Boston College Chronicle Sept. 20, 2012

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The Boston College

Chronicle Published by the Boston College Office of News & Public Affairs september 20, 2012 VOL. 21 no. 2

INSIDE •BC joins Operation Hat Trick, page 2 •Q&A with FYC speaker Dan Barry, page 3

•BC retains spot in US News rankings, page 3 •Memories of a 100-yearold grad, page 4 •C21 Center focus is “Handing on the Faith,” page 5 •New OIP director takes global view, page 5

Mass at Fenway Park

‘Grand Event’ Launches Sesquicentennial Celebration By Sean Smith Chronicle Editor

On a near-perfect early autumn afternoon, two venerable Boston institutions united last Saturday for a memorable event invoking tradition, history, faith, service and community, as 150-year-old Boston College held a Mass at centuryold Fenway Park to formally launch the University’s Sesquicentennial Celebration. The Mass, which also marked the start of BC High’s 150th anniversary commemoration, was attended by some 20,000 people, who filled the stands all along Fenway’s first base side and behind home plate. The focal point of the event was a temporary stage on the edge of the infield, where University President William P. Leahy, SJ, celebrated the Mass, joined by Professor of Theology Fr. Michael Himes — whose homily was widely

Eucharistic ministers helped distribute Communion to the some 20,000 people who attended the Mass. More photos at www.bc.edu/ chronicle. (Photos by Gary Gilbert, left, and University President William P. Leahy, SJ, celebrated Mass at Fenway Caitlin Cunningham) Park in commemoration of Boston College’s Sesquicentennial.

praised — and nearly 100 Jesuits and alumni priests as concelebrants. Boston Archbishop Cardinal Sean O’Malley, OFM, Cap., presided. “Today’s Mass has been a grand event, and a wonderful way to start our Sesquicentennial,” said Fr. Leahy, toward the end of the event. “I am grateful to all those who worked so hard and did so much to enable us to enjoy this very special day.”

Williams says ‘scavenger receptor’ marks body’s immune response

•Pops on the Heights hits 20th year, page 6 •BC Law student speaks at DNC, page 6

•Humanities Series begins Oct. 3, page 8

“We still need the giants of Catholic education to help form new disciples in the church. The involvement of BC with the renewal of our Catholic schools has made a huge difference. BC has been a very important part in the history of our local church and we are all delighted to be a part of this magnificent celebration in Fenway Park.” Continued on page 4

Biologist Sees Molecule as Key in HIV Impact

•Promising signs for HEALTHY YOU, page 6

•Concert aids school for kids with cancer, page 8

Archbishop O’Malley praised the legacy of BC for its role as a champion of early Irish immigrants facing anti-Catholic prejudice in Boston, and for its continued support of the Catholic Church’s mission. “In the days of Fr. McElroy, it wasn’t easy to be a Catholic or immigrant in Boston, and it isn’t easy today,” he said, referring to BC founder John McElroy, SJ.

Fr. Emmanuel Mwerekande MA’06. (Photo by Ed Hayward)

Faith, Hope and Water BC alumnus is determined to improve life for a parish in the Ugandan village of Mubende By Kathleen Sullivan Staff Writer

Alumnus Emmanuel Mwerekande is a Catholic priest who is striving to bring hope and life’s basic necessity — clean water — to Our Lady of Fatima parish in the village of Mubende in the predominately Catholic nation of Uganda. The parish — with 45,000 members, 49 sub-churches and 15 Catholic schools open to children of all faiths — is a vibrant faith com-

munity, with about five weddings a month and more than 2,000 baptisms a year. This year, 620 children made their first Communion on Holy Thursday. Fr. Emmanuel recalled the day that access to clean water became so important to his ministry. He was visiting a woman sick with HIV/ AIDS when he realized that the medication she was taking was being washed down with filthy, buginfested water. Continued on page 5

QUOTE:

By Ed Hayward Staff Writer

A small molecule continues to speak volumes about the devastating impact of HIV infection on the health of patients living longer lives through the successful use of antiretroviral drugs, according to new research from the lab of Professor of Biology Ken Williams. In a recent study, the molecule – known as CD163 – helped Williams and colleagues from Harvard Medical School make the connection between body’s immune system response and the increased incidence of cardiovascular disease among people living with HIV, according to a report in the Journal of the American Medical Association.

Known as a scavenger receptor, CD163 is shed during the activation of monocyte and macrophage cells as part of the body’s immune response to HIV infection. Dispatched by the immune system to combat infection, monocytes enter tissue and exit as macrophage cells. In earlier research, Williams and his lab have shown CD163, a protein molecule within these infection-fighting cells, serves as a valuable biomarker for the effectiveness of HIV antiretroviral (ARV) therapies. The new study of 80 HIVpositive patients demonstrated for the first time that arterial inflammation occurs at a 60 percent higher rate in HIV-infected patients compared to non-HIV patients with similar risk profiles. Three-dimensional images obtained through PET imaging revealed telltale CD163 and macrophage infiltration in arterial walls Continued on page 3

“The night we were playing our first game, I got elected captain right in the locker room. A defenseman, Owen Mullaney, popped up all of a sudden and said, ‘We ought to have a captain. Bill put this whole thing together, so he should be our captain.’ We had some fun and it went on from there.” —Bill Hogan ’33, who helped revive BC hockey, page 4


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