January 09, 2008
A week of events, exhibits and activities will mark the 14th
annual Founders Week on St. John’s University’s Queens and Staten
Island campuses, beginning on January 25, the Feast of the
Conversion of St. Paul and the date chosen by the Vincentian
Community as the founding of the Congregation of the Mission
(C.M.).
From January 25 through January 31, faculty, students,
administrators and staff will participate in service opportunities,
attend lectures and luncheons. Some will receive awards. But all
will be focused on the theme, “Vincentian beyond Borders: Building
a Civilization of Love,” which is derived from St. Vincent de
Paul’s teaching, “Charity embraces justice.”
University President Rev. Donald J.
Harrington, C.M. will celebrate the
Founder’s Week Mass and present Recognition Awards at the
week’s opening event on the Queens campus on January 25. On Staten
Island, Rev.
Michael Carroll, C.M., Executive Vice President for Mission and
Branch Campuses will celebrate the
Founder’s Week Liturgy that same day. The
“Charity Embraces Justice” Awards will be meted out on the
Staten Island campus during an Awards Luncheon that same day at the
Campus Center.
Founder’s Week Masses will be also celebrated by Rev. James
Dorr, C.M., on the
Manhattan campus on Wednesday, January 30 and on the
Oakdale campus by Rev. Michael Carroll, C.M., on Monday,
January 28.
A highlight in the weeklong celebration will be a lecture by
Rev. Peter Le Jacq., M.M., M.D., ‘76C, entitled
“Building a Civilization without Borders.” Reverend Le Jacq,
one of only about 100 Roman Catholic priests worldwide who are also
medical doctors, has labored for years among the poor in Africa. He
will speak on the Queens campus on Monday, January 28 and on Staten
Island on Tuesday, January 29.
The New York Times Science Reporter Donald G. McNeil
will present
“Reporting on the Healthcare Needs of the World’s Less
Fortunate” on Tuesday, January 29 at two separate venues, one
for undergraduates and one for faculty and graduate students.
McNeil has written prolifically on diseases, especially pestilences
affecting poor countries and the hunt for affordable cures. Check
the Founder’s Day calendar for locations.
The annual
Faculty Research Luncheon, “Vincentian Higher Education:
Crossing Barriers and Extending Horizons,” will be held this year
on the 29th and is by invitation only. The 2007-2008 class of
Vincentian Research Fellows will lead this interdisciplinary
dialogue.
Later that day, graduate students will have a unique opportunity
to participate in
“The Professions in Action” table discussions of applied
research in the Vincentian tradition. Among the discussion topics
will be: Health Care for the Poor; The Sub-Prime Mortgage Crisis
and Issues Regarding Low-Income Borrowers and Their Communities;
Achieving the Right to Food and Ending Hunger; The
Multidisciplinary Approach of the Child Advocacy Clinic at the Law
School; and Leveraging Funds and Resources to Promote Youth
Mentoring and to Prepare Aspiring School Leaders.
“Crossing Borders and Discovering Our Vincentian Roots: An
Intercultural (Francophone) Dialogue on St. Vincent de Paul,
Business and Ethics” is the title of an event that will occur
on January 30, in the University Center on the Queens campus.
Forty-eight French exchange students studying at The Peter J. Tobin
College of Business’ School of Risk Management will enter into a
dialogue on the life, work and teachings of Vincent with 48
students from the Modern Language Department in St. John’s College
of Liberal Arts and Sciences. Language and culture as keys to
understanding the other as friend, colleague and business
collaborator is one of the goals of the interactive, dynamic
half-day event.
Motivational speaker Professor Joe Martin will present
“Give and Grow Rich: Success Strategies for Leaders,” to
students at a L.E.A.D.-sponsored dinner at the University Center on
the 30th. Reservations are required for this event; contact
the Office of LEADership or LEAD@stjohns.edu.
A student panel on Staten Island will discuss
“Global Perspectives on Human Trafficking” on January 30 in the
Kelleher Center.
Founder’s Week draws to a close on January 31 with the annual
Vincentian Chair of Social Justice Lecture on the Queens
campus, given this year by Most Rev. Nicholas A. DiMarzio, D.D.,
Bishop of Brooklyn, in the afternoon. The
Vincentian Convocation will be held that evening at St. Thomas
More Church.
Throughout the week, images portraying the Founder’s Week theme
that were created by students in “Anatomy and Figure Drawing I,”
will be on display in an exhibit in the Queens library.
Some Queens events will be by invitation only. They include a
Student Leaders luncheon, the
Faculty Research luncheon and a luncheon for administrators and
staff. Certain other events require reservations.
Service opportunities will abound. For information about these
and other Founder’s Week activities, please check the Founder’s
Week calendars.