Fall 2017

FROM THE CHAPLAIN'S DESK 

Dear Friends:
As part of our observance of National Hispanic Heritage Month, we were honored to welcome Roberto Goizueta '76 who spoke after a Sunday evening dinner. Roberto is Professor Emeritus of Catholic Theology at Boston College. He is the former president of both the Catholic Theological Society of America and the Academy of Catholic Hispanic Theologians of the United States. He currently serves on the STM Board of Trustees. I share an excerpt from his excellent lecture:
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NATIONAL HISPANIC HERITAGE MONTH LECTURE:
LOVING NEW HAVEN’S POOR PREFERENTIALLY

Each year, National Hispanic Heritage Month gives me the space to reflect on my intersectional identity as a Latino, an immigrant and a Catholic. I am grateful to have opportunities to explore this identity in community at STM during prayer, Mass and fellowship. The National Hispanic Heritage Month Lecture, given by Professor Roberto Goizueta '76 on October 8, 2017, also gave me the chance to ponder my attitude toward preferential treatment of the poor. 
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THE SUMMER AMBASSADOR JOURNALS: FINDING GOD THROUGH SERVICE TO OTHERS

What do Summitville, IN; Columbus, GA; Huê, Vietnam and Udine, Italy have in common? Each location was the site of a service project undertaken by a 2017 STM Summer Ambassador! After submitting a proposal and a detailed action plan, each Ambassador received grant money from STM to fund a project focused on ministering to an underserved population, both in the United States and abroad. Brantley Butcher '19 and Adriana Embus Figueroa '17 returned to their hometowns to give back to the communities which nurtured them; while a world away, the beneficence of STM was brought to Italy by Anna Marra GRD '18 and to Vietnam by Ella Henry '20. STM asked each Ambassador to keep a journal. Portions of their journals are excerpted on this page.
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WEST COAST THOUGHTS: PRAYER AND A WANDERING MIND

My mind frequently wanders in church. Shocker, I know. In quiet moments of trying to be prayerful, my train of thought often strays, and like a dog that sneaks out the front door, it's at least a block away before I notice and grab the leash. Since graduating from Yale in May, one of its favorite destinations is, ironically, another church: Saint Thomas More, the Catholic Chapel & Center at Yale University.
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THREE QUESTIONS: DR. KIRSTEN BECHTEL, M.D.

LH: Adult diseases garner the majority of attention, financial support and clinical investments within the American medical community. From your perspective as a pediatric emergency medicine doctor, how do we ensure that children’s health remains a priority?

KB: I’ve been practicing for over twenty years and it’s always been that way. Money is great and it makes things easier, but you don’t need it.
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THE TREE OF JESSE: THE "ROOTS" OF CHRISTIAN FAITH

High atop the vault of STM Chapel’s east wall rises a large mosaic of the Tree of Jesse, a striking work that is both ancient and modern. It is an imposing and impactful representation of the genealogy of Christ. Its narrative starts on the right as Jesse is seen with the family tree rising from his right side. The long shaft of green at its center seems to represent a tree, although the artist has labeled it “Radix Jesse” which means in Latin “Jesse the Root” or “The Root of Jesse.”
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JEANIE GRAUSTEIN LECTURE ON ENVIRONMENTAL JUSTICE: LAUDATO SI' AND LIVING A CONTEMPLATIVE LIFESTYLE

“…[I] want to talk about what it means [to live] a contemplative lifestyle and what does that have to do with the ecological crisis? This is one of my favorite lines from Laudato si’, where Pope Francis is saying, ‘Nature is giving us love letters all the time, but how do we receive it when we’re so busy?’ His first message is the fact that creation is a gift, but often we’re so busy. And does this look familiar…? That we just don’t have the time to receive this gift? The first movement of a contemplative lifestyle is actually one of stopping and being aware.
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GAME OF THRONES: REFLECTIONS OF A BELIEVER

This past summer, a line of several hundred people formed daily outside a small bar in Washington, DC. The line, which stretched around three city blocks, consisted of young adults and professionals willing to wait hours to pack into the bar’s modest space. The interior décor of the bar had been designed to resemble Westeros, the mythic, medieval land where HBO’s hit television show Game of Thrones takes place. Of the hundreds in line outside, many dressed as their favorite characters from Thrones, reveling in their chance to quote famous lines and gossip about the new season with fellow fans.
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THE HUNT PRIZE: TRUTH IN FICTION AND FICTION IN TRUTH

"The root of the word fiction is to make. And what fiction makes is life, and should we so believe, the next life.” This quote is from Liam Callanan '90, the winner of the 2017 George W. Hunt, S.J., Prize for Excellence in Journalism, Arts & Letters, in his acceptance speech at the Yale Club of New York City on Thursday, September 21, 2017.
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