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Crusader Chronicles
Monsignor Peter J. Vaghi ’70
Under the stewardship of Monsignor Peter J. Vaghi ’70, the Little Flower Parish in Bethesda, Md., ministers to 1,500 families. Its grounds house not only the Church of the Little Flower, but a school for 260 children, a religious education program for another 300, a convent that is home to eight sisters of the Immaculate Heart of Mary (Scranton) and a rectory for five priests. But even this sprawling campus cannot contain the energy that is Monsignor Vaghi.
By Mary Ellen Eagan ’75
In 2008, Monsignor Vaghi wrote his first book, titled The Faith We Profess: A Catholic Guide to the Apostles’ Creed. An approachable book, The Faith We Profess breaks apart the articles of faith in Catholicism in a reasoned manner, which echoes Vaghi’s legal training. But it is also informed by his 24 years of pastoral work as well as the sermons of His Holiness Pope Benedict XVI and Pope John Paul II and the writings of Gerard O’Collins, S.J., Mary Venturini, and even the poet Francis Thompson.
By posing questions and offering meditations at the end of each of the 12 chapters — one for each article in the Creed — Vaghi asks his reader to engage in his faith. Vaghi’s former professor, the Rev. John E. Brooks, S.J., '49, Holy Cross president emeritus, said of The Faith We Profess, “It is not only a refreshingly clear presentation of our basic Catholic beliefs, but is also an abundantly rich source of material for personal prayer and growth in our love of the Risen Lord. Read the text and you will find yourself drawn to prayer and an ever-deepening intimacy with Jesus.”
Vaghi thrives on teaching the catechism of the Catholic Church. He convenes Little Flower’s RCIA (Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults) classes at 7 a.m. with his seven students, who are preparing for the Easter vigil. As the chaplain of Washington’s John Carroll Society, Vaghi teaches the catechism of the Catholic Church to lawyers, business people and healthcare professionals — a group of students who thought they left the classroom years ago — early on Thursday and Friday mornings each month.
Q. You’re known in the Washington area for your talks. How did these begin?
A. When I returned to Washington after my seminary studies at the North American College in Rome and my ordination, I was assigned to St. Ann’s, which is just down the street from where I am now but in the District. After a few years at St. Ann’s, I was assigned to serve the downtown Washington community at St. Patrick’s first as a curate then as pastor. St. Patrick’s is near FBI headquarters, right in the middle of things downtown and close to many law firms and governmental agencies. At St. Patrick’s, I ministered to busy, working people, and I learned to catch people when you can. While there, I continued my ministry as I became the chaplain of the John Carroll Society.
Under the auspices of the John Carroll Society, I began a series of First Friday reflections at St Patrick’s at 8 a.m. and served coffee and pastry. I thought of these talks to amplify and deepen faith. In these talks we could delve into the pillars of the faith over the course of a few months and describe the joyous life the Catholic faith permits its followers to live. I continue to give the First Friday Talks at St. Patrick’s but I have also added a First Thursday series here at Little Flower on Thursday mornings and Thursday evenings.
This year we are examining the 10 Commandments. Last year, we re-visited the sacraments during these reflections. (To read Monsignor Vaghi’s sermon cycles on the 10 Commandments and sacraments follow, Moral Life: Living the Hope Within Us and Sacraments: The Catholic Faith Celebrated)
Q. Did you turn one of your past sermons into “The Faith We Profess”?
A. The series on the “faith,” the first pillar of the catechism, is the basis of this book. I am presently working on a second book, on the “sacraments.”
Q. Why did you select the Apostles’ Creed instead of the Nicene Creed that we say at Mass?
A. I wanted to communicate as best I could the fundamentals of our faith. Those are expressed in the Apostles’ Creed. Also as we learn in 1 Peter 3:15, we all look for reasons to believe, and this is an effort to give us reasons for our belief, reasons for our hope. The Apostles’ Creed underscores that we are a community of believers, and that we have a shared faith. It’s not my individual belief but a faith that has been handed down for thousands of years as a shared experience.
The Nicene Creed is a result of the Council of Nicea in the third century and is a more embellished version of the Apostles’ Creed, which is our earliest creed and represents the faith of the apostles and the Roman baptismal creed. In the book I mentioned that Pope Benedict XVI spoke of the Apostles’ Creed as a “summa” or summary of everything we believe.
Q. How have the sales been?
A. Great. The book is already in its second printing. There have been sales in Ireland and Australia. I have been interviewed by Sirius Radio and participated in the Knights of Columbus book club, which was on the Web. Those have contributed to the popularity of the book, and I think there is a real hunger for people to learn about their faith.
Q. You have mentioned that the John Carroll Society sponsors your First Friday Talks. What is the role of the John Carroll Society?
A. John Carroll Society may be unique to Washington. That’s what I have learned from talking to people from across the country about it. It is composed of a group of people from healthcare, the law and business, who are called on to help the archbishop with apostolic endeavors and deepen their spiritual and faith lives in the process. For example, we fund scholarships to Archbishop Carroll High School in Washington. We have even endowed one named for my mother, Agnes Vaghi. Members of the John Carroll Society also provide pro bono legal work and medical care. Right now, bankruptcy and credit issues absorb our lawyers’ time. Reaching out to the HHS to argue for the continued protection of the conscience clause for those working in the medical profession was a recent effort for our members. The Society also sponsors the Washington’s annual Red Mass for lawyers and Rose Mass for healthcare workers. Not surprisingly, our board of governors includes two Holy Cross grads, Jane Sullivan Roberts ’76, and CDR Bernadette Semple, USN ’82.
Q. What was Holy Cross like when you started in 1966?
A. Holy Cross, like the Church throughout the country at that time, was filled with the spirit of renewal as was typical at the end of the Second Vatican Council. It was also a creative period at the College; there were coffee houses and folk Masses. Paul Quinlan, a Jesuit scholastic, taught metaphysics. But he also composed folk music that we sang at Mass. He would compose a hymn; we may have practiced it once or twice before including it in the Mass. Unfortunately, I don’t think his music was ever published because I know I would include his beautiful hymns in the liturgy today.
Q. Did Holy Cross influence your path in life?
A. Yes, Fr. John Brooks, S.J., had a profound influence on me. I was the beneficiary of his wisdom and his kindness. While I was a student, Fr. Brooks was head of the theology department. He then became dean and later president of the College. During Vatican II, he was a student in Rome. Vatican II ended in 1965, and I entered Holy Cross the next year, so we benefited from his theological formation in Rome. Although after college I attended the University of Virginia Law School and practiced law before entering the seminary at age 33, the seeds of my vocation were probably deepened at Holy Cross. And I have a great life.
View a photo of Monsignor Vaghi from the Red Mass, Octcober 2, 2005 »
Mary Ellen Eagan ’75 is a member of the GAA Communications Committee.