Aug. 31, 2015
Rev. Philip L. Boroughs, S.J.
Members of the Holy Cross Class of 2019, this afternoon I am very pleased to welcome you formally into the College community. As new students today, and alums in four short years, you will be part of this community for the rest of your lives. The gift of the education you receive and the relationships you form here will progressively grow in significance as the years unfold. We are pleased to recognize the wonderful diversity you add to our community and we celebrate the talents you will share with us and with our world. This afternoon, the College commits itself to helping you to develop these talents, and discover new ones, through the educational process which now begins.
As you well know by now, Jackie Peterson is your Vice President for Student Affairs and Dean of Students, Professor Shawn Maurer is your Class Dean, and Norm Gouin and Emily Rauer Davis are your Class Chaplains. They and many other faculty, staff, administrators and student leaders are here to help you enter into this educational community with confidence and joy; and they are ready to listen to you and support you in times of difficulty. Get to know them, be responsible for yourself, and don’t be shy in seeking them out when they can be helpful or just to talk.
This afternoon, we gather in the spiritual heart of our campus, St. Joseph Chapel. This historic structure built in 1924 not only houses our rich liturgical life, but also provides all of us with a place of quiet and serenity where we can rest, think, reflect and pray. How blessed we are to have a sacred place of such beauty where people of all Faith traditions are welcome. Next August, we anticipate opening our new contemplative center in West Boylston, 15 minutes north of campus, which is being built for you and our faculty, staff and alums. In a world of ever-increasing connectedness and constant communication, without contemplative space in our lives, we are not able to be spiritually or intellectually centered. Sitting in the center of our campus, St. Joseph Chapel reminds us that God is in our midst companioning us each day as we celebrate our achievements and learn from our failures. St. Joseph Chapel also signals our institutional commitment as a Catholic and Jesuit College to the important dialogue between Faith and Culture which marks our educational mission. Downstairs, there are two more chapels designed in a contemporary style. The larger of them, the Mary Chapel, is the location for some of our Saturday afternoon and Sunday evening Catholic liturgies, as well as home for our Protestant worshipping community and the Spring Semester Interfaith Prayer Service. And the smaller McCooey Chapel is the location for our Monday through Friday daily 12:05 pm Catholic Mass. All are welcome. When you need a quiet place to get away to think, reflect and pray, come here.
This afternoon, adding to the splendor of this dramatic space, the faculty and staff here in the sanctuary, as faculty did at the Mass of the Holy Spirit, have donned academic regalia which reflects the 1,000-year history of western higher education and symbolizes our commitment to the intellectual life. While your college years will offer you myriad ways of engaging the world, at its center, as our College Mission Statement asserts, is the critical task of “joining in dialogue about basic human questions: What is the moral character of learning and teaching? How do we find meaning in life and history? What are our obligations to one another? What is our special responsibility to the world’s poor and powerless?” The Mission Statement goes on to encourage us to be “open to new ideas, to be patient with ambiguity and uncertainty, and to combine a passion for truth with a respect for the views of others.”
Supporting our intellectual mission, we also learn from one another as we study abroad, join an athletic team, go on retreat, participate in community-based learning, perform in a play, serve the most vulnerable, or join a club. Making choices to find an appropriate balance between academics, service, and social life requires attention and discipline. Choose wisely. It is far too easy to become quickly over-committed and to neglect the academic commitments which should have precedence. So, begin this year slowly and prudently as you adjust to the heightened academic expectations that Holy Cross requires. And don’t be afraid of making mistakes or experiencing failure. In any creative adventure, life isn’t perfect or clear. Our mistakes can teach us as much as our successes; and learning from them sparks resiliency, innovation and inner strength.
With your move to Mount St. James, you are also entering into a communal environment. You will make new friends who come from different parts of the country and the world. They may have different racial or cultural backgrounds, they may speak different languages or belong to a different religious tradition, they may have a different sexual orientation or come from a different socio-economic community. By listening to those with a different view of the world, you will grow in proportion to your ability to value, learn from and appreciate the differences which enrich the quality of our common life. Know who you are and where you come from, but at the same time, don’t limit yourself to your comfort zone. From the “Black Lives Matter” movement in our nation and on our campus, we know that racial injustice and violence will only be eradicated if all of us take responsibility for social change; and, through our HC in Solidarity program, continue to engage our students, faculty, staff and alums in forming an inclusive, just, and welcoming campus community.
Further, for the past several years as an educational community, we have been responding to a growing national awareness of the significant impact of sexual harassment and sexual assault. In the months ahead, you will receive bystander awareness training, you will learn of campus resources for assistance and support, and you will reflect on patterns of behavior and the abuse of alcohol and drugs which create dangerous situations. Through training and education, you will discover that each of us, men and women alike, have a distinct role in creating a safe and respectful campus community. Watch out and care for each other.
Yesterday, you listened to an abbreviated story of the life of St. Ignatius of Loyola and learned that during his college years at the University of Paris, he and his roommates, Francis Xavier and Peter Favre, and several others, founded the Society of Jesus. These innovative and deeply committed college friends, men of faith with a deep desire to serve the world, created an organization, the Jesuits, which today, over 450 years later, continues its work here at Holy Cross and around the world. Internationally, there are now over 190 Jesuit institutions of higher learning. And, here in the United States, there are 28 Jesuit colleges and universities; Holy Cross is the only one which is solely focused on the undergraduate liberals arts education.
As I think about Ignatius of Loyola, Francis Xavier and Peter Favre, I’m sure that they had no idea that the topics they discussed late at night as roommates at the University of Paris would inspire Jesuits of later generations to found colleges, universities, secondary schools, parishes, retreat houses, and social justice centers which now touch the lives of millions around the world. This afternoon, as I look at you, the Holy Cross Class of 2019, I wonder what you and your roommates will discuss, what experiences you will share, what ideas will capture your minds, what deep desires will move your hearts, what human needs will inspire your generosity, and what life-transforming projects will you devise to serve the common good? These undergraduate years have the capacity to set the direction for your entire life and make a real difference in our world. Let them, and continue to Ask More.
Thank you.