St. Bernard's Magazine - Spring 2022.pdf

M A R

2 0 2 2

V O L

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www.stbernards.edu

Inside This Issue

120 French Road Rochester, NY 14618 (585) 271-3657

40 North Main Ave Albany, NY 12203 (518) 453–6760

Administration & Staff:

3

Letter from the President

4

Faculty and Staff Highlights

5

Academic Updates

6

Catholicity

Stephen Loughlin, Ph.D. | President

Gift

and

Task:

Introducing St. Bernard’s Fall 2022

Matthew Kuhner, Ph.D. | Vice President and Academic Dean

Bernadette Bobrowski | Marketing

as

Academic Conference

8

Homiletical

Foundations

for

a

& Communications Coordinator,

Eucharistic Revival

Editor

Matthew Brown | Director of

10

Admissions & Financial Aid

Together:

A

Reflection

on Synodality

Kelly Brunacini | Executive Assistant to the President

Journeying

12

A

Little

Catechesis

on

Mary

and

Anthony Coleman, Ph.D. | Director Catholicity

of Albany Campus

Marco Stango, Ph.D. | Manager of Albany Campus

Thomas Kubus | Finance & Human

15

Student

Reflection:

The

Bridge

of

Beauty

Resources Manager

Shannon Toot | Bookkeeper

Follow us! @StBernardsSTM

St. Bernard's Magazine is a publication of St. Bernard's School of Theology and Ministry.

LETTER FROM THE PRESIDENT

To my mind, one of the joys of the Lenten season is the opportunity to consider our lives anew: to examine our daily routines and perhaps our characters to see to what extent we stray from the great promise to which our Lord calls us as made to His image and likeness. Such is a most difficult thing to realize, and to describe it as a joy may be for some beyond the pale. Admittedly, my wife and I are great romantics when it comes to the spiritual life and its austerities. I myself also recognize

that

I

have

been

afflicted

with

the

professional

deformity

of

my

philosophical training: always striving for the most perfect of ideals irrespective of the practicalities involved.

However, when I consider each time the alternative to our romanticism of the faith or to my other-worldly training in philosophy, I am struck by how much I miss both the heart and the promise of our faith, as well as the graces that God pours forth especially during this most blessed of seasons. Please, don’t misunderstand me on this point. The call is not simply to become a romantic or a philosopher. Rather,

the call of Lent is to embrace the greatness and the promise of who and what we are, and to allow this to be realized more profoundly in our lives.

We are called to disenthrall ourselves from our false idols so as to consider anew what is most important in our lives as made to God’s image and likeness. I marvel each time I consider our most exalted status, not one simply manifested through some divine condescension, or just a lovely poetic turn-of-phrase without substance, but rather what God has made us to be from the beginning.

Lent is that most blessed of times when we remember who and what we are, and take up once again that “yoke which is easy, that burden which is light” (Matthew 11:30). May this season find us ready, willing, and able to take up who we truly are and so find the joy for which we have been made.

Sincerely,

Stephen J. Loughlin, Ph.D. President 3

FACULTY & STAFF HIGHLIGHTS On February 1, 2022, St. Bernard’s hit another milestone in its continued growth in service of God and His Church: our beloved Academic Dean,

Dr. Matthew

Kuhner, was promoted to the role of Vice President of St. Bernard’s!

For the past four and a half years, Dr. Kuhner has worked tirelessly as Academic Dean to provide for and ensure our School’s academic and ministerial excellence, advancing our institution to new levels of growth both on the local and national scale.

As Academic Dean, Dr. Kuhner has shown himself to be a natural administrator, one that St. Bernard’s is so blessed to enjoy. His goodwill, strategic mind, dedication to the mission and vision of St. Bernard’s, and most importantly his charity make him well suited for the role of Vice President. This, together with his continuing service as Academic Dean and Assistant Professor of Systematic Theology, position St. Bernard’s well as we now enter into a period of tremendous growth and set out to meet the exciting challenges that we will face over the next few years!

Dr. Kuhner earned his Masters in Theological Studies at the Pontifical John Paul II Institute for Studies on Marriage and the Family in Washington, D.C., and completed his Ph.D. in Systematic Theology at Ave Maria University in Florida. His academic work has appeared in Harvard Theological Review, Nova et Vetera, Angelicum, the Journal of Theological Studies, Pro Ecclesia, and the Journal of Jesuit Studies, and his areas of research interest include Christology and the theology of Hans Urs von Balthasar. He is much beloved by both his co-workers and his students, the latter of which are especially glad that, although so deserving of his promotion, he nevertheless will not be taken from his teaching duties!

Please join us in congratulating Dr. Matthew Kuhner!

4

ACADEMIC UPDATES St. Bernard’s has continued to unfold its educational mission throughout the current academic year. We are grateful to the Lord for His rich blessings, and we thank those who make the following developments possible through their financial support!

It is with great excitement that we welcome men from the

Diocese of Allentown, Pennsylvania,

into our Master of Arts in Pastoral Studies degree program as they pursue formation for the permanent diaconate! We are so grateful to Bishop Alfred A. Schlert, Bishop of the Diocese of Allentown, and Fr. Eugene Ritz, Director of the Office of Permanent Diaconate Formation, for their confidence in our ecclesial mission, our academic degree programs, and our attentiveness to all dimensions of formation. The students from the Diocese of Allentown have been such a blessing in our classrooms – we look forward to welcoming additional students from Pennsylvania in the future!

We recently held the

47th Annual Otto A. Shults Lecture

on February 2nd, 2022 via Zoom

featuring Dr. Josephine Lombardi, Assistant Professor of Systematic and Pastoral Theology at St. Augustine’s

Seminary

in

Toronto,

and

her

lecture

on:

“In

Persona

Mariae:

Women

as

Marian

Successors in Ministry and Beyond.” How grateful we are to Dr. Lombardi for a substantive and engaging discussion on such an important topic!

The Spring semester also afforded us the opportunity to host a

Book Symposium, Engaging and

Celebrating Dr. Michael Maria Waldstein’s recently-released work, Glory of the Logos in the Flesh: St. John Paul’s Theology of the Body.

A lively discussion of the book occurred after

presentations by prominent writers, evangelists, and scholars, such as Christopher West, Fr. José Granados, Prof. Angela Franks, Prof. Nicholas Healy, and Prof. Lisa Lickona.

The

Certificate in Evangelization,

our programmatic collaboration with the Saint John Society, is

now in its third and final course for this academic year! Dr. Matthew Kuhner is looking forward to diving into the mysteries of Christology with over 50 students currently taking part in the Certificate.

The year will conclude with an in-person symposium held in Portland, Oregon, which will feature opportunities for human, intellectual, spiritual, and pastoral growth!

Finally, all of our academic offerings will benefit from the addition of two new adjunct professors this Spring and Summer.

Fr. Benjamin Roberts, D.Min.,

is offering a course on Ecclesiology and

the Theology of Ministry this Spring. With a Doctor of Ministry in Preaching from the Aquinas Institute of Theology, Fr. Roberts deftly integrates deep pastoral experience with academic expertise: he is Pastor of Our Lady of Lourdes Catholic Church in Monroe, NC, and has recently published a muchcelebrated book, The Voice of the Bridegroom: Preaching as an Expression of Spousal Love.

A. Drain, Ph.D. Summer

Daniel

(Cand.), is teaching a course on The Last Things: Death, Judgment, Heaven, Hell in

Session

II.

Mr.

Drain

is

a

Ph.D.

Candidate

at

the

Pontifical

John

Paul

II

Institute

in

Washington, D.C., and currently serves as Director of Religious Education at Our Lady of Guadalupe Roman Catholic Church in Doylestown, PA.

5

INTRODUCING ST. BERNARD’S FALL 2022 ACADEMIC CONFERENCE Matthew Kuhner, Ph.D.

H

as

it

ever

strange

that,

recitation Creed

struck

during

of

on

you

the

as the

Nicene

Sundays,

Church,

successes value

do

our

temporal

invest

and

her

dignity.

with

To

the

we

contrary, the Church is a gift

profess belief in the Church?

from above, first and foremost

Typically

defined and dignified by God.

when

we

think

of

belief within Catholicism, we

In

think of believing in God and

thoroughly

in

divine

Jesus

Christ

as

true

God

this

sense,

temporal

it mean to believe in the one,

and

holy, Catholic, and apostolic

visible

Church?

by

end

the

the

a

and

and true man. But what does

the

6

nor

mystery: human,

with in

and

Church

a

she

fixed

of

is

she

is

invisibly

God.

in-breaking

is

origin

eternity,

animated

Spirit

she

is

She

of

is

the

We believe in the Church, then, because we believe that the Church is not just a sociological marker, but also a divine event of encounter, in which we are invited to participate in God’s oneness, God’s holiness, God’s universality, and God’s apostolicity. Just persons.

as

and

own

Kingdom and the sacrament –

the

implies something

the

remarkable: our sinful failures

communion

do not ultimately define the

communion among human

with

sign God

in

proper

God

is

the

response

to

first the

gift of the revelation of God’s

Our belief in the Church

efficacious

belief

heart, Church

so is

also the

belief first

in

and

–

of

proper response to the gift of

and

of

the Church.

Perhaps

there

needed

more

is

nothing

today

than

a

deep reflection upon the giftcharacter

of

particularly

in

catholicity, The

the terms

her

Gospel

Church, of

her

universality.

proclaims

that

not aspirational and out of reach; it is precisely a dimension of what the Church is, precisely because this catholicity is gifted to her by God. Surely we

must

look

towards

the

each and every human person

integrative

is

with

beating heart of the Church,

God in Jesus Christ, and that

to the Giver of the gift of the

it

this

Church! Only in this way may

communion

we come to understand and

called

is

to

only

universal that

communion

in

answering

call

human

to

flourishing

will

The Church is therefore called to be precisely the guardian and the declaration of the vocation of all human persons to communion with God. The geographical occur

in

its

fullness.

universality of the Church is a great

sign

that

communion

has

this

call

echoed

to

forth

unto the ends of the earth!

But

whenever

appears the

to

the

be

breaking

point

due

the

catholicity

to

the

of

For

our

2022

United

East.

The

both

of

Communio,

and

Bernard’s

EST

We

of

In

Catholic

theologians

1972,

a

group

leaders

and

founded -

a

lineup

communion, a

from

to

7:00pm

September

1:00pm

October

in

EST

2nd,

on

2022.

in-person

We

are an

of

pleased

to

international

keynote

speakers,

including:

Jean Duchesne, Ph.D. Jean-Luc Marion, Ph.D. Tracey Rowland, Ph.D. David L. Schindler, Ph.D. Rev. Jacques Servais, S.J., Ph.D.

to perceive of the

is

NY,

Friday,

welcome

– that set out:

ecclesial

campus

welcome

Zoom!

Communio:

Church as a central

demands

attendance or attendance via

International Catholic Review

to

main

on

exemplified

catholicity.

the

conference will be held at St.

that

authentic

its

of catholicity in our time. The

Sunday,

towards

and

contemplating

discussing

of

drive

content

We invite one and all to join us as we celebrate the legacy

anniversary

this

Communio,

(publication) form!

30th,

has

journal,

its

be commemorating the 50th publication

Europe,

strives to be truly universal in

conference, St. Bernard’s will

a

States,

Latin America, and the Middle

Rochester,

academic

radical polarization, or when communion

the

Church as a gift and a task.

journal

Church

stretched

live

center,

the

community that

We

originated from

attend,

eyes, what can be said about

communion with Christ,

might

such

who presented himself

appreciation of what it means

often the gift of the Church’s

as a gift to the Church;

to understand and to live the

universality

as a communion that will

Church’s

some narrowing element that

enable us to share our

time!

threatens its unfolding in the

hearts, thoughts, and

here and now. Or perhaps it’s

blessings.

tested

–

broken

–

not

or

God

right

forbid,

before

universality?

is

mixed

uncommon

rallying

point

universality

is

All

of

our

too

with

that

the

ecclesial

taken

to

be

something different than the

But the catholicity of the Church is Gospel in its fullness.

Hans Urs von Balthasar, Henri de

Lubac,

Ratzinger

and

were

Joseph

among

this

group, whose original impulse has

unfolded

over

fourteen editions in

time

into

hope

you

that forge

are

able

together a

catholicity

to we

deeper

in

our

For more information and to register for our 2022 academic conference – Catholicity as Gift and Task: The 50th Anniversary of Communio – visit our website at: stbernards.edu/ conferences 7

Rev. Benjamin A. Roberts, D.Min.

In the early morning hours of July 27, 2020, an

participation, motivates service, and amplifies

electrical

proclamation. Therefore, I propose that we need

fire

destroyed

my

parish

office.

The

building was basically ashes and debris by the time I

to

arrived at the scene and investigators from various

E u c h a r i s t i c r e v i v a l.

government agencies explored the remains as the day wore on. A little after midday, after I pointed to an area in what was once my office, an ATF agent brought to me two pieces of metal that had been my chalice. He found the paten a few minutes later.

a

homiletical

foundation

for

a

This provides a setting to bear the mystery and a place for transformation. As with any good and sturdy building, the homiletical foundation is built through careful design, select materials, the right tools, and excellent execution. The

A chalice and paten hold a special place in the life of

careful design for this foundation includes an

a priest and parish community. The paten holds the

intentional doctrinal focus while respecting and

host before the consecration and bears the presence

appreciating the nature of the liturgical homily.

after the Eucharistic prayer. The chalice, into which

Before moving on to the selection of materials,

the wine and the water are poured, is both the

tools, and execution, there are some important

bearer of the sacred presence of the Precious Blood

distinctions to make regarding doctrinal content

as

and the liturgical homily:

well

as

the

place

where

the

transformation

occurs. The chalice and paten are the setting for t h e s a c r e d a c t i o n a n d t h e b e a r e r s o f t h e m y s t e r y.

Selecting a new chalice and paten for the parish became an immediate task because the celebration of the mystery requires a worthy and proper setting.

1.

Doctrinal preaching is not the same thing as

a c a t e c h e t i c a l l e c t u r e. T h e c o n t e n t m a y b e t h e same, but the varied aspects of presentation are different. The liturgical homily, as Pope Francis instructs, should “avoid taking on the semblance

At their November 2021 meeting, the bishops of the

o f a s p e e c h o r a l e c t u r e ” (E v a n g e l i i G a u d i u m,

United

Bishops

138). This distinction merits further exploration

approved a teaching document on the Eucharist and

as the act of preaching itself resembles a speech

a plan for a three-year national Eucharistic revival.

or lecture. To aid in this examination, I propose

The reasons for the document and the national

five distinctions between an academic lecture

revival are manifold and have been the subject of

and

States

Conference

of

Catholic

the

liturgical

homily.

They

s e t t i n g,

are

much coverage in the religious and secular press.

a u d i e n c e, i n t e n t i o n, p r e s e n t e r,

The document seeks to provide clear teaching, and

setting of an academic lecture is the classroom,

the national Eucharistic revival includes Congresses

the

at the local, diocesan, and national levels. These are

intentional academic space. The audience for the

noble efforts that intend to increase and amplify

lecture

knowledge of our Eucharistic teaching.

community. A lecture has intentional learning

Yet, as a pastor, I remain unconvinced that our greatest crisis is one of Eucharistic knowledge. We do indeed have a crisis of Eucharistic knowledge, but I believe we have a greater crisis of Eucharistic

lecture

goals

is and

hall,

students is

the

virtual

and

presented

the by

s t y l e.

and

venue;

wider a

The it

is

scholarly

credentialed

t e a c h e r. T h e s t y l e o f a l e c t u r e u t i l i z e s a b s t r a c t concepts and a specialized vocabulary. The goal of a lecture is to impart knowledge.

f a i t h. W e h a v e a d i s c o n n e c t b e t w e e n k n o w i n g w h a t

On the other hand, the setting of the homily is

the Church teaches and holding faith in what the

the liturgy, generally celebrated in a dedicated

Church teaches. We need a revival of Eucharistic

church

faith because Eucharistic faith gathers the baptized

geographically

to the liturgical assembly. Eucharistic faith opens

audience for the homily are worshippers, most, if

ears

not all of whom, are ontologically configured for

to

hear

and

encounter

the

Word

of

Eucharistic faith inspires conversion, enables 8

build

God.

or

chapel;

it

intentional

is

temporally

sacred

space.

and The

divine worship by the sacrament of baptism. A

homily

intends

to

inspire

through

sacred

text,

an

essential

foundation

our

c o n s t r u c t i o n.

and enables an experience with the living God. This

liturgy as the action of Christ who unites the

intention does not limit the possibilities for content.

members of His body and bride to Himself and

The

homily,

preached

during

Mass,

and

for

sacred doctrine, and the sacred experience of life

liturgical

Providing

stone

proclaiming

the

is

offers the loving and fruitful sacrifice to the

presented by an ordained bishop, priest, or deacon.

Father in the Holy Spirit mixes the mortar which

The style of the homily utilizes concrete images,

holds the edifice together. These two doctrinal

metaphorical language, and an accessible vocabulary

aspects, ecclesiology and liturgy, provide the

suited to the particular assembly. The goal of a

setting for Eucharistic faith. The Church and the

h o m i l y i s t o f a c i l i t a t e a n e n c o u n t e r.

liturgy are the bearers of the presence and the

2.

place of transformation. The Church and the

Doctrinal preaching for a Eucharistic revival

does not need to be explicitly eucharistic in every homily. The beauty of the nexus mysteriorum is that any onramp to the doctrinal and theological highway connects to every and any destination. There may be cul-de-sacs and areas currently under construction and repair, but there are few dead ends. Everything is

connected.

Every

doctrine

is

implicitly

e u c h a r i s t i c. T h i s m e a n s t h a t w h e n e v e r w e e n g a g e i n an intentional doctrinal focus in preaching, we are building a homiletical foundation for a Eucharistic revival.

3.

Doctrinal preaching is not an alternative or

antonym to the liturgical homily. The preacher does not set aside the liturgical and lectionary texts to focus on some aspect of doctrine. An intentional doctrinal focus springs from and is supported by t h e l i t u r g i c a l a n d l e c t i o n a r y t e x t s. T h e s c r i p t u r e s and orations offer many of the concrete homiletical images and metaphorical language which exemplify the

homiletical

communicated

style.

Doctrinal

through

the

content

homily

can

while

be still

respecting the nature of the liturgical homily. It requires the translation or transposition of doctrinal and

catechetical

language

into

homiletical

categories.

l i t u r g y a r e t h e c h a l i c e a n d p a t e n.

Having

explored

the

careful

design

of

the

homiletical foundation and the selection of the doctrinal materials, it is important to offer some practical tools for the execution of the project.

Doctrinal preaching with an intentional focus on

ecclesiology

propose,

a

and

liturgy

homiletical

will

provide,

foundation

for

I a

E u c h a r i s t i c r e v i v a l. R e s p e c t i n g t h e n a t u r e a n d style of the liturgical homily, the seeds of the specific doctrinal focus will be gathered from the lectionary and liturgical texts. With regard to

doctrinal

preaching

on

the

liturgy,

a

mystagogical approach could be very effective in which the images in the liturgical and lectionary texts are used to focus on some aspect of the Mass.

Additionally,

one

could

look

at

nearly

every passage of the Gospel where Jesus engages in a dialogue or conversation and find facets of the liturgical action in them. It is possible and fruitful to read the lectionary texts through a liturgical

lens.

In

doing

so,

we

open

the

scriptures in the liturgy so that the liturgy will open us to the scriptures and an encounter with t h e l i v i n g G o d.

Since faith comes through hearing, and hearing

In order to construct a homiletical foundation for a

is made possible through preaching, when we

Eucharistic revival, I propose two doctrinal areas

provide intentional doctrinal preaching on the

that

Church and the liturgy, we offer a context for

provide

Eucharistic

a

setting

faith.

or

These

venue

for

doctrinal

inspiring

areas

are

the

presence

of

God

and

a

place

for

e c c l e s i o l o g y a n d l i t u r g y. T h e t h e o l o g y o f t h e C h u r c h

transformation. We offer a setting to inspire and

and the liturgy provide a context for a Eucharistic

strengthen a revival of Eucharistic faith.

revival. The Church celebrates the Eucharist in the sacred liturgy. Pastoral experience teaches me that this

ecclesiological

lacking

for

Eucharist.

many When

and of

the

the

liturgical faithful Church

foundation regarding is

is the

Fr. Benjamin Roberts

is a priest of the Diocese

of Charlotte, pastor of Our Lady of Lourdes Catholic Church in Monroe, NC, and adjunct professor at

practically

Saint Joseph's College of Maine and St. Bernard's.

understood as a human society or cultural gathering

He holds a BA in Philosophy from D’youville College

of people, and the liturgy is essentially viewed as

in

the ceremonies of a social club, then we cannot be surprised

when

Eucharistic

faith

is

lacking.

To

retrieve and proclaim an understanding of the Church as a mysterious and prophetic pilgrim with a temporal reality and an eschatological destiny is

Buffalo,

Systematic

NY,

and

Theology

an from

M.Div. St.

and

Charles

M.A.

in

Borromeo

Seminary in Philadelphia. He received his D.Min. in Preaching from Aquinas Institute of Theology in St. Louis,

MO.

His

first

book,

"The

Voice

of

the

Bridegroom: Preaching as an Expression of Spousal Love" was published in 2021 by Wipf and Stock.

9

JOURNEYING A REFLECTION

A

As Director of St. Bernard’s Albany Campus, I have the pleasure of spending a significant amount of time interacting with leaders and staff at the diocesan Pastoral Center in Albany. Since October, “synod” and “synodality” have become prominent buzzwords. I’ve heard questions such as: “What is a synod?”; “What is the Synod for a synodal Church?”; “Is it a one time occurrence or a series of events?” So that we might have a greater understanding of that in which we are being called to participate (and, yes, all of us are being called!), I thought it might be helpful to explain some terms and provide some history for the synodal process. This is especially poignant because, as the documents produced for the synod on synodality make clear, the Holy Father wants us to consider synodality not as an event or series of events, but as “a way of being Church”; a journeying together.

MOST COMMON

Firstly, though it has experienced a recent upswing in popularity among Catholic circles, the word synod is very old and is a combination of the Greek words syn (“with”) and hodos (“path”). The very SMALL BUSINESS word, then, connotes people journeying together, and consulting and discussing issues with one another. In the early Church, this word was adopted in reference to the gatherings ofMARKETING bishops from the same province who would come together to discuss issues or resolve problems that were too significant MISTAKES for any one bishop to decide alone. These synods would be headed by the archbishop (or metropolitan bishop) of an ecclesiastical province, and would include all of the other bishops in that province. In the Catholic Church, provincial synods are held regularly every three years, and they afford the bishops of a given region the opportunity to listen to each other, come to know each other’s hearts and minds, and to practice collegiality amongst one another.

While the ancient practice of a provincial synod is the best example of what a synod is, it is not the only example. More recently, in 1965, Pope St. Paul VI inaugurated the Synod of Bishops. Inspired by the ancient tradition just mentioned, the Synod of Bishops is made of bishops selected from different regions of the world who are brought together to advise the Pope, to foster a sense of collegiality among one another and the Pope, and to help the Holy Father consider questions related to the Church in the world. The Synod of Bishops, in this sense, is a newer institution and began as a way for Pope St. Paul VI to respond concretely to the Second Vatican Council’s call for greater collaboration among and collegiality between bishops.

10

TOGETHER

ON SYNODALITY

ANTHONY COLEMAN, PH.D.

Now, to bring us up to date, what’s occurring with the Synod of Bishops at this moment is the 16th summoning of the ordinary general assembly. This means that representatives to the Synod of Bishops will be elected by their respective bishops’ conferences (in our case, for example, by the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops) and that a particular theme will be addressed. The theme, established by the Pope, is – you guessed it – “For a synodal Church: Communion, Participation, Mission.” But what’s interesting about this synod is that the Holy Father has called for as broad a participation as possible in this process. In September of 2018, Pope Francis renewed the way by which the Synod of Bishops would be conducted and established three clear phases of the process: the preparatory phase, the celebratory phase, and the implementation phase. The current “Synod for a synodal Church,” therefore, is the first of its kind given Pope Francis’ revision of the process, a revision which consciously and deliberately seeks greater communication and consultation with every member of the faithful. The first phase, which was inaugurated in October of 2021, strives to consult the entire SMALL BUSINESS people of God at the local level on this theme that the Holy Father has selected. It will occur on the MARKETING diocesan level across the Catholic Church in the world so that all might listen, discern, and participate in this synodal process. The second phase will then be characterized by the coming together of the MISTAKES various episcopal conferences, which is scheduled to take place in April of 2022. They will do so, of course, having consulted and been informed by the entire People of God at each local level. The third phase will be marked by the actual meeting of the Synod of Bishops in October of 2023 and, again, they will gather having received the benefit of the input and participation of all those who have journeyed in this synodal process.

MOST COMMON

What I have sketched out above is just an outline: much more has and will take place, even after the conclusion of the Synod of Bishops in October of 2023. What’s most important for us to bear in mind is that – by virtue of our baptism – we are God’s pilgrim people journeying together on this earth. This synod, in both its process and its spirit, is meant to draw us closer together (“communion”), to allow us to recognize our common vocation as baptized Christians (“participation”), and to discern how we might more effectively bring the life-giving power of the Gospel to a broken and fallen world (“mission”). In short, through the current synodal process, Pope Francis is calling us to be God’s pilgrim people, journeying together on this earth, and not simply to proclaim that this is who we are.

11

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A Little Catechesis on Mary and Catholicity Lisa Lickona, S.T.L.

As has been mentioned, this Fall St. Bernard’s is hosting a conference to celebrate the fiftieth anniversary of the international theological journal, Communio, with the impressive subtitle “Catholicity as Gift and Task.” But what does this mean? What is “catholicity”? And how is it a “gift” and a “task”? And, more importantly, why should we care? As we celebrate the feast of the Annunciation this year on March 25th, I wish to offer a little catechesis on “catholicity” and what Mary has to teach us.

We might remember from our Catechism that the word “catholic” is Greek in origin: it means “according to the whole” or “universal.” The Church is catholic because it is for all peoples in all places at all times. Catholics do not belong to a sect, but to the biggest “big tent” that there is. Here, our touchstone is Saint Paul: “There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free person, there is not male and female; for you are all one in Christ Jesus” (Rom 3:28).

We can see something of how this universality actually plays out in the Church’s legacy of holiness,

the communion of saints.

In this communion, very different persons seek the same

truth, the same love — often side-by-side with each other. When we dive into this history, our heritage

as

Catholics,

we

can

come

up

with

some

fascinating

stories.

We

discover,

for

example, the story of Paula, a wealthy Roman heiress, who befriends Jerome, a crotchety but brilliant Scripture scholar, and gives away all her money, following him to Bethlehem to live in poverty and serve pilgrims. We learn about the peasant farmer, Isidore, who, while poor in worldly goods, is so devout in prayer that the angels themselves come to pull his plough.

Though he lives and dies in obscurity, he is canonized the very same day as Teresa of Ávila‎ , Ignatius of Loyola, and Philip Neri. And we encounter Isaac Jogues,

a

brilliantly-educated

Jesuit priest who travels from his native France to North America to teach the natives and then suffers martyrdom in the same village where, a few years later, little Kateri Tekakwitha is born

into

quiet

American saint.

12

greatness—she

who

becomes

the

“Lily

of

the

Mohawks,”

our

first

Native

Story after story like these could be told, showing how, in diverse places, amid vastly different cultures, men and women of all stripes find their purpose and happiness in this same universal Church.

What’s more, in the saints we see that the more a person “leans into” this unity that is the

There is no place one can feel more unique and treasured than in the bosom of the Church. In this way, the Church, the more he or she discovers his or her own special gifts.

communion of saints witnesses to a stunning truth: the communio Trinity.

In

God’s

eternal

Three-in-Oneness,

unity

fosters

diversity

personarum and

an

that

is

the

ever-deepening

diversity leads always back to union. The saints’ stories herald our invitation into this eternal communion, which is God’s own life. Through them, it is easy to see that the catholicity of the Church is a great gift of the Lord, who prayed on the night before He died that they “may all be one, as you, Father, are in me and I in you” (Jn 17:21).

But what does it mean that we live this unity-in-difference as a task? Can we make the Church more “universal”?

If we think about this in terms of the divine communion, the Trinity, this question is really the same question as, “How can we bring more love into the world?” And, to the extent that we have

known

love,

we

have

already

had

a

taste

of

this

task.

Experience

teaches

us

how

uniqueness, my “me-ness,” flourishes not apart from others, but in relation to them. In fact, when I am truly loved, wanted, and accepted by another human being—whether it is my parent, my sibling, my friend, or my spouse—I feel empowered to love. I am moved to give myself, to offer my own unique gifts to deepen love, to intensify my connection with others.

True love does not quash difference but delights in it.

Now, you might be thinking that this is all very high and beautiful, but how do we live it really?

Where do we start in this task of loving more?

The paradigm and perfect expression of this love is the teenage virgin we venerate as the Mother of God. I don’t mean to be flip, here. In fact, I propose that we meditate for a few moments on that encounter between the fourteen-or fifteen-year-old Mary and the angel Gabriel in order to grasp what it means to embrace “catholicity” as a task, to “live” this divine love.

In that moment when Gabriel told Mary that she was to become the mother of the Savior, the long-promised Messiah of her people, she responded, after a thoughtful hesitation, “Let it be done unto me” (Lk 1:38). Simply, she offered herself totally to God’s loving plan of salvation.

Of course, Mary could not know what would come of this “yes” to God. In this way she was in the dark. Like any one of us, she could not anticipate what might be asked of her as a result

what she did know was that she wanted to give her whole self to this task, and to never stop giving her whole self to it. From what we see in of this huge commitment. And yet,

the Gospels, an almost unimaginable level of renunciation was asked of her—all the way to watching her own innocent Son brutally murdered before her eyes. And then Jesus asks even more

of

her—“Woman,

behold

your

son!”

(Jn

19:26).

In

this

moment,

Mary,

who

only

ever

wanted to be the mother of Jesus, was made to be the Mother of every believer. In other words, the woman who gave her body and soul to the task of raising one Child became the mother of all. In this way, we could say that Mary became “catholicized.”

Now, Mary’s role is undoubtedly unique in the Church. But it is also paradigmatic:

about our task by looking at her.

we learn

As we do, we might wonder how we will ever get to such

a perfect point of renunciation. It seems impossible to imitate. But God knows this, and this is why, in Mary, He offers us a very simple first step in learning to love, something very imitable.

This first step in the path is not a grand gesture of selflessness, our own heroic “yes” to God spoken

at

a

brave

ourselves be loved.

moment.

Rather,

for

us,

as

for

Mary,

the first step is simply to let

The truth is that the scene with the angel has a very important backstory. The indication is

13

right there in Gabriel’s greeting: “Hail, favored one! The Lord is with you” (Lk 1:28). Before Mary responds, before she says “yes” to becoming the mother of the Lord, Mary is already the “favored one,” “full of grace.”

The Church has long meditated on the meaning of these words. The phrase “full of grace” suggests that at that moment Mary was already having an extraordinary experience of grace, which is nothing other than God’s indwelling presence. But Jesus clearly teaches that He alone is the “way” into this presence; He is the privileged mediator of this divine “truth and life”

(cf

Jn

14:6).

We

receive

fullness

of

grace

as

a

result

of

His

liberating

death

and

resurrection: only Jesus can wash away the stain of original sin from our souls.

And so it seems as though Mary had a special access to this grace, receiving it in some way even before Jesus was born! This makes sense because it fits with her call to be the mother of

Mary’s whole soul had to be perfectly clear to say that “yes” to God, to respond to the task at hand with complete freedom and surrender. And so, before Mary could love Jesus, she had to be loved by Jesus! the God-made-man. It makes sense that

How is such a thing possible? Only by way of an extraordinary grace. And this is what the Church teaches: that Mary was chosen by God in a special way from the first moment of her existence. By a special act of God, Mary enjoyed the grace of Jesus’ Passion and Death in anticipation of His birth. This grace prompted the poet, Dante, to call Mary (through the lips of

Saint

Bernard

of

Clairvaux)

“daughter

of

your

Son.”

This

is

why

we

call

her

Mary

the

Immaculate Conception.

Now, even as Mary’s Immaculate Conception seems to make her something of an anomaly— uniquely loved and chosen by God as she is—

lives, the first step on our path of love.

it witnesses to something essential about our

Like the star of the sea (stella maris) that she is,

Mary lights our way. Consider the opening lines of the Letter to the Ephesians:

Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavens as he chose us in him, before the foundation of the world, to be holy and without blemish before him. In love he destined us for adoption to himself through Jesus Christ, in accord with the favor of his will, for the praise of the glory of his grace that he granted us in the beloved (Eph 1:3-6).

Doesn’t this speak of a grace we have all received, a love that has been poured out upon us,

The fact is that each of us is created and chosen in Christ “before the foundation of the world.” God anticipated us with great love, even before we were even before our birth?

born. Our baptism is our immersion into this love. And our earthly life is our chance to respond to it. But first, we have to receive it. We have to let ourselves be wanted, chosen, and known by the Father in the Son. And here is the second amazing aspect of Mary’s witness. Precisely because Mary has been loved in this extraordinary way by God, she alone—of all human beings—knows best how to

No one can teach us better than she who knows to the core of her being what it is to be loved. help us receive God’s love.

The rest of us spend our time cloaked in our sins, defending ourselves, pretending we can get along pretty well without being loved. But Mary has no such defenses. She knows she is a pure creature and possesses a never-ending need for divine Love. To the extent that we resist this love, Mary will help us. She will happily guide us onto this first step of our path: opening

This is the essence of her divine motherhood and the reason we can put all our trust in her. ourselves to receive God’s grace, soaking it in, letting it infuse every part of our lives.

So, now, hopefully, we can all better understand both the gift and the task of “catholicity”: to let

ourselves

be

loved

into

this

great

communion

beautiful Mother, guide us in this great work!

14

that

is

God’s

own

life.

May

Mary,

our

Alexander Turpin

H

ow lovely your dwelling, O Lord of hosts! The psalmist

sings on the gittith about the joy that comes from being in the presence

of

God.

How

fortunate

are

we

as

Catholic

Christians to be able to access this reality as often as we choose, for it is at the tabernacle of every church that our Lord, the Creator of all things, makes Himself present to us in His perfect beauty. But all too often, in the hectic commotion

Only in exploring the rich tradition of our faith do we remind ourselves of what it means to encounter such a radical, transcendent, and true beauty as is offered to us by the gift of the Eucharist. of daily life, we do not recognize Him.

In our subjectivist modern culture, there is an unfortunate loss of any meaning in the term beauty. We often like to claim that “beauty is in the eye of the beholder” without a full understanding of the consequences of such thought. In clinging

to

this

idea,

beauty

is

reduced

to

its

visible,

material aspect, which not only causes a reduction of the notion itself, but also a fundamental devaluation of the

Constitution Concilium,

on

one

the of

Sacred

the

key

Liturgy,

documents

Sacrosanctum of

the

Second

Vatican Council, certainly does not mince words when it boldly proclaims that "the musical tradition of the universal Church is a treasure of inestimable value, greater even

§

than that of any other art” ( 112). Music is so recognized because it makes use of human faculties to arrange the of sound into an immaterial art: it is an invisible language of sound that prepares us for the invisible language of prayer. gift

This power of music to transcend itself has a strong witness in the growing movement within the Church to revitalize the

tradition

of

Gregorian

chant,

which

is

not

only

our

musical heritage, but also communicates the mysteries of the faith by its very structure. As a single vocal melody often unadorned by instrumentation, it attunes us to the perfect simplicity of God in His divine essence. With the addition of the text of Sacred Scripture, our minds are

object that we appreciate as beautiful.

elevated to the Lord as the music invites us to enter deeply This is made immediately apparent by the current trends of social

media,

which

cause

people

of

all

ages,

but

into contemplation of the mysteries of faith, giving us a glimpse of our immaterial God.

especially the young, to misidentify their good and natural longing

for

beauty

as

merely

a

search

for

the

positive

feedback of digital “likes.” In reducing the subject to a disposable object whose value is determined by algorithms,

which is to stir within us the desire for something greater, for that for which we are truly made. Our faith rightly tells us that this beauty is separated from its true power,

desire is fully realized only in God, who is Being itself and in Whom we find the perfection of that true Beauty that we all

That music has great power to affect us is no breaking news story. Indeed, we know it through experience, as we all have pieces of music that have a nearly inexplicable power

over

us.

immediately

and

They

are

viscerally

those back

to

songs a

that

specific

bring time

us and

place, evoking in us strong memories. There could be no better use for the glorious gift of music than to allow us as one

human

race

to

recall

our

shared

memory

of

the

sacrifice of Christ, which is the central event of all creation

long to see.

— one which is inscribed into the hearts of all mankind. And

the sacrament of the Eucharist is the closest encounter with divine beauty As we heard the psalmist proclaim,

available to us here on earth. Nowhere is the bridge of beauty

more

magnificently

at

work

than

in

the

so we sing out as the psalmist did, rejoicing in the gift of our faith which gives us the grace to recognize how lovely your dwelling, O Lord of hosts!

Holy

Sacrifice of the Mass, in which the substances of bread and

Alexander Turpin

wine are confected into the Body and Blood of our Lord

Diocese of Albany, currently in his final semester of the Master

and Savior Jesus Christ. So as to mark the wonder of this

of Arts in Catholic Philosophy program at St. Bernard’s. He

event, the Church wisely calls us to use our human talents to raise our minds to the mystery of the Mass:

the very

meeting of heaven and earth.

There is no better achievement in this regard than sacred music, which provides the faithful with the purest means of

holds

degrees

in

is a seminarian with the Roman Catholic

music

from

the

Eastman

School

of

Music

(Rochester, NY) and the University of Michigan (Ann Arbor, MI).

While working to complete pre-seminary studies, he continues to teach as an adjunct professor of voice at Skidmore College in Saratoga Springs, NY. He will continue his formation for the priesthood of Jesus Christ this summer at the Pontifical North American College and the Pontifical Gregorian University in

connecting to the truth of the re-presentation of Christ’s

Rome, Italy.

sacrifice on the cross that occurs at every Mass. The 15

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