in 1846 and received his diploma the following year.

He was appointed for mission work in Texas by the Southern Baptist Domestic Mission Board and became pastor of the First Baptist Church in Houston in 1848. After a short, successful pastorate, he was elected in June 1851 to be the second president of Baylor University; he succeeded Henry Lee Graves.qv By constant advertising, traveling, and speaking over the state, Burleson brought relative strength and stability to Baylor. On January 3, 1853, he married Georgia Jenkins. On November 19, 1854, he baptized Sam Houston.
 
Burleson’s beginning at Baylor was marred by friction with Horace Clark. When the female and male departments of Baylor were separated, Clark became principal of the female department and wanted to act independently of Burleson. The conflict over authority eventually degenerated into a personal feud, which, along with an invitation from a more promising area, led Burleson and the faculty of the male department to move to Waco in 1861. Burleson became president of Waco University, and the school flourished under his leadership. In 1865 it became coeducational and by 1868 was receiving support from the Baptist General Association of Texas, which included most of the northern part of the state.
 
Meanwhile, Baylor and the Independence area, having been bypassed by the railroad, were in economic difficulty, and the schools were merged in 1886 as Baylor University with Burleson as president. Under his leadership Baylor was able to achieve a permanent position of prominence in Texas education, although not without controversy. His battle with William Brann, editor of the Iconoclast and constant critic of Baylor and Baptists, erupted in 1894, when a young Brazilian girl living with the Burlesons was found to be pregnant. Brann championed the girl and suggested that Burleson was guilty of improprieties. Even after a grand jury found Burleson innocent, Brann continued his attacks on Burleson’s attitude toward the girl. The incident resulted in the departure of some thirty-five female students from Baylor and heightened the feud between Brann and Baylor. In 1897 Baylor moved Burleson out of the presidency and made him president emeritus, a demotion he believed was a direct result of the Brann controversy.
 
Burleson served as pastor in Houston, Independence, and Waco and was guest preacher and revivalist in many Baptist churches and associations over the state. He was elected president of the Baptist General Convention of Texas for 1892-93. He also made an important contribution to public education in Texas. In 1869, at the request of Barnas Sears, he began to work unofficially for the Peabody Education Fund, established to work for public education. The fund wanted a man who was respected and well known throughout the state as well as one who would be able to promote a system of public schools. Burleson overcame opposition to public schools, partly by proposing ways to improve teaching. He advocated holding teachers’ institutes in various cities and establishing a state teacher-training school. He was also instrumental in the founding of Bishop College; while in New York in 1872 he presented the need for a college for blacks to Nathan Bishop, who contributed at least $35,000 to the institution. Burleson died in Waco on May 14, 1901.
 
Google Books
The Life And Writings of Rufus C. Burleson
compiled by Georgina Jenkins Burleson
Waco, TX: New Library Press
1901
Pg. 118:
Eighth: The mottoes of Baylor University shall be, “Pro Ecclesia, Pro Texana;” “Dulce et Decorum, pro patria Mori.”
   
21 April 1903, Dallas Morning News, “At Baylor College,” pg. 2:
“But, ladies and gentlemen, with all her getting, we hope that Baylor will ever remain loyal to the original ideas of truth, simplicity, conscientiousness and Christianity. Blending the culture of the Athenian scholar with the consecration of the Christian teacher and the contagious enthusiasm of Latin and Greek with a childlike reverence for the Holy Scripture. It will cast reflection upon the dead and bring dishonor and disgrace upon the living if Baylor is ever deflected from these noble mottoes which adorn the old chapel walls, which have been the inspiration and guiding star of students for half a century, and chief of which is “Pro Ecclesia, Pro Texana,” recalling each time the memory of the loved and lamented Rufus C. Burleson.”
   
12 May 1929, Dallas Morning News, “Dr. Burleson and His Detective Bird,” feature section, pg. 8:
He believed also in the strength of mottoes. He emblazoned the walls of the old chapel with such as these: “Pro Ecclesia, Pro Texana,” “It Is Sweet and Glorious to Die for One’s Country,” “It Is Better to Be Than to Seem to Be,” “A Resolute Will Is Omnipotent.” 
   
Google Books
It’s Only a Game
by Terry Bradshaw with David Fisher
New York: Simon and Schuster
2001
Pg. 23:
Among the few major colleges to offer me a football scholarship was Baylor University. Baylor is a fine Baptist university in Waco, Texas, whose motto is Pro Ecclesia, Pro Texana, which roughly translates, “Terry can’t even understand the motto, so no way is he going to go there.”
 
Google Books
Baylor University: Off the Record
by Kyra Mitchell
Pittsburgh, PA: College Prowler, Inc.
2005
Introduction from the Author:
Hailed as the largest Baptist University in the world, Baylor has seen its fair share of ups and downs despite its religious affiliation, or maybe because of it. It was chartered in 1845 by the Republic of Texas, and affiliated with the Baptist General Convention of Texas. The Baylor seal and the school’s motto is “Pro Ecclesia, Pro Texana” meaning “For church, for state,” and that’s exactly what you’ll find at Baylor.
 
Google Books
The Routledge Dictionary of Latin Quotations
compiled by Jon R. Stone
New York: Routledge
2005
Pg. 196:
pro Ecclesia, pro Texana: for the Church, for Texas (motto of Baylor University)
 
(Trademark)
Word Mark BAYLOR UNIVERSITY
Translations THE LATIN PHRASES “PRO ECCLESIA” AND “PRO TEXANA”, MEAN “FOR THE CHURCH” AND “FOR TEXAS”, RESPECTIVELY.
Goods and Services IC 041. US 107. G & S: EDUCATIONAL AND ENTERTAINMENT SERVICES, NAMELY CONDUCTING COLLEGE LEVEL COURSES, AND RELATED ENTERTAINMENT SERVICES, NAMELY COLLEGE SPORTS EVENTS, FINE ART PRODUCTIONS, CONCERTS, AND LECTURES. FIRST USE: 19380419. FIRST USE IN COMMERCE: 19380419
Mark Drawing Code (3) DESIGN PLUS WORDS, LETTERS, AND/OR NUMBERS
Design Search Code 01.01.03 - Star - a single star with five points
24.05.01 - Circular or elliptical seals; Seals, circular or elliptical
26.01.07 - Circles with a decorative border, including scalloped, ruffled and zig-zag edges
Serial Number 73640637
Filing Date January 20, 1987
Current Filing Basis 1A
Original Filing Basis 1A
Published for Opposition September 1, 1987
Registration Number 1466659
Registration Date November 24, 1987
Owner (REGISTRANT) BAYLOR UNIVERSITY NONPROFIT CORPORATION TEXAS WACO TEXAS 76798
Attorney of Record WILLIAM G. BARBER
Disclaimer NO CLAIM IS MADE TO THE EXCLUSIVE RIGHT TO USE “UNIVERSITY” AND “CHARTERED IN 1845 BY THE REPUBLIC OF TEXAS” APART FROM THE MARK AS SHOWN
Type of Mark SERVICE MARK
Register PRINCIPAL-2(F)-IN PART
Affidavit Text SECT 15. SECT 8 (6-YR).
Live/Dead Indicator LIVE
Distinctiveness Limitation Statement AS TO THE WORDS “BAYLOR UNIVERSITY”.