Tuesday, February 3, 2009

Saying Goodbye to Fr. Thomas Kraft, O.P. (17 Dec. 1953 – 22 Jan. 2009)

Join us in praying for the repose of the soul of DSPT alum, Fr. Tom Kraft, O.P. Fr. Tom was born and raised in Spokane, WA and after graduating from college, he worked in a volunteer program in the archdiocese of Seattle. He lived close to Blessed Sacrament, the Dominican parish there. After Mass one day, a Dominican asked him if he had ever considered becoming a Dominican priest. Although he did not know what it meant to be a Dominican at that time, he had felt the call to be a priest since grade school and had seriously considered entering the Franciscans while in college. Over the course of his year in Seattle, however, he was drawn to the Dominicans. After being accepted, he entered the novitiate in 1977, took vows in 1978, and was ordained a priest at the Oakland Cathedral in 1986 after earning his MDiv from DSPT.

Fr. Tom’s two primary areas of ministry for the Western Dominican Province were in campus ministry and the Dominican mission in Mexicali. He loved the Dominican life and preaching and felt that he was able to live the Dominican motto of contemplare et contemplate aliis tradere: to share with others the fruits of your contemplation.

St. Albert Priory Chapel Welcomes the Sounds of Dave Brubeck

During the month of January, St. Albert Priory played host to the Pacific Mozart Ensemble, for their recording of some of the sacred music written by composer Dave Brubeck. The project is being funded by a grant from the National Endowment for the Arts as part of a series on the choral music of Brubeck. The Priory was chosen by the Pacific Mozart Ensemble for several reasons: the interior structure of the chapel provides an ideal environment for quality recording and the quiet of the Priory reduces ambient noise.

What also attracted the group was a previous connection between Brubeck and the Dominican friars of the Western Province. A few years back, our own Fr. Michael Sherwin, O.P. wrote an article on the music of Brubeck (available online) and was later important in negotiating the way for him to receive an honorary doctorate from the University of Fribourg. When Brubeck heard of the connection between the Priory and the friars, he was delighted that the Pacific Mozart Ensemble had chosen our chapel.

Singers gathered in the chapel over a period of a week, sometimes for more than six hours of work. During these days, the music filled not only the chapel but the cloister as well and a few of the friars could even enjoy the music from the luxury of their own rooms. Upon completing the sessions, the recording engineers noted that the Priory chapel was truly one of the “jewels of Oakland.”

Now all that’s left to do is to edit the more than 270 “takes” that were recorded. We’ll be waiting…

New at DSPT: Faith in Human Rights Symposium

This semester DSPT will be collaborating with other universities, Christian, Jewish, and Muslim faith centers, interfaith coalitions and Bay Area social justice organizations to commemorate the 60th anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. The symposium, Faith in Human Rights: Promoting Human Dignity, Working for Justice, Building Peace, has already begun and will run through 12 May 2009. Many aspects of this program will be open to the general public, like: courses of study, lectures, workshops, a film festival, and art exhibits.

Detailed information about the project is available on DSPT’s website (www.dspt.edu). There, you can find general information about the creation of the symposium, read the biographies of the participants and partners, read information about the different art exhibits, and check the dates and topics of the lectures, workshops, and films. There is also a section of internet, print, and film resources on human rights.

For more information contact Sr. Marianne Farina, CSC at faithinrights@dspt.edu.

February 2009: Faculty and Alumni News

On January 25, Sr. Marianne Farina, CSC gave the Aquinas Lecture for the Catherine of Sienna Newman Center in Salt Lake City, Utah. She discussed the virtue ethics of Thomas Aquinas and Muslim scholar Hamid Al-Ghazali. She addressed the way their teachings on the moral life can be a basis for substantive interfaith dialogue and finding common ground among Catholics and Muslims. Using the recent documents of the Catholic Church and its leaders, she also outlined the history of the Church’s commitment to interreligious dialogue.

Sr. Marianne Farina was also recently appointed to the Editorial Board of the Journal of Inter-Religious Dialogue. This is a new journal that will be published by Union Theological Consortium in New York.

Our very own Fr. Michael Morris, O.P. has been invited to give talks in three different cities in three consecutive weeks starting in the middle of February. First, on February 19 he will be giving a talk titled “Reel Religion: One Hundred Years of the Bible in Film” at the Museum of the Bible and the Arts (MOBIA) in New York City. Then, he travels to Italy where he lectures on “The Woman Behind the Myth: Natacha Rambova’s Artistic Influence in the Creation of a Hollywood Icon” on February 24 as part of the International Symposium on Rudolph Valentino at the University of Turin. Finally, on March 7 at the International Symposium on the Inquisition in Art and Literature at the Angelicum in Rome, he will speak on “Monastic Spectres: The Image of the Evil Inquisitor in Art and Film.”

Last month, Fr. Albert Paretsky, O.P., Adjunct Professor of Biblical Studies at DSPT, preached the annual retreat for the clergy of the Archdiocese of Seattle at the Palisades Archdiocesan Retreat Center. The retreat was entitled “Redeeming the Time” and was based on Pauline themes in honor of the year of St. Paul.

Alumni Profile: Sophia Stone, M.A. in Philosophy (2005)

“Doing Grown-Up Philosophy”

Before I came to DSPT I thought I had a pretty good handle on philosophy. I came from U.C. Berkeley, after all. But I was just like that teenager, who, at thirteen, thought she knew everything. I took courses on Ancient, Modern and Contemporary philosophy, so I thought I had a good background. I came to DSPT because it would allow me to follow my love for Ancient Philosophy, especially for Plato. But when I got to DSPT, whole new worlds opened up: the world of Plotinus, the world of the pre-Socratics, and of course the world of St. Thomas Aquinas. The great thing about DSPT , for me, was that I always felt comfortable, like I was learning these new views in the comfort of my own living room, and this allowed me to take risks with my thinking and writing. This period was really a time of play for me, looking back at it now. The friendship, the community, and the informal conversations all nurtured me and prepared me for my life now.

A Master’s degree in philosophy from DSPT allowed me to teach as a part-time lecturer at various colleges in the Bay Area. I found that I enjoyed engaging students in philosophical discussions and challenging them to think in new ways about ancient and contemporary philosophical literature. When I realized that I would be happy teaching philosophy for the rest of my life and couldn’t imagine doing anything else, I applied to PhD programs.

This past summer many wonderful changes took place. I gave birth to our son Zachary. I was accepted into Purdue University’s Philosophy and Literature PhD program and was offered the Lynn Fellowship that provides tuition remission, living stipend and health insurance for four years. I moved my family to Indiana, bought a house (easy to do in Indiana) and was able to submit two articles for publication. One of the articles will come out this spring.

In Ancient Greek there is a word, apeiros, which has two meanings: the first is inexperienced or ignorant, the second is boundless or without end. When I came to DSPT, I was inexperienced and ignorant of many philosophical viewpoints. And the philosophy that I was familiar with was at best on a surface level. I had been doing baby philosophy at Berkeley as an undergraduate. With DSPT’s small school atmosphere but big time resources (the U.C. Berkeley and GTU libraries, the knowledgeable and skilled professors, the dedicated and caring staff), there really wasn’t a limit to what I could do. DSPT helped me develop an intellectual curiosity without end. For me, DSPT helped me transform from the first meaning of apeiros, ‘ignorant’ to the second meaning, ‘without end’ with respect to my intellectual development. Perhaps it wouldn’t be wrong to consider myself now as a grown-up philosopher.

February 2009: A Culture of Philanthropy

Annual Fund Update

We’d like to extend our thanks to all the members of the DSPT community who have already donated to the Annual Fund. Contributions continue to flow in and so far our total is almost $380,850. Our goal this year is to reach $605,000, so we encourage those of you who are still thinking about making a contribution to do so soon! The Annual Fund goal represents 25% of this year’s Operating Budget, and so is very important in funding all the programs and initiatives provided by DSPT to our students, communities, and the Church. Annual Fund forms are available at the Advancement Office, or you can contribute online.