Ceremony to Inaugurate the Year 2012-2013
On Monday, November 5 (11:00, Magna Giovanni Paolo Hall), a special ceremony to inaugurate the academic year 2012-2013 took place. The University Chancellor, H.E. Msgr. Javier Echevarría, attended.
This year, the event's inaugural speech was entrusted to Rev. Prof. Giuseppe Tanzella-Nitti from the School of Theology. He spoke about Truth, Credibility, and Witness.
[Chronicle] - [Video] - [Photos]
Memoria for the 2011/2012 Academic Year
Msgr. Echevarría: "Live our faith with joyful coherence every day"
Prof. Tanzella-Nitti: Witnesses credible if essentially engaged by what is announced
Rome, Nov. 6 2012—The "dictatorship of relativism" often highlighted by Benedict XVI "should push us to live our faith with joyful coherence every day, whether in university studies or participation in contemporary discussions." The moments we are living now are in fact "very important for the Church," and call each person to holiness in his or her own state of life. With this reflection on Monday, November 5 the Bishop and Prelate of Opus Dei, H.E. Msgr. Javier Echevarría, officially inaugurated the XXVIII academic year (2012-2013) of the Pontifical University of the Holy Cross, of which he is also Chancellor.
UNIVERSAL CALL TO HOLINESS-- Almost forgotten for a length of time, the universal call to holiness was proposed again "by the Council with great strength, and preached many years before with great self-sacrifice by St. Josemaría Escrivá." Inspirer of the Pontifical University of the Holy Cross, Escrivá was also defined by Blessed John Paul II as the "Saint of the ordinary."
Still today, each member of the academic community is called to live the challenge of holiness and an encounter with God within their ordinary duties and "current conditions". This means acquiring "a true spirit of collaboration" and "fraternity that goes beyond potential differences in opinion.” Such a spirit also “knows how to calmly confront problems and to seek positive solutions," noted Msgr. Echevarría when addressing the technical and administrative staff.
As for students, among the "positive attitudes that lead them closer to God's love" are without a doubt "intense study," the effort "to understand the most difficult arguments," the support of one's classmates, and "an active presence in classes."
"Care for the small things," on the other hand, is the secret to a professor’s work as they are called to "transmit doctrine in a profound way that is at the same time synthetic and clear." It is important to remember that the Church greatly values "intellectual work," especially in our cultural context "where the truth is constantly brought into discussion."
"How happy I would be if those who come into contact with us could sense a light of holiness that gives heat through the very way we teach and live the faith as professors, through charity and hard work as students, and through work well done by all the personnel!" said the University Chancellor at the end of his speech.
A WITNESS' CREDIBILITY IN PROCLAIMING THE FAITH -- A deeper understanding of a witness’ role and of his relationship with the truth, especially given the importance that witnesses are meant to recover in this Year of Faith and the New Evangelization, were the themes offered by the Rev. Prof. Giuseppe Tanzella-Nitti. A Professor of Fundamental Theology, Tanzella-Nitti was entrusted with this year’s inaugural speech on the subject Truth, Credibility and Witness.
The Professor began with Benedict XVI’s words from the Apostolic Letter Porta Fidei: “we make it our prayer that believers’ witness of life may grow in credibility.” He recalled how knowledge gained by means of testimony always carries a risk in itself, owed to the fact that acceptance of the message refers back to the person who witnesses. In fact, “if motives for believing don’t exist, it is mainly because the person himself is not credible, and only secondarily because the content he transmits is un-believable.”
For this reason, confronted with the risk of making mistakes, even in good faith, or of being disappointed or deceived, one way to establish a witness’ credibility is to appeal to “the most complete anthropological foundation possible.” This foundation involves all the various dimensions usually considered significant when making judgments about important matters: “coherence between word and action, psychological maturity, empathy, the capacity to understand who is speaking and his experiences, and fidelity to promises made even, if necessary, until the sacrifice of one’s very life.”
A witness must demonstrate that he is “existentially involved by the message he is announcing, and with just as much strength and intensity that the message requires of its receivers.” This is why “the most reliable witnesses are only saints.” They are most reliable even to the eyes of those without faith, inasmuch that they “have given testimony in a heroic way, human and divine, with their constant unity of life and congruency between words and actions.”
GROWTH IN THE CULTURE OF QUALITY -- The University Rector, Msgr. Luis Romera, offered on the other hand, a reflection about “promoting the culture of quality.” In his introductory speech, he referenced the process of internal evaluation that the University of the Holy Cross—like other Pontifical Universities—completed in the past year. It has culminated in a report that will be delivered within the next few days to the Agency for Evaluation instituted by the Holy See (AVEPRO).
After reflecting on the “particularly meaningful moments” of the past academic year, the Rector appealed explicitly “to the whole academic community’s sense of responsibility.” He expressed hopes that “a spirit of growth” might consolidate “with realism and initiative.” This spirit should “know how to identify points needing improvement, and with seriousness and common sense, be capable of creating a plan for improvement.” The attitude of promoting quality belongs in fact, to the “original identity of the University,” added Msgr. Romera--which is why it was fitting to have a “reflection that both includes the results of the internal evaluation and proposes the determination of a working plan for growth.”
The Rector's words fit into the wider context of the New Evangelization. Both the Holy Father and the recently concluded Synod of Bishops have emphasized the same fact: we are invited to propose faith in a culture that tries to understand and live public and private life as if God does not exist. The University's task lies in creating a space of reflection "that returns to human experience, to the culture we live in, and to its hopes and challenges." In this way it can "imbue them with a higher, more complex perspective" capable of offering "reliable answers to the demands implied by human existence."
SILVER MEDAL -- As usual, the Chancellor awarded a silver medal to the University personnel who have worked for 25 years. Prof. Msgr. Luis Clavell, former Rector of the Holy Cross from 1994 to 2002, and Professor Emeritus of the School of Philosophy was honored, along with the Rev. Prof. Eduardo Baura, Professor for the School of Canon Law and former Dean of the same School.
gt
