The Catholic University of Pernambuco originated from a combination of efforts undertaken in adherence to an action of the Catholic Church, especially in the 1940s and 1950s, encouraged the creation of faculties and Catholic universities, properly attuned to the ecclesial perspectives to those institutions . he action was taken concretely, in the case studied by the Company's members of Jesus and its contributors. The trajectory of UNICAP began with the Faculty of Philosophy, Sciences and Letters Manoel da Nobrega, on April 18, 1943, and its formalization as university took place in September 27, 1951, from the aggregation of pre-existing units. Such a modest background, did not prevent their growth. This article aims to reconstruct main aspects of the initiated walking and, in it, highlight points that marked its progress and commitments that has been taking with Recife societies, Pernambuco and Northeast, with the analysis of bias in his role as an institution of higher education and which was gaining importance.