Jan. 19, 2011
Constitutional Law Expert John Garvey to Give Inaugural Speech Jan. 25 at Basilica
John Garvey, a leading voice for Catholic higher education and a renowned constitutional law expert, will deliver his inaugural address as the 15th President of The Catholic University of America at the conclusion of a Mass on Tuesday, Jan. 25, at the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception.
Garvey will speak on "Intellect and Virtue: The Idea of a Catholic University" following the Communion prayer at the 10 a.m. Mass in the Basilica's Great Upper Church. In his address, Garvey will present his vision for the future of Catholic University.
Cardinal Donald W. Wuerl, archbishop of Washington, Catholic University chancellor, and a member of the CUA Board of Trustees, will serve as the principal celebrant and homilist.
Most Rev. Allen H. Vigneron, archbishop of Detroit and CUA Board of Trustees chairman, will install Garvey as President in a brief ceremony following the homily.
"It is appropriate that the inauguration of John Garvey as the new President of The Catholic University of America is taking place in the context of the Eucharist," says Cardinal Wuerl.
"The Mass is at the heart of who we are as Catholics and the most recognizable celebration of our identity," Cardinal Wuerl notes. "The inauguration of our University's new President is a visible reminder that we also rejoice in the pursuit of knowledge, aware that we draw vision and direction from the Font of Truth. As the University's coat of arms so beautifully reveals, 'God is my Light.' "
Archbishop Vigneron says that "For The Catholic University of America, the inauguration of President Garvey is a providential opportunity to renew its embrace of its mission. This new beginning is an occasion for all of us to take up anew our work of making real at CUA the specific vision of Catholic higher education, to search for truth through both faith and reason."
Prior to the Mass, from 9 to 9:30 a.m., Robert Grogan, lecturer in organ at CUA's Benjamin T. Rome School of Music and Basilica organist and carillonneur emeritus, will perform on 56 French bells in the Knights' Tower carillon of the Basilica. The academic procession will begin at 9:30 a.m.
Garvey's choice of his inaugural year theme springs from two sources: his abiding interest in the distinctive character of Catholic higher education and the inspiration that he has drawn from the famous lectures on the idea of a university by Cardinal John Henry Newman, who was beatified in September 2010.
It is expected that a significant number of bishops will attend the Mass and installation ceremony, since CUA is the national university of the Catholic Church, founded and sponsored by the bishops of the United States. Those in attendance will also include the presidents (or other delegates) of colleges and universities throughout the United States.
The presidents and delegates will be seated in the order in which their institutions were founded.
Garvey will wear the presidential academic gown, which is gold and white, the official colors of Catholic University. During the installation ceremony, he will receive, and wear for the first time, CUA's presidential medallion and chain of office.
During the inaugural Mass, Leo Nestor, Justine Bayard Ward Professor and director of the Institute of Sacred Music at CUA, and David Searle, assistant professor and director of orchestral activities and conducting studies, will conduct the CUA Chamber Choir, University Singers, University Chorus, Women's Chorus, and Symphony Orchestra. Peter Latona, director of music at the Basilica, will serve as the organist.
Garvey, 62, who was dean of the Boston College Law School for 11 years prior to his appointment as CUA's president, is a nationally renowned expert in constitutional law, religious liberty, and the First Amendment. He holds a J.D. from Harvard University and a bachelor's degree from the University of Notre Dame. Garvey and his wife, Jeanne Walter Garvey, are the parents of five children.
For more information about Garvey's inauguration and other inaugural events, visit http://president.cua.edu/inauguration/index.cfm .
MEDIA: To cover the inauguration, contact Katie Lee or Mary McCarthy in the Office of Public Affairs at 202-319-5600. The Catholic University of America, founded in 1887 by the U.S. Catholic bishops with the support of Pope Leo XIII, is the national university of the Catholic Church in the United States. Established as a graduate research center, the university began offering undergraduate education in 1904 and today is home to 12 schools and 38 research centers and facilities. Catholic University is the only American university with ecclesiastical faculties granting canonical degrees in three disciplines. The university's verdant 193-acre campus, located just north of Capitol Hill, allows students easy access to the wide range of educational, cultural, and public service opportunities that Washington, D.C., has to offer. For more information, visit http://www.cua.edu .