USD Magazine, Fall 2001

hy Mons1gnor Dan1el DHlahough. Vice President, USD Mission and Ministry T ruer words could nor be spoken of USD than those used by Pope John Paul II as he began his Apostolic Consti– tution on Catholic universities, Ex Coide

The fruits of Ex Corde already are being realized, even as some challenging and potentially conflicting issues are worked on. The document has invited discussion and dialogue at many levels of university and Church that already are bearing good results. At USD and else– where, we have seen a more conscious effort to explain mission and Catholic identity to the entire community

dialogue between faith and reason. These years also have seen changes that impact Catholicity. There are fewer priests and religious on campus, student bodies are more religiously diverse, and government funding and student loans require some autonomy from formal church affiliation . Add to this rhe reality that many church-sponsored universities are now

Ecclesiae (From the Heart of rhe Church). For the dream of a Catholic university in San Diego was born from the heart of Bishop Charles Francis Buddy and shaped by the heart of Mother Rosalie Hill. And in 1949, the University of San Diego began to write a new chapter in the long history of Catholic higher education, which dares back to the 12th centu– ry in Europe and the found– ing of Georgetown University in the United States in 1789. Like the Church herself, Catholic universities and col– leges have carried rhe respon– sibility of reading the signs of the rime and interpreting them in light of the Gospel as they sought to carry out the "search for truth and the certainty of already knowing rhe fount of truth." In Ex Corde Ecclesiae, Pope John Paul II has put to paper the

through orientation pro– grams, workshops and pre– sentations. When working from mission and identity, the community begins to see that USD must be service– oriented, must be diverse, must be welcoming to other faith traditions, must be pro– tective of academic freedom, must be ethical and just, must be faithful to Church teaching, and must have an active faith community - not because it is politically correct, bur because it is what a university must be to be Catholic. Still, challenging ques– tions remain as professors of Catholic rheology are invited to seek a mandate from the local bishop char signifies that what they are teaching as Catholic rheology is indeed faithful to Catholic reaching. How to protect academic

Monsignor Daniel Dillabough

freedom and institutional autonomy is at the core of this discussion. Other issues char will continue to invite dialogue are: recognition of university statutes by the local bishop; the call for a majority of Catholic teachers so as not to endanger the Catholic identity; and just how a Catholic culture on a campus is defined and realized. When studying rhe history of Catholic universities, it is clear that in every era rhe universities have engaged in a process of acculturation. T heir identity has been negotiated with government, American higher education and the Church. Ex Corde Ecclesiae has made a significant contribution to that history, a contribu– tion that will guide USD in its next 50 years on its way to becoming a great Catholic university.

work of more than 30 years of dialogue and discussion to describe the unique identity and mission of Catholic higher education. In so doing, he has both praised and challenged Catholic univer– sities and colleges. Bishop Buddy once said that it rakes 100 years to build a great university. The truth of his words can be understood by looking at the many changes in Catholic higher education in rhe last 50 years . Catholic universities now are respected as outstanding institutions of learning and, like USD, are ranked among rhe top schools in the country in many dis– ciplines. Without being viewed as either sectarian or secular, Catholic universities are recognized today as places where the impartial search for truth rakes place within an even broader context of the

secular and hold no relation to their founding religious institutions, coupled with the closing of many smaller denom– inational colleges in the last decade, and you begin to understand the importance for the development of a clear plan for ensuring the identity and mission of our Catholic universities into the next century. ~ "The fruits of Ex Cord.e already a.re Leing realized, even a.s some challenging and polentia.lly conflicting issues a.re worked on."

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USD MAGAZINE