Learning to combine faith, academics and leadership, 23 St.
John’s freshmen participated in a special retreat this
fall to launch their membership in the inaugural class of the
University’s selective Catholic
Scholars Program.
“Great Catholic scholars often are great Catholic leaders,” said
Rev.
James Maher, C.M., Executive Vice President for Mission and
Student Services, who celebrated the retreat’s Opening Mass. In
particular, Fr. Maher invoked thinkers like St. Thomas Aquinas and
St. Thomas More, who possessed “the great gift of the head” and
“the everlasting gift of the heart.”
Welcoming the Catholic scholars and their families, Fr. Maher
urged students to find new and creative ways to integrate faith
with reason in preaching the Gospel. “You are here” he said,
“because people have seen potential in you that can transform our
Church. Perhaps the greatest gift you can give to people is an
invitation — to invite them with faith, with vibrancy, to Jesus
Christ.”
To join the Catholic Scholars Program, the freshmen took part in
a competitive application process last spring. They are expected to
spend their first year burnishing their leadership skills in
service to the local faith community. Participating in various
ministries in St. Thomas More Church (Queens campus) and St.
Vincent’s Chapel (Staten Island campus), they also will engage in
service through the University’s local diocese.
Students said the retreat was an inspiring way to begin the
program. The experience, they said, provided opportunities for
prayer in addition to challenging them to discover their individual
roles as Catholic leaders. They also established a sense of
community while discussing ways they can help others to strengthen
their faith.
“I really and truly feel blessed to be a part of something so
beautiful and inspiring,” remarked Gina Darnaud, a Physician
Assistant major in the College of Pharmacy and
Health Sciences. Marissa Ruotolo, an Accounting major in The Peter J. Tobin College of
Business, added, “I am so grateful and blessed to be a part of
such an incredible group. I am proud to call myself a Catholic
Scholar!”
The formation of the Catholic Scholars Program coincides with
the start of the Church’s worldwide “Year of Faith” celebration,
beginning October 11. “The occasion calls all Catholic Christians
to consider their faith in a new way — and to use it as an
inspiration to transform our world,” said Pam Shea-Byrnes ’86SVC,
’90G, D.Min., Vice President of University Ministry and University
Events. “I believe that the Catholic Scholars program is a tangible
example of the ‘new evangelization’ to which the ‘Year of Faith’
calls us.”