Sodality of Our Lady
In 1830, students under the leadership of Father James A. Ryder, S.J., later elevated to university president, founded the Philodemic Society. The only other student group at that time was a religious group, the Sodality of Our Lady. The society's first debate was on the topic of "Napoleon Bonaparte or General Washington: Which was the better man?" Though a secular society, the Philodemic often recognized Georgetown's Catholic traditions, and beginning in 1841, added an official commemoration of the Jesuit landing at St. Mary's City, Maryland, to their calendar.