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The rite of installation was held following a homily from Father Guidon and the singing of “Ave Maria” by Claire Rolheiser, niece of Father Rolheiser. The rite featured Father Warren A. Brown, OMI, executive vice president, presenting Father Rolheiser with a scroll containing the school’s mission statement.
In his remarks, the new president began by quoting Edward Schillebeeckx, the famous Dutch theologian, who once said: “What you dream alone remains a dream, but what you dream with others can become a reality!”
That quote introduced Father Rolheiser’s address. “My hope is that this can become our motto here at OST during the time of this presidency. Because real life is never generated by one person or one part of anything — life is generated by a body, by people coming together in love, by a community,” he said.
The Oblate priest described effective compassion as being collective, saying that for any institution to be effective, its supporters need to dream together.
“Hopefully, this celebration is part of that communal dreaming. We come here, each of us, with some vision in our heads, some fire in our hearts, some real virtues which can help give health to this community, and some willingness too to do hard, humble things to make this school work,” said Father Rolheiser. “But one head does not generate enough vision for a family; one heart does not provide enough fire for a community; one person’s virtues, however strong, are not enough to be an immune system for a body, and it takes the silent, unacknowledged dedication of many people to make for a community that is full of both energy and forgiveness.”
The best-selling author said the evening festivities were not about him, but about everyone in attendance: the OST Board, benefactors, friends, faculty, staff and students.
He continued, “This is a celebration about a common dream, not my dream, our dream — namely, to create a school of theology here in San Antonio that will be second to none, that will be a place that heals rather than divides, that will be a place in which both conservative and liberal are equally at home, that will be a place that honors and respects everyone — regardless of race, color, clerical status, or gender — who walks through its doors, that will be a place that models how people can get along and live in love and forgiveness, despite and beyond differences, that will be a place of prayer and reverence and chastity, that will be a place of prophetic challenge, even as it is a place of consolation, that will be a place of joy and humor that feeds the soul and makes for everyone connected with it a home away from home, that will be a place where critical theology is lovingly put at the service of the church and at the service of lay Christians in the pews, that will be a place which ultimately serves the poor and which the poor recognize as theirs, a place that our founder, St. Eugene de Mazenod, would be proud of and a place of that we can all be healthily proud to be connected to.”
Father Rolheiser, newly relocated from Canada, emphasized that it was going to take an effort from every supporter of OST to make that dream happen. “We need everyone’s head to make a vision, everyone’s heart to make for energy, everyone’s hidden virtues to make for a good immune system and everyone’s silent, hidden, humble dedication to make this dream come true.”
The new OST president is the author of many books, including The Holy Longing, The Restless Heart, The Shattered Lantern, Forgotten Among the Lilies, Against an Infinite Horizon and Seeking Spirituality.
OST, founded and sponsored by the Missionary Oblates of Mary Immaculate, is a Catholic graduate and professional school which offers doctorate, masters, certificate and non-certificate programs as well as renewal ministries.
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