WHEN: Sunday, October 18, 2009, 2:00 - 7:00pm
WHERE: DSPT Courtyard – 2301 Vine Street, Berkeley, CA (free parking)
Please join friends, benefactors, faculty, students, and staff of the Dominican School of Philosophy and communities that support the School for an afternoon of fun and camaraderie as DSPT kicks off its 2009 Annual Fund.
Our Sunday in Spain dinner and auction event now serves as an important part of our new effort to bring our donors closer to what we do and to give members of our community of friends and supporters a chance to help us sustain and grow our mission. Let's celebrate the beginning of the academic year in honor of Saint Dominic, founder of the Order of the Preachers (O.P.) and connect with old and new friends with good food and great company. Tapas and wines of Spain will be served and the cooking of traditional Spanish Paellas will be demonstrated by Eduardo of Venga Paella.
There are many ways in which you can help us ensure the success of this effort. If you'd like to learn more, e-mail Ciel Mahoney at mmahoney@dspt.edu or call (510) 883-2085.
* Become a Table Sponsor! If you'd like to select the seven people who will sit at your table, we invite you to consider becoming a table sponsor. For $350 per table, sponsors get to fill their table with friends and family.
* Volunteer to Help! If you'd like to volunteer to work at the event, please fill out the attached volunteer registration form.
Stay tuned for more information. See you on October 18th!
Friday, September 11, 2009
SMASH HIT PRODUCTION THE SCREWTAPE LETTERS
“Wickedly Witty…It is one Hell of a Good Show!”
- Terry Teachout, The Wall Street Journal
THE SCREWTAPE LETTERS, the entertaining hit theatre production is being presented by Fellowship for the Performing Arts at The Lesher Center for the Arts, 1601 Civic Drive, Walnut Creek, CA. The play has enjoyed sold-out runs in Chicago, New York, and Washington, D.C. and now makes its way to the San Francisco Bay Area.
Tickets range in price from $29.00 to $45.00. Tickets are available by calling The Lesher Center for the Arts Box Office at 925.943.7469,
A limited number of $20 student tickets are available for each performance. You must show valid ID at the box office.
RECEIVE $10 OFF WHEN YOU BUY TWO TICKETS TO SMASH HIT PRODUCTION OF C.S. LEWIS’ THE SCREWTAPE LETTERS
Valid on following performances: Friday, Oct. 2, 8PM and Saturday, Oct. 3, 4PM & 8PM
This offer is only available by calling the Lesher Center for the Arts Box Office at 925.943.7469. Mention code E103. Subject to availability and not valid on previously purchased tickets. Service fees apply. OFFER EXPIRES September 18, 2009.
THE SCREWTAPE LETTERS is a funny, provocative and wickedly witty theatrical adaptation of C.S. Lewis’ brilliant novel that explores the theme of spiritual warfare from a demon’s point of view.
Adapted for the stage by Jeffrey Fiske and Max McLean, THE SCREWTAPE LETTERS, which runs 90 minutes without intermission, is set in an office in hell. The engaging play follows a senior devil, Screwtape, played by Max McLean, and his secretary, Toadpipe, played by Karen Eleanor Wight,as they train an apprentice demon, Wormwood, on how to “undermine faith and prevent the formation of virtues” in a young man who has just converted to Christianity. As Screwtape ridicules Wormwood and devilishly dictates his letters to Toadpipe, the fantastical creature transforms into laughingly recognizable figures with whimsical movement and wordless wit.
Critics have raved that the show is “Very smart…richly rewarding…exuberant theatricality!,” (Chris Jones, Chicago Tribune), “THE SCREWTAPE LETTERS is just about everything you want in a night at the theatre…,” (Daniel Kelly, NYTheatre.com), “A first rate production…Terribly entertaining… Screwtape boils over with wit” (Jayne Blanchard, The Washington Times), a “Hell of a good time…imaginative theatricality…wonderful performances” (Frank Scheck, New York Post), “Sly, funny, handsomely produced” (Celia Wren, Washington Post) and “Pure genius… an outstanding piece of work,” (John J. Miller, National Review)
When first published in 1942. THE SCREWTAPE LETTERS brought immediate fame to C.S. Lewis, a little known Oxford don whose field of study was Medieval English and literature. Over the past sixty-five years its wit and wisdom have made it one of his most widely read and influential works. One of the intellectual giants of the twentieth century and arguably the most influential Christian writer of his day, C.S. Lewis was a Fellow and Tutor of English literature at Oxford University until 1954 when he was unanimously elected to the Chair of Medieval and Renaissance English at Cambridge University, a position he held until his retirement.
His major contributions in literary criticism, children’s literature, fantasy literature, and popular theology brought him international renown. He wrote more than thirty books, allowing him to reach a vast audience, and his works continue to attract millions of new readers every year. His most distinguished and popular accomplishments include: The Chronicles of Narnia, Out of the Silent Planet, and Mere Christianity.
The initial production of THE SCREWTAPE LETTERS opened at Theatre 315 in New York City in January 2006 for a limited three-week run. Due to popular demand it ran for ten sold-out weeks. After building on its success it reopened in the fall of 2007 at the larger Theatre at St. Clement’s for another twelve sold-out weeks to rave reviews from audiences and critics alike. In April 2008 it transferred to The Shakespeare Theatre Company’s Lansburgh Theatre in Washington, D.C. for a five week run. Again it played for sold out and standing room-only audiences. In October 2008, it transferred again to the Mercury Theater in Chicago for a scheduled six week run that grew to six months. The Chicago Tribune called it “the most successful show in the history of the Mercury Theater.”
THE SCREWTAPE LETTERS is directed by Jeffrey Fiske and stars Max McLean as Screwtape and Karen Eleanor Wight as Toadpipe. Scenic design is by Cameron Anderson, costumes are by Michael Bevins, lighting by Jesse Klug, and sound is by Bart Fasbender. For more biographical or production information, visit http://www.screwtapeonstage.com/.
- Terry Teachout, The Wall Street Journal
THE SCREWTAPE LETTERS, the entertaining hit theatre production is being presented by Fellowship for the Performing Arts at The Lesher Center for the Arts, 1601 Civic Drive, Walnut Creek, CA. The play has enjoyed sold-out runs in Chicago, New York, and Washington, D.C. and now makes its way to the San Francisco Bay Area.
Tickets range in price from $29.00 to $45.00. Tickets are available by calling The Lesher Center for the Arts Box Office at 925.943.7469,
A limited number of $20 student tickets are available for each performance. You must show valid ID at the box office.
RECEIVE $10 OFF WHEN YOU BUY TWO TICKETS TO SMASH HIT PRODUCTION OF C.S. LEWIS’ THE SCREWTAPE LETTERS
Valid on following performances: Friday, Oct. 2, 8PM and Saturday, Oct. 3, 4PM & 8PM
This offer is only available by calling the Lesher Center for the Arts Box Office at 925.943.7469. Mention code E103. Subject to availability and not valid on previously purchased tickets. Service fees apply. OFFER EXPIRES September 18, 2009.
THE SCREWTAPE LETTERS is a funny, provocative and wickedly witty theatrical adaptation of C.S. Lewis’ brilliant novel that explores the theme of spiritual warfare from a demon’s point of view.
Adapted for the stage by Jeffrey Fiske and Max McLean, THE SCREWTAPE LETTERS, which runs 90 minutes without intermission, is set in an office in hell. The engaging play follows a senior devil, Screwtape, played by Max McLean, and his secretary, Toadpipe, played by Karen Eleanor Wight,as they train an apprentice demon, Wormwood, on how to “undermine faith and prevent the formation of virtues” in a young man who has just converted to Christianity. As Screwtape ridicules Wormwood and devilishly dictates his letters to Toadpipe, the fantastical creature transforms into laughingly recognizable figures with whimsical movement and wordless wit.
Critics have raved that the show is “Very smart…richly rewarding…exuberant theatricality!,” (Chris Jones, Chicago Tribune), “THE SCREWTAPE LETTERS is just about everything you want in a night at the theatre…,” (Daniel Kelly, NYTheatre.com), “A first rate production…Terribly entertaining… Screwtape boils over with wit” (Jayne Blanchard, The Washington Times), a “Hell of a good time…imaginative theatricality…wonderful performances” (Frank Scheck, New York Post), “Sly, funny, handsomely produced” (Celia Wren, Washington Post) and “Pure genius… an outstanding piece of work,” (John J. Miller, National Review)
When first published in 1942. THE SCREWTAPE LETTERS brought immediate fame to C.S. Lewis, a little known Oxford don whose field of study was Medieval English and literature. Over the past sixty-five years its wit and wisdom have made it one of his most widely read and influential works. One of the intellectual giants of the twentieth century and arguably the most influential Christian writer of his day, C.S. Lewis was a Fellow and Tutor of English literature at Oxford University until 1954 when he was unanimously elected to the Chair of Medieval and Renaissance English at Cambridge University, a position he held until his retirement.
His major contributions in literary criticism, children’s literature, fantasy literature, and popular theology brought him international renown. He wrote more than thirty books, allowing him to reach a vast audience, and his works continue to attract millions of new readers every year. His most distinguished and popular accomplishments include: The Chronicles of Narnia, Out of the Silent Planet, and Mere Christianity.
The initial production of THE SCREWTAPE LETTERS opened at Theatre 315 in New York City in January 2006 for a limited three-week run. Due to popular demand it ran for ten sold-out weeks. After building on its success it reopened in the fall of 2007 at the larger Theatre at St. Clement’s for another twelve sold-out weeks to rave reviews from audiences and critics alike. In April 2008 it transferred to The Shakespeare Theatre Company’s Lansburgh Theatre in Washington, D.C. for a five week run. Again it played for sold out and standing room-only audiences. In October 2008, it transferred again to the Mercury Theater in Chicago for a scheduled six week run that grew to six months. The Chicago Tribune called it “the most successful show in the history of the Mercury Theater.”
THE SCREWTAPE LETTERS is directed by Jeffrey Fiske and stars Max McLean as Screwtape and Karen Eleanor Wight as Toadpipe. Scenic design is by Cameron Anderson, costumes are by Michael Bevins, lighting by Jesse Klug, and sound is by Bart Fasbender. For more biographical or production information, visit http://www.screwtapeonstage.com/.
America Needs You, Thomas Aquinas
By Rev. Robert Barron
Just last week I was in Toulouse France, filming for my ten part documentary on Catholicism. I will admit that I was in Toulouse for fairly personal reasons. In the Dominican church of the Jacobins, in a golden casket situated under a side altar, are the remains of my hero, St. Thomas Aquinas. I spent a good amount of time in silent prayer in front of Thomas’s coffin, thanking him for giving direction to my life. When I was a fourteen year old freshman at Fenwick High School, I was privileged to hear from a young Dominican priest the arguments for God’s existence that Thomas Aquinas formulated in the thirteenth century. I don’t entirely know why, but hearing those rational demonstrations lit a fire in me that has yet to go out. They gave me a sense of the reality of God and thereby awakened in me a desire to serve God, to order my life radically toward him. I’m a priest because of God’s grace, but that grace came to me through the mediation of Thomas Aquinas.
As I prayed before the tomb of Aquinas, I found myself ruminating on the importance for our own time of the one whom the church calls its “common doctor.” What can this thirteenth century Dominican master teach us? First, Thomas Aquinas saw with utter clarity that since all truth comes from God, there can never be, finally, any conflict between the data of the sciences and the facts of revelation. In his own time, there were advocates of the so-called “double truth theory,” which held that the “truths” of philosophy and science were in one category and the “truths” of the faith in another. On this interpretation, one could hold mutually exclusive positions as long as one remained cognizant that the opposing views were in separate departments of the mind.
Well, Thomas saw this as so much nonsense and said so. Apparent conflicts between science and religion (to use our terms) are born of either bad science or bad religion, and they should compel the puzzled thinker to dig deeper and think harder. Following Augustine, Thomas said that if an interpretation of the Bible runs counter to clearly established findings of the sciences, we should move to a more mystical and symbolic reading of the Scriptural passage. How important this is today when forms of fundamentalism have given rise to a terrible rationalist counter-reaction. Biblical literalism—a modernism, alien to the patristic and medieval minds—produces a variety of views repugnant to physics, evolutionary biology, cosmology, etc. And this has led to the sequestration of some religious types and some scientific types into separate and mutually hostile camps. Thomas Aquinas would see how foolish and counter-productive this is for both science and religion. The faith, he claimed, should always go out to meet the culture with confidence, and the culture should see its own deepest aspirations realized in the faith.
Secondly, Thomas knew that the Creator God of the Bible is the only finally satisfying explanation for the existence of the contingent things of the world. He was deeply impressed by the actual existence of those things that do not contain within themselves the reason for their being. Clouds, trees, plants, animals, human beings, buildings, planets, and stars certainly exist, but they don’t have to exist. This means, he saw, that their being is not self-explanatory, that it depends, finally, on some primordial reality which does exist through the power of its own essence. This “necessary” being is what Thomas called “God.” He was moved by the correspondence between this philosophical sense of God and the self-designation that God gives in Exodus 3:14: “I am who I am.” How significant this is in our time when “new” atheists have raised their voices to dismiss belief in God as a holdover from a pre-scientific time. Thomas would remind the Christopher Hitchens and Richard Dawkins of the world that no scientific advance could ever, even in principle, eliminate the properly metaphysical question to which God is the only satisfying answer. God is not a superstitious projection of human need; rather, God is the reason why there is something rather than nothing.
Thirdly, Thomas Aquinas was a deep humanist, precisely because he was a Christian. He saw that since God became human in Christ, the destiny of the human being is divinization, participation in the inner life of God. No other religion or philosophy or social theory has ever held out so exalted a sense of human dignity and purpose. And this is why, Aquinas intuited, there is something inviolable about the human person. How indispensably important that teaching is in our era of stem-cell research, euthanasia, legalized abortion, and pre-emptive war, practices that turn persons into means.Thomas’s bones lie in that golden casket in Toulouse, but his mind and his spirit, thank God, still inform the counter-cultural voice of the church.
Just last week I was in Toulouse France, filming for my ten part documentary on Catholicism. I will admit that I was in Toulouse for fairly personal reasons. In the Dominican church of the Jacobins, in a golden casket situated under a side altar, are the remains of my hero, St. Thomas Aquinas. I spent a good amount of time in silent prayer in front of Thomas’s coffin, thanking him for giving direction to my life. When I was a fourteen year old freshman at Fenwick High School, I was privileged to hear from a young Dominican priest the arguments for God’s existence that Thomas Aquinas formulated in the thirteenth century. I don’t entirely know why, but hearing those rational demonstrations lit a fire in me that has yet to go out. They gave me a sense of the reality of God and thereby awakened in me a desire to serve God, to order my life radically toward him. I’m a priest because of God’s grace, but that grace came to me through the mediation of Thomas Aquinas.
As I prayed before the tomb of Aquinas, I found myself ruminating on the importance for our own time of the one whom the church calls its “common doctor.” What can this thirteenth century Dominican master teach us? First, Thomas Aquinas saw with utter clarity that since all truth comes from God, there can never be, finally, any conflict between the data of the sciences and the facts of revelation. In his own time, there were advocates of the so-called “double truth theory,” which held that the “truths” of philosophy and science were in one category and the “truths” of the faith in another. On this interpretation, one could hold mutually exclusive positions as long as one remained cognizant that the opposing views were in separate departments of the mind.
Well, Thomas saw this as so much nonsense and said so. Apparent conflicts between science and religion (to use our terms) are born of either bad science or bad religion, and they should compel the puzzled thinker to dig deeper and think harder. Following Augustine, Thomas said that if an interpretation of the Bible runs counter to clearly established findings of the sciences, we should move to a more mystical and symbolic reading of the Scriptural passage. How important this is today when forms of fundamentalism have given rise to a terrible rationalist counter-reaction. Biblical literalism—a modernism, alien to the patristic and medieval minds—produces a variety of views repugnant to physics, evolutionary biology, cosmology, etc. And this has led to the sequestration of some religious types and some scientific types into separate and mutually hostile camps. Thomas Aquinas would see how foolish and counter-productive this is for both science and religion. The faith, he claimed, should always go out to meet the culture with confidence, and the culture should see its own deepest aspirations realized in the faith.
Secondly, Thomas knew that the Creator God of the Bible is the only finally satisfying explanation for the existence of the contingent things of the world. He was deeply impressed by the actual existence of those things that do not contain within themselves the reason for their being. Clouds, trees, plants, animals, human beings, buildings, planets, and stars certainly exist, but they don’t have to exist. This means, he saw, that their being is not self-explanatory, that it depends, finally, on some primordial reality which does exist through the power of its own essence. This “necessary” being is what Thomas called “God.” He was moved by the correspondence between this philosophical sense of God and the self-designation that God gives in Exodus 3:14: “I am who I am.” How significant this is in our time when “new” atheists have raised their voices to dismiss belief in God as a holdover from a pre-scientific time. Thomas would remind the Christopher Hitchens and Richard Dawkins of the world that no scientific advance could ever, even in principle, eliminate the properly metaphysical question to which God is the only satisfying answer. God is not a superstitious projection of human need; rather, God is the reason why there is something rather than nothing.
Thirdly, Thomas Aquinas was a deep humanist, precisely because he was a Christian. He saw that since God became human in Christ, the destiny of the human being is divinization, participation in the inner life of God. No other religion or philosophy or social theory has ever held out so exalted a sense of human dignity and purpose. And this is why, Aquinas intuited, there is something inviolable about the human person. How indispensably important that teaching is in our era of stem-cell research, euthanasia, legalized abortion, and pre-emptive war, practices that turn persons into means.Thomas’s bones lie in that golden casket in Toulouse, but his mind and his spirit, thank God, still inform the counter-cultural voice of the church.
An Update on Picturing Paradise: Cuadros from the Peruvian Women of Pamplona Alta as Visions of Hope exhibited at the Dominican School
After two months at the Dominican School Gallery (January 26-March 20), Picturing Paradise moved on to the Muscarelle Museum of Art at the College of William and Mary where it was on display from April 7 – May 17.
In June 2009, GTU doctoral student and curator of the exhibit, Rebecca Berru Davis was in Lima, Peru doing research and fieldwork. While there, the exhibit was displayed at the Miraflores Community Gallery (June 5-7). This was carried out with the help of Fundades and ConVida, two organizations who collaborate in assisting the women. During its three day venue, over 600 persons viewed the exhibit. The women artists from the shantytown of Pamplona Alta were honored at the opening reception held on Friday evening, June 5.
Picturing Paradise will be exhibited at Chabot Community College Gallery in Hayward, California from October 8- November 5, 2009. The opening reception is scheduled for the evening of October 8 from 5-7pm. For more information about the exhibit, please contact Rebecca Berru Davis berrumt@yahoo.com or:
Chabot Community College Gallery
25555 Hesperian Blvd, Hayward, CA 94545
510-723-6600
In June 2009, GTU doctoral student and curator of the exhibit, Rebecca Berru Davis was in Lima, Peru doing research and fieldwork. While there, the exhibit was displayed at the Miraflores Community Gallery (June 5-7). This was carried out with the help of Fundades and ConVida, two organizations who collaborate in assisting the women. During its three day venue, over 600 persons viewed the exhibit. The women artists from the shantytown of Pamplona Alta were honored at the opening reception held on Friday evening, June 5.
Picturing Paradise will be exhibited at Chabot Community College Gallery in Hayward, California from October 8- November 5, 2009. The opening reception is scheduled for the evening of October 8 from 5-7pm. For more information about the exhibit, please contact Rebecca Berru Davis berrumt@yahoo.com or:
Chabot Community College Gallery
25555 Hesperian Blvd, Hayward, CA 94545
510-723-6600
From the Office of Admissions
We are delighted to welcome our new Fall 2009 class! This semester we are joined by 23 new students: 13 lay and 10 religious. As always, they come from many different backgrounds and have many interesting stories!
Most of our new students are Californians, but others come from New York, Georgia, Virginia, and Washington as well as India, South Korea, Vietnam, Tonga, Samoa, and the Philippines. Some are young people who applied straight from their undergraduate schools, and others have been working or serving in active ministry for many years.
Their undergraduate backgrounds are diverse, with degrees in Liberal Arts, Finance, Engineering, Philosophy, Religion, Nursing, Medicine, English, Political Science, Education, Anthropology, and Economics. They come from UC Berkeley, UC Davis, Santa Clara University, Pepperdine University, Dartmouth University, Thomas Aquinas College, St. Mary’s College of California, Dominican University of California, the University of San Francisco, Fordham University, the University of Georgia, Boston College, George Mason University, Gonzaga University, Humboldt State University, Australia Catholic University, and Far Eastern University (Manila).
Among our lay students is a Navy veteran and electrician, an engineer, a medical doctor, two teachers, and an artist. Our religious students are brothers, priests and sisters from the Dominicans and Salesians, and a Marian sister from Mount St. Michael in Spokane, WA. We welcome all of our new students and wish them all the best as they begin their programs!
We are now accepting applications for the Spring and Fall semesters of 2010! Most of our students learn about DSPT through word of mouth, so please tell your friends about us and encourage them to consider a degree in philosophy or theology. We have brochures and posters for you to place in your parish, school or place of business. For more information, contact the Admissions Office at (510) 883-2073 or by email at admissions@dspt.edu.
Most of our new students are Californians, but others come from New York, Georgia, Virginia, and Washington as well as India, South Korea, Vietnam, Tonga, Samoa, and the Philippines. Some are young people who applied straight from their undergraduate schools, and others have been working or serving in active ministry for many years.
Their undergraduate backgrounds are diverse, with degrees in Liberal Arts, Finance, Engineering, Philosophy, Religion, Nursing, Medicine, English, Political Science, Education, Anthropology, and Economics. They come from UC Berkeley, UC Davis, Santa Clara University, Pepperdine University, Dartmouth University, Thomas Aquinas College, St. Mary’s College of California, Dominican University of California, the University of San Francisco, Fordham University, the University of Georgia, Boston College, George Mason University, Gonzaga University, Humboldt State University, Australia Catholic University, and Far Eastern University (Manila).
Among our lay students is a Navy veteran and electrician, an engineer, a medical doctor, two teachers, and an artist. Our religious students are brothers, priests and sisters from the Dominicans and Salesians, and a Marian sister from Mount St. Michael in Spokane, WA. We welcome all of our new students and wish them all the best as they begin their programs!
We are now accepting applications for the Spring and Fall semesters of 2010! Most of our students learn about DSPT through word of mouth, so please tell your friends about us and encourage them to consider a degree in philosophy or theology. We have brochures and posters for you to place in your parish, school or place of business. For more information, contact the Admissions Office at (510) 883-2073 or by email at admissions@dspt.edu.
Alumni Profile: Fred Rodriguez, BA Philosophy (2002); MA Theology, (2004)
My coming to the Dominican School of Philosophy and Theology seemed to be driven by outside influences rather than a personal choice in selecting schools at the Graduate Theological Union. You see, if there is any truth to the following, then, God certainly has a sense of humor!
In the mid-90s, I had received a letter in the mail from the DSPT thanking me for my interest in considering their school as a possible choice of schools in the Bay Area. First off, who and what was the DSPT, and how in the Good Lord’s name did they get my address way out here in the Pacific on a tiny island called Guam?
After several weeks of passing this most unusual letter around to friends and family, I finally ran it by a friend of mine who happens to be a priest. Of course, this priest had other ideas of how the letter got into my hands—“God is talking to you!” he said laughing. He also suggested it was my vocational calling to consider the religious life. That somehow did not seem like the road I was supposed to be on.
It was a year before I finally considered the school as a choice to complete my bachelor’s in philosophy. And, at last, the culprit behind the letter showed his face. It was my cousin Vince Cruz who was visiting the GTU and who had, as a sort of friendly boost, decided to visit the DSPT and personally requested information and catalogs be sent to me. That prompted a DSPT student to write me a personal note of why the school would be a fine option when considering the bachelor’s in philosophy.
My graduation from DSPT did not end with a bachelor’s in philosophy. My journey culminated into a master’s in theology. These two specific disciplines were somehow not what I thought I’d be studying if I had it my way. It was my good friend Therese A. Matanane who said I should go back to school and even argued, “What have I got to lose from applying?” That positive push sent me to a community where I would find my place in the field of critical thinking.
After graduating from the DSPT, and finally accepting the fact that I have found a family away from home at the DSPT, I was convinced that God did in fact have His hand in my life. Even after all that was said and done, I am writing this profile with a smile because He certainly put me where He wants me.
In the Summer of 2005 I was working as the Archdiocesan Director of Faith Formation in Guam and another priest friend of mine, Fr. Mike Crisostomo, thought it would be a good thing to have a radio show where we could catechize on the air. That was the beginning of our popular radio program, “Why Do Catholics Do That?” Now in 2009, my good friend Therese and I teamed up to put our gifts and talents together. She, with her degree in motion pictures, and I, with my degrees in philosophy and theology, now have a Catholic Television show called, “Catholics on the Move.” I borrowed the title from my good friend Fr. Joseph Boenzi who taught a course at the DSPT called, “Church on the Move”. We are now entering our fourth season and still growing strong. My education in both these disciplines have given me the tools to create content and programming for our faithful viewers who loyally follow the show on two islands: Guam and Saipan.
If I were to believe that I did this on my own, I would not be telling the truth. The fact of the matter is, God has a plan for us and he has me doing his will. The Parable of the Three Talents tells the story very well. Obviously, I refuse to be the servant who buried his lord’s money. I was given a talent, and through my study of philosophy and theology, am now bringing the Good News to folks throughout the Mariana Islands. Incidentally, the DSPT’s motto “Deus Providebit” will speak volumes when you allow God to use your mind, soul and body to do His Will.
In the mid-90s, I had received a letter in the mail from the DSPT thanking me for my interest in considering their school as a possible choice of schools in the Bay Area. First off, who and what was the DSPT, and how in the Good Lord’s name did they get my address way out here in the Pacific on a tiny island called Guam?
After several weeks of passing this most unusual letter around to friends and family, I finally ran it by a friend of mine who happens to be a priest. Of course, this priest had other ideas of how the letter got into my hands—“God is talking to you!” he said laughing. He also suggested it was my vocational calling to consider the religious life. That somehow did not seem like the road I was supposed to be on.
It was a year before I finally considered the school as a choice to complete my bachelor’s in philosophy. And, at last, the culprit behind the letter showed his face. It was my cousin Vince Cruz who was visiting the GTU and who had, as a sort of friendly boost, decided to visit the DSPT and personally requested information and catalogs be sent to me. That prompted a DSPT student to write me a personal note of why the school would be a fine option when considering the bachelor’s in philosophy.
My graduation from DSPT did not end with a bachelor’s in philosophy. My journey culminated into a master’s in theology. These two specific disciplines were somehow not what I thought I’d be studying if I had it my way. It was my good friend Therese A. Matanane who said I should go back to school and even argued, “What have I got to lose from applying?” That positive push sent me to a community where I would find my place in the field of critical thinking.
After graduating from the DSPT, and finally accepting the fact that I have found a family away from home at the DSPT, I was convinced that God did in fact have His hand in my life. Even after all that was said and done, I am writing this profile with a smile because He certainly put me where He wants me.
In the Summer of 2005 I was working as the Archdiocesan Director of Faith Formation in Guam and another priest friend of mine, Fr. Mike Crisostomo, thought it would be a good thing to have a radio show where we could catechize on the air. That was the beginning of our popular radio program, “Why Do Catholics Do That?” Now in 2009, my good friend Therese and I teamed up to put our gifts and talents together. She, with her degree in motion pictures, and I, with my degrees in philosophy and theology, now have a Catholic Television show called, “Catholics on the Move.” I borrowed the title from my good friend Fr. Joseph Boenzi who taught a course at the DSPT called, “Church on the Move”. We are now entering our fourth season and still growing strong. My education in both these disciplines have given me the tools to create content and programming for our faithful viewers who loyally follow the show on two islands: Guam and Saipan.
If I were to believe that I did this on my own, I would not be telling the truth. The fact of the matter is, God has a plan for us and he has me doing his will. The Parable of the Three Talents tells the story very well. Obviously, I refuse to be the servant who buried his lord’s money. I was given a talent, and through my study of philosophy and theology, am now bringing the Good News to folks throughout the Mariana Islands. Incidentally, the DSPT’s motto “Deus Providebit” will speak volumes when you allow God to use your mind, soul and body to do His Will.
DSPT Launches 2009 Annual Fund Campaign
Welcome to a new academic year at DSPT! The School especially welcomes new members of our community to the DSPT family, and greets its returning students and faculty and staff.
As another academic year begins, DSPT is experiencing the benefits and challenges of its steady growth. Reflecting on last year's enormous challenges and accomplishments allows us another opportunity to share our joy, pride and gratitude to our benefactors, friends, and community that continue to support and sustain our mission.
The DSPT Annual Fund campaign, made possible by community support, is the cornerstone of DSPT’s fundraising efforts. The Annual Fund provides essential funding to virtually every area of the school’s operation.
Today, lay and religious students who are enrolled at DSPT are just as idealistic and enthusiastic as their counterparts some 40 – 50 years ago. One substantial difference, however, is that students today often incur significant financial debt as they prepare for ministry. In the case of our Dominican brothers preparing for ordination, DSPT receives a subsidy from the Western Dominican Province; but still, the subsidy does not cover the whole cost of educating a seminarian.
In 2008-2009 the actual cost of educating a DSPT student was $24,500 a year; although the full time tuition is $13,500. In essence, every student receives a subsidy of $11,000. It is important to also keep in mind that School’s full-time student population receive a third of their tuition in the current academic year.
As the school is committed to increasing financial aid and scholarships available to all students, it needs the renewable, steadily increasing, and long-term support from the Annual Fund. Faced by challenges, such as raising funds in a difficult economic environment, DSPT must keep its sights high and far beyond the immediate details of the budget crisis, with which so many educational institutions have spent so much time dealing.
This year, as DSPT embarks upon a rebranded fund-raising campaign, it is emphasizing to donors, volunteers and the community that it is continuing to excel even as it takes prudent steps to navigate uncertain fiscal terrain.
DSPT will kick off its Annual Fund campaign this year with its annual Sunday in Spain dinner and auction event. Known to its constituents as its annual auction fundraiser, Sunday in Spain has now evolved into an event that will help DSPT spread the word to a broader audience about DSPT’s mission and its impact. This is why support for it is crucial.
The support that DSPT will get from the local community is absolutely critical, and the School wants to take steps to continue to grow it. But as the School moves forward, it also will be casting a wider net that extends beyond our local area. The Annual Fund campaign will continue that growth by targeting alumni and members of communities in other parts of the nation and overseas. Tapping new sources is especially important in times of economic hardship because it enhances the School’s prospects for success.
Sunday in Spain will reach out to members of the community, who might not think that they have the financial wherewithal to make meaningful gifts, by explaining that giving at any level is helpful and appreciated. The event will seek to underscore the real-life impact of donations, including by giving lay and religious students the opportunity to tell how they have benefited from the support of the community.
With your support, DSPT has made great strides in the past years, but it is just a beginning. The School, more than ever, needs your endorsement of our future efforts and your assistance in enabling these efforts in ensuring that we sustain our mission going forward.
For more information on supporting DSPT, please visit our “Support DSPT” page in our website.
As another academic year begins, DSPT is experiencing the benefits and challenges of its steady growth. Reflecting on last year's enormous challenges and accomplishments allows us another opportunity to share our joy, pride and gratitude to our benefactors, friends, and community that continue to support and sustain our mission.
The DSPT Annual Fund campaign, made possible by community support, is the cornerstone of DSPT’s fundraising efforts. The Annual Fund provides essential funding to virtually every area of the school’s operation.
Today, lay and religious students who are enrolled at DSPT are just as idealistic and enthusiastic as their counterparts some 40 – 50 years ago. One substantial difference, however, is that students today often incur significant financial debt as they prepare for ministry. In the case of our Dominican brothers preparing for ordination, DSPT receives a subsidy from the Western Dominican Province; but still, the subsidy does not cover the whole cost of educating a seminarian.
In 2008-2009 the actual cost of educating a DSPT student was $24,500 a year; although the full time tuition is $13,500. In essence, every student receives a subsidy of $11,000. It is important to also keep in mind that School’s full-time student population receive a third of their tuition in the current academic year.
As the school is committed to increasing financial aid and scholarships available to all students, it needs the renewable, steadily increasing, and long-term support from the Annual Fund. Faced by challenges, such as raising funds in a difficult economic environment, DSPT must keep its sights high and far beyond the immediate details of the budget crisis, with which so many educational institutions have spent so much time dealing.
This year, as DSPT embarks upon a rebranded fund-raising campaign, it is emphasizing to donors, volunteers and the community that it is continuing to excel even as it takes prudent steps to navigate uncertain fiscal terrain.
DSPT will kick off its Annual Fund campaign this year with its annual Sunday in Spain dinner and auction event. Known to its constituents as its annual auction fundraiser, Sunday in Spain has now evolved into an event that will help DSPT spread the word to a broader audience about DSPT’s mission and its impact. This is why support for it is crucial.
The support that DSPT will get from the local community is absolutely critical, and the School wants to take steps to continue to grow it. But as the School moves forward, it also will be casting a wider net that extends beyond our local area. The Annual Fund campaign will continue that growth by targeting alumni and members of communities in other parts of the nation and overseas. Tapping new sources is especially important in times of economic hardship because it enhances the School’s prospects for success.
Sunday in Spain will reach out to members of the community, who might not think that they have the financial wherewithal to make meaningful gifts, by explaining that giving at any level is helpful and appreciated. The event will seek to underscore the real-life impact of donations, including by giving lay and religious students the opportunity to tell how they have benefited from the support of the community.
With your support, DSPT has made great strides in the past years, but it is just a beginning. The School, more than ever, needs your endorsement of our future efforts and your assistance in enabling these efforts in ensuring that we sustain our mission going forward.
For more information on supporting DSPT, please visit our “Support DSPT” page in our website.
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