_{Gloria Clough}

When I first entered the Weston Jesuit School of Theology 35 years ago, the last thought I had was that we would be naming this institution the Clough School of Theology and Ministry.

Back then, a friend of mine suggested that I apply to Weston Jesuit. Me? In a school studying with Jesuits? I don’t think so. But after thinking about it I thought I would try. My first encounter was with Fr. Dick Clifford, who supported me and told me I was accepted. It just happened that my first class in Old Testament studies was with Fr. Clifford, and I got an A-. Wow… I shocked myself.

Every year ahead was filled with the opportunity to study great courses with wonderful professors… working on many papers and group sessions with my classmates.

Exegesis? What’s that? Well, I found out very quickly.

Between classes at Weston Jesuit, we would share tea at the Sheraton in Harvard Square, dinner at Jesuit homes and liturgies in our chapel. It was a time of sharing and bonding together, lay and Jesuits, which may I add was a very important component to the experience. This undoubtedly helps in our ministry.

The question you may ask is why I wanted to study at the Weston Jesuit School of Theology. The School gave me "the what should I believe and why do I believe," and it provided the basis of understanding for my life going forward. Each and every class was inspiring and motivating, and I found the answer to many of my questions, and, yes, doubts. I enjoyed those years and completed all my courses while juggling my family work and bringing up four kids. Luckily, I had my husband’s support and my friends' help to sometimes get my child on a bus in a morning when I had an early class.

So, time came to graduate, and I had to pass my comprehensive exams. Yes, I accomplished that… Thank God!! Truly!! After graduating, I realized my next step was to decide what to do with this education. I decided to take the opportunity to be a hospital chaplain, since nursing was my profession, and I could apply spirituality to that. Not so easy… as fluffing pillows and giving meds is not the same as being a chaplain. I learned to listen and support and be a person to be leaned on in times of severe illness, times of last moments, and times of grief.

This school taught me the what, the why and the way to do this.

Now I am counting on the Clough School of Theology and Ministry to do the same and continue to teach its students – lay, Jesuits and religious – to listen, support, serve and be there for the people of God in Jesus’ name.

Editor's Note: Weston Jesuit School of Theology reaffiliated with Boston College in 2008 to form the Boston College School of Theology and Ministry alongside BC's Institute for Religious Education and Pastoral Ministry.

_{Chuck Clough}

I'll just briefly follow up on Gloria's comments. She is the one who has a personal history with the school. 

I wanted to discuss why Gloria and I believe the study of theology is so important. The question is related to the ongoing controversy in higher education over the relative importance of the liberal arts vs. the sciences.

Someone once pointed out that theology determines culture, and culture is more important than politics or college-level training in software or data management. Certainly, to an aspiring computer science major, that may seem to be an overstatement, but the assertion contains a lot of truth. Theology studies provide more than a way – and a reason – to help us build our relationship with God. They bring the Spirit more firmly into our lives. They build spiritual strength and understanding. They help us take a deeper view of life's meaning and our own experiences.

We all struggle with emotions, doubt and uncertainties. We find growing polarization and loneliness in the world, and this makes us aware of how many of us have not been taught, or do not try, to enter empathetically into the minds of other people. Theology comes to grips with that.

Combined with the Theology Department in the Morrissey School of Arts and Sciences, CSTM is becoming one of the more influential Catholic intellectual institutions in the United States, if not the world. It possesses a highly respected faculty in theology, Biblical studies and ministry. It offers a Master of Divinity degree when most other Catholic institutions do not.

I refer to Pope John XXIII's definition of the Church made almost 60 years ago as "the People of God" and stand impressed at how the school is producing a combination of well-trained clerical and lay people to help navigate the Church into the future. It has the resources and the institutional faculties to take on the issues facing the global Church. For example, the number of young African priests on the BC campus (most of whom will go back to teach in their home countries) is evidence this is occurring.

The key question the Church will increasingly face, I believe, is: "What will the experience of the person in the pew be 20 years from now?" Our task is to determine the actions we can undertake today to be sure it is a good one, to ensure that our liturgies and programs spiritually feed those who are present. 

Tom Groome, who led BC's ministry program in earlier days, put it this way: "Jesus' most important mandate is to pass on the faith to the next generation." That is a daunting task. Today, the number of marriages taking place in Catholic churches compared with ten years ago is off more than 50%-60%. While much of that simply reflects the declining number of marriages generally, it does lead to the conclusion that the many of those in the next generation who are unchurched will be increasing rapidly. We all have the responsibility to revitalize the Church.

How do we revitalize the Church? That is like asking what do people want from the Church, what kind of spiritual feeding? What pains them about the Church? It is not simply the issues that have populated the news, because the decline in participation began far in advance of them. One question about which Catholic universities should have good insight is what do young people want from the Church and how do we respond? The Church has to be in dialogue with the modern world and our Catholic universities are the critical means to that end.

Twenty years ago, Fr. Leahy created the Church in the 21st Century Center at Boston College, a remarkably well-timed effort to bring together the best minds in Catholic thinking, and whose proceedings leave us very optimistic about the Church's future. The coming years will certainly bring change and will prove to be, I think, a very exciting time to be Catholic.

I will always remember what a Weston Jesuit faculty member, Stanley Marrow, whom I first met at a weekend party thirty years ago, told me: "Even the Church needs redemption." I have thought of that comment over and over ever since. Like us, even the Church needs redemption, and I guess that is the reason I love it so much.