Earlier this week our nation voted to elect its 45th President. November 8, 2016 marked the culmination of a tumultuous political season characterized by unusually sharp debate. But disagreements need not end in division. We at Catholic University should aspire to offer a model for the wider culture, by conducting our debates in a spirit of charitable and civil discourse. Our language should reflect the values we hold dearest as citizens of one nation, each of us made in the image and likeness of God.
We are called, as members of a university community, to take the time to study, research, reflect, and discuss as a means of serving the common good. Faculty, staff, and students work to serve both the Church and our country by wrestling with complex moral questions, conducting research for a higher purpose, and divining how best to promote the nation’s welfare and uphold human dignity.
Our founders made a conscious decision to build the national university of the Catholic Church in the nation’s capital. It was their ambition that our prayers and our academic work could contribute to the wise resolution of issues of public moment. Let us take this opportunity to recommit ourselves to that mission. It is one we should address together, as a community of scholars and aspiring saints.
John Garvey
President