LETTER FROM THE PRESIDENT

One of the defining marks of St. Bernard’s is that we are a School of theology and ministry. We recognize the importance both of contemplating God’s wisdom and the realization of this in our service to the Church and its people In this, we take inspiration from St. Thomas as we pursue a manner of life that is central to all who love God: "to contemplate and to give to others the fruit of that contemplation ”

This composure arises naturally out of the Christian life, as we recognize that the wisdom we pursue is not, as it was for the Ancient Greek philosophers, the ultimate order and cause of reality in an abstract sense For the Christian, wisdom is a person, Jesus Christ, Who is the Word Incarnate, the wisdom of

God What was for the Ancient Greeks the height and perfection of the mind’s reach has now become a personal response to God’s call to know Him better and to be transformed in all that we think, do, and make. In this, we have been called out of darkness into His wondrous light, and we seek to honor Him through the effulgence of our lives, gifting to all the copious riches that He has showered upon us

For those of us who are privileged to study theology, we find that as we contemplate the Divine things, we do not merely wish to shine as Moses did in beholding God upon Mount Sinai. We seek, rather, to enlighten others to the glory and majesty of our God through our words, works, and lives, giving freely as we have received freely, and this most gratefully and with a humble heart.

In this edition of the St Bernard’s Magazine, we highlight the efforts of our faculty, students, and alumni as they manifest their response to their Beloved’s call through the teaching and scholarly work of our faculty, the dedication of our students to their degree and certificate programs, and the fruition of all this in the work upon which our alumni engage after graduation We hope that you are blessed by this chronicle of God’s action in our educational and formational community!

Sincerely,

Stephen J. Loughlin, Ph.D. President

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