From the Desk of the President

Spring 2006 President's Message

March 1, 2006

Dear Friends,

   On August 15, 1990, Pope John Paul II issued the Apostolic Constitution on Catholic Higher Education entitled Ex corde Ecclesiae.  The introduction states: “Born from the heart of the Church…a Catholic University’s privileged task is ‘to unite existentially two orders of reality…the search for truth, and the certainty of already knowing the fount of truth.’

   Catholic identity lies at the heart of Ex corde Ecclesiae.  In 1979 Pope John Paul II, in an address to the Catholic academic community the Catholic University of America, stressed the importance of the Catholic character of Catholic institutions of higher learning:  “Every university or college is qualified by a special mode of being. Yours is the qualification of being Catholic, of affirming God, his revelation and the Catholic Church as the guardian and interpreter of that revelation. The term ‘Catholic’ will never be a mere label either added or dropped according to the pressures of varying factors.”

   Catholic institutions of higher learning should excel in Catholic theological teaching and catechetical instruction, prayer, liturgy, and works of charity.  These activities, however, do not alone make an institution of higher learning “Catholic.”  Ex corde Ecclesiae highlights four distinctive characteristics that are essential for Catholic identity:

1. Christian inspiration in individuals and the institution’s community;
2. Reflection and research on human knowledge in light of the Catholic faith;
3. Fidelity to the Christian message in conformity with the Magisterium of the Church;
4. Institutional commitment to the service of others.

   Catholic institutions should cherish their Catholic tradition and special charism.  In the United States, we enjoy the freedom to incorporate religious values into our academic mission.  The principles of Ex corde Ecclesiae afford us an opportunity to re-examine our origin and renew the way of living out our precious Catholic heritage.

   In order to maintain and safeguard our Catholic identity, we must sustain our commitment to be faithful to the teachings of the Catholic Church; we must provide courses for students on Catholic moral and religious principles and their application to critical areas such as human life and other issues of social justice; and we must care pastorally for the students, faculty, and staff.

   In a secular world, the strong Catholic identity of our Catholic institutes of higher learning is invaluable in witnessing to the relationship of truth and reason, the call of the revealed Word, and the authentic meaning of human life.  “The present age is in urgent need of this kind of disinterested service, namely of proclaiming the meaning of truth, the fundamental value without which freedom, justice, and human dignity are extinguished” (Ex corde Ecclesiae).

   With deep gratitude to Pope John Paul II, Pope Benedict XVI, Bishop John McCormack, the Board of Trustees, benefactors, faculty, staff, students, and alumni of Magdalen College, I remain

Sincerely in Christ,

Jeffrey Karls

President