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2015 Magazine Columns

  • A Moment in History: The Holy Father Comes to Campus

    The Catholic University of America Magazine, Fall 2015

    “Fratres caríssimi,” dear brothers, Pope Francis addressed the crowd of 30,000 gathered on our campus, “let us lift up our prayers to God the Father Almighty through Jesus Christ.” This was the beginning of the canonization rite for St. Junípero Serra at the Mass Pope Francis celebrated from the East Portico of the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception on September 23. We began to recite the long litany of saints, invoking their names and asking for their prayers.

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  • On a Career Path, Surprises Can Be Part of the Plan

    The Catholic University of America Magazine, Summer 2015

    When I dropped out of graduate school, my plan was to get a job on a whaling ship. I was on a Melville kick at the time, and a whaling job seemed just the thing for a vocationally adrift 22-year-old. But I couldn’t get one. Commercial whaling (fortunately) had been on the decline for years in the United States. In retrospect, it was providential. At the time, it seemed just another failed plan. 

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  • The Importance of Place

    The Catholic University of America Magazine, Spring 2015

    I vividly remember standing in a field with a small group of University administrators as the wrecking ball made its first dent in Spellman Hall in February 2011. Then, after the old residence halls were reduced to rubble and hauled away, our community watched as brick by brick Monroe Street Market was built up. Phase one of the project was completed this fall and in this issue of The Catholic University of America Magazine is a four-page photo feature about its development (pages 20–23). 

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