M A R
2 0 2 2
V O L
6 3
N O .
2
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
Jesus
Christ
as
true
God
this
divine
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 giftof
character
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
in
answering
call
universal
that
communion
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
exemplified
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
that
catholicity.
the
conference will be held at St.
We
authentic
its
contemplating
discussing
of
towards
and
of catholicity in our time. The
anniversary
drive
content
We invite one and all to join us as we celebrate the legacy
Sunday,
this
Communio ,
(publication) form!
be commemorating the 50th
has
journal,
its
30th,
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.
I n th e e a r l y m o r n i n g h ou rs o f J u ly 2 7 , 20 2 0 , an
p ar t ici p a tion , m o ti v a te s s e rv ic e , a n d a mp l i f i e s
e l e c tr i c a l
p r oc l a ma ti o n . Th e r e for e , I p r op ose t ha t w e n e e d
f i re
de s t r oy ed
my
parish
off i ce .
Th e
b u i l d i n g w a s b a s ic a l ly as he s and de b r i s b y th e ti m e I
to
a r r i v e d a t t h e s c en e a nd i nv es t i g a t o r s f r om v a ri o u s
E uc ha r is t i c re viv al.
g o v e r n m e n t a ge n c ie s e xp l o re d t h e r e m ain s a s th e d a y w o r e o n . A li t t le af t er mi dd a y, af t er I p oi nt ed t o a n a r e a i n w h a t w as on c e my o f f ic e, an A TF a g en t b r o u g h t t o m e t w o pi e c es o f m e t al t ha t h a d b ee n my c h a l i c e . H e f o u nd t h e p at e n a f e w mi nu t es l at e r.
a
h om il et i cal
f ou n d at ion
fo r
a
T h is p r o v id es a s e tt i ng t o b e ar th e m y s t e ry a n d a p l ac e fo r tr a n s fo r m at i on . As wi th a n y g o o d a nd s t ur d y b u i ld in g, t h e ho m il et ica l fo u n d a t i o n i s b u il t th ro ug h c ar e ful d e si g n , s e le c t m a t e r i a l s , th e ri g h t t o ol s , an d e x c el l e n t e x e c u t i o n. T he
A c h a l i c e a n d p a t en h old a s p ec i al p lac e i n t h e li f e o f
c are fu l d e s ig n f or th is fo un d ati on in cl u d e s a n
a p r i e s t a n d p a r i s h c o m m un i t y. T h e p at en h ol d s th e
in te n ti on al d o ctr in a l f ocu s wh i le re sp ec t i n g a n d
h o s t b e f o r e t h e c o n s ec ra t io n an d b e ar s t h e pr e s e n c e
a pp r ec i at in g t h e n atu r e o f t h e l it ur gi c a l h o m i l y .
a f t e r t h e E u c h ar is t i c p ra ye r . T h e c h a l ic e, in t o w h ich
Be fo r e m o v in g o n t o th e se l ect io n o f m a t e r i a ls ,
t h e w i n e a n d t he wa t er ar e p o u re d , i s b ot h th e
to ols , a n d e x e cu t io n , t h e r e a r e s om e im p o r t a nt
b e a r e r o f t h e s a c r ed p re s e n c e o f th e P reci o us B l oo d
d ist in c tio n s t o m ak e r e ga r d in g d o ct ri n al co n t e n t
as
a nd th e l itu r g ic al h o m i l y:
well
as
the
p lac e
w he r e
t he
t ra n sf or m a ti o n
o c c u r s . T h e c ha l ic e an d pa t e n a re t he s e t t in g f o r t h e s a c r e d a c t i on a n d th e be ar e r s of t h e m y st ery. S e l e c t i n g a ne w c ha lic e an d p at en f o r th e pa r is h b e c a m e a n i m m ed ia t e ta s k b e c a u s e t he ce l e b r at ion o f t h e m y s t e r y req u ir es a w o r t hy an d p rop e r s et t in g.
1.
D oc t rin a l pr ea chi ng is n ot th e s am e t h i n g a s
a c at e che t i cal le ct ur e. Th e c on te n t m a y b e t he sa m e , b u t t h e v ar i ed as pe c ts of pr e s e n t a t i o n a r e d i ffe re nt . T he l it u rg i ca l h o m il y , as Po p e F r a n ci s in s t r uc t s , s h o u ld “ av oid t a ki n g o n th e se m b l a nce
A t t h e i r N o v e m be r 2 0 2 1 me et i ng , t h e b is h o p s o f th e
o f a s pe e ch or a l e c tur e” (E van ge l ii G a ud i u m,
United
Bis h o p s
1 3 8 ). Th is d i s ti n c tion m er its fur t he r e x p l o r a t i o n
a p p r o v e d a t e a ch i ng d oc u m e n t on t h e E uc h a r is t an d
a s t h e ac t of pr eac h i n g it s e lf re se m b l e s a s p e e c h
a p l a n f o r a t h r ee - y ear n at i o n a l E u ch a r i s tic r ev i v a l .
o r l e ct u re . T o a id in th is e x am i n at i on , I p r o p o se
T h e r e a s o n s f o r t h e d o cu m en t an d t h e n at i on a l
f i ve d is t i n c t i on s b e tw ee n an ac ad em ic l e c t u r e
r e v i v a l a r e m an i f o ld an d h ave b ee n t he su b je ct of
a nd
S t a te s
C o nf e r en ce
of
C at h o lic
the
l it u rg i cal
h om il y .
They
s e t ti n g,
ar e
m u c h c o ve r a ge i n t h e re l igi o us a nd s e c ul a r p r e s s.
a ud i en ce, in t e nti on, p res e n t er,
T h e d o c u m e n t s e ek s t o p r ov i de c le a r t e a ch i n g , an d
se t t i ng o f an ac ad em ic l e ct u re is th e cl a s sr o o m ,
t h e n a t i o n a l Eu ch ari s t i c re v iva l in c lu de s C on g re s s e s
th e
a t t h e l o c a l , di o ce s a n, a n d n at i on a l lev e ls. T he se ar e
in t e n ti on al ac ad e m ic s p a ce . T he au di en c e f o r t h e
n o b l e e f f o r t s t h a t i n t en d t o i n c r ea s e an d a m p li fy
le ctu r e
k n o w l e d g e o f o u r E u c h a ri s t ic t e a c hi ng.
c om mu n i t y. A l ec t ur e h as in t en t i on al l ea r n i n g
Y e t, a s a p as t o r , I r em a in u n c on v i nc ed th a t ou r g r e a t e s t c r i s is i s o n e o f E u c ha r i s t i c k no w l ed g e. W e d o i n d e e d ha v e a c r is i s o f Eu c h ari s t i c k n o w l ed ge , b u t I b e l i e v e w e h a v e a g r e a t e r c r i s i s of E u c h ar ist ic
l ec t u re
g oal s
is an d
h a l l,
s tu d en ts is
the
v i rt u al
and
p re s e n t ed
the by
st yl e.
an d
v e n ue ;
w id e r a
The it
is
sc ho la r ly
c r ed en tia l ed
t e a c he r. Th e s t y l e o f a l e ct u re u til iz e s a bs t r a ct c on ce p ts a n d a s pe cia l iz ed v oc ab u l a r y . T h e g o a l o f a l ec t u re i s t o i m p ar t kn ow le d ge .
f a i t h. W e h a v e a di s c o n ne ct b et w e en k n ow in g w h at
O n t h e o t h e r ha n d , t h e se tti n g of th e h o m i l y i s
t h e C h u r c h tea ch es an d h o ld i n g f a i t h i n w h at t h e
th e l itu r g y , ge n e r a ll y ce l e b r a te d i n a de d i ca t e d
C h u r c h t e a c h es . W e n ee d a r evi va l o f E u c h ar i st i c
c h u r ch
f a i t h b e c a u s e E u c h ar i s t i c f a it h ga th er s t h e b ap t iz ed
g eog r a ph ica l ly
t o t h e l i t u r g i ca l as s e mb ly. Eu ch ar i s t i c f ait h o pe n s
a u d ien ce f or t he h om i ly a r e wors h i pp e r s , m os t , i f
ears
n ot a l l of w hom , a r e on to log i cal ly c on fi gu r e d f o r
to
hear
an d
e n c ou n t er
t he
W ord
of
E u c h a r i s t i c f a i t h i n s p i r es co n ve r s i o n, en a b l es 8
bu i l d
Go d .
or
c ha p e l ;
it
in t e n t io n a l
is
t e m po ra l l y
s ac r ed
sp a ce .
a nd The
d i v in e wo rs h i p b y th e s a c ram e n t o f b apt is m . A
homily
in t en ds
to
inspire
t h r o ug h
s ac r ed
te x t ,
an
e s se nt ia l
f ou nd at ion
our
a n d e n a b le s a n e xp eri e nc e w i t h t h e li v in g Go d . T h is
l it u r g y as th e a ct i on of Ch r ist w ho u ni t e s t he
i n te n ti o n d o es n o t l i m i t t h e p os s ib i l iti es fo r co nt en t.
m e m b e rs of Hi s b od y a n d b rid e t o H i m s e l f a n d
The
is
o ffe rs th e l o v in g an d fr ui tf u l s a c r i fi c e t o t he
p r e s e n t e d b y an o r da i n ed b i s h op , pr ie s t, o r d e ac on .
F at h e r i n t h e H ol y Sp ir i t mi x e s t he m o r t a r w h i ch
T h e s ty l e of t he h om il y u t i li z es c on c re t e im a g e s ,
h ol d s t h e e d if ic e t o g et h e r . Th es e t w o d o ct r i na l
m e t a p h o r i ca l la n g ua ge , a n d a n ac c e s si b l e v o c a b ul ary
a s pe c t s, e cc l es io l og y a n d li t ur g y, p r o v i d e t h e
s u i te d t o t he p a rt i cu lar as s em b ly . T he g oa l o f a
s et t in g fo r E u ch a r is ti c fa it h . T h e C h u r ch a n d t h e
h o m i l y is t o f a c il i ta t e a n e nc ou nt e r.
l it u r g y ar e t h e b e a r er s o f th e p re se n ce a nd t h e
2.
p l ac e o f t ra n s f or m a ti on . T he C h u r c h an d t h e
h o m i l y,
p r ea ch ed
d u r in g
M as s ,
D o c tr in a l p r eac hi n g f o r a Eu ch a r is t ic re v iv al
d o e s n o t n e ed t o b e e x p li c i t l y e uc h ar i st i c i n e v e r y h o m i l y . T he b e au t y o f t h e n e x u s m ys t er io rum i s th at a n y o n r a m p t o t he d o c t r i na l an d t h e ol og ica l h ig h w a y c o n n e c t s t o ev er y a n d an y d es t in a ti on . T h e r e m a y b e c u l - d e - s a c s a n d ar eas c u rr en t ly u n d e r co n st r u c t io n a n d r e p a ir , b u t t h er e ar e fe w de ad en d s . E v e ry t h in g is
c o n nec t e d.
Every
d o ct ri n e
is
im p l i ci t ly
e u c h a r i st i c. T h i s m ea n s t ha t wh en e v e r w e e n g a g e in a n i n t e n t i o na l d o c t r i n al f o cu s i n p re ac hi n g , we are b u i l d i n g a ho m ile t ic a l f ou n d a t i on f or a E uc h ar is tic revival.
3.
D o c t r i n a l p rea c h i n g i s no t an a l te rn a ti v e o r
a n to n y m t o th e l i t u rgi c al h o m i ly . Th e p re ac h e r d o e s n o t s e t as i d e t h e l i t u rgi c al an d le c tion ar y t e x ts t o f o c u s o n s o me as p e c t o f do c t r i n e . An i nt e n t i on al d o c t r i n a l f oc u s sp r i n g s f r o m a nd is s u p p or te d b y t h e li t u r g i c a l an d l e c t i on ar y t e xt s. Th e s c ri p tu r e s a n d o r a ti o n s o f f e r m an y of t h e c onc re te ho mi l et ic al i m a g e s a n d m et a p h o r i c al la n g u a g e wh ic h e x em p li f y the
h o m i l et i c al
c o m m u n i ca t ed
s t yle .
D o ct r in al
t h ro u g h
the
con t e n t
ho m il y
c an
wh il e
be s t il l
r e s p e c t i n g t he n at u r e o f t he lit ur g ic al h om i ly . It r e q u i r e s t he tr a n s la t io n o r t ra n s p o siti on o f d o c t ri n al and
ca t e c he t ic al
lan gu ag e
in to
h om il e t ic al
c a te g o r i e s .
and
for
c on st r uc t i o n.
l i t u r gi c al
Pr o v id in g
s t on e
s a c r e d d oc t ri n e, an d t he s ac re d e x pe ri en ce o f li f e
p r o c l a i mi ng
the
li t u rgy ar e t he ch al ice an d p a t en. H av in g
e x p lo re d
t he
ca re f ul
design
of
the
h om il e t ic al f oun d a tio n a n d th e s e l e c t i on o f t h e d o c t ri n al m at e r ia ls , i t is i m p ort an t t o o f f e r s o m e p ra c t ic al t oo l s for th e e x e c ut i on o f t h e p r o j e c t . D oc t r i na l p r ea ch i n g w i t h an int e n tio n a l fo c u s on
ec cl es i olo gy
p r op o se,
a
and
li t ur gy
h om il et i c al
w il l
pr o v i d e,
f o un d a t io n
fo r
I a
E uch a r is t i c rev iv al. Re s p e ct i ng th e n a t u r e a n d st y l e of t h e l i tu r gi c al ho mi l y , th e se e d s o f t he sp e c ifi c d oct r in al fo cu s w i ll b e g a t h e r e d fr o m th e l ec t io na r y a n d l itu r g ic al te x t s . Wi t h r e g a r d to
d o ct ri n al
p r e a c h in g
on
the
l i t u rg y,
a
m y s tag og ic al a pp r oa ch c ou l d b e v e ry e f f e c t i v e i n w h ic h th e im ag es in th e l i tur gi cal a nd l e ct i o na r y te x t s a r e u se d t o f oc us on s o m e a sp e ct o f t h e M as s .
A d d i tion al l y,
on e
c ou l d
lo o k
at
nearly
ev e r y p a s s ag e of t he Go sp el w he re J e su s e ng a g e s in a d i a l o gu e o r co n v e r s ati on a n d f i n d fa ce t s o f th e l it u rg i ca l ac t io n i n t h e m. It is p o ss i b l e a n d fr u it ful t o r e a d t he le c tion ar y te x t s t h r o u g h a li t ur g ic al
le n s .
In
d oi n g
s o,
we
o pe n
the
sc r i p t u re s i n t he li t ur g y s o t h a t t he l i t u r gy w i l l o p en u s t o t he sc r ip t ur es an d a n e n co u n t er w it h t h e li v ing G od. Si n c e fa it h co m es t h r o u g h h ea r in g, a nd h e a r i ng
I n o r d e r t o c o n s tr u c t a h o mi let i c a l foun d a ti on fo r a
is m ad e p os si b l e th r ou g h p re ac hi n g , w he n w e
E u c h a r i s t i c rev i va l, I p r op o s e t w o d oc tr i n al a r e as
p rov id e i n t e n ti on al d o ct ri n a l p re a c h i n g o n t h e
that
C h u r ch a n d th e l i t ur gy , we of fer a c o nt e x t fo r
p r o vi d e
Eucharistic
a
s e t ti n g
f ai t h.
or
T h es e
ven u e
fo r
d o c tr in al
i n s p ir i ng
ar ea s
are
th e
p re s e n c e
of
God
and
a
place
fo r
e c c l e s i o l o gy a nd li tu r gy. T h e t h eo log y of t h e C hu r ch
tr an sfo r m at i on . W e o ffe r a s e tt i n g t o i ns p i r e a n d
a n d t h e l i t u r gy p ro v i de a c o n te x t f or a Euc h a ri s ti c
s tr e n gt he n a r e v iv al of E u c h a r is tic f a i t h.
r e v i v a l . T h e C h u rc h c e l eb ra t es t he E u ch ar is t i n th e s a c r e d l it u r g y . P as t or a l ex p e ri e n c e t e ac h e s m e th at this
e c c le s io lo g ic al
lacking
f or
Eucharist.
many W he n
an d of
t he
the
li t u r gi c a l fa i t hf u l Church
fou n d a t io n r eg ar d i n g is
is the
Fr. Benjamin Roberts
i s a p r i e s t o f th e D i o c e s e
o f C h a r l o t t e , p a s t o r o f O u r L a d y o f L o u rd e s C a th o l i c Church in Monroe, NC, and adjunct professor at
pr a c t ica l ly
S a i n t J o s e p h ' s C o l l e g e o f M a i n e a nd S t. B e r na r d ' s .
u n d e r s to od a s a hu ma n s o c i et y o r c u l tu ra l g ath e r in g
H e h o l d s a B A i n P h i l o s o p h y f r o m D ’ yo u v i l l e Co l le g e
o f p e o p le , an d t he li t u r g y i s e s s en t i a l l y v ie we d as
in
t h e c e r e mo n ie s o f a s o c i al c lu b , t h en we c a n n ot b e surprised
w he n
E u c h a r i s t ic
f a it h
is
l a ck in g.
To
r e t r i e v e an d p r o c l a i m a n u nd e r s t a nd i n g o f t h e C h u r c h a s a m y st e ri o u s an d p ro ph et ic p i lg r i m w i t h a t e m p or a l re a l i t y a n d a n e s c h a to l ogi ca l des t i ny i s
Buffalo,
Systematic
NY,
and
Theology
an from
M.Div. St.
and
C h a rl e s
M.A.
in
Borromeo
S e m i n a r y i n P h i l a d e l p h i a . H e r e c e i ve d h i s D .M i n . i n P r e a c h i n g f r o m A q u i n a s I n s t i t u t e o f T he o l o g y i n St . Louis,
MO.
His
first
book,
"The
V o i ce
of
the
B r i d e g r o o m : P r e a c h i n g a s a n E x p r es s i o n o f S p o u s a l L o v e " w a s p u b l i s h e d i n 2 0 2 1 b y W i p f a nd S to c k . 9
JOURNEYING
A REFLECTION O
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
it is an invisible language of sound that prepares us for the invisible language of prayer. gift
of
sound
into
an
immaterial
art:
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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120 FRENCH ROAD
Rochester, NY
ROCHESTER, NY 14618
Permit No. 699
AUDIT A SUMMER 2022 COURSE FOR FREE! We are delighted to once again offer our free audit opportunity for our Summer 2022 courses. This initiative began in 2020 at the height of the pandemic and has continued since, drawing over 300 students from all over the world. Come and join us for a summer of reflection and contemplation!
www.stbernards.edu/free-audit-opportunity