Thank you for the invitation to speak with you today. I feel very privileged to report on the good work of deeply committed Catholics with God’s grace at The Catholic University of America. It is fitting to do so in this gathering. It was at the Second Plenary Council of Baltimore in 1866 where the idea of The Catholic University of America first came to life.
A little over a year ago I became Catholic University's 16th President. I had not envisioned this as the swan song of my career, nor was I actively seeking to become a university president anywhere else. Truth be told, I had enjoyed my time at North Carolina State University, the University of Notre Dame and the Illinois Institute of Technology, and I was looking forward to enjoying my grandchildren even more. Yet when I learned of the opportunity to serve Catholic University and its community, I found myself discerning in prayer.
My commitment to higher education combined with my even deeper commitment to my Catholic faith drew me to consider the challenge. But it was the unique character of The Catholic University of America in particular that was most compelling for me. The University’s stature as the nation's only pontifical university, the second research university founded in the United States (after Johns Hopkins), and the flagship institution of the United States Catholic bishops, spoke to me not only of the institution's venerable past, but equally if not more so, of its promise and its future.
One hundred and thirty-six years ago, Pope Leo XIII approved the founding of the University with the mandate to “provide the church with worthy ministers for the salvation of souls… and to give to the [American] Republic her best citizens.”
Looking around this room reveals the University’s response to that mandate. Forty-five of you are alumni of our University. If we include retired bishops, the number is close to 100. We count many thousands of priests, deacons, and religious in your dioceses among our alumni. Our recent body of graduate and undergraduate students hail from 175 dioceses in 46 states. There are currently five Catholic University alumni up for canonization1.
The full story of this university is that for almost 150 years, bishops, pastors, religious and laity have had their callings nourished in our classrooms and our chapels. The historic contribution of our institution to the life of the Church is significant.
But the past is just a prologue. I did not come to contemplate the University’s history with you, but to envision its future.
Today, the University stands more committed than ever to growing in the mission entrusted to us by Pope Leo: namely, to provide worthy ministers, committed Church members, and the nation’s best citizens.
As President, one of my top priorities is to ensure fidelity to the University’s purpose, to the teachings and directions of our Church and our Holy Father, and to strengthen its Catholic identity and character. To do so, we have laid plans to grow in every aspect of our institution.
The University recently finished its first very successful comprehensive fundraising campaign, bringing much needed resources to students, programs, and infrastructure on our campus.
On this foundation we intend to increase our student body from 5,400 to 10,000 over the next ten years, multiplying leaders for dioceses and the nation.
The University’s mission statement calls us to “advance the dialogue between faith and reason…” To meet this charge, we will intensify our commitment to our heritage as a tier-one research university, not only honoring our place in history as the nation's second research university, but expanding the dialogue between faith and reason and widening the horizons of scholarship and civic debate. We are committed to path breaking research and to respectful and civil discourse.
This dialogue is a gift the world needs, perhaps now more than ever, as we witness both great confusion and contention in our society and culture about the nature of the human person, and great concern for what Pope Francis affectionately calls “our common home.”
Finally, and perhaps most importantly, at its root the “bishops’ university” exists to serve you as our shepherds. Catholic University has a unique relationship to you, and therefore a unique responsibility. And we take this responsibility very seriously.
How should your pastoral needs shape our future? And how do we best partner in that future, meeting the challenges of the Church together? In its essence, this question is the heart of my visit with you today. “How might we better serve you?” My hope is that this question leads us to a robust dialogue going forward.
This summer, I sent a survey to capture your experience of our relationship. Over 60 of you have generously responded. For that I extend a heartfelt “thank you.” For those of you who were not able to respond, please do so. Your responses will be tremendously helpful in our planning, and we want to hear from you! The survey can be found in the materials you were given today, including an internet link to be quickly completed online.
From the responses received, four themes emerged which I would like to share with you.
First, you want to hear from us more often. Many of you said that you do not feel well-informed about the life of our University.
Second, you want us to safeguard the Catholic identity of the University and the faithful transmission of the teachings of our Church, both in the classroom and in student life.
Third, you desire more online offerings and degree programs to benefit priestly and lay ministry formation.
Finally, for many, you appreciate the University but geographical distance dilutes its value in the day-to-day life of your diocese. We need to bridge that gap. The establishment of our branch campus in Tucson, where we now have nearly 100 students, is one step in that direction. It is also an opportunity to serve the growing Hispanic population of our Church.
We are listening, asking ourselves how we can strengthen areas you feel we are doing well while taking initiative where there is room for growth, and turning your feedback into action.
This semester, I created a new position at our University: the Vice President for Ministry and Mission as part of our University’s Cabinet, anchoring formally faith and mission in the governance of our university. We are especially blessed to have Father Aquinas Guilbeau, O.P., as the first person to hold this position. Father Aquinas has served our community as chaplain and head of Campus Ministry this past year with excellence and devotion. Beyond his spiritual leadership, I trust his judgment and I seek his counsel to help navigate the course of the University.
We also recently established an Office of Diocesan Engagement, a bridge between the University and the 194 dioceses, archdioceses, and eparchies around the country. It will be a hub of initiative, strategy and coordination, ensuring that university programs meet the needs of the Church. The office is under the leadership of Associate Vice President Kirsten Evans, with us here today. We look forward to partnering with you in this new endeavor.
There are many other initiatives across campus we believe are of value to the life of the Church. You can find information on many of these in the literature provided today. Others you will learn about through our ongoing communication with you in the future.
Before I go, I have three requests of you.
First, please look to The Catholic University of America as a resource placed at your disposal. Lean on us. Ask us. Collaborate with us. Supporting you in your mission is how we fulfill ours.
Second, please come visit. The three last popes have come to our campus in Washington D.C.! We have a vibrant campus and it is a wonderful place. Our students are kind, inquisitive, fun-loving, and hungry for knowledge and for truth. We have seven chapels with the Blessed Sacrament with daily mass offered in 4 of them. Student Holy Hours take place three times a week. Confessions are offered twice daily. We will be establishing a perpetual adoration chapel in early 2024.
When at the USCCB, please drop in. We welcome hosting you as a guest lecturer for a class or evening event, or arranging a formal visit with the faculty and students of our ecclesiastical schools. We are also happy to organize a lunch or a coffee on campus with students from your diocese. Students love this. They love seeing their bishops on campus. If you have time you can always stop in to hear confessions or celebrate mass. Become a part of our community. We want to see more of you!
Finally, help us to grow. Help us raise awareness of the University in your diocese, so we may pursue our ambitious goals for the Church.
I close with a word of gratitude for the support you and the faithful offer Catholic University through the National Collection. Taken up in many dioceses, this collection helps underwrite a number of the initiatives discussed here today. It supports seminary formation, tuition discounts for students, spiritual life on campus, and projects that go to the heart of our Catholic identity. Thank you for supporting us.
In return, we pledge to be good stewards of your generosity, turning it into a living resource for the life of the Church.
The future holds great promise for The Catholic University of America. That promise only has meaning in service of and in close partnership with you. We are your university.
Please look to us as an ally in your stewardship of the faith. We look to you as our guides going forward. We ask for your input, involvement, advocacy and prayers. Please be assured that you have mine.
1Sister Thea Bowman, Father Theodore Foley, Father Emil Kapaun, Archbishop Fulton Sheen, Cardinal Terence Cooke