To preach and teach effectively in contemporary culture, our graduates must be conversant not only with the traditional disciplines of philosophy and theology but also with contemporary issues in secular society in disciplines outside the compass of the School's curriculum, such as the political and judicial process, economics, business, the sciences, bio-medical research, technology, media and the arts. To address this need, in 2006 DSPT established the College of Fellows. The Fellows are Catholics of eminence in their own professions who are affiliated with DSPT to offer analysis of contemporary issues from the perspectives of their work.
By reflecting upon the Catholic faith in the light of their secular vocations, Fellows of the Dominican School of Philosophy and Theology contribute to the Church’s understanding of her secular mission, and are offered a forum to influence that mission through the education of leaders in the Church and the academy. In their discussions and presentations, the Fellows are enriched by their conversation together, even as they contribute to the mission of the School.
To date, ten Fellows have been named to the College: André Delbecq, McCarthy University Professor at Santa Clara University, former Dean of Fellows of the American Academy of Management; Edward "Ned" Dolejsi, Executive Director of the California Catholic Conference; Barbara Elliott, founder and President of the Center for Renewal, Houston, Texas; Raymond Flynn, former Mayor of Boston and U.S. Ambassador to the Holy See; Richard Gallagher, head of Epidemiology and of the Cancer Control Research Program at the British Columbia Cancer Agency; Dana Gioia, Fellow of the Aspen Institute, former Chairman of the National Endowment for the Arts; Peer Portner, developer of the Novacor Heart Assist System, used in the world’s first permanent artificial heart implant; Velma Richmond, author and English scholar, former Dean of Holy Names College; Kevin Starr, historian, University Professor at the University of Southern California, Librarian Emeritus of the State of California; Gleaves Whitney, Director of the Hauenstein Center for Presidential Studies, Michigan. More information about each of the Fellows may be found on the DSPT website (www.dspt.edu).
On Friday, May 22 at our Commencement, four new Fellows will be inducted into the College: His Eminence, James Francis, Cardinal Stafford, Major Penitentiary of the Catholic Church, who will serve as Dean of the College of Fellows; Hon. John Noonan, senior Justice of the Ninth Circuit Court; Ron Hansen, novelist, Gerard Manley Hopkins, S.J. Professor in the Arts and Humanities at Santa Clara University; and Michael Naughton, Director, John A. Ryan Institute for Catholic Social Thought, University of St. Thomas, Minnesota. Cardinal Stafford will be our Commencement speaker.
The Fellows of DSPT are undertaking to examine their professions through the lens of what they have termed a “Catholic imagination”, to propose what society might become, informed by a Catholic view of the world. They propose together to publish a book on this subject. On Thursday, May 21 at 2:00 p.m. at a convocation of the College of Fellows, Andre Delbecq, Ned Dolejsi, Velma Richmond and Kevin Starr will offer their reflections on this topic in the DSPT Gallery. The event is open to the public, and we hope that many of our friends and benefactors will join us.
Wednesday, May 6, 2009
Congratulations to the 2009 Graduates!
Certificate of Theological Studies
Tresphord Chisanga, S.D.B.
Suwan Jutasompakorn, S.D.B.
Bachelor of Arts (Philosophy)
Sarah Carolina Ball
Master of Divinity
Joseph Seraphin Dederick, O.F.M. Cap.
Peter H. Do, O.P.
Thien Nguyen, S.D.B.
Raphael Mary Thomas Salzillo, O.P.
Thien An Tran, O.P.
Master of Arts (Philosophy)
Eiyad Salman al Kutubi (With Honors) - “Mulla Sadra's Theory of Substantial Motion” (Marianne Farina, C.S.C. – Coordinator, Michael Dodds, O.P., Hamid Algar (UCB))
Robert Theodore Porter - “Industriousness as a Moral Virtue in the Thomistic Scheme” (John Berkman – Coordinator, Steven A. Cortright (Saint Mary's College), Richard Schenk, O.P.)
Francis Emmanuel Taylor, O.P. - “An Integrated Approach to Education” (Marianne Farina, C.S.C. – Coordinator, Michael Dodds, O.P., Joseph Boenzi, S.D.B.)
Master of Arts (Theology) - Research Emphasis
Dominic DeMaio, O.P. - “Immigration Reform and the Common Good: How the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops Can Revitalize the Debate” (Marianne Farina, C.S.C. – Coordinator, Edward Krasevac, O.P., William O'Neill, S.J. (JSTB))
Elissa Anne McCormack (With Honors) - “Texts and Contexts: A Study of Jansenism and Gallicanism in the Early Writings of Antoine Arnauld” (Joseph Boenzi, S.D.B. – Coordinator, Michael Dodds, O.P., Christopher Ocker (SFTS))
Master of Arts (Theology)
John Steven Giuntoli (Marianne Farina, C.S.C. - Coordinator, Thomas Cottoi (JSTB))
Edward Anthony Hopfner (Joseph Boenzi, S.D.B. – Coordinator, John Berkman, Michael Sweeney, O.P.)
Jeremiah Joseph Loverich (Marianne Farina, C.S.C. - Coordinator, Michael Dodds, O.P.)
Luan Pho, O.P. (Michael Dodds, O.P. - Coordinator, Barbara Green, O.P.)
Walter Albert Sears (Barbara Green, O.P. – Coordinator, Christopher Renz, O.P., Michael Guinan, O.F.M. (FST))
Carla Joan Zilaff (Barbara Green, O.P. – Coordinator, John Berkman)
GTU Master of Arts
Justin Franklin D’Agostino - “Resuscitating God: The Secular Quest and J.D. Salinger's ‘The Catcher in the Rye’” (Christopher Renz, O.P. – Coordinator, Jerome P. Baggett (JSTB), Mark E. McVann, F.S.C. (Saint Mary's College))
Nicole Rose Pagano - “Hope in Literary Alchemy: Dante's Reform of Three Ancient Narratives” (Barbara Green, O.P. – Coordinator, William Short, O.F.M. (FST), Steven Botterill (UCB), Christopher Renz, O.P.)
Susan Robinette - “A Combined Cognitive and Rhetorical-Critical Approach to Biblical Hebrew Poetic Texts: Psalm 1 and Jeremiah 17:5-8” (Barbara Green, O.P. – Coordinator, LeAnn Snow Flescher (ABSW), Eve Sweetser (UCB))
Heidi Lynn Thimann - “The Body in the Book: The Hours of Jeanne d’Evreux” (Michael Morris, O.P. – Coordinator, Mia Mochizuki (JSTB), Daniel Joslyn-Siemiatkoski (CDSP))
Tresphord Chisanga, S.D.B.
Suwan Jutasompakorn, S.D.B.
Bachelor of Arts (Philosophy)
Sarah Carolina Ball
Master of Divinity
Joseph Seraphin Dederick, O.F.M. Cap.
Peter H. Do, O.P.
Thien Nguyen, S.D.B.
Raphael Mary Thomas Salzillo, O.P.
Thien An Tran, O.P.
Master of Arts (Philosophy)
Eiyad Salman al Kutubi (With Honors) - “Mulla Sadra's Theory of Substantial Motion” (Marianne Farina, C.S.C. – Coordinator, Michael Dodds, O.P., Hamid Algar (UCB))
Robert Theodore Porter - “Industriousness as a Moral Virtue in the Thomistic Scheme” (John Berkman – Coordinator, Steven A. Cortright (Saint Mary's College), Richard Schenk, O.P.)
Francis Emmanuel Taylor, O.P. - “An Integrated Approach to Education” (Marianne Farina, C.S.C. – Coordinator, Michael Dodds, O.P., Joseph Boenzi, S.D.B.)
Master of Arts (Theology) - Research Emphasis
Dominic DeMaio, O.P. - “Immigration Reform and the Common Good: How the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops Can Revitalize the Debate” (Marianne Farina, C.S.C. – Coordinator, Edward Krasevac, O.P., William O'Neill, S.J. (JSTB))
Elissa Anne McCormack (With Honors) - “Texts and Contexts: A Study of Jansenism and Gallicanism in the Early Writings of Antoine Arnauld” (Joseph Boenzi, S.D.B. – Coordinator, Michael Dodds, O.P., Christopher Ocker (SFTS))
Master of Arts (Theology)
John Steven Giuntoli (Marianne Farina, C.S.C. - Coordinator, Thomas Cottoi (JSTB))
Edward Anthony Hopfner (Joseph Boenzi, S.D.B. – Coordinator, John Berkman, Michael Sweeney, O.P.)
Jeremiah Joseph Loverich (Marianne Farina, C.S.C. - Coordinator, Michael Dodds, O.P.)
Luan Pho, O.P. (Michael Dodds, O.P. - Coordinator, Barbara Green, O.P.)
Walter Albert Sears (Barbara Green, O.P. – Coordinator, Christopher Renz, O.P., Michael Guinan, O.F.M. (FST))
Carla Joan Zilaff (Barbara Green, O.P. – Coordinator, John Berkman)
GTU Master of Arts
Justin Franklin D’Agostino - “Resuscitating God: The Secular Quest and J.D. Salinger's ‘The Catcher in the Rye’” (Christopher Renz, O.P. – Coordinator, Jerome P. Baggett (JSTB), Mark E. McVann, F.S.C. (Saint Mary's College))
Nicole Rose Pagano - “Hope in Literary Alchemy: Dante's Reform of Three Ancient Narratives” (Barbara Green, O.P. – Coordinator, William Short, O.F.M. (FST), Steven Botterill (UCB), Christopher Renz, O.P.)
Susan Robinette - “A Combined Cognitive and Rhetorical-Critical Approach to Biblical Hebrew Poetic Texts: Psalm 1 and Jeremiah 17:5-8” (Barbara Green, O.P. – Coordinator, LeAnn Snow Flescher (ABSW), Eve Sweetser (UCB))
Heidi Lynn Thimann - “The Body in the Book: The Hours of Jeanne d’Evreux” (Michael Morris, O.P. – Coordinator, Mia Mochizuki (JSTB), Daniel Joslyn-Siemiatkoski (CDSP))
Solemn Vows: What do you seek? “God’s mercy and yours.”
On May 23 two of our Dominican brothers, Mark Francis Manzano, OP and Boniface Willard, OP, will take part in the Rite of Solemn Profession. For the Brother it is a moment of profound humility, vulnerability and trust. For the Dominican Order it is a promise of support and accompaniment. It is the ceremony in which the individual commits himself in service of the Church through the preaching charism initiated by St. Dominic nearly eight-hundred years ago. The mercy which he seeks will be given to him through the living out of his life of obedience to the will of God. Of the many symbolic gestures that exist in Dominican rites, none are more powerful than the two prominent gestures in the Rite of Profession. Both the gesture and the profession establish a fundamental relationship between the friar and – through the Order – God.
The first gesture occurs at the beginning of the Rite, when the brother lies prostrate before the Prior Provincial (the leader of the community), arms outstretched in the form of a cross symbolizing humility and adoration of God (for more details see the blog by Fr. Augustine Thompson, OP). At that moment, the candidate is asked by the Provincial, “What do you seek?” To which he replies, “God’s mercy and yours.” This simple conversation marks the life of the person so long as he remains a member of the Order. All that he does, all that he says, all that he is and will become now is utterly dependent upon the mercy of God.
The second gesture comes at the actual profession of vows. The format is nearly as old as the Order itself. The friar kneels before the Prior Provincial and together they hold the Book of the Constitutions and Ordinances of the Friars Preachers in such a way that the Provincial holds not only the Book but also the hands of the friar making profession. The Rite itself suggests that the Book is “placed upon the hands of both the friar and the Provincial” (Rite, No. 39). The friar then does something which might seem, at first glance, to be a bit unusual: he makes a public profession of obedience to God, to Blessed Virgin Mary, and to the Master of the Order. He never mentions the other two vows of chastity or poverty. The moment passes quickly. Yet, its symbolic power cuts deeply to the heart of all present. With this gesture and profession, the individual allows himself to be bound by the Order (it is the Book which holds the two men together) to a life of obedience. The word obedience comes from the Latin ab audire, i.e. “to listen to.” The friar promises to hold “attentive listening” as the first and fundamental “stance of life”. He promises to listen to God in a manner similar to and flowing from the “listening heart” of Mary. This listening will happen throughout his life in the Order – and it is in this context that he takes on the vows – implicitly spoken – of chastity and poverty. In choosing to live life this way, the friar is simultaneously choosing to subordinate his own will to that of God – not blindly, but reflectively, contemplatively, by listening. In return for this surrender, the friar finds himself grasped by God. Whether you are there at the Solemn Profession in person or in spirit, do join us in prayer for our two brothers as they bind themselves in this way to God for the rest of their lives. May they truly find themselves grasped by the Lord in mercy and compassion. For more information, download the Rite of Profession for Friars.
Br. Mark Francis Manzano, OP
One fond memory of mine is recalling a sermon I once heard about the saints on a bright Sunday morning. In our church, high above the pews, were several stained glass windows of various people – Francis of Assisi, Thérèse of Lisieux, Anthony of Padua, and others. These were holy men and women who served the Lord and the Church in both heroic and hidden ways. And as the priest spoke, you could see the sunlight passing through and illuminating the windows and casting light into the church. And then the words came: "A saint is someone whom the Son shines through." Those words have stayed with me and I have wanted to be a saint ever since; I want to spend my life serving God and His people as they have done. I was born and raised in southern California. In college I studied mathematics and was active in my parish with music and youth ministry. My interest in religious life began in February 2002 at a religious education congress. After reading a biography of St. Francis of Assisi, I was fascinated with his life and how he lived the Gospel in a radical, genuine way and how he inspired others to do the same. So I did some research and was surprised: "These guys are still around?!" I had never met any religious before. My pastors were diocesan priests and I went through the public school system. Little did I know that I would be wearing a habit a year-and-a-half later. When I first discerned entering religious life, I looked into joining the Franciscans. They had a history of serving the poor and the forgotten, and were on the front lines of social justice issues. Some of them were also teachers. I then looked at the Benedictines and fell in love with the monastic life and the sung choral office. When I looked at the Dominicans, I found they had a healthy balance of the active life and contemplative life. At the end of a year's discernment, I found myself drawn to the Dominicans who have a saying about themselves - one foot in the monastery, one foot in the world. I feel I can best serve the Lord, the Church, and His people with these men who have made it their mission for the last 800 years to praise, to bless, and to preach.
Br. Boniface Willard, OP
I was born in Boise, Idaho, in 1977 and raised in a small town just north of there. Although my family spent a great deal of time enjoying the beauties of God found in the Idaho Rockies, we were regular in our religious observance. My sister and I attended religious education classes, and I served as an altar boy from the third grade until after college. It is, I think, through serving Mass and the example of several dedicated and holy priests that I first felt the stirrings of a desire to become a priest, but it was experienced as a sort of restlessness that quietly persisted through the years. During high school, my faith was challenged, both by the departure of family and friends from the Church and by members of other religious denominations, particularly the Mormons, who are the dominant religious group in southern Idaho. Although I was able to answer their questions and objections to some degree, I was often left feeling dissatisfied with my own answers. After a time, I realized that I had to go somewhere and learn about my faith, or I had to become an atheist. These were the only two options because if the faith I was raised with was not true, then nothing else seemed to be any better. Not having the strength to be an atheist, I decided to study the teachings and history of the Church. It was, if you will, faith seeking understanding. I attended Christendom College in Front Royal, Virginia, and graduated in 2000 with a Bachelor of Arts in theology. Attending Christendom College was a tremendous experience. I found the academic life stimulating and challenging, but it was the experience of the college community – which I think is best described as a sort of lay religious community – that once more brought to life the desire to be a priest; now, though, I began to think about life as a priest in a religious order. However, I graduated with no clear idea of what it was that I sought. After spending a year teaching high school in Richmond, I decided, on the advice of a friend, to study for my Master of Arts degree at the Dominican House of Studies in Washington, DC. As he said, I could work toward a higher degree while at the same time learn something about the Dominicans, whom he felt I would like. And he was right. I fell in love with the Order. The academic, prayer and community life of the friars resonated deeply in my soul, and a very strong desire to join them grew in me. I thought often about St. Matthew’s rich young man, and I finally decided to apply to the Western Dominican Province, and entered the Novitiate in August of 2003. I made my first profession in September of 2004, and I am currently working on the Master of Arts degree in theology and the Master of Divinity degree at DSPT.
The first gesture occurs at the beginning of the Rite, when the brother lies prostrate before the Prior Provincial (the leader of the community), arms outstretched in the form of a cross symbolizing humility and adoration of God (for more details see the blog by Fr. Augustine Thompson, OP). At that moment, the candidate is asked by the Provincial, “What do you seek?” To which he replies, “God’s mercy and yours.” This simple conversation marks the life of the person so long as he remains a member of the Order. All that he does, all that he says, all that he is and will become now is utterly dependent upon the mercy of God.
The second gesture comes at the actual profession of vows. The format is nearly as old as the Order itself. The friar kneels before the Prior Provincial and together they hold the Book of the Constitutions and Ordinances of the Friars Preachers in such a way that the Provincial holds not only the Book but also the hands of the friar making profession. The Rite itself suggests that the Book is “placed upon the hands of both the friar and the Provincial” (Rite, No. 39). The friar then does something which might seem, at first glance, to be a bit unusual: he makes a public profession of obedience to God, to Blessed Virgin Mary, and to the Master of the Order. He never mentions the other two vows of chastity or poverty. The moment passes quickly. Yet, its symbolic power cuts deeply to the heart of all present. With this gesture and profession, the individual allows himself to be bound by the Order (it is the Book which holds the two men together) to a life of obedience. The word obedience comes from the Latin ab audire, i.e. “to listen to.” The friar promises to hold “attentive listening” as the first and fundamental “stance of life”. He promises to listen to God in a manner similar to and flowing from the “listening heart” of Mary. This listening will happen throughout his life in the Order – and it is in this context that he takes on the vows – implicitly spoken – of chastity and poverty. In choosing to live life this way, the friar is simultaneously choosing to subordinate his own will to that of God – not blindly, but reflectively, contemplatively, by listening. In return for this surrender, the friar finds himself grasped by God. Whether you are there at the Solemn Profession in person or in spirit, do join us in prayer for our two brothers as they bind themselves in this way to God for the rest of their lives. May they truly find themselves grasped by the Lord in mercy and compassion. For more information, download the Rite of Profession for Friars.
Br. Mark Francis Manzano, OP
One fond memory of mine is recalling a sermon I once heard about the saints on a bright Sunday morning. In our church, high above the pews, were several stained glass windows of various people – Francis of Assisi, Thérèse of Lisieux, Anthony of Padua, and others. These were holy men and women who served the Lord and the Church in both heroic and hidden ways. And as the priest spoke, you could see the sunlight passing through and illuminating the windows and casting light into the church. And then the words came: "A saint is someone whom the Son shines through." Those words have stayed with me and I have wanted to be a saint ever since; I want to spend my life serving God and His people as they have done. I was born and raised in southern California. In college I studied mathematics and was active in my parish with music and youth ministry. My interest in religious life began in February 2002 at a religious education congress. After reading a biography of St. Francis of Assisi, I was fascinated with his life and how he lived the Gospel in a radical, genuine way and how he inspired others to do the same. So I did some research and was surprised: "These guys are still around?!" I had never met any religious before. My pastors were diocesan priests and I went through the public school system. Little did I know that I would be wearing a habit a year-and-a-half later. When I first discerned entering religious life, I looked into joining the Franciscans. They had a history of serving the poor and the forgotten, and were on the front lines of social justice issues. Some of them were also teachers. I then looked at the Benedictines and fell in love with the monastic life and the sung choral office. When I looked at the Dominicans, I found they had a healthy balance of the active life and contemplative life. At the end of a year's discernment, I found myself drawn to the Dominicans who have a saying about themselves - one foot in the monastery, one foot in the world. I feel I can best serve the Lord, the Church, and His people with these men who have made it their mission for the last 800 years to praise, to bless, and to preach.
Br. Boniface Willard, OP
I was born in Boise, Idaho, in 1977 and raised in a small town just north of there. Although my family spent a great deal of time enjoying the beauties of God found in the Idaho Rockies, we were regular in our religious observance. My sister and I attended religious education classes, and I served as an altar boy from the third grade until after college. It is, I think, through serving Mass and the example of several dedicated and holy priests that I first felt the stirrings of a desire to become a priest, but it was experienced as a sort of restlessness that quietly persisted through the years. During high school, my faith was challenged, both by the departure of family and friends from the Church and by members of other religious denominations, particularly the Mormons, who are the dominant religious group in southern Idaho. Although I was able to answer their questions and objections to some degree, I was often left feeling dissatisfied with my own answers. After a time, I realized that I had to go somewhere and learn about my faith, or I had to become an atheist. These were the only two options because if the faith I was raised with was not true, then nothing else seemed to be any better. Not having the strength to be an atheist, I decided to study the teachings and history of the Church. It was, if you will, faith seeking understanding. I attended Christendom College in Front Royal, Virginia, and graduated in 2000 with a Bachelor of Arts in theology. Attending Christendom College was a tremendous experience. I found the academic life stimulating and challenging, but it was the experience of the college community – which I think is best described as a sort of lay religious community – that once more brought to life the desire to be a priest; now, though, I began to think about life as a priest in a religious order. However, I graduated with no clear idea of what it was that I sought. After spending a year teaching high school in Richmond, I decided, on the advice of a friend, to study for my Master of Arts degree at the Dominican House of Studies in Washington, DC. As he said, I could work toward a higher degree while at the same time learn something about the Dominicans, whom he felt I would like. And he was right. I fell in love with the Order. The academic, prayer and community life of the friars resonated deeply in my soul, and a very strong desire to join them grew in me. I thought often about St. Matthew’s rich young man, and I finally decided to apply to the Western Dominican Province, and entered the Novitiate in August of 2003. I made my first profession in September of 2004, and I am currently working on the Master of Arts degree in theology and the Master of Divinity degree at DSPT.
Ordination to the Priesthood
“Accept from the holy people of God these gifts to be offered to him. Know what you are doing, imitate the mystery you celebrate: model your life on the mystery of the Lord’s cross.”
On May 30, two of the Dominican brothers, Rev. Br. Raphael Mary Salzillo, OP and Rev. Br. Peter Hoang Do, OP, will be ordained to the priesthood in the Rite of Presbyteral Ordination. For the brother it is a moment that rings both profound and terrifying! He is now – and for the rest of his life – to be the steward of the gifts given by God’s holy people. More frighteningly, he is charged with “knowing what he is doing.” But how will this ever be possible if the very essence of what he is to accomplish is itself wrapped up in mystery! Thankfully, through this Rite of Ordination the bishop provides the answer: It is only through acting in persona Christi, that is to say by modeling his life on the Lord’s cross, that the priest will ever hope to “know what he is doing.”
Much like a symphony, this Rite has several movements – each expressive of a different aspect of priesthood. The climax comes in a two-fold action: when the bishop invokes the power of the Holy Spirit upon the one to be ordained and lays his hands upon the candidate, acting out the ancient tradition first performed by the apostles upon the earliest members of the Church. After this formal act, the bishop then performs several “secondary acts” which describe in a symbolic way what the newly ordained priest must understand about himself and his life. Being drawn more deeply into the image and likeness of Christ (in persona Christi), the new priest has his hands anointed with sacred chrism. Next, the gifts for Mass are brought forward – a paten of bread and a chalice. Once they have been prepared by the deacon, they are given to the bishop who in turn hands them to the priest (who is once again kneeling before the bishop) saying, “Accept from the holy people of God these gifts to be offered to him. Know what you are doing, imitate the mystery you celebrate: model your life on the mystery of the Lord’s cross”. As we join in the celebration of this wonderful moment in the life of the Church, let us, too, pray that these men enter fully into that deep mystery to which they have been called by Jesus Christ in the service of his holy people.
Rev. Br. Raphael Mary Salzillo, OP
I was born in Eugene, Oregon in 1976 and spent most of my life in a small town called Florence just an hour west of Eugene on the coast. My family raised me with a strong Christian faith and a very clear sense that Christ should be the most important thing in my life. Through the influence of my mother (who was actually raised fundamentalist) my family became Catholic in 1991, when I was about fifteen. I was old enough to know clearly what I was doing, and to choose to be Catholic, but my faith nevertheless remained very Protestant and generic so to speak. I was not fully open to the truth that the Catholic Faith has to offer. At sixteen, I had a spiritual experience in Mass that gave me the very strong feeling that God was calling me to the priesthood or religious life (at that time I didn't know the difference). This was something I was not open to at the time and so I put a good deal of time and energy into convincing myself that it was my imagination (never fully succeeding). I went to college at Caltech in Pasadena, earning a Bachelor’s degree in applied physics. Then I went on to graduate school in that field, although I wasn't really sure if that was what God wanted for me. I enjoyed graduate school very much and it was there that the Lord started to work on me to bring me into the center of His Church, and make my vocation clear to me. I wrestled for several years with my Cafeteria Catholicism. I believed very strongly (as many do today) that my own intellect and judgment should be the ultimate criteria for what I would and would not believe. It was later that I learned that the word heresy comes from the Greek word to choose. I wanted to choose my own religion rather than accepting the Catholic one as a coherent whole. In a way, choice had become a God for me, as it has to so many in our society. It was through my study of Church History and theology and through a deepening prayer life that my own intellect and judgment finally brought me to the conclusion that they alone could not get me what I yearned for. On my own I could not know religious truth with certainty and could never have more than an egocentric personal (and seemingly very subjective) confidence in the truth of my beliefs. It should have been no wonder to me to discover this since God would not have needed to reveal Himself to us had we the ability to derive divine truth on our own! That is why He gave us the Bible and established His Church, so that we might know the essential truths of the faith with certainty. It was through submission of my power of choice in matters of faith that I came to know Jesus Christ in a much deeper way. The final part of my faith that I finally accepted (though not without a fight) was Mary, the Mother of God. Having been raised Protestant, and mildly anti-Catholic, it was a hurdle just for me to accept the Church's teaching on Mary's maternal intercession. Taking it to heart and making Mary a part of my life was something else altogether! And yet, eventually I did, and that (more than anything else in my life, save the Holy Eucharist) taught me to love Jesus. It was Mary who brought me to finally accept my vocation, and it has been her that has sustained me in this life for the past few years, with all its joys and challenges. As a wise priest once told me, when we say Hail Mary she says Hail Jesus and she can say it quite a bit better than we can! Once I knew that God was calling me to a religious vocation and started doing research on different orders, the Dominicans with their emphasis on doctrinal preaching and study, as well as their strong community life with a streak of monasticism appealed to me immediately. After spending a year checking out other orders, and doing a lot of discernment with a spiritual director, I finally became confident that this is where God wanted me. And all I can say is that His grace has gotten me this far, so I continue to trust.
Rev. Br. Peter Hoang Do, OP
I was born in 1977 in a small town about fifty miles south of Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam. In 1985, my father and I escaped from Vietnam on boat and landed in Malaysia. We lived in the Philippines and in Malaysia for a year, before we were able to come to the U.S. and live with my uncle in Portland, Oregon. I went to college at Portland State University in 1995. After graduation, I went to the University of Utah for graduate studies. It was here that I met the friars of the Western Dominican Province. I was drawn to the Dominican life with its contemplative and active dimensions, and the focus on study, community, prayer, and preaching.
On May 30, two of the Dominican brothers, Rev. Br. Raphael Mary Salzillo, OP and Rev. Br. Peter Hoang Do, OP, will be ordained to the priesthood in the Rite of Presbyteral Ordination. For the brother it is a moment that rings both profound and terrifying! He is now – and for the rest of his life – to be the steward of the gifts given by God’s holy people. More frighteningly, he is charged with “knowing what he is doing.” But how will this ever be possible if the very essence of what he is to accomplish is itself wrapped up in mystery! Thankfully, through this Rite of Ordination the bishop provides the answer: It is only through acting in persona Christi, that is to say by modeling his life on the Lord’s cross, that the priest will ever hope to “know what he is doing.”
Much like a symphony, this Rite has several movements – each expressive of a different aspect of priesthood. The climax comes in a two-fold action: when the bishop invokes the power of the Holy Spirit upon the one to be ordained and lays his hands upon the candidate, acting out the ancient tradition first performed by the apostles upon the earliest members of the Church. After this formal act, the bishop then performs several “secondary acts” which describe in a symbolic way what the newly ordained priest must understand about himself and his life. Being drawn more deeply into the image and likeness of Christ (in persona Christi), the new priest has his hands anointed with sacred chrism. Next, the gifts for Mass are brought forward – a paten of bread and a chalice. Once they have been prepared by the deacon, they are given to the bishop who in turn hands them to the priest (who is once again kneeling before the bishop) saying, “Accept from the holy people of God these gifts to be offered to him. Know what you are doing, imitate the mystery you celebrate: model your life on the mystery of the Lord’s cross”. As we join in the celebration of this wonderful moment in the life of the Church, let us, too, pray that these men enter fully into that deep mystery to which they have been called by Jesus Christ in the service of his holy people.
Rev. Br. Raphael Mary Salzillo, OP
I was born in Eugene, Oregon in 1976 and spent most of my life in a small town called Florence just an hour west of Eugene on the coast. My family raised me with a strong Christian faith and a very clear sense that Christ should be the most important thing in my life. Through the influence of my mother (who was actually raised fundamentalist) my family became Catholic in 1991, when I was about fifteen. I was old enough to know clearly what I was doing, and to choose to be Catholic, but my faith nevertheless remained very Protestant and generic so to speak. I was not fully open to the truth that the Catholic Faith has to offer. At sixteen, I had a spiritual experience in Mass that gave me the very strong feeling that God was calling me to the priesthood or religious life (at that time I didn't know the difference). This was something I was not open to at the time and so I put a good deal of time and energy into convincing myself that it was my imagination (never fully succeeding). I went to college at Caltech in Pasadena, earning a Bachelor’s degree in applied physics. Then I went on to graduate school in that field, although I wasn't really sure if that was what God wanted for me. I enjoyed graduate school very much and it was there that the Lord started to work on me to bring me into the center of His Church, and make my vocation clear to me. I wrestled for several years with my Cafeteria Catholicism. I believed very strongly (as many do today) that my own intellect and judgment should be the ultimate criteria for what I would and would not believe. It was later that I learned that the word heresy comes from the Greek word to choose. I wanted to choose my own religion rather than accepting the Catholic one as a coherent whole. In a way, choice had become a God for me, as it has to so many in our society. It was through my study of Church History and theology and through a deepening prayer life that my own intellect and judgment finally brought me to the conclusion that they alone could not get me what I yearned for. On my own I could not know religious truth with certainty and could never have more than an egocentric personal (and seemingly very subjective) confidence in the truth of my beliefs. It should have been no wonder to me to discover this since God would not have needed to reveal Himself to us had we the ability to derive divine truth on our own! That is why He gave us the Bible and established His Church, so that we might know the essential truths of the faith with certainty. It was through submission of my power of choice in matters of faith that I came to know Jesus Christ in a much deeper way. The final part of my faith that I finally accepted (though not without a fight) was Mary, the Mother of God. Having been raised Protestant, and mildly anti-Catholic, it was a hurdle just for me to accept the Church's teaching on Mary's maternal intercession. Taking it to heart and making Mary a part of my life was something else altogether! And yet, eventually I did, and that (more than anything else in my life, save the Holy Eucharist) taught me to love Jesus. It was Mary who brought me to finally accept my vocation, and it has been her that has sustained me in this life for the past few years, with all its joys and challenges. As a wise priest once told me, when we say Hail Mary she says Hail Jesus and she can say it quite a bit better than we can! Once I knew that God was calling me to a religious vocation and started doing research on different orders, the Dominicans with their emphasis on doctrinal preaching and study, as well as their strong community life with a streak of monasticism appealed to me immediately. After spending a year checking out other orders, and doing a lot of discernment with a spiritual director, I finally became confident that this is where God wanted me. And all I can say is that His grace has gotten me this far, so I continue to trust.
Rev. Br. Peter Hoang Do, OP
I was born in 1977 in a small town about fifty miles south of Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam. In 1985, my father and I escaped from Vietnam on boat and landed in Malaysia. We lived in the Philippines and in Malaysia for a year, before we were able to come to the U.S. and live with my uncle in Portland, Oregon. I went to college at Portland State University in 1995. After graduation, I went to the University of Utah for graduate studies. It was here that I met the friars of the Western Dominican Province. I was drawn to the Dominican life with its contemplative and active dimensions, and the focus on study, community, prayer, and preaching.
Three Dominican Priests Honored at the 2009 Archbishop Joseph Alemany Award for Christian Service
Every year, DSPT hosts an award ceremony to honor women and men who have distinguished themselves by exemplary service to the Church. Over the years, religious order and lay people alike have been recipients of the Archbishop Joseph Alemany Award for bringing their Catholic faith to bear on the concerns of today. On Saturday, April 18, over two hundred family members and friends gathered at St. Albert’s Priory to show their appreciation for this year’s awardees: Fr. Thomas James Hayes, OP, Fr. Vincent Lopez, OP, and Fr. Martin Walsh, OP.
The celebration began with Holy Mass at the chapel of Saint Albert Priory followed by a reception in the courtyard, and a sit-down dinner and ceremony in the refectory. Introducing each of the honorees were distinguished men in their own right: Mr. John Whalen, President of La Jolla Marine, Inc., Mr John Murphy, President of Murphy Plywood, and Dr. Kevin Starr, History Professor at University of Southern California (USC), and State Librarian Emeritus.
Fr. Vincent, Fr. Martin and Fr. Tom each reflected on what they shared in common: growing up in Vallejo, California. With the highest regard for the Dominican Sisters of San Rafael who taught there, they each took a moment to thank them directly that night. The teachers who influenced the early days of their journey sat in the audience while the men remembered the years they spent at Saint Vincent Ferrer Grammar School.
Fr. Michael Sweeney, OP, President of the School, presented the awardees with their individual citations and thanked all three for their academic, pastoral, and community work and contributions. Fr. Michael reminded the community gathered in the refectory that night of DSPT’s mission as a community of learners engaged in study that is rooted in Catholic tradition and provides answers to contemporary concerns. He extended his invitation to the guests to join DSPT in this mission.
A very special thank you to our volunteers who were instrumental in making this special event happen, especially Marilyn Knight and her friends, student brothers, lay students, parishioners of Holy Rosary in Antioch and Saint Mary Magdalen in Berkeley, and DSPT’s Board of Trustees.
The celebration began with Holy Mass at the chapel of Saint Albert Priory followed by a reception in the courtyard, and a sit-down dinner and ceremony in the refectory. Introducing each of the honorees were distinguished men in their own right: Mr. John Whalen, President of La Jolla Marine, Inc., Mr John Murphy, President of Murphy Plywood, and Dr. Kevin Starr, History Professor at University of Southern California (USC), and State Librarian Emeritus.
Fr. Vincent, Fr. Martin and Fr. Tom each reflected on what they shared in common: growing up in Vallejo, California. With the highest regard for the Dominican Sisters of San Rafael who taught there, they each took a moment to thank them directly that night. The teachers who influenced the early days of their journey sat in the audience while the men remembered the years they spent at Saint Vincent Ferrer Grammar School.
Fr. Michael Sweeney, OP, President of the School, presented the awardees with their individual citations and thanked all three for their academic, pastoral, and community work and contributions. Fr. Michael reminded the community gathered in the refectory that night of DSPT’s mission as a community of learners engaged in study that is rooted in Catholic tradition and provides answers to contemporary concerns. He extended his invitation to the guests to join DSPT in this mission.
A very special thank you to our volunteers who were instrumental in making this special event happen, especially Marilyn Knight and her friends, student brothers, lay students, parishioners of Holy Rosary in Antioch and Saint Mary Magdalen in Berkeley, and DSPT’s Board of Trustees.
New at DSPT: New Summer Classes
It is summer time again and we enthusiastically invite you to attend our summer session here at the Dominican School of Philosophy and Theology. For the first time this summer we are offering Evangelizing Education I & II (courses in pedagogy – the only such courses at the GTU), Lay Preaching, Youth Ministry Spirituality, and an intensive course in ecclesiastical Latin. We are delighted to continue to offer courses in spirituality and to invite back to DSPT Fr. Luke Buckles, OP from the Angelicum in Rome where he is Professor of Spiritual Theology, to offer his Pray Like a Mystic courses, which he will team teach with Sarah Lewis. Fr. Brendan McAnerney, OP, adjunct professor at DSPT and one of the leading iconographers in the country, is returning to offer his courses in iconography, including Introduction to Icon Painting, where students have the opportunity to learn how to write (paint) icons. We invite you to learn more about the courses and registration process by visiting our website at www.dspt.edu. Because courses with limited enrollment may fill up and because courses for which insufficient interest is shown may be cancelled, it is best to register by the early registration deadline of Friday, May 15. We invite you to join us for what will surely be another productive, rewarding experience this summer!
DSPT Graduates Continue Their Studies
DSPT is proud to report on several of our graduates who will be continuing their studies in Master’s and Doctoral programs across the country, many of whom received generous offers of financial support from their departments!
Sarah Ball, BA Philosophy, was accepted into the MA program in the Philosophy Department at the Catholic University of America. She plans to focus on Ancient and Modern Continental Philosophy, but because CUA specializes mostly in Medieval and Ancient Philosophy, she is planning on building a foundation in Ancient before continuing on for her PhD. She was attracted to CUA because of the Department’s interest in the history of philosophy. Many of her tutors from St. John’s (where she attended before transferring to DSPT to complete her BA) received PhDs in Philosophy from CUA, so she knew beforehand that they were not overly analytic in their approach. She is also interested in CUA as a faithful Catholic college and was awarded a half-tuition scholarship to attend.
Eiyad al-Kutubi, MA Philosophy, was accepted into a PhD program at Indiana University, Bloomington, in the Near Eastern Languages and Culture Department. The School has a very impressive reputation and was rated as one of the top five programs in Islamic Studies in the U.S. He is most excited to have the opportunity to work with Professor John Walbridge, who is quite well known for his works on Islamic philosophy, and plans to continue his research on Mulla Sadra’s philosophy. He has received an offer of financial support from the university and expects to hear the details of that offer soon.
Elissa McCormack, MA Theology, was accepted into the PhD program in Historical Theology at Saint Louis University. She plans to study the Catholic Church in seventeenth-century France, continuing the research on Jansenism and Gallicanism that she started at DSPT, and maybe expanding a bit into the history of the Jesuits. She is excited about this program because they emphasize both theological methods and historiographical methods, so there is a focus on the historical contexts for developments in theology. They also just hired two new people who do work in seventeenth-century France and have a full professor who studies Gallicanism, Ultramontanism, and Papal Infallibility in the context of Vatican I who is very interested in her research in the seventeenth century. She was offered a full fellowship, which includes full tuition and a stipend.
Heidi Thimann, GTU MA Theology, is now a first-year doctoral student in the GTU Art and Religion program. Her area of specialization is late medieval art, with a particular interest in gender issues and books of hours for aristocratic French women. She credits DSPT with inspiring her to continue her studies in medieval art.
Sarah Ball, BA Philosophy, was accepted into the MA program in the Philosophy Department at the Catholic University of America. She plans to focus on Ancient and Modern Continental Philosophy, but because CUA specializes mostly in Medieval and Ancient Philosophy, she is planning on building a foundation in Ancient before continuing on for her PhD. She was attracted to CUA because of the Department’s interest in the history of philosophy. Many of her tutors from St. John’s (where she attended before transferring to DSPT to complete her BA) received PhDs in Philosophy from CUA, so she knew beforehand that they were not overly analytic in their approach. She is also interested in CUA as a faithful Catholic college and was awarded a half-tuition scholarship to attend.
Eiyad al-Kutubi, MA Philosophy, was accepted into a PhD program at Indiana University, Bloomington, in the Near Eastern Languages and Culture Department. The School has a very impressive reputation and was rated as one of the top five programs in Islamic Studies in the U.S. He is most excited to have the opportunity to work with Professor John Walbridge, who is quite well known for his works on Islamic philosophy, and plans to continue his research on Mulla Sadra’s philosophy. He has received an offer of financial support from the university and expects to hear the details of that offer soon.
Elissa McCormack, MA Theology, was accepted into the PhD program in Historical Theology at Saint Louis University. She plans to study the Catholic Church in seventeenth-century France, continuing the research on Jansenism and Gallicanism that she started at DSPT, and maybe expanding a bit into the history of the Jesuits. She is excited about this program because they emphasize both theological methods and historiographical methods, so there is a focus on the historical contexts for developments in theology. They also just hired two new people who do work in seventeenth-century France and have a full professor who studies Gallicanism, Ultramontanism, and Papal Infallibility in the context of Vatican I who is very interested in her research in the seventeenth century. She was offered a full fellowship, which includes full tuition and a stipend.
Heidi Thimann, GTU MA Theology, is now a first-year doctoral student in the GTU Art and Religion program. Her area of specialization is late medieval art, with a particular interest in gender issues and books of hours for aristocratic French women. She credits DSPT with inspiring her to continue her studies in medieval art.
May 2009: Faculty and Alumni News
Sr. Marianne Farina, CSC participated in a two day conference on April 3-4, 2009 exploring interfaith dialogue and study which was held at the Aquinas Institute of Theology in St. Louis, MO. The conference was entitled, "Learning from Other Religions," and was organized by Fr. Scott Steinkerchner, OP. The purpose of the conference was to share ways that the programs of study and pastoral outreach engage with other religions in the training of Christian ministers and theologians. Presentations by professors and administrators of various institutions discussed how their courses of study and extracurricular activities help their students and local communities learn about other religions. Sr. Marianne was not able to be physically at the conference but gave her presentation through the use of video-conferencing. She discussed the course offerings at DSPT and the GTU and did a formal presentation about the "Faith in Human Rights" interfaith project.
Elissa McCormack, DSPT alumna, participated in the conference organized by the Western Commission for the Study of Religion (WECSOR) at Santa Clara University on March 22-23. WECSOR coordinates the regional meetings for the western organizations of the American Academy of Religion, the Society for Biblical Literature, and the American Schools of Oriental Research. She participated in the History of Christianity session organized around the topic “Power Relations in Christian History: Issues of Race and Gender,” with Dr. Daniel Joslyn-Siemiakoski (CDSP), Dr. Gary Macy (Santa Clara University), and Dr. Christopher Ocker (SFTS). Her paper, “Angelique’s Reform: Gender and Power in the Example of Port-Royal,” argued for a view of the beginnings of Jansenism and the reform of Port-Royal that gives more “credit” to the work that Angelique did, instead of just looking at her merely as a pawn in the theological experiments of the Abbe Saint-Cyran.
A new book by Fr. Christopher Renz, OP, In This Light Which Gives Light – A History of the College of St. Albert the Great, will be available soon. Originally founded in 1851 as the House of Studies for the Western Dominican Province, the College of St. Albert the Great was civilly incorporated in the State of California in 1932 with the hope that it would become "a lighthouse of religion and learning to the regions around," and in so doing open up a conversation between the Church and contemporary culture. In tracing the history of the College, Fr. Christopher sets it within the eight-hundred year-long educational mission of the Order. From the earliest day, Dominicans were dedicated to combining the education of the friars with the education of the laity and the spread of sana doctrina. The friars of the Western Province incorporated ideas from the famous Angelicum (Rome) in order to establish a place where laity would be educated in philosophy (and later theology) and thus be equipped to engage confidently the challenges of their time. As its growth continued, the College became well situated both academically and geographically to respond to the ecumenical movement of the mid-twentieth century. Ideas which served as the seedbed for the Graduate Theological Union (1962) also provided the means for the College to be the first Catholic institution to join the GTU in 1964. Shortly thereafter, the College changed its name to the Dominican School of Philosophy and Theology, moving classrooms and administration to the GTU campus. As Bishop Cummins, author of the preface, notes, "St. Albert College has grown much from the Benicia days. It has received much from its participation in what was once an experiment in Berkeley. We rejoice in what St. Albert's has contributed to the Graduate Theological Union. Without the Catholic presence, the consortium would be a respected educational institution but it would hardly be distinguished." To order a copy, visit http://dspt.edu/docs/about_us/historybook.asp.
DSPT alumna Sophia Stone has an article appearing this spring in the book Stephen Colbert and Philosophy: I Am Philosophy (And So Can You!). At the head of The Colbert Report, one of the most popular shows on television, Stephen Colbert is a pop culture phenomenon. This book is crammed with thoughtful and amusing chapters, each written by a philosopher and all focused on Colbert’s inimitable reality – from his word creations (truthiness, wikiality, freem, and others) to his position as a faux-pundit who openly mocks Fox News and CNN. Sophia’s chapter is titled “My God Stephen Colbert Really is Funny and I Can Use Wittgenstein to Prove It.” The book will be available on June 1 and you can preorder it from Amazon.com here.
Elissa McCormack, DSPT alumna, participated in the conference organized by the Western Commission for the Study of Religion (WECSOR) at Santa Clara University on March 22-23. WECSOR coordinates the regional meetings for the western organizations of the American Academy of Religion, the Society for Biblical Literature, and the American Schools of Oriental Research. She participated in the History of Christianity session organized around the topic “Power Relations in Christian History: Issues of Race and Gender,” with Dr. Daniel Joslyn-Siemiakoski (CDSP), Dr. Gary Macy (Santa Clara University), and Dr. Christopher Ocker (SFTS). Her paper, “Angelique’s Reform: Gender and Power in the Example of Port-Royal,” argued for a view of the beginnings of Jansenism and the reform of Port-Royal that gives more “credit” to the work that Angelique did, instead of just looking at her merely as a pawn in the theological experiments of the Abbe Saint-Cyran.
A new book by Fr. Christopher Renz, OP, In This Light Which Gives Light – A History of the College of St. Albert the Great, will be available soon. Originally founded in 1851 as the House of Studies for the Western Dominican Province, the College of St. Albert the Great was civilly incorporated in the State of California in 1932 with the hope that it would become "a lighthouse of religion and learning to the regions around," and in so doing open up a conversation between the Church and contemporary culture. In tracing the history of the College, Fr. Christopher sets it within the eight-hundred year-long educational mission of the Order. From the earliest day, Dominicans were dedicated to combining the education of the friars with the education of the laity and the spread of sana doctrina. The friars of the Western Province incorporated ideas from the famous Angelicum (Rome) in order to establish a place where laity would be educated in philosophy (and later theology) and thus be equipped to engage confidently the challenges of their time. As its growth continued, the College became well situated both academically and geographically to respond to the ecumenical movement of the mid-twentieth century. Ideas which served as the seedbed for the Graduate Theological Union (1962) also provided the means for the College to be the first Catholic institution to join the GTU in 1964. Shortly thereafter, the College changed its name to the Dominican School of Philosophy and Theology, moving classrooms and administration to the GTU campus. As Bishop Cummins, author of the preface, notes, "St. Albert College has grown much from the Benicia days. It has received much from its participation in what was once an experiment in Berkeley. We rejoice in what St. Albert's has contributed to the Graduate Theological Union. Without the Catholic presence, the consortium would be a respected educational institution but it would hardly be distinguished." To order a copy, visit http://dspt.edu/docs/about_us/historybook.asp.
DSPT alumna Sophia Stone has an article appearing this spring in the book Stephen Colbert and Philosophy: I Am Philosophy (And So Can You!). At the head of The Colbert Report, one of the most popular shows on television, Stephen Colbert is a pop culture phenomenon. This book is crammed with thoughtful and amusing chapters, each written by a philosopher and all focused on Colbert’s inimitable reality – from his word creations (truthiness, wikiality, freem, and others) to his position as a faux-pundit who openly mocks Fox News and CNN. Sophia’s chapter is titled “My God Stephen Colbert Really is Funny and I Can Use Wittgenstein to Prove It.” The book will be available on June 1 and you can preorder it from Amazon.com here.
Alumni Profile: Maria Vickroy-Peralta, M.A. in Theology (2008)
Since completing my MBA at the University of California in Berkeley, one of my goals had been to study theology. In September 2004, I resigned from my position as managing director at a major international bank to pursue my MA in Theology at DSPT, and it has turned out to be one of the best decisions that I have ever made.
Taking advantage of the School’s Rome Residency Program, I spent the spring of 2005 studying at the Pontifical University of St. Thomas, known as the Angelicum. I could not have been in Rome at a more tremendous time. I feel blest to have seen Pope John Paul II just before he passed away: a friend and I happened to walk into St. Peter’s Square just in time for the Holy Father’s final public blessing, only three days before his death. Three weeks later, I was in St. Peter’s Square for the “holy smoke” and the election of Pope Benedict XVI – one of the most exciting moments in my life.
My master’s project at DSPT involved the development of a functional theology course for Catholic seminarians and lay students in graduate theology programs who are preparing to serve in leadership positions in a parish environment. The project brought together my theological interests in Christian leadership, collaborative ministry, stewardship, and the laity, with my previous business education and professional experience. I hope at some time to teach the course or make the course materials available for other instructors, so that this project will assist in the endeavor to meet the growing need for formal training in practical parish leadership, management, and administration.
In July 2007, I accepted the position of development director at my parish, St. Dominic’s in San Francisco. Instead of just “talking the talk” – researching and writing about parish leadership, collaboration, and stewardship – I found myself “walking the walk.” My theological studies, along with my business background, provided me with the resources necessary to put my research into action and to transition quickly and effectively into a leadership position as a member of the parish staff. In November 2008, I was elected to the DSPT Board of Trustees, and I am delighted to remain an active member of the DSPT community.
Taking advantage of the School’s Rome Residency Program, I spent the spring of 2005 studying at the Pontifical University of St. Thomas, known as the Angelicum. I could not have been in Rome at a more tremendous time. I feel blest to have seen Pope John Paul II just before he passed away: a friend and I happened to walk into St. Peter’s Square just in time for the Holy Father’s final public blessing, only three days before his death. Three weeks later, I was in St. Peter’s Square for the “holy smoke” and the election of Pope Benedict XVI – one of the most exciting moments in my life.
My master’s project at DSPT involved the development of a functional theology course for Catholic seminarians and lay students in graduate theology programs who are preparing to serve in leadership positions in a parish environment. The project brought together my theological interests in Christian leadership, collaborative ministry, stewardship, and the laity, with my previous business education and professional experience. I hope at some time to teach the course or make the course materials available for other instructors, so that this project will assist in the endeavor to meet the growing need for formal training in practical parish leadership, management, and administration.
In July 2007, I accepted the position of development director at my parish, St. Dominic’s in San Francisco. Instead of just “talking the talk” – researching and writing about parish leadership, collaboration, and stewardship – I found myself “walking the walk.” My theological studies, along with my business background, provided me with the resources necessary to put my research into action and to transition quickly and effectively into a leadership position as a member of the parish staff. In November 2008, I was elected to the DSPT Board of Trustees, and I am delighted to remain an active member of the DSPT community.
May 2009: A Culture of Philanthropy
How to Cultivate a Culture of Philanthropy Throughout Your Community
A culture of philanthropy emerges when people share a common belief and come together to support it. At DSPT our supporters give time, resources, ideas, money, prayers and much more. They each have special gifts. What they offer varies on many levels, but what they have in common is their solid belief in the mission of our school – to prepare women and men for academic and apostolic vocations.
Financial donations from our supporters are vital to the continuing success of our School. But there are other ways for you and your community to get involved. Special events such as the Alemany Award Dinner and Sunday in Spain auction are perfect opportunities to introduce the School to people you know who might enjoy fellowship with an intellectually diverse community. Visit www.dspt.edu for more information about our special lectures and events. If you are more interested in hosting an event to introduce your friends and colleagues to the work being done at DSPT, we would be happy to provide you with information and support in promoting the school. Contact advancement@dspt.edu for more information on how to get involved in any of these ways.
In order to grow our school and increase the impact we have on the world around us, we need your help. You can help us expand this culture of philanthropy by reaching out to people you know who share our interest in applying the wisdom of theology and philosophy to the concerns of society today. Join us and put your gifts to work today.
A culture of philanthropy emerges when people share a common belief and come together to support it. At DSPT our supporters give time, resources, ideas, money, prayers and much more. They each have special gifts. What they offer varies on many levels, but what they have in common is their solid belief in the mission of our school – to prepare women and men for academic and apostolic vocations.
Financial donations from our supporters are vital to the continuing success of our School. But there are other ways for you and your community to get involved. Special events such as the Alemany Award Dinner and Sunday in Spain auction are perfect opportunities to introduce the School to people you know who might enjoy fellowship with an intellectually diverse community. Visit www.dspt.edu for more information about our special lectures and events. If you are more interested in hosting an event to introduce your friends and colleagues to the work being done at DSPT, we would be happy to provide you with information and support in promoting the school. Contact advancement@dspt.edu for more information on how to get involved in any of these ways.
In order to grow our school and increase the impact we have on the world around us, we need your help. You can help us expand this culture of philanthropy by reaching out to people you know who share our interest in applying the wisdom of theology and philosophy to the concerns of society today. Join us and put your gifts to work today.
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