Presidential Discourse

Dear Saint Joseph’s College Community,

We are just a few days away from celebrating that wonderful American tradition of Thanksgiving, a time when we take stock of what we are grateful for in our lives.  Soon, many of us will travel to be with family and friends and thank God for all of the wonderful people in our lives and for what God has provided us.  It is truly a time for us to reflect on who we are and what we are most grateful for in our lives. So enjoy this break!

I write this letter to you today to share my thoughts with you about the many events that have occurred over these past months and this past year in our country and abroad. It has truly been a time of tragedy with lives lost to senseless violence in Florida, Ferguson, Chattanooga, Charleston, Oregon, Chicago, and Colorado, and abroad in Kenya, Beirut and now Paris and many, many  more places where grieving has become the norm. Add to this the number of recent campus movements that highlight the marginalized, disrespected, and devalued men and women who are students across this nation. 

We, at Saint Joe’s, strive to transform our community on a daily basis, to instill the values that are expressed in our Mission Statement and the Mission Statement of our founding order, the Missionaries of the Precious Blood.  As each one of us endeavors to be transformed by those values it is important that we embrace the idea of dialogue and genuine communication and, at the same time, treat one another with dignity and respect.  We are a diverse community represented by many from different racial and ethnic backgrounds, nationalities, socio-economic backgrounds, gender, sexual orientation, and religions, to name just a few of the characteristics that make up the Saint Joseph’s family.  There is great strength in the fact that we are a community of learners from such varied backgrounds.  We have much to learn from one another and to teach one another and we are fortunate to be able to do this here, in a safe environment. 

One of the great advantages that we have over other institutions of higher learning is our Catholic identity and our Core program. The Core demands that we enter into meaningful dialogue and speak with one another in a respectful and civil manner.   It also opens our hearts and minds to those who share this experience with us.  Our mission calls us to value the commitments of Christian Humanism and that we embody the Gospel Values in our personal lives and professional careers.  Furthermore, it calls on us to provide personalized and individual care.  In other words, it calls on us, in the words of Pope Francis, “to love one another.”

The strength of Saint Joseph’s College lies in its students, faculty, staff, and alumni.  That strength can only be enhanced by continuing dialogue between people who genuinely care and love one another.  As we come up to the Thanksgiving break, let us give heartfelt thanks for the privilege that we all share of being part of the Saint Joseph’s College family.  Let us also remember in prayer those who are hurting and who need that special attention that we freely give.  Through prayer and compassion we will continue to transform the many lives that we share at Saint Joe’s and be a wonderful example of what a college community can accomplish.  After the Thanksgiving break I invite you to join me to attend a Prayer for Peace to be celebrated in the Saint Joseph’s Chapel on December 3rd at 4:30 p.m.  Let us join as one family to pray for healing and harmony for the many who need our prayers and who desperately need peace in their lives. In addition, let us pray for God’s wisdom and grace as we live and learn together.

May God bless you!

Robert A. Pastoor, Ed. D.

President

 

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