Post by dex on Apr 30, 2019 12:48:50 GMT -5
No shortages of opinion...Projo Today
MY TURN MICHAEL CURRAN
Friars care about souls at PC
I write in response to Stephen J. Nelson’s April 18 Commentary piece ("Leave the beloved Shanley in place") expressing his hope, arguably his demand, that Father Brian Shanley be granted an additional five-year term as president of Providence College. This, despite Mr. Nelson’s own admission that he “knows little of the internecine realities and labyrinthian world of the Province that controls the decision that appears to be coming down.” Given his self-proclaimed ignorance, Mr. Nelson would do well to keep quiet on the matter.
For my part, an alumnus of Providence College who spent a great deal of time considering joining the Order of Preachers (less formally, the Dominican Friars), I have come to have more familiarity with the procedures of the Order than the casual observer. They are neither mysterious nor destructive, despite Mr. Nelson’s unknowing and flip assessment.
The Dominicans, friars and sisters, are among the kindest, most thoughtful, most selfless men and women I have ever known. They are owed an apology by Mr. Nelson for his mischaracterization of their life and their work. It is a joy to know any one of them; it is nothing less than a spiritual gift to know many of them.
As regards, Father Shanley, or “Brian,” as Mr. Nelson so casually refers to him, there can be no doubt about his extraordinary accomplishments at Providence College. The order he freely joined, though, does not think in terms of endowments, buildings, or other worldly accomplishments.
For the friars, there is something far more important at stake: souls.
In his judgment, the Provincial must have thought that the souls associated with the college would be best served by a new president. I will not pretend to know what motivated Father Kenneth Letoile’s decision, but I will say with every confidence that it was not rushed, but made thoughtfully, prayerfully, and in consultation with his brothers in the Order.
It may be ours to consider, and perhaps question, privately, but the public lambasting of this decision by Mr. Nelson, indeed by the college’s own Board of Trustees, is an embarrassment to our fine college and its identity as a Catholic and Dominican institution.
Though not binding on the lay faithful associated with Dominican institutions, members of the Order are bound to the Rule of St. Augustine. I invite all who love Providence College to spend time in reflection on Chapter VII of the Rule: Governance and Obedience.
The petty quarrels among friends of the college must stop and do so immediately. Let us, rather than insisting on our own selfish assessment of the situation, place our trust in God’s plan, a plan after which our beloved college was named: Providence.
Michael Curran received a bachelor of arts degree in 2013 and a master of theological studies degree in 2016 from Providence College. He is the former chairman of the Theology Department at Bishop Hendricken High School and now studies law at Boston College.
MY TURN MICHAEL CURRAN
Friars care about souls at PC
I write in response to Stephen J. Nelson’s April 18 Commentary piece ("Leave the beloved Shanley in place") expressing his hope, arguably his demand, that Father Brian Shanley be granted an additional five-year term as president of Providence College. This, despite Mr. Nelson’s own admission that he “knows little of the internecine realities and labyrinthian world of the Province that controls the decision that appears to be coming down.” Given his self-proclaimed ignorance, Mr. Nelson would do well to keep quiet on the matter.
For my part, an alumnus of Providence College who spent a great deal of time considering joining the Order of Preachers (less formally, the Dominican Friars), I have come to have more familiarity with the procedures of the Order than the casual observer. They are neither mysterious nor destructive, despite Mr. Nelson’s unknowing and flip assessment.
The Dominicans, friars and sisters, are among the kindest, most thoughtful, most selfless men and women I have ever known. They are owed an apology by Mr. Nelson for his mischaracterization of their life and their work. It is a joy to know any one of them; it is nothing less than a spiritual gift to know many of them.
As regards, Father Shanley, or “Brian,” as Mr. Nelson so casually refers to him, there can be no doubt about his extraordinary accomplishments at Providence College. The order he freely joined, though, does not think in terms of endowments, buildings, or other worldly accomplishments.
For the friars, there is something far more important at stake: souls.
In his judgment, the Provincial must have thought that the souls associated with the college would be best served by a new president. I will not pretend to know what motivated Father Kenneth Letoile’s decision, but I will say with every confidence that it was not rushed, but made thoughtfully, prayerfully, and in consultation with his brothers in the Order.
It may be ours to consider, and perhaps question, privately, but the public lambasting of this decision by Mr. Nelson, indeed by the college’s own Board of Trustees, is an embarrassment to our fine college and its identity as a Catholic and Dominican institution.
Though not binding on the lay faithful associated with Dominican institutions, members of the Order are bound to the Rule of St. Augustine. I invite all who love Providence College to spend time in reflection on Chapter VII of the Rule: Governance and Obedience.
The petty quarrels among friends of the college must stop and do so immediately. Let us, rather than insisting on our own selfish assessment of the situation, place our trust in God’s plan, a plan after which our beloved college was named: Providence.
Michael Curran received a bachelor of arts degree in 2013 and a master of theological studies degree in 2016 from Providence College. He is the former chairman of the Theology Department at Bishop Hendricken High School and now studies law at Boston College.
