“Catholic Renewal and Reform” Provides Forum for Modern Catholic Issues

What is the role of Jesuit education in creating a Church devoted to the pursuit of peace and justice? How can Jesuit colleges and universities preserve the foundations of Christianity in modern culture? These questions were discussed by Professor David O’Brien of the College of the Holy Cross in his lecture entitled “Catholic Renewal and Reform: Four Decades Sharing in the Jesuit Mission in Higher Education.” “Four Decades” refers to the forty years O’Brien has spent involved in preserving Jesuit teachings in 21st century university settings since he began teaching at the College of the Holy Cross in 1969. O’Brien served as director of the Center for Religion, Ethics, and Culture at Holy Cross. He is a historian of American Catholicism and has written extensively on this issue. The lecture Professor O’Brien gave in Gasson 100 is part of a series of presentations organized by Boston College’s Church in the 21st Century Center. The mission of the Center is to promote the discussion of issues presently facing the Catholic Church in the United States and finding solutions to increase solidarity between the Church and an increasingly secular society. “Catholic Renewal and Reform” is the second of a two- part lecture series by O’Brien at Boston College. O’Brien began his presentation by explaining, “I am not a product of Jesuit education, although I should have been.” Providing a brief contextual background of his experiences, O’Brien launched into an ex- haustive analysis not only of the sources of many of the problems of the Catholic Church in Amer- ican society, but also of potential solutions through the lens of Jesuit institutions of higher learning. O’Brien stated that Catholic lay people and bishops are “ideologically divided.” Still, there exists a need to bridge this gap, wherein lies the problem. Presently, Catholic charities and relief services are working to preserve the Church, but finan- cially, “they have serious problems of their own.” For this reason, O’Brien inquires, “Can we uphold the Church in Catholic theology and tradition?” The answer may be “yes.” O’Brien calls upon Jesuit institutions of higher learning to en- gage in meaningful discussion about the future of the Church and ways of spreading the mission and values of faith beyond university hallways. “Where is the Church in which [students] are to live out the faith they have learned on campus?” asks O’Brien. O’Brien has visited all 28 Jesuit universities in the Unit- ed States, and in his lecture, he reported on the importance of unity among these universities in carrying forth the message of the Church. Jesuit colleges and universities should “more vigorously exercise ecclesiastical responsibility,” and instill “a call to active citizenship,” he said, emphasizing that citizen- ship and discipleship must be integrated into a comprehensive American Catholic lifestyle. “We cannot be Catholic here and now . . . with only a religious understanding,” O’Brien articulated. Rather, members of the Church in the United States are responsible for determining the future of their faith in so- ciety: “This land is indeed our land, and what happens to our people is up to us.” According to the profes- sor, many Catholic colleges and universities have struggled with issues related to the “Catholic Question,” or questions of faith and justice in modern society. Still, he emphasizes that progress has been made, and many people are working hard to bring the Catholic Church into a future of peace and justice. The Church in the 21st Century Center sponsors numerous events on campus, such as the Agape Latte series, in coordination with Campus Ministry, which incorporates faith-based lectures with a relaxed social setting and free coffee and des- serts. The Center was first conceived in 2002, and has since provided vast resources to assist the Church’s transition into the twenty-first century. “The future of the American Church was and remains in our hands,” said O’Brien. He called on American Catholics to incorporate past and present experiences into a comprehensive initiative for a strong future for the Church. O’Brien does not claim to hold all the answers to the often difficult questions surrounding the future of the Catholic Church in the United States. Rather, he calls himself merely “an observer of American Catholic life.”

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