Chancellor, St. Gregory's University

Assistant Professor in Theology

Pax Intrantibus! --

Peace to those who enter!

Welcome to my personal website. Please use the attached links to learn a little bit more about me.  This site is under construction, so please return to see if I have added anything new. This was last updated on September 2, 2007.

This summer I had the good fortune of attending my first "General Chapter" of the American Cassinese Congregation of monasteries, held this year at St. Benedict Abbey in Atchison, KS.  This is a meeting held every three years of the representatives of the 22 monasteries of the American Cassinese Congregation of Monasteries, of which St. Gregory's is a part.  It was good to be with the delegates at the General Chapter and to engage in stimulating and informative discussions with others about the opportunities and challenges that we face.

On the heals of the General Chapter, I attended the annual meeting of the Association of Benedictine Colleges and Universities which was also held on the campus St. Benedict Abbey and Benedictine College in Atchison, KS.  During the meeting, the presidents of the thirteen Benedictine sponsored colleges/universities in North America met with the prioresses and abbots of their sponsoring monasteries to continue an ongoing discussion of the incorporation of Benedictine values into the ministry of higher education.  We also discussed ways in which our institutions of higher learning might more effectively appropriate our Catholic and Benedictine heritage.

With the end of August came the opening of a new academic year at St. Gregory's University.  It is always an exciting time - a time of gathering once again the full campus community - staff, faculty and students.  It is at this time that we welcome new students and their families to our community.  It is a time for fresh beginnings.  I very much enjoyed participating in various aspects of our re-designed orientation program for new students and their parents.  In addition to welcoming the new students and addressing the parents, I also took part in the "round robin" of orientation seminars.  I offered a discussion on "The Mysteries of the Monastery."  A number of our new students attended the seminar and asked very good questions.  Along with this, Br. Benet, Fr. Charles Massoth, Br. Damian and I assisted the orientation process by giving tours of the monastery.  Br. Damian and I were stationed at the monastery dining room.  We had all of the student groups sit down to enjoy a "hospitality break" of ice cream sundaes.  The students enjoyed those while I discussed aspects of our monastic spirituality and life.

As Chancellor I continue to be busy helping others to become more aware of the capital fund-raising campaign that we launched at St. Gregory's on February 28.  Dubbed "Going Forward - the Campaign for St. Gregory's University," the campaign seeks to meet the needs of our students through enhanced campus life, strengthened academic programs, endowments for scholarships and academic professorships, and support of the Benedictine way of life at St. Gregory's Abbey.  It is an exciting project, and I am confident that we will be able to meet our ambitious fund-raising goals.

Syllabi for Current Courses

This semester I am teaching a course in the theology division TH3463 - The Nature and Mission of the Church.  It is very good to be back in the classroom, working with students to explore important topics.

The syllabus for this course in ecclesiology can be reviewed through this link:  TH3463 - The Nature and Mission of the Church, Fall 2007

My abbatial coat of arms, or "herald," incorporates elements that reflect my own personal history and spirituality. 

On the dexter field (to the observer's left) we see elements that reflect the coat of arms for St. Gregory's Abbey.  In the upper half we see the Dove hovering over a Papal Tiara.  This represents St. Gregory the Great, patron of our monastery.  In the lower half we see a cross over three green hills with the Latin word PAX superimposed.  This represents St. Benedict's monastery of Monte Cassino, and the Benedictine motto of "Peace."

On the sinister field (to the observer's right) we see elements that represent my personal history and personality.  The upper left quadrant represents the martyrdom of my patron, the deacon St. Lawrence, who was "roasted" alive on a gird iron, shedding his blood for Christ as a result of his faithful witness to the Gospel.  The lower right quadrant calls to mind the coat of arms of the Archdiocese of Oklahoma City, my home diocese and the land of the "Red Earth" and the "Red Man."  The downward turned arrow represents a peaceful posture.  The blue in the lower left and upper right quadrants is reminiscent of Mary, the Mother of Jesus, and the humanity of God's Word Incarnate.  Finally, the Sacred Heart imposed over the gold cross is reminiscent of my own devotion to the Incarnation of God's Love in the Humanity of Jesus represented by the Sacred Heart, as well as the foundation of our monastic community as Sacred Heart Abbey.

The motto I have chosen is:  Gaudete in Domino Semper - Rejoice in the Lord Always!

Personal Information:

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