News

Michael J. Lochhead, vice president of administration and finance at Holy Cross since 2004, will become the executive vice president  at Boston College, his alma mater.  The announcement was made today by Boston College.

“While Mike will be greatly missed here at Holy Cross, we wish him every success in his new position,” said Rev. Philip L. Boroughs, S.J., president of the College. “We realize that this is a wonderful opportunity for him that is well deserved.  Mike has made an extraordinary impact on Holy Cross and on Jesuit higher education during his time here. While overseeing  and successfully shepherding our financial management, he has also ensured our commitment to a need-blind admissions policy and meeting 100% of our students’ demonstrated need.  He and his team completed numerous major campus construction and renovation projects including the Integrated Science Complex; managed innovative programs ranging from information technology to human resources; and delivered  balanced budget and solid operating returns during each of the 10 years of his tenure.”

Commenting on his transition, Lochhead said: “I am very proud of the contributions I was able to make at Holy Cross.  I was fortunate to have had the opportunity to serve under two wonderful presidents in Fr. Boroughs and his predecessor Rev. Michael C. McFarland, S.J., and with the support and guidance of a very committed group of trustees.  I am blessed to have had the opportunity to work with an outstanding and special group of directors, managers, and staff throughout the Administration and Finance Division and believe my success at Holy Cross is directly attributable to their efforts, guidance and support along the way.”

Lochhead  joined the senior leadership team at Holy Cross in 2004, after serving three years as assistant vice president for business and finance at the University of San Francisco. A 1993 graduate of Boston College’s Carroll School of Management with a B.S. in accounting, Lochhead received his M.B.A. from the Carroll Graduate School of Management in 1999.  A Utah native, he enlisted in the U.S. Army upon completion of high school where he quickly rose to the rank of sergeant in the Military Intelligence Corps prior to enrolling as an undergraduate at Boston College. He has also served as manager for the Higher Education Consulting Practice at Arthur Andersen LLP, where he worked with university presidents and chief financial officers to assess business processes and develop strategic financial initiatives.

Lochhead will depart Holy Cross in late January and assume his new duties at Boston College on February 9.

The College will undertake a national search for a permanent successor to Lochhead, details of which will be announced by Fr. Boroughs at a later date.

In celebration of the 200th anniversary of the restoration of the Society of Jesus, the music of Christopher Willcock, S.J., will be performed by the Holy Cross Schola Cantorum and the Holy Cross College Choir, under the direction of James David Christie and David Harris respectively, along with organist, Abraham Ross ’16. The performance will take place on Sunday, Nov. 23 at 3 p.m. in St. Joseph Memorial Chapel. It is free, open to the public, and handicap accessible.

The program will include the premiere of Fr. Willcock’s “Mass in Honor of Pope Francis,” commissioned by Holy Cross. In addition, choral motets and solo organ works of Fr. Willcock will be performed.

Fr. Willcock was ordained a Jesuit priest in 1977 and then attended doctoral studies in sacramental and liturgical theology at the Institut Catholique in Paris conjointly with University of Paris, Sorbonne. In the field of liturgical choral music, he has published and recorded six collections and was the winner of the Albert H. Maggs Composition Award.

The Schola Cantorum sings under the direction of James David Christie, Distinguished Artist in Residence and College organist; the Schola regularly sings at the 11:30 a.m. Sunday Mass in St. Joseph Memorial Chapel. The Holy Cross College Choir, the largest and most widely received ensemble at the College, is directed by David Harris, a champion of new music and long-forgotten choral works.

Holy Cross Organ Scholar Abraham Ross is a member of the class of 2016. He was a 2014 recipient of a Mellon Summer Research grant, which allowed him to intensively study the music of Girolamo Frescobaldi in Italy this past summer. He has performed many solo recitals in Worcester, Boston, and throughout New England.

Future performances of the 2014-2015 concert series include:

• Sunday, Apr. 12 – William Porter, organist

For more information about any of the performances in the Chapel Artists Series, please call the music department at (508) 793-2296, or visit the department’s website.

The weekend of Nov. 6 proved to be “magical” in the eyes of Ed McDermott, mock trial and mediation coach at the College of the Holy Cross. McDermott and three students headed south to the 15th Annual International Intercollegiate Mediation Tournament held at Brenau University in Gainesville, Ga. The newly formed team, which consisted of seniors Emily Cross ‘15, Jonathan Formichella ‘15, and Robert Tiro ’15, placed third out of the 42 teams that competed in the tournament. The win earned them a bid to compete at the 14th Annual International Law School Mediation Championships hosted by Drake University Law School in March of 2015. The Holy Cross team will be one of only four undergraduate institutions to compete at the law school mediation level. This was the first attempt for McDermott and the students in this new genre of legal competition.

The event, which was hosted by the International Academy of Dispute Resolution founded in 2002, was created as a means of raising awareness of mediation. The mission of the organization is to encourage society to resolve differences and disputes in a more sensitive and compassionate manner; and to promote peace and civility in human behavior.

“Mediation is crucial to our legal system,” says Tiro, a political science major. “Primarily, it’s a growing practice which allows individuals to take control of their own legal troubles without enrolling in the emotional and financial difficulties of a trial. Secondly, mediation allows people to work to a resolution while talking, person to person, with the other side.  Having a candid and frank dialogue with an opponent to come to a resolution is a valuable learning process in itself.”

McDermott had been an observer and panelist at mediation competitions across the state and ultimately thought his students at Holy Cross would be up for the challenge. He approached Cross, Formichella, and Tiro, who were already a part of the mock trial program, and they jumped at the opportunity.

The teams received the case ten days in advance of the competition and were each assigned a role to portray: lawyer, client, and mediator. Before the competition started the teams were given secret facts, which further complicated the case.  “This is an important part of the program as now the students have to think on their feet and be ready for anything,” McDermott explains. As he watched his students perform against the competition, McDermott was constantly reminded how poised and professional they were.

“I am extremely proud of these three seniors who volunteered to undertake this brand new mediation project. To be able to accomplish what they did as a brand new entry in this nation-wide competition is truly a remarkable academic feat and speaks to not only their intellects but to their character. I hope that we are able to build upon this success by providing the same type of experience to other students through an expanded mediation program here at the College,” he adds.

McDermott’s admiration for the students is equally reciprocated by them. “As our coach, Ed brings his own experience and knowledge to our practices along with an extremely positive attitude,” says Cross, an English major. “What is so great about Ed is that he really believes in each of us. He is very encouraging and that makes a huge difference in our team dynamics. He knows his team and is able to place us each in roles that will help the team succeed. I’ve learned so much from him.”

Thirty-one recent graduates from the College of the Holy Cross have dedicated themselves to a year of service with the Jesuit Volunteer Corps (JVC) and the Jesuit Volunteer Corps Northwest, making Holy Cross first in the nation for the most Jesuit Volunteers among colleges and universities throughout the country. Over the course of the year, the volunteers will serve hundreds of thousands of people while addressing issues such as hunger and homelessness, poverty, domestic violence, end-of-life care, mental health, and food justice. JVC has recruited 18 volunteers from Holy Cross and JVC Northwest, which operates independently, recruited an additional 13 volunteers. Holy Cross graduates have a history of volunteering with these programs: in 2013, 11 volunteers joined JVC and three joined JVC Northwest; while in 2012, 14 volunteers joined JVC and five joined JVC Northwest.

“The number of graduates serving in post graduate service programs such as the Jesuit Volunteer Corps is an important indicator of the seriousness with which our students wrestle with important questions in our mission statement, such as, ‘What are our special responsibilities to the world’s poor and powerless?’” says Marybeth Kearns-Barrett, director of  the chaplains’ office. “They demonstrate a significant way in which Holy Cross graduates seek to embody the Jesuit commitment to the service of faith and the promotion of justice. While programs such as these are not the only way graduates live out these commitments, post grad volunteers serve as an important bellwether and witness for the wider Holy Cross community.”

Rooted in the core values of social and ecological justice, simple living, community, and spirituality, the JVC and JVC  Northwest programs give young men and women the chance to work full-time for justice and peace. Participants serve for one or two years, during which time they live among the poor and marginalized, and strive for social justice within these environments.

Jesuit volunteers work at schools, health clinics, legal clinics, parishes, domestic violence shelters and non-profit organizations in the United States and abroad. Those working in the Northwest also teach in schools on Native American reservations.

Holy Cross graduates are among 314 Jesuit volunteers serving in 60 communities across the world. There are 147 Jesuit volunteers serving in 24 locations throughout the five states of the Northwest (Alaska, Idaho, Montana, Oregon and Washington).

The following Holy Cross graduates are currently serving as Jesuit volunteers:

• Gabriella Betances ’14 – Make the Road in Brooklyn, N.Y.
• Katrina Burns ’14 – Colegio Roberto Clemente – Fe y Alegría in Ciudad Sandino, Nicaragua
• Aidan Camas ’14 – St. Joseph the Worker in Phoenix, Ariz.
• Katie Camp ’13 – Mental Health Advocacy Project, Law Foundation of Silicon Valley in San Jose, Calif.
• Julia Cowan ’14 – St. Anthony Foundation in San Francisco, Calif.
• Grace Cunningham ’14 – L’Arche Syracuse in Syracuse, N.Y.
• Kathryn DeRobertis ’14 – Catholic Charities of Raleigh, Catholic Parish Outreach Food Pantry in Raleigh, N.C.
• Emily Ford ’14 – Public Justice Center in Baltimore, Md.
• Lauren Hammer ’14 – Hogar de Cristo & Jesus Obrero Parish in Santiago, Chile
• Lindsay MacPhail ’14 – Murder Victims’ Families for Reconciliation in Raleigh, N.C.
• Samuel McGrath ’14 -Nativity Prep Academy in San Diego, Calif.
• Sean O’Neill ’14 – The Chrysalis Center in Los Angeles, Calif.
• James D. Power V ’14 – Loaves & Fishes/Mustard Seed School in Sacramento, Calif.
• Gavin Reidy ’14 – Bishop Ward High School in Kansas City, Mo.
• Anthony Russo ’14 – Civicorps Academy in Berkeley, Calif.
• Barbara Silva ’14 – Loyola High School in Dar Es Salaam, Tanzania
• Matthew Straface ’14 – The Chrysalis Center in Los Angeles, Calif.
• Conor Sullivan ’14 – Cristo Rey Twin Cities in Minneapolis, Minn.

The following graduates serve as Jesuit volunteers in the Northwest:

• Maria Alvarez-Lugo ’14 – Catholic Charities of Oregon, Project UNICA in Gresham, Ore.
• Sara Bovat ’14 – L’Arche Spokane in Spokane, Wash.
• Thomas Campbell ’14 – Catholic Charities of Spokane, Childbirth and Parenting Assistance, in Spokane, Wash.
• Kevin Carroll ’10 – Portland OIC /Rosemary Anderson High School, Transitions Program in Portland, Ore.
• Jake Fahey ’14 – St. Labre Indian School, St. Charles Indian Catholic Mission in Billings, Mont.
• Amber Jones ’14 -Tundra Women’s Coalition in Bethel, Alaska
• Hannah McCormick ’14 – Northwest Justice Project in Wenatchee, Wash.
• Marielle McKenna ’14 – St. Francis House of Odell in Hood River, Ore.
• Catherine Morrison ’14 – St. Labre Indian School, Pretty Eagle Catholic Academy in St. Xavier, Mont.
• David Quigley ’14 – Covenant House Alaska, Youth Engagement Center in Anchorage, Alaska
• Alexandra Schultz ’13 – Vanessa Behan Crisis Nursery in Spokane, Wash.
• Elizabeth Tobey ’14 -YWCA of Alaska, Women’s Wellness & Youth Empowerment in Anchorage, Alaska
• Chris Won ’14 – Yaakoosge Daakahidi Alternative High School in Juneau, Alaska

Paula M. Kane ’80, a Holy Cross alumna and former trustee, will return to the College for a lecture titled “Stigmata on the Hudson: The Strange Tale of Sister Thorn,” on Wednesday, November 12, at 4:30 p.m. in the Rehm Library. The lecture is free and open to the public.

As detailed in her recent book “Sister Thorn and Catholic Mysticism in Modern America” (University of North Carolina Press, 2013), Kane will talk about the case of Sister Thorn, a woman who entered the convent after claiming to exhibit the wounds of Christ on her skin in 1917, and about Catholic mysticism in the context of post-World War I America. Sister Thorn’s life, Kane asserts, marks the beginning of a transition among Catholics from a devotional, Old World piety to a newly confident role in American society.

Kane is associate professor and the John and Lucine O’Brien Marous Chair of Catholic Studies at the University of Pittsburgh. She is also the author of “Separatism and Subculture: Boston Catholicism, 1900-1920” (University of North Carolina Press, 1994) and co-editor of the volume, “Gender Identities in American Catholicism” (Orbis Books, 2001). A Fenwick Scholar at Holy Cross, she has gone on to publish dozens of articles on American Catholic culture and history.

Her lecture at Holy Cross is co-sponsored by the Rev. Michael C. McFarland, S.J. Center for Religion, Ethics and Culture and the Alexander F. Carson Lecture Series. Learn more and watch lectures online at www.holycross.edu/mcfarlandcenter.

About the Rev. Michael C. McFarland, S.J. Center for Religion, Ethics and Culture:

Established in 2001 and housed in Smith Hall, the McFarland Center for Religion, Ethics and Culture provides resources for faculty and course development, sponsors conferences and college-wide teaching events, hosts visiting fellows, and coordinates a number of campus lecture series. Rooted in the College’s commitment to invite conversation about basic human questions, the Center welcomes persons of all faiths and seeks to foster dialogue that acknowledges and respects differences, providing a forum for intellectual exchange that is interreligious, interdisciplinary, intercultural, and international in scope.  The Center also brings members of the Holy Cross community into conversation with the Greater Worcester community, the academic community, and the wider world to examine the role of faith and inquiry in higher education and in the larger culture.

Hill Harper, actor, best-selling author, and philanthropist will give a talk titled “The Importance of Unity & Community Understanding When it Comes to Diversity” at the College of the Holy Cross on Tuesday, Nov. 11 at 7 p.m. in the Hogan Ballroom. The talk is part Unity Week at the College which celebrates the diverse interests, talents and views of students, faculty and staff.

Harper is known for his role on the hit drama “CSI: New York,” and is also a series regular on the USA Network series “Covert Affairs.” He is also the author of several books which include “Letters to a Young Brother” (Gotham, 2007),  “Letters to a Young Sister” (Gotham, 2009), “The Conversation” (Gotham, 2010), “The Wealth Cure” (Gotham 2012) and his latest book, “Letters to an Incarcerated Brother” (Gotham 2014). He has received seven NCAAP awards for his acting and writing. Harper is also an active philanthropist starting a nonprofit organization called Manifest Your Destiny Foundation whose vision is to enhance, engage, empower and inspire youth toward a future of achievement, fulfillment and happiness.

Harper holds a B.A. from Brown University and an M.A. in public administration from the John F. Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University and a J.D. from Harvard Law School.

Related Information:

• Unity Week Events

For additional information, please contact Kelly Ethier at 508-793-2419.