Posts Tagged ‘Boston College’

Fifty years ago,  in 1961,  Jesuit Father Patrick Howell entered the Society of Jesus at Sheridan, Ore, the novitiate for Jesuits in the Northwest.Today, Fr. Howell is the rector (religious superior) of the Jesuit Community at Seattle University and professor of pastoral theology. In this piece for the Seattle Times, Fr. Howell looks back upon his time as a Jesuit and his own travails. 

A recent graduate of Gonzaga University, I was only 21, but my peers, most of whom had entered directly from a Jesuit high school, such as Seattle Prep or Bellarmine Prep in Tacoma, considered me one of the “old men.”

The years pass swiftly, but they have been full of grace and certainly much more joy than sorrow.

I was blessed with first-class opportunities for advanced education. After initial studies in spirituality, prayer, Jesuit tradition and a dose of Latin and Greek, I studied philosophy and English literature at Boston College.

Then came three years of high-school teaching at Jesuit High in Portland. I survived the trials and testing by high-school boys and grew to love the personal interaction and challenge of teaching English, creative writing and poetry and advising the high school newspaper.

This “formation” period of teaching in high school probably accounts for why most Jesuits are such good teachers and homilists. Survival demands that you develop rhetorical skills and a flair for the dramatic — even though it’s not native to your personality — in order to grab the attention of 28 sophomore boys for 50 minutes each day…

But another significant portion of my life has been spiritual care of those who have suffered severe mental illness.

All this arose as a surprise, when I suffered a psychotic breakdown myself at age 35 and then recovered through excellent psychiatric care and the good graces and support of family and friends…

This “grace” led to an amazingly rich ministry with people with mental illness and their families.

Years ago, Jesuit Father Michael Buckley, in an address to Jesuit seminarians asked, “Is this man sufficiently weak to be a priest?”…

Why weakness? Because, according to the Epistle to the Hebrews, it is in this deficiency, in this interior lack, in this weakness, that the efficacy of the ministry and priesthood of Christ lies. “For because he himself has suffered and been tempted, he is able to help those who are tempted.” (Hebrews 2:18)

I think, after 50 years, I can rejoice in being “weak enough” to allow the grace of Christ to shine through and carry the load.

More of Howell’s life as a Jesuit can be found in this piece in the Seattle Times.

Jesuit Father Christopher Willcock, an award-winning Australian composer of music for churches and concert halls, has joined the Boston College community as the Thomas I. Gasson, SJ Professor for 2011-12.

Fr. Willcock is a faculty member in the Jesuit Theological College of the Melbourne College of Divinity in Australia, where he teaches liturgy and sacramental theology.

His “chief love,” though, is music. The first Gasson Professor to be based in the Music Department, Willcock is co-teaching a senior seminar this semester with Adjunct Associate Professor Jeremiah McGrann, and next semester will team teach Music and the Jesuit Tradition with Canisius Professor T. Frank Kennedy, SJ, — who is director of the Jesuit Institute — and Music Chairman Professor Michael Noone.

Born in Sydney, Fr. Willcock entered the Society of Jesus in 1969. Ordained a priest in 1977, he earned a doctorate from Institut Catholique and the Sorbonne in Paris.

“It’s a huge privilege, and a great pleasure, for the Music Department to be able to welcome Fr. Christopher Willcock as Gasson Professor,” said Noone. “While Willcock is one of the biggest names in Australian Catholic music, some of his most astonishing creations have been composed for the secular concert hall. Christopher’s collaborations with both students and faculty will emphasize the crucial role played by creativity and the imagination in college life.”

Fr. Willcock has composed orchestral, chamber, choral and solo vocal works. His music has been performed by the Tasmanian Symphony Orchestra, Tallis Scholars, Melbourne Chamber Orchestra and Melbourne Symphony Orchestra Chorus.

While in his post as Gasson Professor, Fr. Willcock hopes to work on a new piece of music, “Friday’s Child,” composed for a string quartet. “It will be about the life and message of German theologian Dietrich Bonhoeffer, who was killed by the Nazis,” he said.

One of Fr. Willcock’s favorite pieces, he said, is “Akhmatova Requiem,” set to the words of Russian poet Anna Akhmatova who wrote about the extreme sufferings during the Stalin regime. Fr. Willcock received the Albert H. Maggs Composition Award to compose and perform this work.

Fr. Willcock also has been recognized for his liturgical compositions, receiving the inaugural Percy Jones Memorial Award for Outstanding Contribution to Liturgical Music in 1993. Among the titles in his liturgical music collection are Who Did You See?, God Here Among Us, In the Peace of Christ, and two volumes of psalm settings: Psalms for Feasts and Seasons and Psalms for the Journey.

Fr. Willcock directed the music and an international choir for a Mass held in St. Peter’s Square to mark the Jesuit Jubilee in 2006. He created the song “Spirit-Power” specifically for the 2008 World Youth Day papal Mass held in Australia.

Funded by a gift from the Jesuit Community at Boston College, the Gasson Chair is held by a distinguished Jesuit scholar in any discipline and is the oldest endowed professorship at Boston College.

Boston College’s Strategic Plan — a broad-based blueprint for the University’s academic, formational and faith initiatives — was the subject of the University Convocation in Robsham Theater on Sept. 7, as the BC leadership offered assessments of the plan on its five-year anniversary.

BC President, Jesuit Father William P. Leahy, pointed to numerous indicators of progress in fulfilling the seven key facets of the Strategic Plan since it was launched in the fall of 2006. He also outlined what he called “imperatives” for the University in continuing to pursue the objectives of the Strategic Plan, and in meeting other challenges as it approaches its 150th anniversary in 2012-13.

Focusing on the student formation and Jesuit, Catholic aspects of the Strategic Plan, Fr. Leahy noted enhanced cooperation among faculty, deans, administrators and the Student Affairs and Mission and Ministry divisions, the reorganization of the Center for Student Formation and promotion of a positive campus culture — through introduction of late-night programs, student health initiatives and increased opportunities for student retreats, among other developments.

Similarly, while BC has seen success in its ambition to be the leading Catholic university and theological center — through its reaffiliation with the Weston Jesuit School of Theology, establishment of the Church in the 21st Century Center and publication of The Catholic Intellectual Tradition — its challenges include the need to recruit and educate faculty, administrators and staff supportive of the Jesuit-Catholic mission.

Fr. Leahy also urged that BC “remain true to our Jesuit, Catholic traditions and beliefs,” which differentiates the University from other institutions.The newly reopened Gasson Hall — regarded as BC’s most iconic building — and its distinctive lighted tower serves as a metaphor for the University’s mission, concluded Fr. Leahy: “We are to be beacons of faith and hope, a light to the world.”

(L-R) University President William P. Leahy, SJ, Vice President for University Mission and Ministry Jack Butler, SJ, and scholastic Jeremy Zipple ’00, a student in BC’s School of Theology and Ministry, at the March 31 panel discussion “Three Jesuits: Who Do They Say They Are? Personal Perspectives.” (Photo by Justin Knight)

Three members of the Boston College Jesuit Community opened their hearts and memories to an overflow audience of more than 200 to discuss their vocations as members of the Society of Jesus.

The discussion held at BC, was entitled “Three Jesuits: Who Do They Say They Are? Personal Perspectives,” and featured Boston College President Jesuit Father William Leahy, Vice President for University Mission and Ministry Jesuit Father Jack Butler, and Jesuit Scholastic Jeremy Zipple, a student in Boston College’s School of Theology and Ministry.

The Jesuit panelists spoke on how their individual journeys to the order began, whether by answering a life-long call to serve God, searching for the right opportunity to share a family’s love and concern for others — or, in one case, through a chance meeting with a BC Jesuit priest.

Father Butler described his time working with the marginalized in society, especially the incarcerated and the elderly, and the courage of such groups in the face of difficulties through faith as formative in his decision to enter the Jesuit Order.

“I fell in love first with a concept – how I saw God working in peoples’ lives,” Butler said. “Jesuits have a way of meeting people where they are, starting a conversation, and letting God do the rest of the work,” he said, calling the work of a Jesuit a process of “together finding God through one another.”

To read the full story on the panel, please visit the Boston College Chronicle.

At the 11^th annual Jesuit GALA of the New England Province of Jesuits, more than 1300 Jesuits, lay partners, family and friends gathered to honor Jesuit Fathers John Brooks, Aloysius Kelley and J. Donald Monan, whom were presented the Ad Majorem Dei Gloriam Award. The three Jesuits had served as presidents to three Jesuit colleges located in the New England Province: College of the Holy Cross, Fairfield University and Boston College.

The award, which was presented at the 11^th annual Jesuit Gala on April 12^th, honors those who selflessly give of themselves for the great glory of God.

Fr. Brooks served as president of Holy Cross from 1970-1994, Fr. Kelley served as president of Fairfield University from 1979-2004 and Fr. Monan served as Boston College’s president from 1972-1996.

Jesuit Provincial Myles Sheehan presented the award to the Jesuits for their combined 75 years of outstanding educational leadership.

“We are grateful to Frs. Brooks, Kelley and Monan for their vision in buiding on what had gone before and taking Jesuit education to new levels of quality, scholarship, influence and impct on not only New England, but the nation,” said Fr. Sheehan.

To read more about the events of the GALA, please visit the New England Province website.