News

WORCESTER, Mass. – A number of events in celebration of Black History Month are scheduled by members of the Holy Cross community.  All are free and open to the public.

The schedule is as follows:

Wednesday, Feb 2 at 7 p.m.-Bert Ashe, an assistant professor in the English department and head of the African American Studies Program at Holy Cross, will give a lecture entitled “Hair Drama” in the Browsing Room of the Dinand Library.  This is part of the Hair Hoops & Jazz Series, sponsored by the African American Studies Program.

Tuesday, Feb. 22 at 8 p.m.-The Core Ensemble “Of Ebony Embers” will present a program of music, theater, poetry and visual art based on the Harlem Renaissance, in the Brooks Concert Hall.

Wednesday, Feb. 23 at 7 p.m.-Junot Dias, a Dominican-American writer and author of Drown, will read from his works of fiction in Room 519 of the Hogan Campus Center.

Monday, Feb. 28 at 7 p.m.-Film short Blacktop Lingo and Hoop Dreams will be shown in Room 120 of Stein Hall.  This is part of the Hair Hoops & Jazz series.

WORCESTER, Mass. – The College of the Holy Cross today contributed $90,000 to the Worcester Firefighters Fund, established to assist the families of the six firefighters killed in the December 3, 1999 fire.

Members of the College’s administration, faculty and student body presented the check to Fire Chief Dennis Budd and City Manager Thomas Hoover in the City Council Chamber in City Hall.

The College collected $44,634 in contributions from faculty, staff, alumni, students and parents.  Holy Cross matched that amount for a total contribution of $90,000.

“The Holy Cross family sought to find the appropriate actions and words to express its deepest sympathies to the families, friends and coworkers of the city’s six fallen firefighters,” says Frank Vellaccio, acting president of Holy Cross.

“As part of the Worcester community, we are mindful of the vigilance and sacrifice our firefighters provide at all times.  This contribution is tangible evidence of the support and deep concern that the people of Holy Cross extend to the firefighters’ families.  They will remain in our prayers and our thoughts – always. “

WORCESTER, Mass. – The 10th The 10th annual Bishop Bernard J. Flanagan Lecture on Religion and Public Affairs will take place on Wednesday, Jan. 26 at 7:30 p.m. in Room 519 of the Hogan Campus Center.  The lecture is free and open to the public.

Elizabeth L. Hollander, executive director of Campus Compact, will give this year’s lecture, entitled “Civic Responsibility and Catholic Higher Education.”

Campus Compact is a national coalition of more than 540 college and university presidents who support the expansion of opportunities for public and community service in higher education and the importance of integrating service into academic study.

Hollander formerly served as executive director of the Monsignor John J. Egan Urban Center at DePaul University, working with the university to focus on urban problems, ease poverty and promote social justice in the community through teaching, service and scholarship.

The former director of planning for the city of Chicago under Mayor Harold Washington, Hollander was previously president of the Government Assistance Program in Illinois.

The Bishop Flanagan Lecture series was started in 1991 in an effort to build a relationship between the diocese and Holy Cross on social justice and peace issues.  It is named in honor of the late Bishop of Worcester, a member of the Holy Cross Class of 1928, who was known for his lifelong dedication to peace, social justice and ecumenism.

It is sponsored by the College’s Peace and Conflict Studies Program and the Center for Interdisciplinary and Special Studies (CISS).

WORCESTER, Mass. – Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat, the Alternate College Theatre’s spring musical, will be performed Feb. 3-6 at 8 p.m. in the Fenwick Theatre at Holy Cross.  There will be a matinee performance on Feb. 5 and 6 at 2 p.m.

The musical, written by Andrew Lloyd Webber and Tim Rice, is directed by Matty Greg, produced by Jill Dougherty, and choreographed by Meg Mahoney, all members of the Class of 2000 at Holy Cross.

Tickets are $6 for members of the Holy Cross community and $10 for general admission.

WORCESTER, Mass. – Holy Cross was recently selected for inclusion in The Templeton Guide: Colleges that Encourage Character Development, a publication designed to inform students, parents and educators about programs that inspire students to lead ethical and civic-minded lives.  There are 10 program categories in The Templeton Guide; 405 programs are highlighted.

The John Templeton Foundation, established in 1987, works internationally with educators to support programs that encourage character development in schools and colleges; promotes an appreciation for the benefits of freedom; and fosters research on the relationship between spirituality and health.

The three Holy Cross programs named in the publication are:

The First-Year Program (FYP) is designed to break down the barriers between classroom learning and residential life.  Students who participate in the FYP program live in the same residence hall, take part in yearlong FYP seminars and attend co-curricular events, lectures and field trips.  The program began at Holy Cross in 1992.

The Alcohol and Drug Education Program challenges the attitudes, behaviors and unhealthy norms that lead to abusive drinking and drug use.  There are two components of this program.  Students for Responsible Choices (SRCs) are trained to educate peers about alcohol and other drug issues, assist them in making informed choices and provide leadership.  The Alcohol and Drug Referral Program is for students who violate school policies or are referred by a concerned faculty or staff member; it provides information about the effects of alcohol and drugs on both the individual and on others.

The Relationship Peer Education Program involves peer educators who seek to teach and encourage participants in the program to consider issues related to intimate relationships, sexual responsibility, the differences and similarities among men and women, attitudes and beliefs as they are related to sociocultural expectations, the development of healthy and unhealthy relationships, and the factors surrounding sexual assault and its prevention.

WORCESTER, Mass. – The Holy Cross family is struggling to find the appropriate actions and words to express its deepest sympathies to the families, friends and coworkers of the city’s six fallen firefighters. They are in our prayers and our thoughts.  As part of the community, we are mindful of the vigilance and sacrifice our firefighters provide at all times.  In this hour of tragedy, we join the voices of grief and remembrance for the friends and neighbors we have all lost.

Holy Cross shares a special bond with this city’s firefighters.  In 1852, just nine years after our founding, the College was devastated by a fire in Fenwick Hall.  Worcester firemen attempted to control the blaze but, in the end, most of the building burned to the ground. Students and faculty were left homeless, although that night the proprietor of the Worcester House hotel, offered 30 of his rooms to students and firemen free of charge.

There was great doubt that Holy Cross would continue after such a catastrophe, but thanks to the kindness and generosity of the Worcester community and friends of the College, Fenwick Hall was rebuilt.  Today, we stand stronger, able to attempt to repay a debt of gratitude to our city’s firefighters.

The firefighters and their families will be remembered at a Memorial Mass in St. Joseph Chapel at Holy Cross, on Friday, December 10, at 12:05 p.m.  During the Mass, a collection will be taken to benefit the fund that has been established for the families of the firefighters. The College is collecting contributions in the Department of Personnel to donate to the  Firefighters’ Fund and will match all contributions made by members of the Holy Cross community. All donations must be received on or before January 16, 2000.

In addition, we are joining with the other member schools in the Colleges of Worcester Consortium and offering scholarship assistance to the children of the deceased firefighters who are qualified for admission.

Finally, we will welcome to the College the visiting firefighters from around the country who will attend the memorial service on Thursday.  We are able to house 150 firefighters overnight in campus accommodations, and a total of 1,000 visitors for dinner this evening and breakfast on Thursday.  We are heartened to be able to offer some assistance during this time of immense grief.

WORCESTER, Mass. – Following recent meetings, Holy Cross acting president Frank Vellaccio, Mayor Raymond Mariano, other city officials and College Hill neighbors are re-establishing a committee to formally address neighborhood relations and consider future collaborative projects.

The committee was previously organized and had some success serving as a vehicle for addressing College-neighbor issues in the College Hill area.  Unfortunately, when problems seemed alleviated, the committee became inactive.  Membership of the newly re-formed committee will include representatives from the Holy Cross administration, students, city officials and members of the College Hill Civic Association.

“We are committed to the renewal of this committee as an effective means to work with the City and our neighbors to create a more livable College Hill neighborhood,” says Vellaccio.  “We recognize our responsibility to both our students and our neighbors on these important issues. It is essential to emphasize that Holy Cross has not turned a deaf ear to this problem over the last several years.  We just haven’t been as effective as we’ve hoped to be in finding lasting resolutions to these complex issues.”

Vellaccio notes that Holy Cross is investigating additional ways to contribute to the immediate neighborhood and will look to developing projects in conjunction with this committee.  The College is also committed to working with students to increase the on-campus opportunities for socializing.

“I am investing myself in this process and will remain committed to it,” says Mariano.  “Holy Cross and its students are a vibrant part of this community and an asset to Worcester.  This cooperative effort is the best way to tackle these crucial neighborhood issues.”

WORCESTER, Mass. – We at Holy Cross have welcomed the continuing dialogue regarding Catholic mission and identity sparked by Ex Corde Ecclesiae. With other representatives of Catholic higher education we have participated in numerous conversations with the bishops in a spirit of mutual respect and shared responsibility. Invariably these conversations have deepened our appreciation of the hierarchy’s pastoral leadership and our commitment to the church and its mission.

Today’s vote is disappointing.  It focuses attention on a small number of issues of canon law at the expense of the overall spirit of cooperation that has always marked the relationship between the American bishops and Catholic colleges and universities. We at Holy Cross have worked hard to insure a vital and creative Catholic life on our campus. We have enjoyed the generous support of our local bishops. We will be working closely with Bishop Daniel P. Reilly to see how we can move forward.

The mandate is a complicated issue of canon law. We anticipate continuing dialogue between the bishops and the Catholic theological community aimed at finding a set of procedures which will be broadly acceptable, which will protect academic freedom and acknowledge the pastoral responsibilities of the bishops.  For our part we have complete confidence in the ability, fidelity and integrity of all members of our Department of Religious Studies. We will continue to do all we can to enrich Catholic intellectual life, on campus and in the wider church.

WORCESTER, Mass. – The second annual Purple Pride Day will take place on Wednesday, Nov. 17 at Holy Cross.  The day is designed for members of the Holy Cross community, including students, faculty, administration and staff, to show their love for the College.

A surprise for the student body, the day will include the decoration of the campus in purple balloons and streamers.  Purple Pride stickers, face painting and purple candy will be available in the Hogan Campus Center.

A number of events are planned:

From noon to 4 p.m., campus a cappella groups, including The Naturals, 8-Track, The Delilahs, and Fools on the Hill, will perform in the lobby of the Hogan Campus Center.

There will also be a community lunch from 11 a.m. to 1:15 p.m. in the Kimball Dining Hall for the Holy Cross community.

A Thanksgiving dinner will be held from 4:40 p.m. to 7 p.m. in Kimball Dining Hall to welcome Ralph Willard, the new coach of the Holy Cross men’s basketball team.  The Holy Cross band and cheerleaders will perform at 5:45 p.m. and will be joined by the Crusader mascot.

Tom Ormondroyd, a performance leadership actor and a member of the Class of 2000 at Holy Cross, will speak about team building at 7:30 p.m. in the Ballroom of the Hogan Campus Center.

WORCESTER, Mass. – Joseph H. Maguire, an associate professor, assistant dean and chair of the education program at Holy Cross, will give a lecture entitled “On Being a Catholic” on Wednesday, Nov. 10 at 7:30 p.m. in Room 519 of the Hogan Campus Center at Holy Cross.

This lecture, a faith sharing in thanksgiving for the rites of baptism, will focus on what being a Catholic has meant and what it means now.

A 1958 graduate of Holy Cross, Maguire has been a member of the faculty at Holy Cross since 1962.  He attended St. John’s Preparatory High School in Worcester and earned both his master’s degree and Ph.D. from the University of Notre Dame in South Bend, Ind.

WORCESTER, Mass. – Tom Ormondroyd, a performance leadership actor and a member of the Class of 2000 at Holy Cross, will lecture on Wednesday, Nov. 17 at 7:30 p.m. in the Ballroom of the Hogan Campus Center at Holy Cross.  Admission is free and open to the public.

Ormondroyd, a native of Worcester, is one of the youngest members of the National Speakers Association (NSA).  President of SportsTec Concepts, Inc. and its division, Motivational Concepts, he “combines a very energetic, enthusiastic and motivating style with ‘hands on,’ practical techniques that audiences can relate to and take away with them.”

He is an economics major at Holy Cross and was a member of the College’s Division I hockey team for three years.

The event is sponsored by the Campus Activities Board (CAB) and the Purple Key Society at Holy Cross.

WORCESTER, Mass. – Rev. Thomas Coughlin, a deaf Roman Catholic priest, will give a lecture on Saturday, Nov. 20 at 10:30 a.m. in Room 320 of the Hogan Campus Center at Holy Cross.  He will celebrate a liturgy at 2 p.m. in the Mary Chapel at Holy Cross.  The events, including lunch, are free and open to the public.

In his lecture, entitled “How Can a Deaf Catholic be a Good Catholic in the Catholic Church,” Fr. Coughlin will discuss how a deaf person can contribute his/her talents and beliefs as a deaf person to the life and function of the Catholic Church.   He will focus on issues concerning sign language, deaf culture, deaf needs and other topics that affect the spiritual life of deaf people in the Catholic Church.

Ordained as a Catholic priest in 1977, he spent several years working as a home missionary for the International Catholic Deaf Association, preaching and conducting retreats both in the United States and in other countries.  In 1981, he and Sr. Maureen Langton, C.S.J., purchased a bankrupt resort hotel in Old Forge, N.Y., and converted the waterfront property into “Camp Mark Seven,” a deaf youth camp which is now in its 19th year of operation.

Fr. Coughlin obtained license in registered nursing from the state of New York in 1996 and is currently working as a relief RN at the New York School for the Deaf in White Plains.  He is also a coordinator for a seminary training program at St. Joseph’s Seminary in Yonkers, N.Y., for deaf men who want to become Roman Catholic priests.

Fr. Coughlin, who was born to deaf parents, attended the Rochester School for the Deaf and St. Mary’s School for the Deaf, Buffalo; he earned his bachelor’s degree in English from Gallaudet University and his master’s degree in religious studies from the Catholic University of America, Washington, D.C.

WORCESTER, Mass. – Rev. Michael C. McFarland, S.J. was elected the 31st president of the College of the Holy Cross today.  The College’s Board of Trustees announced his selection following a meeting this morning.  He will assume his duties in July 2000.

Holy Cross, founded in 1843, is the oldest Catholic college in New England.  Fr. McFarland will succeed Frank Vellaccio, Ph.D., who has served as acting president since July 1998.

Fr. McFarland is the Dean of the College of Arts and Sciences at Gonzaga University in Spokane, Wash.  He has been at Gonzaga since 1996, where he is also a professor of computer science.

“Fr. McFarland brings proven leadership to the presidency of Holy Cross,” says H.E. Lentz ’67, chairman of the Board of Trustees.  “As Dean at Gonzaga he manages a large budget, is responsible for faculty and staff hiring, promotion and tenure decisions, program content and quality and academic standards.  He also serves on Gonzaga’s Board of Members.”

Previously, he taught at Boston College from 1986 to 1996.  As associate professor of computer science he created new courses in ethics and computers, computer architecture and digital systems.  He created a laboratory for digital electronics and developed tutorial materials for a course on computers in management.  He served as department chair for three years during his tenure at BC.

Fr. McFarland was born in Boston in 1948.  He lived for a time in California and later graduated from Xavier High School (now closed) in Concord, Mass.  He completed his bachelor’s degree in physics at Cornell University in 1969.

He earned a master’s degree and Ph.D. in electrical engineering (computer engineering) at Carnegie-Mellon University.  He worked as a consultant from 1985-86 at the AT&T Bell Laboratories and, in 1990, was a postdoctoral fellow there.

Fr. McFarland joined the Jesuits in 1975.  He studied at the Weston School of Theology in Cambridge, Mass., and earned a master’s in divinity and Th.M. in social ethics.  He was ordained in the St. Joseph Memorial Chapel at Holy Cross by Bishop Timothy J. Harrington ’41 in 1984.

The new Holy Cross president enjoys running six days each week in his free time.  He is also involved in pastoral work at several parishes and a convent in Spokane, in addition to offering liturgies and retreats at Gonzaga.

WORCESTER, Mass. – “Trick or Treating” will be hosted by Holy Cross students for approximately 60 young children from the Camp Fire Kids Program in Worcester. Festivities include “trick or treating” on Friday, Oct. 29, from 2 p.m. to 4 p.m. in Carlin and Alumni Halls at Holy Cross, followed by a Halloween party in Loyola Hall.

This activity is part of “Fall Fest ’99,” a four-day celebration of autumn taking place on campus from Oct. 28 through Oct. 31, under the sponsorship of several organizations at Holy Cross.

WORCESTER, Mass. – Rev. Kevin Burke, S.J., an assistant professor of systematic theology at the Weston Jesuit School of Theology, Cambridge, Mass., will give the annual El Salvador Commemorative Lecture on Monday, Nov. 8, at 8 p.m. in Room 519 of the Hogan Campus Center at Holy Cross.  The lecture is free and open to the public.

Fr. Burke, a member of the faculty at Weston Jesuit School of Theology since 1997, co-founded the Mexico Project and Romero House at Regis College, Weston, before spending several years in Central America and the Philippines.  His topic is “Encounters with the Real World: The Way of Ignacio Elacuría.”

He recently published his first book, The Ground Beneath the Cross, an analysis of the theology of Rev. Ignacio Ellacuría, S.J., one of eight people martyred at the University of Central America in El Salvador in 1989.

Started in 1995, this lecture serves to remember the six Jesuits and two women who were martyred in 1989.  It is sponsored by the Jesuit Community, the religious studies department, the Peace and Conflict Studies Program, the Chaplains’ Office and Alpha Sigma Nu.

WORCESTER, Mass. – Dame Gillian Weir, one of the world’s foremost concert organists, will perform Johann Sebastian Bach’s “Clavier-Uebung III” on Sunday, Nov. 7 at 3 p.m. in the St. Joseph Memorial Chapel at Holy Cross.  The performance, which is dedicated to the memory of her late husband, the distinguished American organbuilder, Lawrence I. Phelps, is free and open to the public.

Weir, who was recently named by Classic CD as one of “The 100 Greatest Players of the Century,” has performed throughout North America, Europe, the Far East and Australia.  The recipient of many awards, she was named a Dame Commander of the British Empire in 1996, the first organist to win this award.  Previously, she was awarded a Commander of the British Empire (CBE) in the Queen’s Birthday Honors in 1989.

Her extensive recordings include the 7-CD set, Complete Messiaen Organ Works, King of Instruments (a solo disc featuring six organs from the BBC television series) and Organ Music of Cesar Franck.

WORCESTER, Mass. – U.S. Rep. James McGovern (D-MA) will discuss the East Timor crisis in a lecture about the recent referendum and its aftermath on Friday, Oct. 22 at 7:30 p.m. in the Brooks Concert Hall at Holy Cross.  The lecture is free and open to the public.

McGovern, who represents Massachusetts’ third Congressional District, is a well-known supporter of human rights.  He will discuss his recent fact-finding trip to East Timor with Sens. Tom Harkin (D-IA) and Jack Reed (D-RI).  He also recently met with Bishop Carlos Belo, who shared the 1996 Nobel Peace Prize for his work in East Timor.  While working for U.S. Rep. Joseph Moakley (D-MA), he was involved in leading a Congressional investigation into the murders of six Jesuits and two lay women in El Salvador, which resulted in members of the Salvadoran high command, including its minister of defense, being implicated in the murders.

McGovern will be joined by David Hicks, a professor of anthropology and chair of the department at SUNY-Stony Brook.  He received his Ph.D. from Oxford University, England after spending 19 months conducting research in East Timor.  He recently returned from East Timor, where he served as a delegate of the Carter Center monitoring the referendum.  He is the author of several books, including Tetum Ghosts and Kin, Peoples of Timor, People of Timor: Life, Alliance, Death and Ritual and Belief: Readings in the Anthropology of Religion.

Susan Rodgers, a professor of anthropology and chair of the sociology and anthropology department at Holy Cross, will also take part in the lecture.  She has done anthropological research in Indonesia since 1974; this summer she spent five weeks in Sumatra, Jakarta and Yogyakarta, Indonesia.  Author of several books, including Sitti Djaoerah: A Novel of Colonial Indonesia, and Telling Lives, Telling History, she also co-edited Indonesian Religions in Transition with Rita S. Kipp.  She earned her Ph.D. from the University of Chicago.

WORCESTER, Mass. – The Ballet Folklorico Mexico de Los Hermanos Avila will perform on Friday, Oct. 22 at 7:30 p.m. in the Ballroom of the Hogan Campus Center at Holy Cross.  The performance is free and open to the public.

Recognized by U.S. and Mexican officials as one of the most exciting groups presenting authentic regional dances of Mexico, the group was founded in 1972 by Carmen and Jesus Avila, who still perform with the company.

The company, which “weaves history with rhythm and seduces the senses with sights and sounds, from the thunderous opening to its climatic closing,” was created not only to preserve Mexican folk dances, but also to provide the opportunity to appreciate diversity among cultures.

The program, which transcends cultural influences from around the world, includes historic dances from Azteca, Michoacan, Guerrero, Sonoro, Jalisco, and other regions of Mexico.  These regional dances reflect the tradition of a country where many groups were physically isolated from one another, yet shared language and spirit.  Dances are also dedicated to the “soldaderas,” the women who supported and fought alongside the men during the Mexican Revolution.

The performance is sponsored by the Campus Activity Board (CAB) and Latin American Student Organization (LASO) in celebration of Latin Heritage Month.

WORCESTER, Mass. – Rev. John Dear, S.J., executive director of the Fellowship of Reconciliation, will give a lecture entitled “Toward a Peace Culture: The Journal of Radical Non-Violence,” on Monday, Oct. 25 at 7 p.m. in Room 519 at Holy Cross.  The lecture is free and open to the public.

Dear, a long-time peace activist, author, lecturer and retreat leader, is the first Catholic priest to head the largest and oldest peace and justice organization in the U.S. and the world.  He has been involved in peace work in El Salvador, Guatemala, Nicaragua, Haiti, the Middle East and the Philippines; he has also worked with the homeless in Washington, D.C., disenfranchised women and children in Richmond, Va., and with Sr. Helen Prejean, C.S.J., protesting the death penalty.

The author of several books including Disarming the Heart: Toward a Vow of Nonviolence, he is the editor of And the Risen Bread: Selected and New Poems, 1957-1997 and Apostles of Peace; Essays in Honor of Daniel Berrigan.

The lecture is sponsored by the Peace and Conflict Studies Program.

WORCESTER, Mass. – “Jew, Catholic, Saint: Edith Stein and the Prospects for Jewish-Catholic Dialogue” will take place Wednesday, Oct. 20 at 7:30 p.m. in the Ballroom of the Hogan Campus Center at Holy Cross. The event is free and open to the public.

The panel, which will be introduced by Rev. John E. Brooks, S.J., president emeritus, and moderated by Ann Bookman, director of the Center for Interdisciplinary and Special Studies (CISS), will include:

Debórah Dwork, the Rose Professor of Holocaust History and director of the Center for Holocaust Studies at Clark University, earned her Ph.D. from University College, London.  She is the author of the critically acclaimed Children With a Star: Jewish Youth in Nazi Europe, which has been translated into German, Italian and Dutch and is the subject of a documentary released by the Canadian Broadcasting Company.  Her most recent book, co-authored with Robert Jan van Pelt, Auschwitz: 1270 to the Present, received both the National Jewish Book Award and the Spiro Kostoff Award.

Elizabeth Carr, Chaplain to the College/Advisor to Catholic Studies at Smith College, earned her Ph.D. from Graduate Theological Union, Berkeley.  She recently gave a lecture, entitled “The Mystical Poetry of Edith Stein,” at the Carmelite Monastery in Brighton; she participated in the Edith Stein Symposium at the Baltimore Carmelite Monastery in November 1998.

Marianne Sawicki, the translator for the collected works of Edith Stein, earned her Ph.D. from the University of Kentucky.   Currently a research fellow at the Erasmus Institute at the University of Notre Dame, she has written and lectured on Edith Stein extensively.

Alan Avery-Peck, the Kraft-Hiatt Professor in Judaic Studies at Holy Cross, earned his Ph.D. from Brown University.  Author of The Priestly Gift in Mishnah, A Study of Tractate Terumot, Mishnah’s Division of Agriculture, A History and Theology of Seder Zeraim and four volumes of translation of and commentary on Talmudic treatises, he is also the editor of the The Annual of Rabbinic Judaism: Ancient, Medieval and Modern.

The event is sponsored by the Kraft-Hiatt Professor in Judaic Studies, CISS, and the Kraft-Hiatt Fund.