Promoting Gannon’s Catholic Identity and Mission You can feel it at Mass in the voices of the Chapel Choir and at ecumenical services in the Mary, Seat of Wisdom Chapel. You can see it in the vibrant activities of campus ministry and numerous faith-sharing groups or in the crucifix on the wall of the Hammermill Center. Unquestionably, Gannon’s Catholic Identity and Mission have been strengthened over the last 10 years and its reputation as a Catholic university has grown stronger.
(Clockwise from top) The University’s Welcome Mass, held each year during Preview GU welcome activities since 2002, routinely sees a full house crowd of nearly 300. ■ Gannon’s On Catholic Identity publication, first created in 1999, has received three updates since then. ■ The Rev. George Strohmeyer, University chaplain, shares a moment with Jen Toney ’06, ’08M in 2003.
faculty, staff and students—known as the Mission and Identity Council—to help ensure Gannon’s Catholic Identity was always at the forefront of University activities. Among other work, the council has since updated Gannon’s On Catholic Identity publication, which articulates Gannon’s expression of its responsibilities as a Catholic university, and has initiated a review of both the Mission Statement and Statement on Catholic Identity.
During his first month in office, Garibaldi “I believe Dr. Garibaldi’s finest achievement at Gannon has been his strengthening obtained individual copies for the entire of its Catholic Identity,” said the Most faculty and staff—all 650 of them— Rev. Donald W.Trautman, S.T.D., S.S.L., of the newly promulgated The Application Bishop of Erie. “He has modeled that of Ex Corde Ecclesiae, Pope John Paul II’s Catholic Identity to students and has structured it to administration and programming.” 1990 Apostolic Constitution on Catholic In 2004, Gannon initiated a public Universities. He also encouraged the prayer, delivered by a student-athlete, Gannon before all home athletic competitions. community The University joined a select group to attend of other Catholic colleges across the the weekly Community country in 2008 and began commemorating National Catholic Colleges Mass and Week, a seven-day celebration of monthly Catholic higher education. The same Gathering year, Gannon’s music ministry program in Praise increased its membership three-fold, service and in Fall 2009, the Catholic House at 11 a.m. and to refrain from holding reached full capacity with 12 student meetings at that time so that more residents. The current location for this faculty, staff and students could worship faith-based living-learning community, together. In August 2002, he instituted 306 W. Sixth St., was acquired by the a special Welcome Mass for new University in 2006. students and their families so that the school year would begin with a religious Another new practice that Garibaldi celebration that reinforced Gannon’s began in Fall 2001 was visiting the Catholic foundation and its commitment seven high schools in the Diocese of to faith development. Erie, along with the vice president for mission and ministry and a Gannon Under the leadership of the vice enrollment advisor, to speak about president for mission and ministry, planning for college and the academic whose responsibilities were formally and financial aid opportunities Gannon approved by Garibaldi in 2002, he offered. Over time, these visits paid commissioned in 2003 a new group of 3