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2008 Message Archive
November 24, 2008
Dear Colleagues,
We are a community of survivors. It is for this reason that we are experts in the practice of gratitude. Given our many years of challenges, we take very little for granted at Our Lady of Holy Cross College. We appreciate every little word of thanks and every small act of goodness.
Katrina threatened our survival as a College community. Indeed, after the storm, we had only enough revenue to continue the operations of the College for half of a semester. The truth is that without the financial assistance from the Department of Education and the many long hours expended by the College community, we would not have been able to continue operations that year. We survived and gave thanks.
It was only a few months ago that I wrote to you from my place of exile to your place of exile. Almost all of us had taken refuge because of another storm threat. I am sure that we were grateful to get home. We survived and gave thanks.
Over the past semester, we have seen a drop in our enrollment due to many factors, not the least of them is our poor retention record. This threatens our life at the College and will demand some immediate attention. We are a community of survivors. We will face this issue as we face so many others with dignity and hard work.
Last Thursday, we celebrated our yearly Thanksgiving Prayer Breakfast. I was happy that faculty and staff attended this wonderful event. This year Mrs. Maura Donahue spoke at the event. Her remarks were about philanthropy. She defined philanthropy as an act of giving to others, for the good of others. Our Lady of Holy Cross College is a community of philanthropists. We continue our mission of Catholic education for a community of people who have difficulty paying our modest tuition. Indeed, our base tuition (not considering discounting and scholarships) is probably the lowest in private Catholic higher education. We give thanks to all who make our mission come to life.
Today the world community is threatened. Unprecedented "bailouts" are taking place so that the country can survive. Undoubtedly, all financial sources will be questioned, including financial aid to students.
In 1862, President Lincoln said the following to the Congress: "The dogmas of the quiet past are inadequate to the stormy present. The occasion is piled high with difficulty, and we must rise with the occasion. As our case is new, so we must think anew, and act anew. We must disenthrall ourselves, and then we shall save our country."
In this Thanksgiving season, we have many things to be thankful for, including the challenges which make us a stronger academic community. Working together, we can move into the future.
Happy Thanksgiving,
(Rev.) Anthony J. De Conciliis, C.S.C., Ph.D.
President
September 11, 2008Dear Our Lady of Holy Cross College Community:
Today is a day of Remembrance. Seven years ago, many people died in New York, Pennsylvania, and Washington, D.C. We refer to that day simply as 9/11.
On Monday afternoon, five firefighters came to visit Our Lady of Holy Cross College. They were part of the many who found a refuge at the College so that they might help others in New Orleans who were devastated by Katrina and Rita. Four of them are New York firemen who were involved in the terrible tragedy of 9/11.
Our memories serve us well. They provide us with the desire to remember our loved ones each day. In the letter of Peter, the apostle of the Lord, it says:
"Everything will soon come to an end, so, to pray better, keep a calm and sober mind. Above all, never let your love for each other grow insincere, since love covers over many a sin. Welcome each other into your houses without grumbling. Each of you has received a special grace, so, like good stewards responsible for all these different graces of God, put yourselves at the service of others" (1 Peter4. 7-10).
Each day let us recognize each other as we participate in the glory of God.
Sincerely,
Rev. Anthony J. De Conciliis, C.S.C.
President
August 31, 2008
My dear friends:
In our chosen place of safety, we patiently await Hurricane Gustav. We are "In Exile" once again in three years. For me, it is in the Abbey of Saint Benedict. For you, it might be with family members or with dear friends or at a hotel or some other place of refuge. We all wait patiently.
In the meantime, we prepare for all contingencies. Each of us, depending on our responsibilities, plans for the aftermath of the storm. Hopefully, after all the fury we will be able to continue our living with little change. But, we will gather together to find ways to help one another if the storm challenges our very way of existence.
The Cabinet members of the College are ready to plan for every contingency: from having a few days of closure to a more extreme contingency. It all depends on the weather and our ability to cope with it. The Cabinet members will have conference calls beginning this Tuesday morning. Depending on the circumstances, we will discuss and approve courses of action to meet the needs of students, faculty and staff for as long as it takes us to bring some order in what may be disorder for all. We hope to communicate frequently so that all will be kept well informed. We will use the Our Lady of Holy Cross College Blog and other means of communication.
These days of waiting may help us to reflect on many things. In his book, The Reasons of the Heart, John S. Dunne writes about the relationship to God in times of affliction. His words may help us to reflect on our experience after Katrina, Rita and Gustav.
Once during his adventures in the desert, when he was bathing in a spring among the rocks, T. E. Lawrence saw approaching him "a grey-bearded, ragged man, with a hewn face of great power and weariness." The old man came up to the spring and, after looking at Lawrence for moment, closed his eyes and groaned. "The love is from God and of God and towards God." (Robert Frost)
The old man was a devastated human being, "moaning strange things, not knowing day and night, not troubling himself for food or work or shelter." Yet he had the "hewn face of great power and weariness" and he uttered that great sentence about the to-and-fro between man and God. There is a common notion of God according to which whatever happens is the "will of God," and whatever happens beyond human control, such as a flood or a storm or an earthquake, is an "act of God," and an afflicted person like this old man is a "child of God." That God is a God of calamities. The old man himself, though, speaking from within affliction, sees God differently; sees a love coming from God into man and going back from man to God. His experience, if we can suppose that he experienced the love of which he spoke, places him among God's friends.
We have a choice, if we wish to know God, between learning from the friends of God and learning from the common notion. I would choose to learn from the friends of God. The common notion is a way of interpreting whatever happens, but it does not seem to arise out of any actual communication between God and man. The friends of God, on the contrary, walk and speak with God, experience a love that is "from God and of God and towards God." The to-and-fro with God in which they live seems to be the only real knowing of God that man has reached. To actually know god ourselves we will have to enter ourselves into the to-and-fro. Maybe from that vantage point we may be able to see the common notion in a new light. It has to do with experiences: floods, storms, earthquakes, afflictions, and in fact everything that happens whatsoever. If we trace the journey of the friends of God, if we follow them to and from God, we may find ourselves following the to-and-fro with God through the region of all these other experiences following, for instance, the love the old man speaks of through the region of the affliction he suffers.
Maybe it is the setting here in a monastery or maybe it is reflection on Katrina that is getting to me, but I know I share the questions about these calamities and our relationship to God in these days ahead. We will walk together and will learn together to be in a to-and-fro motion with God and one another.
Peace be with you and yours during these days of exodus.
Yours,
Father Anthony De Conciliis, C.S.C.
President
June 13, 2008
Dear Our Lady of Holy Cross Community:
One of my prize possessions is a short note that I received from Mr. Tim Russert several years ago. I have always admired Tim as a human being, a tireless professional, and a Catholic leader. After my first year at Our Lady of Holy Cross College, I wrote to Mr. Russert and asked him to be the commencement speaker and to receive an honorary doctorate. I never thought that I would receive an answer, much less a handwritten note.
The note, written on his desk note paper, simply said that he was honored, especially given the status of New Orleans and the Catholic character of the College, but that he had to work on Sundays. He signed it simply, Tim.
Tim will certainly be remembered as a great journalist and, moreover, a man of great integrity. Throughout his life he was not hesitant to speak about his faith, his family and his country. He was a giant who understood humility as integrated into the life of journalism. He had little difficulty in upholding his faith, without being confrontational.
Even though he will not be able to receive an honorary doctorate from Our Lady of Holy Cross College in this historical time, in my heart he has already received the doctorate in spirit.
Our prayers are with Maureen Russert, Luke Russert, and Mr. Russert, Sr.
Sincerely,
(Rev.) Anthony J. De Conciliis, C.S.C., Ph.D.
President
June 10, 2008
Dear Our Lady of Holy Cross Community:
It is with great sadness that I inform the Our Lady of Holy Cross Community of the death of Sr. Theresa DuRapau, RSM. Sr. Theresa, a beloved member of the Sisters of Mercy, and a member of our academic community for approximately eight years in the Department of Mathematics, was a model of scholarship and spiritual presence. Her love for the community and students of Our Lady of Holy Cross College was exceptional. The College Community will never forget her.
On a personal note, I had developed an incredible relationship with Sr. Theresa. Her sensitivity and deep love for the College and her religious community was palpable. Before I left for Massachusetts, I saw her briefly. Even in her pain, she was so optimistic about the future. Her future was to be with the Lord, her God and Savior. She was a woman of faith and now she is a woman in knowledge of the beauty that is God.
It is time now for us to welcome Sr. Theresa into the kingdom of God, a life she will share with all the saints in heaven. My only regret is that I cannot be present for her Mass of Resurrection. As soon as I return, we will have a special Mass for Sister Theresa. Let us all remember her in our prayers.
Funeral arrangements are as follows:
Wednesday, June 11, 2008
Greenwood Funeral Home, 5200 Canal Boulevard, New Orleans
Visitation from 6:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m.
Thursday, June 12, 2008
St. Francis Xavier Catholic Church, 444 Metairie Road, Metairie
Visitation from 9:00 a.m. to 11:00 a.m.
Mass of Christian Burial at 11:00 a.m.
Interment at St. Patrick #3 Cemetery, New Orleans
Sincerely,
(Rev.) Anthony J. De Conciliis, C.S.C., Ph.D.
President
April 23, 2008
Dear Our Lady of Holy Cross College Community:
In the Catholic tradition and other religious traditions, it is customary to offer prayer and sacrifice for those who are deceased. Today, April 23, 2008 at noon, we will be offering the eucharistic sacrifice of the mass for those who have died. All are welcome to participate in remembrance of our loved ones and those dear to us. Our intentions will also include those who have died in the war in Iraq and Afghanistan.
Please join us if your schedule permits.
Sincerely,
(Rev.) Anthony J. De Conciliis, C.S.C., Ph.D.
President
March 22, 2008
The season of Lent was a time to reflect on conversion and penance. Our reflection on Lent rescued us from selfishness and turned us to new life.
We look toward the light and are able to see ourselves as we are.On Easter Sunday, the true light of the world invites us to fullness of life in the Spirit.
Happy Easter
Fr. Anthony J. De Conciliis, C.S.C., Ph.D.
President
January 3, 2008
Dear OLHCC Community:
It is with great sadness that I announce to the Our Lady of Holy Cross College Community that our beloved faculty member in Chemistry, Dr. Darrell Donaldsn, passed away on Wednesday, January 02, 2008. He is survived by his wife and four children.
The entire College community will miss his wonderful sense of humor, his dedicated teaching, and his scholarship. Countless numbers of students will testify to his caring and helpful manner.
Let us keep Darrell and his entire family in our prayers. We will celebrate a Mass today at 12 noon in the Mater Dei Chapel in his memory.
We pray that his soul and the souls of the faithful departed rest in peace. Amen
I will announce the arrangements as soon as they are made available to us.
Sincerely,
Father Anthony De Conciliis, C.S.C.
President
