April 18, 2008
Rev. Donald J. Harrington, C.M., President
of St. John’s University Witnesses Inspirational Speech
“As soon as Pope Benedict entered the room you could feel the
electricity, the warmth and the excitement,” said Rev. Donald J.
Harrington, C.M., President of St. John’s University, who was
part of a group of 600 Catholic Leaders made up of presidents,
educators and faculty members from colleges and universities across
the country to hear the Holy Father speak today.
Photo
Gallery
Pope
Benedict XVI spoke for 30 minutes at Catholic University of
America’s Edward J. Pryzbyla University Center and his message was
very clear making sure that these educators stayed true to their
Catholic roots as “Bearers of Hope” for the youth of America
Today.
“Religious education is a challenging apostolate, yet there are
many signs of a desire among young people to learn about the faith
and practice it with vigor. If this awakening is to grow, teachers
require a clear and precise understanding of the specific nature
and role of Catholic education,” said Pope Benedict XVI during his
speech. “They must also be ready to lead the commitment made by the
entire school community to assist our young people, and their
families, to experience the harmony between faith, life and
culture.”
More than 4,000 students and families from the Catholic
University community waited patiently on the campus grounds for the
meeting to end – and as the Holy Father exited to his waiting
Popemobile – he was greeted with enthusiastic screams and roars
that have become a consistent theme throughout the course of his
trip to Washington, D.C. this week. Earlier in the day he
celebrated mass at the new Washington Nationals Park baseball venue
before 46,000.
Rev. Harrington, C.M. also gave his candid account of the
meeting to New York media members that traveled to the Capital to
chronicle Pope Benedict’s visit back home to their captive
audiences.
“Pope Benedict was celebrating what Catholic education has
accomplished and the educators were celebrating that with him and I
think everyone left the room on a real high. I would say to the
people of New York – get ready for a weekend of celebration if its
anything like that,” added Rev. Harrington, C.M.
And, asked by one TV reporter if he could adequately communicate
the Pope’s message to his constituents back at St. John’s, the
senior president, in this his 20th year at the University, never
wavered in his response.
“I’ll do my best – and leave here energized and challenged to
find ways to communicate this experience to the entire St. John’s
University community, each in their own way – from the faculty to
the administration and especially to our students.”
The Pope arrives in New York today and highlights of his
three-day trip there will include an address at the United Nations,
an all-day youth rally at St. Joseph’s Seminary in Yonkers, a visit
to Ground Zero in Manhattan and a mass at Yankee Stadium in the
Bronx to culminate his six day U.S. tour.
Media interested in more information can contact Dominic
Scianna, Assistant Vice President for Media Relations at St. John’s
University by calling (718)990-6185 or e-mail inquires to sciannad@stjohns.edu.
For more information about St. John’s visit the University web
site at www.stjohns.edu/news.