St. Joseph Memorial Chapel was packed with mourners, who attended the 90 minute funeral Mass.

The 88 year-old Fr. Brooks, who served as president from 1970 to 1994, died July 2 at the UMass Memorial Medical Center — University Campus, where he had been undergoing treatment for lymphoma.

Fr. Brooks is credited with a number of achievements at the school but he is particularly well-remembered for traveling up and down the East Coast in the late 1960s in search of black high school students who might be interested in attending Holy Cross and in making the school co-educational.

In his homily, Jesuit Father Earle L. Markey, associate director of admissions for Holy Cross, recounted the many initiatives Fr. Brooks undertook in making Holy Cross a nationally-renowned liberal arts college: recruiting an excellent faculty and bright students, adding new buildings, introducing new academic programs and building the endowment — all while staying true to the College’s Catholic roots.

“In the midst of great change, John always confirmed that the college remains a Catholic college,” he said. “He never wavered from his view that the College of the Holy Cross served the Church as an instrument of intellectual competence, where the Church met the world and world met the church. It was a place where faith and reason could meet and be reconciled each to the other.”

Related Information:

• College of the Holy Cross memorial: “In Memoriam: Rev. John E. Brooks, S.J. ’49, 1923-2012“
• New England Province of the Society of Jesus memorial: “Fr. John E. Brooks, SJ dies at 88“
• WBUR’s “Here and Now,” July 5: “Remembering Father John Brooks”
• The New York Times, July 5: “The Rev. John E. Brooks Dies at 88; Widened Paths to Holy Cross”
• The Boston Globe, July 5: “John E. Brooks, 88; led Holy Cross for 24 years and diversified the college”
• Catholic Free Press, July 5: “Father Brooks saw many changes at Holy Cross”
• “Today,” July 4: NBC’s ‘Today’ Show Features Holy Cross and ‘Fraternity’
• BusinessWeek, July 3: “Reverend John Brooks Changed Lives and the Course of History”
• Telegram & Gazette, July 3: “Rev. Brooks left an indelible mark”
• Telegram & Gazette, July 3: “Slideshow: Rev. John E. Brooks, 1923-2012″
• Telegram & Gazette, July 9: “Rev. Brooks mourned at Holy Cross funeral”
• Telegram & Gazette, July 9: “Slideshow: Rev. John E. Brooks mourned”
• College of the Holy Cross, July 9: “Former Holy Cross President Rev. John E. Brooks, S.J. ’49, Laid to Rest”
• Welcome Remarks by Jesuit Father Philip L. Boroughs
• Homily by Jesuit Father Earle Markey
• Eulogy by Jesuit Father P. Kevin Condron

One of Fr. Boroughs, S.J.’s first official events at the College of the Holy Cross was its academic convocation in late January, where he welcomed Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas, ‘71 Holy Cross graduate, as he received an honorary degree.

With a tradition of academic excellence that dates to its founding in 1843, the College of the Holy Cross in Worcester, Mass. is the oldest Catholic college in New England. This year, students and faculty welcomed Jesuit Father Philip Boroughs to the hillside campus as the college’s 32^nd president.

This piece below about Fr. Borough’s arrival to Holy Cross originally appeared in the Spring issue of their magazine. You can find out more about Holy Cross and its academics grounded in the Jesuit tradition via this link.

Jesuit Father Philip L. Boroughs moved into the president’s office at the College of the Holy Cross at the start of 2012 and began meeting as many members of the community as possible in his first few weeks. Making visits to various faculty meetings, introducing himself to staff through town hall-style gatherings, participating in student events and simply greeting people on campus have helped the former Georgetown vice president become acquainted with his new extended family.

“Holy Cross has the reputation of being a warm and engaged educational community, and I have discovered how true that is,” Fr. Boroughs commented after his first week. “I have been very moved by the kindness, generosity and genuine care that I have received from many individuals and groups on campus who have helped me to move in and get established. People are extremely friendly and welcoming and have gone out of their way to introduce themselves and offer assistance.”

The college’s new leader, who lists Dr. Nathan Hatch, president of Wake Forest University; Dr. Jack DeGioia, president of Georgetown University; and Jesuit Father Stephen Privett, president of the University of San Francisco; among the academic leaders he most admires, says that, though the learning curve for his new role is intense, the work is “exciting and energizing.”

Fr. Boroughs was born in Vancouver, British Columbia, and raised in Seattle. He earned his bachelor of arts degree from Gonzaga University in Spokane, Wash., in 1973, and received a master of divinity degree from the Jesuit School of Theology (Chicago) in 1978. He later received a licentiate in sacred theology from the Jesuit School of Theology in Berkeley in 1987 and his Ph.D. in Christian spirituality from the Graduate Theological Union in Berkeley, Calif. in 1989.

Fr. Boroughs entered the Society of Jesus in 1967, was ordained a priest in 1978 and made his final vows as a Jesuit in 1986.

Students have had the chance to talk with their new president at several events. During the Martin Luther King Jr. Leadership luncheon in January, Fr. Boroughs told students, “It is important to know that leadership is not simply the consequence of your education, your talents or your desire. True leadership most typically happens when others call you to leadership in light of the gifts you have that match the needs of a particular time, place and circumstance.”

Asked how he prepared himself to take on the weighty mantle of becoming the 32nd president of the Holy Cross, Fr. Boroughs mentioned his sabbatical, during which he visited family in Seattle, British Columbia, London and Scotland; and friends in Portland, Ore., Ireland, Louisville, Palm Beach and St. Croix. “Having time to enjoy the beauty of the Northwest, time for a retreat and time to read and think was wonderfully rejuvenating,” he says. “Now, I look forward to living in a smaller city where one can really feel part of the life of the civic community, and I look forward to becoming part of this remarkable college.”

In September 2012, the college will celebrate the inauguration of Fr. Boroughs with several events, including a Mass and installation ceremony on Sept. 14.

At 63, Fr. McFarland still has a youthful grin, a twinkle in his eye and the slight build of a runner. His time at Holy Cross lasted longer than the 10 years trustees originally hoped for, but it will come to an end this year. In January, Jesuit Father Philip L. Boroughs, vice president for mission and ministry at Georgetown University, will take over.

During McFarland’s time at Holy Cross, the college added 400,000 square feet of building space; expanded its faculty and lowered its course load; grew its endowment by 61 percent; created new financial aid initiatives, including one that gives Worcester, Mass. students free tuition if their families earn less that $50,000; boosted recruiting in Worcester; helped launch the Nativity School of Worcester; fostered an affordable housing program in cooperation with the South Worcester Neighborhood Improvement Corporation; gave the Worcester Tornadoes a rent-free summer home; won re-accreditation and bought and razed off-campus buildings where students once lived.

McFarland arrived already familiar with a number of aspects of a college president’s job: the academics side, athletics, student life and finance. He had a couple things to learn on the job: “I had done less fundraising,” he said. “And then I’m not a politician. I said that when they hired me, so dealing with multiple complex constituencies has been a learning experience.”

But a large part of his presidency has been his time with students. The president attends about as many games as the athletic director, and the marching band loves McFarland so much that they made him the inaugural inductee into their hall of fame. Lauren A. D’Abrosca, co-chairman of the Student Government Association at Holy Cross, described him as being the type of person you never needed an introduction to say hello to.

“As a student, it could be almost a nerve-wracking experience sitting down with the president of your college. … And he doesn’t make it like that at all,” she said.

Read more about the College of the Holy Cross’ transition to a new president at the Worcester Telegram & Gazette.

“The committee wanted a theme that would explore how collaboration in the apostolate between faculty, staff, administration, and students has carried out and furthered the values and mission of Ignatian education at Holy Cross,” says committee member Jesuit Father Gregory Lynch, who also serves as assistant chaplain and director of service and social justice. “The idea of ‘Jesuits and Colleagues at Work’ will address several areas that speak to the shared ministry that has been a pivotal part of our mission.”

Guest lectures, liturgies, discussions and concerts will draw upon the Jesuit influence that pervades every aspect of campus.

“By inviting various speakers and holding a multitude of events, the committee hopes the community will be inspired to a greater appreciation of Holy Cross’ Jesuit roots and a reaffirmation of the College’s Jesuit identity,” Fr. Lynch says.

The events for the fall semester, which are free and open to the public, follow.

Oct. 20
4:30 p.m., Rehm Library
Lecture: “Learning From and Working With Jesuits”
Charles S. (Chick) Weiss, longtime faculty member and chair of the Board of Nativity School of Worcester, will speak on lay-Jesuit collaboration and how he has come to understand his role in the sharing of this responsibility. Weiss, a member of the department of psychology since 1975, is the director of the Office of Grants and Corporate and Foundation Giving at Holy Cross.

Oct. 23
7 p.m., Mary Chapel
World Mission Sunday Mass
An opportunity to learn more about the Church’s missionary activity, with Jesuit guest homilist from Boston College School of Theology and Ministry.

Nov. 17
4:30 p.m., Rehm Library
Lecture: “Navigating Culture and Faith as Lawyers”
Greg Kalscheur, S.J., will discuss how undergraduates who are interested in the legal profession might navigate culture and faith as lawyers. Kalscheur is an associate professor at Boston College Law School.

“For the past two and one-half years, Paul Harman has made tremendous advances in developing our mission and identity programs, as well as serving as a wise and perceptive advisor,” said Fr. McFarland.  “He has brought his deep knowledge of Holy Cross and extensive experience with higher education and other Jesuit apostolates to his work.  Now, in his new position as vice president, he will have broad responsibilities related to mission, particularly on issues of faith and justice.”

Harman chairs the College’s campus-wide Mission and Identity Committee and oversees its many initiatives and programs for students, faculty, and staff.   In his new position, he will continue and enhance that work with the Board of Trustees, the President’s Office, and other administrators.  He will also work especially closely with the Office of the College Chaplains.

Commenting on his new appointment at Holy Cross, Fr. Harman said:  “I have greatly enjoyed working with the faculty, staff, students and administrators at Holy Cross and look forward to strengthening the mission of the College, drawing from the long and rich traditions of the Church and the Society of Jesus.”

Fr. Harman received both his undergraduate degree and a master’s degree in philosophy from Boston College.  He entered the Society of Jesus in 1955 and was ordained a priest in 1968.  He taught at Baghdad College in Iraq, where he also studied Arabic, before returning to the United States to study at the Weston School of Theology, where he received his Licentiate of Sacred Theology.

Fr. Harman first worked at Holy Cross in 1970 as a visiting lecturer in theology while completing his doctorate in education at Columbia University.  The following year he was appointed associate academic dean; and in 1975 he became executive vice president, serving in that capacity until 1984.  He left Holy Cross to become Provincial Assistant for Formation for the New England Province of the Jesuits and later Secretary for Formation for the Jesuits in the United States.  Just before returning to Holy Cross, he served as rector of the Jesuit Community at Boston College.  He has also served on numerous boards of trustees, including Boston College, Georgetown, Loyola University of Chicago and Holy Cross, where he was a trustee from 1986 – 95.

[College of the Holy Cross]

Boroughs, a member of the Holy Cross Board of Trustees since 2008, has been professionally involved in Jesuit higher education for 20 years as a faculty member and administrator at Gonzaga, Seattle, and Georgetown universities. He was appointed in 2003 to his current post as Georgetown’s first-ever vice president for mission and ministry, directing numerous programs for faculty, staff, students, and alumni which further Catholic and Jesuit identity.

“From my first days as a member of the Holy Cross Board of Trustees, the distinctive mission of Holy Cross—along with the themes of academic rigor in a liberal arts environment, the commitment to teaching and learning, the emphasis on social justice, meaning and value—have resonated with me,” Boroughs said. “It is an honor and a great privilege to have been selected to join the Holy Cross community as its next president.”

Prior to his time at Georgetown, Fr. Boroughs served as the rector of the Jesuit Community at Seattle University where he was also a faculty member in the School of Theology and Ministry and an administrator (1992-2001). Previously, he taught religious studies at Gonzaga University (1989-91), served as the assistant novice director for the Oregon Province of Jesuits (1980-82), and was a parish priest at St. Leo Church in Tacoma, Wash. (1978-80). He is a former member of the Board of Trustees at the University of San Francisco.

For the full article in Georgetown’s The Hoya, click here.

Jesuit Father Anthony Kuzniewski will give a live online talk titled “Jesuits and the Development of Holy Cross” on Tuesday, Feb. 8 at 7 p.m. Eastern.

Fr. Kuzniewski, a professor of history and a renowned Holy Cross historian, will speak about the establishment of the college in 1843 and discuss how the Jesuits and their lay associates built upon that foundation — within the context of promoting educational excellence and service to Church and state.

Kuzniewski will answer questions submitted online at the end of the 15-minute talk.

Click this link to tune into the talk at 7 p.m. on Feb. 8.

It’s a graduation of sorts for him. Before arriving at Mount St. James, Fr. Lynch was a high school history teacher and assistant swim coach at Creighton Preparatory in Omaha, and says he was looking forward to working with older students.

“I enjoy working with college students,” he says. “I’m able to laugh with them and walk on their journey with them at the same time, whereas that is more difficult to do as a high school teacher.”

You can read more about Lynch’s experience as chaplain at Holy Cross here.