Fr. Michael Sweeney, OP, President of the Dominican School of Philosophy & Theology (DSPT), was invited to give two workshops at the annual Los Angeles Religious Education Congress on February 27 and 28. The largest event of its kind in the world, the Congress is held at the Anaheim Convention Center and draws crowds in the tens of thousands. Participants this year were able to choose from over 275 workshops given by nearly 200 speakers. DSPT hosts a table at the event every year to advertise its programs.
Fr. Sweeney’s first workshop was titled “At the Heart of the Parish” and was filled to capacity with over 200 attendees. Using the Gospel account of Jesus meeting two of His disciples on the Road to Emmaus as the basis, Fr. Sweeney spoke of how we can organize parish life around this same encounter of meeting Christ on the way, being instructed by him and recognizing him in the “breaking of the bread” as we live this rhythm of Christ’s interaction with us in the Mass. Fr. Sweeney spoke particularly of how each parish ministry flows from the rhythm of Mass, whether we gather people in, proclaim to them the Good News, call them to prayer and worship or send them out to serve; the parish is where we encounter the Risen Christ in the Eucharist and are then sent to bring him to the world.
The second workshop, “A Lay Office?” also drew a crowd as Fr. Sweeney explored where the laity fit within the Church. Offering a brief history of the Church’s understanding of the role of the laity, Fr. Sweeney then spoke of the power, authority and jurisdiction of the lay person as serving the secular order. He added that to speak of a lay office in the Church is to point to the primary duty of lay people, which is to consecrate the world to God through the proper ordering of what is secular. Fr. Sweeney emphasized the importance of the lay office in bringing the Good News to contemporary society, as it is quite possibly the only way many people will hear of God’s love.
Both workshops were well received and many participants asked questions after each talk. At the heart of both of these talks was Fr. Sweeney’s call to the people of God to know that our vocation lies in where we are called to heal. Most of those present were lay people and so this call, to bring the healing of Christ to the world, took on special importance. While many of those who attended the workshops work within a parish, Fr. Sweeney encouraged them to not only look within our parish family, but outside at a beautiful world, badly in need of healing.
Tuesday, April 7, 2009
The Message Stick by Fr. J. Hilary Martin, O.P.
What Aboriginal people refer to as a Message Stick was significant for travelers in the ancient Outback. Australia is a big country with miles and miles of countryside to walk through and to investigate. Aboriginal communities have been walking over this land for 40,000 years, perhaps even 60,000 years. They form the oldest continuous culture on the earth. They are proud to still be with us. They have something to say which is very old, but always seems to come as a surprise: that land is important, that it has to be taken care of, and that this is what human beings are supposed to be doing. Young men and older ones too would disappear from home for a month, three months, a year or two, traveling long distances. Sometimes they went to trade, following the trading trails to exchange quartzite, ochres, or spear points with distant communities. Sometimes they went to look into the business (the songs and rituals) of neighboring communities, or maybe to find lost relatives, or perhaps just curious about the land, going over the next hill to have a look.
Traveling alone was dangerous. In addition to the routine dangers of unknown country, things like unknown animals and an unknown supply of food and water, still more hazardous was going into the land of other people, the land of other communities which had a Dreaming claim to their place. The single traveler might seem harmless enough, but that person was a natural object for suspicion. He might be a spy, a scout for a tribal group that was following after him, keen to seize the land or its resources of water or food. The stranger might have been expelled from his own community as a dangerous or disturbed person. Moving across the landscape from tribe to tribe or, better, from community to community required some identification. This would be especially true if the wanderer had travelled outside the limits of his own language group. Where speech failed there needed to be some other form of communication. An ancient Aboriginal device to introduce you to strangers, to a horde you had never visited before, or to Elders did not know you were planning to enter their land was the Message Stick. The Message Stick was a small, very light wooden stick, not sacred or restricted, but practical. The Stick was marked with symbolic signs that you could carry with you as you walked along - or ran. The Stick indicated that you meant no harm, that you wished to visit for a short time and then planned to pass on to your final destination. The Message Stick was marked with symbols from your own people that would make you known and, with the Stick in your hand, you could be assured of welcome and protection.
Was the Message Stick a kind of Passport? Yes, you could say that it was. It granted a kind of diplomatic immunity. But it was also something more. The Message Stick indicated that your people still existed and wanted to be known and remembered. The Message Stick was something, then, that could be passed on. In fact, Message Sticks still need to be passed on. Australia and other countries have forgotten that their indigenous peoples still exist, often on their ancient land. The Catholic Aboriginal Apostolate of Melbourne asked and received Message Sticks commissioned by the Wurundjeri people, the traditional people of the area. This year one of them has been prepared and been passed on to the community at the Dominican School of Philosophy and Theology (DSPT) who hope that it can be placed in a prominent location so we can remember them and welcome.
What we need to do now is to find a time and place where we can receive the Message Stick passed on to us. We need to fashion an event that relates us back to an ancient people and to an ancient culture. Along the way it may serve to remind us of the importance of land - our own physical land on which we stand and walk and which we have been assigned to take care of.
Editor’s Note: The placing of the message stick will take place on Sunday, April 19 as part of the reception for the art exhibit “Land and Spirit are One.”
Traveling alone was dangerous. In addition to the routine dangers of unknown country, things like unknown animals and an unknown supply of food and water, still more hazardous was going into the land of other people, the land of other communities which had a Dreaming claim to their place. The single traveler might seem harmless enough, but that person was a natural object for suspicion. He might be a spy, a scout for a tribal group that was following after him, keen to seize the land or its resources of water or food. The stranger might have been expelled from his own community as a dangerous or disturbed person. Moving across the landscape from tribe to tribe or, better, from community to community required some identification. This would be especially true if the wanderer had travelled outside the limits of his own language group. Where speech failed there needed to be some other form of communication. An ancient Aboriginal device to introduce you to strangers, to a horde you had never visited before, or to Elders did not know you were planning to enter their land was the Message Stick. The Message Stick was a small, very light wooden stick, not sacred or restricted, but practical. The Stick was marked with symbolic signs that you could carry with you as you walked along - or ran. The Stick indicated that you meant no harm, that you wished to visit for a short time and then planned to pass on to your final destination. The Message Stick was marked with symbols from your own people that would make you known and, with the Stick in your hand, you could be assured of welcome and protection.
Was the Message Stick a kind of Passport? Yes, you could say that it was. It granted a kind of diplomatic immunity. But it was also something more. The Message Stick indicated that your people still existed and wanted to be known and remembered. The Message Stick was something, then, that could be passed on. In fact, Message Sticks still need to be passed on. Australia and other countries have forgotten that their indigenous peoples still exist, often on their ancient land. The Catholic Aboriginal Apostolate of Melbourne asked and received Message Sticks commissioned by the Wurundjeri people, the traditional people of the area. This year one of them has been prepared and been passed on to the community at the Dominican School of Philosophy and Theology (DSPT) who hope that it can be placed in a prominent location so we can remember them and welcome.
What we need to do now is to find a time and place where we can receive the Message Stick passed on to us. We need to fashion an event that relates us back to an ancient people and to an ancient culture. Along the way it may serve to remind us of the importance of land - our own physical land on which we stand and walk and which we have been assigned to take care of.
Editor’s Note: The placing of the message stick will take place on Sunday, April 19 as part of the reception for the art exhibit “Land and Spirit are One.”
New at DSPT: Ad Gentes
DSPT has a new academic newsletter, titled Ad Gentes, which will be published twice a year. Each newsletter will include an article related to the mission statement of DSPT, especially in terms of our engagement with contemporary scholarship and culture using the tradition of classical philosophy and Catholic theology. To read our first issue, which includes an article by Sr. Marianne Farina, CSC (DSPT Assistant Professor of Philosophy and Theology), titled “Faith in Human Rights: An Interfaith Project” visit http://dspt.edu/docs/academics/adgentes.asp. To be added to our mailing list for future mailings of Ad Gentes, send your request with your name and mailing address to advancement@dspt.edu.
New at DSPT: Alumni Meeting
DSPT Alumni Save the Date for an Alumni Meeting During DSPT’s Graduation Week!
Thursday, May 21
2:00 p.m. – DSPT Fellows Lecture
4:00 p.m. – Wine & Cheese Reception with DSPT Fellows and Alumni
5:00 p.m. – Alumni Meeting
Friday, May 22
10:00 a.m. – Baccalaureate Mass
3:00 p.m. – DSPT Commencement
4:00 p.m. - Reception
Dear DSPT Alumni,
At DSPT, differing voices come together with a common goal – discovering truth and speaking it with courage. The voice of our Alumni is critical to the success of our mission as a school, so we invite you to join us in an on-going dialogue concerning faith and contemporary culture.
On Thursday, May 21st, there will be a presentation to begin this dialogue about what it means to see the world through a Catholic “lens.” Four members of our College of Fellows will offer a presentation based on experiences they have drawn from their secular professions. The College of Fellows of DSPT is comprised of Catholics who have made extraordinary contributions to secular society. (For more information, go to http://dspt.edu/docs/about_us/fellows.asp.) After the presentation, we will host a wine & cheese reception, and then conclude with an important Alumni Meeting to discuss ways to strengthen our relations, in particular through the formation of a DSPT Alumni Association.
I look forward to seeing you on May 21.
Sincerely,
Fr. Michael Sweeney, O.P.
President
Thursday, May 21
2:00 p.m. – DSPT Fellows Lecture
4:00 p.m. – Wine & Cheese Reception with DSPT Fellows and Alumni
5:00 p.m. – Alumni Meeting
Friday, May 22
10:00 a.m. – Baccalaureate Mass
3:00 p.m. – DSPT Commencement
4:00 p.m. - Reception
Dear DSPT Alumni,
At DSPT, differing voices come together with a common goal – discovering truth and speaking it with courage. The voice of our Alumni is critical to the success of our mission as a school, so we invite you to join us in an on-going dialogue concerning faith and contemporary culture.
On Thursday, May 21st, there will be a presentation to begin this dialogue about what it means to see the world through a Catholic “lens.” Four members of our College of Fellows will offer a presentation based on experiences they have drawn from their secular professions. The College of Fellows of DSPT is comprised of Catholics who have made extraordinary contributions to secular society. (For more information, go to http://dspt.edu/docs/about_us/fellows.asp.) After the presentation, we will host a wine & cheese reception, and then conclude with an important Alumni Meeting to discuss ways to strengthen our relations, in particular through the formation of a DSPT Alumni Association.
I look forward to seeing you on May 21.
Sincerely,
Fr. Michael Sweeney, O.P.
President
Autobiographical Essay by Fr. J. Hilary Martin, O.P.
Editor’s Note: Fr. Hilary recently celebrated his 80th birthday at DSPT.
For quite a while, there was a picture of me on the DSPT website dressed in a blue sweater and
jeans and holding an Aboriginal bark painting that was made and given to me by Aboriginal artist William Parmbuk, a friend of mine from the Northwest Territories. This story serves as a window of how much the world of academia has changed, and how much I have changed since I first set out teaching 40 years ago.
First there is the development of the Internet that can show pictures of you to people you will never see. But the bark painting itself is what I want to turn to. It is a Dreaming map of a place in the Australian Bush where I once camped with an Aboriginal family. The bark painting might best be described as a sign presentation of a rich pattern of myths and rituals taken from their public/secret religion – although you have to be told of their full significance; you cannot gain that from simply looking at the painting. William knew I teach courses in Myth, Ritual and Sacrament at DSPT and the Graduate Theological Union (GTU), and he made it especially for me. I also give seminars on the religious value of land – every religious tradition believes in the sacred character of land at creation, but they value it differently and make their own religious judgments about land and its meaning for them. For this reason I teach about land and culture in the schools in Melbourne and in Canberra, as well as in Berkeley at DSPT. I have been visiting Australia since 1982 after completing my Doctorate at UCLA in 1978, which, among other things, covered the field of Comparative Religion. While I was completing my studies I thought it was high time that I began to interact with the religions of the indigenous people and the religions of other folks I had been studying. The burning question hanging over the Pacific (and North America, too, for that matter) is how to forge a consensus among people of different cultures so they can live together in a way that is fair and meaningful for each. So from 1986-88, again on sabbatical in 1993-4, and on many other summers, I have traveled to Australia, New Zealand and Indonesia to do research. In the 1990’s I began living in Australia for six months of the year, returning to teach in Berkeley on the Core Doctoral Faculty of the GTU and DSPT for the other six months of the year.
But building intercultural bridges was not always the case with me. Initially I went to UCLA in 1970 to study history – especially the doctrinal consensus in the Catholic Church which in the century before Luther was already unraveling. The previous year I had been the Acting Dean at the Graduate Theological Union (GTU), where I had the opportunity of inaugurating both a MA program in pastoral counseling and a new area at the GTU involving Comparative Religion and Eastern Studies. The nine schools of the GTU newly formed in 1964/5 were building up curricula, establishing committees to implement faculty decisions and to field hostile criticisms about their co-operative ecumenical venture. The 1970’s were a sensitive time for the Western Dominican Province, of which I am a member, as it tried to find ways of maintaining a priorial style of life at our religious community at St. Albert’s in Oakland and at the same time participate fully in the life of the GTU.
But administrative tasks as Dean were really only a sideline. Much of the time in the 1960-70’s was spent in teaching, which I have always loved. I began at St Albert’s immediately after returning from Oxford. I had completed a B.Litt. (now called an M.Litt.) at Oxford (St. Catherine’s College), again dealing with the question of forming consensus. In the five years I spent in Europe (1955-1960) I was encouraged to take time in the summers to travel over the Continent as much as I was able. We were given very little money and were expected to live in Dominican Priories and on American bases using third class train tickets and “auto-stop” (i.e., hitch-hiking). It was a way of keeping our charism of poverty in mind. The Post War was an easy time for meeting clerics and Dominicans from other countries and for meeting layfolk who were so generous to young students – in short, it was a time to mix in other cultures and build bridges and lasting relationships.
At that time in Europe I began to hear rumblings of both theological and political dissent. The old liturgical and religious consensus, which I thought we all enjoyed and were committed to, was being challenged by faithful Catholics. These challenges could not be ignored. The Second Vatican Council bought them to a boil, but in the 1960’s that was still in the future. I had spent the earlier years of my religious formation living within a set of religious patterns which seemed timeless and universal. The round of Priorial life at St. Albert’s and at the Dominican community at Blackfriars, Oxford, the style of it all seemed ageless. I wanted to be a follower of Christ, but was now wondering how wide that road could be. Stability is never forever. Each generation must find ways of forming a living consensus following the Gospel and the teaching of the Church. As Dr. Ladner, my Director at UCLA, had taught me: Reform is not just recovering the past, we reform to find a better future.
In accepting the Bishop Alemany Award for Distinguished Service to Catholic Education at the turn of the 21st century (in 2003 to be exact), I was filled with gratitude to my many friends and academic colleagues. I was then granted the status of an Emeritus Professor at DSPT and at the GTU which meant that I could now teach and do research in whatever fields I liked. It was whispered in my ear that it was hoped that I would continue doing as I had – in Berkeley and overseas, too. In the 1990’s, Australia, particularly the city of Melbourne, had become a second home to me. I live there permanently, and I can always return. Finding a religious consensus among Catholics in Australia is neither easier nor more difficult than finding consensus in America. Among us there is a clinging to the pasts (the plural is intentional) which will not quite die away – the past looking back somewhere before the 1950’s, and the past of the 1970’s and the past of the 1990’s. In Australia there is a very long past to look back on, a past carried forward by communities of Aboriginal peoples, the oldest continuous culture on earth. In a curious way they have captured the imagination of Australian people. The Aboriginals – a group badly treated, browbeaten and unrecognized – are clinging to a tradition which will not quite die away. Rivers of ink and hours of planning have been spent to find out what Australians should do about and for them – the Intervention of June 2007, is only the last of many examples. The Aboriginals of Australia are, of course, Australian Aboriginals, not some sort of generic indigenous people. We might add, they are Christian, often Catholic, but retaining their Aboriginal culture, too.
My life has taught me that there are some human values that are universal in time and transcendental for all cultures – they are rooted somehow in the world of nature that we all share, a world whose existence we did not make and which we cannot form and shape as we would like. There are teachings that are worth defending in every community and that will find defenders. At the same time, my experience has taught me that these universal values cannot be imposed top-down – when that is attempted values are not recognized and are not applied well in different situations. As human beings we sometimes do need to intervene in each other’s affairs, when real damage is being done, but not to jam down our own plans and ideas. We intervene to support each other along the way.
For quite a while, there was a picture of me on the DSPT website dressed in a blue sweater and
jeans and holding an Aboriginal bark painting that was made and given to me by Aboriginal artist William Parmbuk, a friend of mine from the Northwest Territories. This story serves as a window of how much the world of academia has changed, and how much I have changed since I first set out teaching 40 years ago.First there is the development of the Internet that can show pictures of you to people you will never see. But the bark painting itself is what I want to turn to. It is a Dreaming map of a place in the Australian Bush where I once camped with an Aboriginal family. The bark painting might best be described as a sign presentation of a rich pattern of myths and rituals taken from their public/secret religion – although you have to be told of their full significance; you cannot gain that from simply looking at the painting. William knew I teach courses in Myth, Ritual and Sacrament at DSPT and the Graduate Theological Union (GTU), and he made it especially for me. I also give seminars on the religious value of land – every religious tradition believes in the sacred character of land at creation, but they value it differently and make their own religious judgments about land and its meaning for them. For this reason I teach about land and culture in the schools in Melbourne and in Canberra, as well as in Berkeley at DSPT. I have been visiting Australia since 1982 after completing my Doctorate at UCLA in 1978, which, among other things, covered the field of Comparative Religion. While I was completing my studies I thought it was high time that I began to interact with the religions of the indigenous people and the religions of other folks I had been studying. The burning question hanging over the Pacific (and North America, too, for that matter) is how to forge a consensus among people of different cultures so they can live together in a way that is fair and meaningful for each. So from 1986-88, again on sabbatical in 1993-4, and on many other summers, I have traveled to Australia, New Zealand and Indonesia to do research. In the 1990’s I began living in Australia for six months of the year, returning to teach in Berkeley on the Core Doctoral Faculty of the GTU and DSPT for the other six months of the year.
But building intercultural bridges was not always the case with me. Initially I went to UCLA in 1970 to study history – especially the doctrinal consensus in the Catholic Church which in the century before Luther was already unraveling. The previous year I had been the Acting Dean at the Graduate Theological Union (GTU), where I had the opportunity of inaugurating both a MA program in pastoral counseling and a new area at the GTU involving Comparative Religion and Eastern Studies. The nine schools of the GTU newly formed in 1964/5 were building up curricula, establishing committees to implement faculty decisions and to field hostile criticisms about their co-operative ecumenical venture. The 1970’s were a sensitive time for the Western Dominican Province, of which I am a member, as it tried to find ways of maintaining a priorial style of life at our religious community at St. Albert’s in Oakland and at the same time participate fully in the life of the GTU.
But administrative tasks as Dean were really only a sideline. Much of the time in the 1960-70’s was spent in teaching, which I have always loved. I began at St Albert’s immediately after returning from Oxford. I had completed a B.Litt. (now called an M.Litt.) at Oxford (St. Catherine’s College), again dealing with the question of forming consensus. In the five years I spent in Europe (1955-1960) I was encouraged to take time in the summers to travel over the Continent as much as I was able. We were given very little money and were expected to live in Dominican Priories and on American bases using third class train tickets and “auto-stop” (i.e., hitch-hiking). It was a way of keeping our charism of poverty in mind. The Post War was an easy time for meeting clerics and Dominicans from other countries and for meeting layfolk who were so generous to young students – in short, it was a time to mix in other cultures and build bridges and lasting relationships.
At that time in Europe I began to hear rumblings of both theological and political dissent. The old liturgical and religious consensus, which I thought we all enjoyed and were committed to, was being challenged by faithful Catholics. These challenges could not be ignored. The Second Vatican Council bought them to a boil, but in the 1960’s that was still in the future. I had spent the earlier years of my religious formation living within a set of religious patterns which seemed timeless and universal. The round of Priorial life at St. Albert’s and at the Dominican community at Blackfriars, Oxford, the style of it all seemed ageless. I wanted to be a follower of Christ, but was now wondering how wide that road could be. Stability is never forever. Each generation must find ways of forming a living consensus following the Gospel and the teaching of the Church. As Dr. Ladner, my Director at UCLA, had taught me: Reform is not just recovering the past, we reform to find a better future.
In accepting the Bishop Alemany Award for Distinguished Service to Catholic Education at the turn of the 21st century (in 2003 to be exact), I was filled with gratitude to my many friends and academic colleagues. I was then granted the status of an Emeritus Professor at DSPT and at the GTU which meant that I could now teach and do research in whatever fields I liked. It was whispered in my ear that it was hoped that I would continue doing as I had – in Berkeley and overseas, too. In the 1990’s, Australia, particularly the city of Melbourne, had become a second home to me. I live there permanently, and I can always return. Finding a religious consensus among Catholics in Australia is neither easier nor more difficult than finding consensus in America. Among us there is a clinging to the pasts (the plural is intentional) which will not quite die away – the past looking back somewhere before the 1950’s, and the past of the 1970’s and the past of the 1990’s. In Australia there is a very long past to look back on, a past carried forward by communities of Aboriginal peoples, the oldest continuous culture on earth. In a curious way they have captured the imagination of Australian people. The Aboriginals – a group badly treated, browbeaten and unrecognized – are clinging to a tradition which will not quite die away. Rivers of ink and hours of planning have been spent to find out what Australians should do about and for them – the Intervention of June 2007, is only the last of many examples. The Aboriginals of Australia are, of course, Australian Aboriginals, not some sort of generic indigenous people. We might add, they are Christian, often Catholic, but retaining their Aboriginal culture, too.
My life has taught me that there are some human values that are universal in time and transcendental for all cultures – they are rooted somehow in the world of nature that we all share, a world whose existence we did not make and which we cannot form and shape as we would like. There are teachings that are worth defending in every community and that will find defenders. At the same time, my experience has taught me that these universal values cannot be imposed top-down – when that is attempted values are not recognized and are not applied well in different situations. As human beings we sometimes do need to intervene in each other’s affairs, when real damage is being done, but not to jam down our own plans and ideas. We intervene to support each other along the way.
April 2009: Faculty and Alumni News
On March 22nd, Fr. Albert Paretsky, OP gave a conference at Blessed Sacrament Parish in Seattle on “Lent: Journey to a New Creation.” The presentation explored the Exodus motif in both the Old and New Testaments. He spoke of how Israel and all of humanity seek to recover their lost homeland, Eden, through a desert journey leading them to a new creation in the Promised Land and in Christ, who leads us into the Kingdom of God.
Current DSPT student, Debra Nichols’s work on the new St. Vincent de Paul Free Dining Room in San Rafael has been recognized with an award by the Society of Environmental Graphic Designers (SEGD) for excellence in design. The distinction for her award is "A Lot with a Little", which, she believes, reflects what can be achieved with collaborative hard work and heartfelt caritas, or charity. Of all of her professional awards in her 30+ years of design practice she is especially proud of this one. Her project was recognized out of a field of over 1000 entries worldwide. She hopes that this award will shine a light on those who need us most and truly benefit from our time and talents. Debra tells us, “I dedicate this award to St. Dominic de Guzman, who perhaps inspired St. Vincent, and who inspires me daily through my studies with the brilliant faculty at the Dominican School of Philosophy and Theology. I pray that under their tutelage I may hone my gifts in order to, in some small way, offer spiritual nourishment to others.”
Current DSPT student, Debra Nichols’s work on the new St. Vincent de Paul Free Dining Room in San Rafael has been recognized with an award by the Society of Environmental Graphic Designers (SEGD) for excellence in design. The distinction for her award is "A Lot with a Little", which, she believes, reflects what can be achieved with collaborative hard work and heartfelt caritas, or charity. Of all of her professional awards in her 30+ years of design practice she is especially proud of this one. Her project was recognized out of a field of over 1000 entries worldwide. She hopes that this award will shine a light on those who need us most and truly benefit from our time and talents. Debra tells us, “I dedicate this award to St. Dominic de Guzman, who perhaps inspired St. Vincent, and who inspires me daily through my studies with the brilliant faculty at the Dominican School of Philosophy and Theology. I pray that under their tutelage I may hone my gifts in order to, in some small way, offer spiritual nourishment to others.”
Alumni Profile: Erin Zion, M.A. in Theology, Art and Religion emphasis (2008)
I was drawn to attend DSPT because of their commitment to the field of art and religion. For me, this field embodies everything that makes me Catholic. The beauty of the world reflects the majesty and goodness of God, and contemplation of the beautiful draws us deeper into the mystery of the Incarnation. The study of material culture is the forefront of where ‘religion meets the world.’ As an interdisciplinary and ecumenical subject, the art and religion program provides a means of synthesizing the subjects of philosophy, aesthetics, theology, spirituality, Church history and material religion. The study of sacred art fosters interreligious dialogue by giving those of divergent faiths common ground from which to build up relationships.
With Fr. Michael Morris, OP, at the helm, art and religion scholarship continues to thrive. Today, as a doctoral student in Art and Religion at the GTU, DSPT continues to shape my educational and professional life. Fr. Michael continues to mold my education with his patience and sage advice, and I have the distinct privilege to continue taking courses at DSPT. For all these things I am most grateful.
The greatest gift that DSPT has to offer its lay students, however, is the living witness of the Dominican priests and brothers. It has been an immense privilege to attend classes with those who are the very best and brightest of the clergy, alongside those young men who will go on to lead the flock and uphold the teachings of the Church in the 21st century. Moreover, their kindness and generosity to me has been and continues to be an immense blessing in my life. Through the intercession of Mary and all the Dominican saints, may DSPT continue to thrive as one of the greatest centers for study in pursuit of Truth.
With Fr. Michael Morris, OP, at the helm, art and religion scholarship continues to thrive. Today, as a doctoral student in Art and Religion at the GTU, DSPT continues to shape my educational and professional life. Fr. Michael continues to mold my education with his patience and sage advice, and I have the distinct privilege to continue taking courses at DSPT. For all these things I am most grateful.
The greatest gift that DSPT has to offer its lay students, however, is the living witness of the Dominican priests and brothers. It has been an immense privilege to attend classes with those who are the very best and brightest of the clergy, alongside those young men who will go on to lead the flock and uphold the teachings of the Church in the 21st century. Moreover, their kindness and generosity to me has been and continues to be an immense blessing in my life. Through the intercession of Mary and all the Dominican saints, may DSPT continue to thrive as one of the greatest centers for study in pursuit of Truth.
April 2009: A Culture of Philanthropy
Embracing a Culture of Philanthropy at DSPT: Why it Matters
Fundraising is ultimately about relationships. More than anything, a culture of philanthropy is an attitude that embraces relationship building. Once a community of believers is built, the financial support will follow. The Development Office at DSPT has adopted a culture of philanthropy and has evolved from a focus on money to a focus on building lasting relationships. DSPT’s mission to educate and prepare lay and religious men and women for their future roles in the Church is supported not just with tuition dollars, but with the financial, emotional and philosophical benefaction of our community.
Our long-term goal and vision is that DSPT become less dependent upon the ebb and flow of tuition dollars. Our vision is for DSPT to become strong enough to withstand the fluctuations of the economy and the pressures of educational trends and to sustain its mission, while maintaining socioeconomic diversity by offering financial aid to those who can’t afford tuition. Building the school’s endowment is more than creating a perpetual source of funds: it is establishing the culture of philanthropy at DSPT that supports the school’s mission and ensures its perpetuity.
DSPT cannot accomplish our goals without your support. The act of giving funds to support DSPT is more than ensuring that the school meets its operating budget; true philanthropy connects and binds you to the DSPT community, keeps DSPT accountable for maintaining its mission, and assists the school in reaching our goals.
And, as the saying goes, there is no “there” there, no ending point to say “we are done.” If DSPT is to continue with its mission, it is essential that the culture of philanthropy continues to grow and that the relationships within the DSPT community endure and strengthen, sustaining the vision and mission that are the very foundation of the school. The responsibility of sustaining a culture of philanthropy rests not with one person or the Development Office, it is up to all involved in the organization to grow and sustain the culture.
Visit the Support DSPT section of our website (www.dspt.edu) to learn more about fundraising efforts and volunteer opportunities at DSPT. For more information on how you can participate in building our philanthropic culture through a gift and/or participating in philanthropic efforts, contact the Advancement Office at advancement@dspt.edu or 510-883-2085.
Fundraising is ultimately about relationships. More than anything, a culture of philanthropy is an attitude that embraces relationship building. Once a community of believers is built, the financial support will follow. The Development Office at DSPT has adopted a culture of philanthropy and has evolved from a focus on money to a focus on building lasting relationships. DSPT’s mission to educate and prepare lay and religious men and women for their future roles in the Church is supported not just with tuition dollars, but with the financial, emotional and philosophical benefaction of our community.
Our long-term goal and vision is that DSPT become less dependent upon the ebb and flow of tuition dollars. Our vision is for DSPT to become strong enough to withstand the fluctuations of the economy and the pressures of educational trends and to sustain its mission, while maintaining socioeconomic diversity by offering financial aid to those who can’t afford tuition. Building the school’s endowment is more than creating a perpetual source of funds: it is establishing the culture of philanthropy at DSPT that supports the school’s mission and ensures its perpetuity.
DSPT cannot accomplish our goals without your support. The act of giving funds to support DSPT is more than ensuring that the school meets its operating budget; true philanthropy connects and binds you to the DSPT community, keeps DSPT accountable for maintaining its mission, and assists the school in reaching our goals.
And, as the saying goes, there is no “there” there, no ending point to say “we are done.” If DSPT is to continue with its mission, it is essential that the culture of philanthropy continues to grow and that the relationships within the DSPT community endure and strengthen, sustaining the vision and mission that are the very foundation of the school. The responsibility of sustaining a culture of philanthropy rests not with one person or the Development Office, it is up to all involved in the organization to grow and sustain the culture.
Visit the Support DSPT section of our website (www.dspt.edu) to learn more about fundraising efforts and volunteer opportunities at DSPT. For more information on how you can participate in building our philanthropic culture through a gift and/or participating in philanthropic efforts, contact the Advancement Office at advancement@dspt.edu or 510-883-2085.
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