Given at the Profession of Faith & Oath of Fidelity at Mater Ecclesiae College, Twickenham on 22nd September 2021
It is a joy to be gathered together again and in particular to celebrate the taking of the Profession of Faith and the Oath of Fidelity by all those who will be teaching in the ecclesiastical Faculty of Theology of Mater Ecclesiae College. After eighteen months, we can meet one another, listen and learn from one another as members of a community of learning ever to be renewed in our pursuit of the truth and our desire to deepen our love of the mysteries of God. Whilst much creativity was shown through the pandemic with the development of online learning, we are enriched by that face-to-face contact and closer to one another heart-to-heart. We are reminded that Christ meets others face-to-face and so they come to know him and love him. As St John writes, ‘That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we looked upon and have touched with our hands, concerning the word of life…’ (1 John 1:1).
In Veritatis Gaudium (2017), the Apostolic Constitution of Ecclesiastical Universities and Faculties, Pope Francis writes that ‘The JOY OF TRUTH expresses the restlessness of the human heart until it encounters and dwells within God's light, and shares that light with all people. For truth is not an abstract idea, but he is Jesus himself, the Word of God in whom is the Life that is the Light of man (cf Jn 1:4), the Son of God who is also the Son of Man. He alone, “in revealing the mystery of the Father and of his love, fully reveals humanity to itself and brings to light its very high calling”.’
Mater Ecclesiae College, the continuation of the Pontifical Faculty of Theology of the Bellarmine Institute, in relationship with Heythrop College, and dating back to the House of Studies of the Society of Jesus in Louvain in 1614, is called to make a rich contribution to the intellectual and spiritual life of the Church in this country. Its courses provide a strong foundation so that men and women, lay and clerical, can study together to deepen their understanding of the mysteries of faith in Jesus Christ and communicate these truths to others as part of their missionary outreach. In Veritatis Gaudium, Pope Francis acknowledges the rich legacy that has developed in Catholic universities following the Apostolic Constitution Sapientia Christiana of St John Paul II. Now is the moment of kairos when this legacy is ‘to be consolidated’ and it is necessary ‘to impart to ecclesiastical studies that wise and courageous renewal demanded by the missionary transformation of Church that “goes forth”. (VG 3) The primary need today is for the whole people of God to be ready to embark upon a new stage of “Spirit-filled” evangelization.’ The hope of the Governing Body of Mater Ecclesiae is that Mater Ecclesiae will contribute this missionary dynamic of ‘going forth’ to her intellectual and spiritual studies so that all those who are awarded their degrees may be ready to embark upon a spirit-filled evangelization as missionary disciples in the life of the Church and the world.
The pursuit of truth demands hard work and discipline. The first reading from the Book of Ecclesiasticus reminds us how the lover of wisdom pursues this gift so that the scholar will be filled with the spirit of understanding and speak words of wisdom. Integral to this understanding of the pursuit of truth is the need to give thanks to God in prayer.
Pope Francis identifies four criteria that are central ‘for the renewal and revival of the contribution of ecclesiastical studies to a Church of missionary outreach’. (VG 4).
‘First, the most urgent and enduring criterion is that of contemplation and the presentation of a spiritual, intellectual and existential introduction to the heart of the kerygma, namely the ever fresh and attractive good news of the Gospel of Jesus Christ which continues to take flesh in the life of the Church and of humanity.’ Students are invited to enter ever more deeply into this mystery and to foster a ‘spirituality of that global solidarity which flows from the mystery of the Trinity'. In a world emerging from the pandemic, a world challenged by poverty and migration, a world where God’s gift of creation and people are threatened by the effects of climate change, the Gospel offers a response built on the mystery of being human created in the image and likeness of God, Three Persons in One God.
Second, the Pope speaks of the need for a wide-ranging dialogue to experience in community the joy of the Truth and appreciate more fully its meaning and practical implications. He writes that today our proclamation of the Gospel and the Church's doctrine are called to promote a culture of encounter so that they contribute to a growth of universal human consciousness.
Third, the Pope proposes inter-disciplinary and cross-disciplinary approaches carried out with wisdom and creativity in the light of Revelation. The partnership of Mater Ecclesiae College and St Mary's University provides a context where students can be introduced more fully to the sciences, to the kerygma and enter into dialogue between them. We hope to reopen the Faculty of Philosophy and develop courses which relate civil and canon law.
Fourth, Veritatis Gaudium speaks of the urgent need for ‘networking’ between the institutions across the world that cultivate and promote ecclesiastical studies in order to set up suitable channels of cooperation with academic institutions in different countries and with those inspired by different cultural and religious traditions. This is a broad vision for education. Our hope is that Mater Ecclesiae will reach out into Northern Europe and be able to bring her theological expertise into dialogue with institutions there and beyond. Mater Ecclesiae College can be a missionary leaven in the midst of Third Level Education so that the ecclesiastical sciences and the other sciences enter into fruitful dialogue for the good and in the discovery of the meaning of God’s revelation.
Those of you taking the Profession of Faith and Oath of Fidelity are called to the fidelity of the Church in your pursuit of Truth and hold the integrity of the life and tradition of Mater Ecclesiae College for future generations. You are to be the salt and the light that shines in pursuit of the Truth in the tradition of the Church, open to learning but holding firm, to what we have been taught.
Bishop John Sherrington
Photo credit: St Mary's University