Chaminade University of Honolulu

Catholic

2022 Hawaii Catholic Schools Teacher of the Year

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The COVID pandemic has been tough on kids—and Rica Velasco knows that better than most.

As the guidance counselor at St. Joseph’s Parish School in Waipahu, Velasco has grappled with soaring demand for counseling services among students over the last two years. She’s sought to not only meet those needs but give kids new tools to appropriately express their feelings and manage them.

That’s why she worked with St. Joseph’s Principal Beverly Sandobal to roll out an innovative social-emotional learning program across all grade levels that’s already had a positive impact on young lives.

“When we opened after the COVID lockdown…students and parents were afraid to return to school. Students were anxious and depressed, having difficulty with organizations and coping,” she said. “Since this program was implemented, students are more willing to talk about their feelings.”

Velasco’s dedication, her compassion and her service have been noticed.

Llewellyn Young, PhD (Superintendent, Hawaii Catholic Schools); Keith Yoshida (VP of Planning & Business Development, Par Hawaii and Vice Chair of the Diocesan Board of Education); Rica Velasco (awardee), Dale Fryxell, PhD (Dean, School of Education and Behavioral Sciences, Chaminade University)
Dr. Llewellyn Young (Hawaii Catholic Schools), Keith Yoshida (Par Hawaii), Rica Velasco (awardee) and Dr. Dale Fryxell (Chaminade University)

And at a ceremony May 19, Chaminade University and Hawaii Catholic Schools named Velasco the Hawaii Catholic Schools Teacher of the Year for 2022, presenting her with the Golden Pine“apple” Trophy along with $1,000 from Chaminade and John C. and Mary Lou Brogan, $1,000 in gas cards from Par Hawaii’s Hele Gas and $1,500 for St. Joseph staff development from the Augustine Educational Foundation.

The honor left Velasco beaming—and humbled.

“I was shocked to receive this recognition since I work alongside many innovative and outstanding teachers at St. Joseph who inspire me every day,” she said. “I am passionate about my work and grateful for this acknowledgment. Our team allows us to move mountains. I’m blessed to be part of this school.”

In addition to serving as the guidance counselor at her school, Velasco is the technology director and even steps in as a substitute teacher when needed. Her technology director hat has kept her particularly busy during the pandemic, with launching online and hybrid learning platforms and troubleshooting.

She also oversees her school’s one-on-one distribution of digital devices to students.

“Online learning was a challenge and an opportunity for our teachers to leap into digital learning,” Velasco said. “Today, I’m proud that all our teachers use technology to engage and enhance learning. Technology is constantly changing, and it challenges me to be open to change in all that I do.”

But it is her role as guidance counselor, watching students develop into “empathetic, confident and collaborative individuals,” that Velasco most enjoys. “Meeting with students who have difficulty making friends and then seeing them on the playground laughing with others is a joy for me,” she said.

2022 Hawaii Catholic Schools Teacher of the Year awardee Rica Velasco of St. Joseph's Parish School

Colleagues who nominated Velasco for the award said her implementation of the social-emotional learning program has made a significant difference at the school, especially as students and teachers alike navigate the “new normal” of the pandemic. “It helped both teachers and students cope with the uncertainties of living with COVID,” one colleague wrote. Another said that Velasco has created an environment that fosters empathy, understanding, and strong and healthy relationships.

Sandobal, the school principal, said she couldn’t agree more.

She related the case of one kindergartner who had difficulty speaking to peers and teachers alike. Velasco, she said, helped create safe places so the student could begin to confidently express herself.

“The student is now in third grade and is not afraid to articulate her thoughts and ideas inside and outside the classroom,” Sandobal said. “We and her parents are so proud to celebrate her progress.”

Sandobal added that as school counselor, Velasco has also helped address bullying by working with teachers and students, conducting classroom observations, and creating a daily report card to accomplish specific goals. She has also provided teacher training on behavior plans.

“Living out the school’s mission is the central point and focus of all the work that Rica does as counselor,” Sandobal. “With her focus on relationship building, she has provided significant ways for us provide a safe, caring, family-oriented environment that is centered in Jesus Christ.”

Velasco said she looks forward to continuing the growth of her social-emotional learning program, including by facilitating new conversations with parents and community members. “Our school faced many challenges over the past couple years,” she said. “We grew and changed together and walked away more competent, resilient and faith-filled. I look forward to what God has in store for us.”

School of Nursing and Health Professions Launches Parish Health Program

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One of the biggest obstacles to health education and prevention screening is access.

And a new Parish Health program at Chaminade University is focused on addressing that.

The program, unique on Oahu, gives Chaminade Nursing students the opportunity to work one-on-one with parishioners after Mass or via telehealth appointments to offer blood pressure, nutritional or other types of screenings, make assessments on determinants of health and connect them with resources.

The students receive critical hands-on experiences with members of the community. And parishioner participants, who are 55 and older, are equipped with tools they can use to improve their wellness.

“We really wanted to develop a Parish Health program to serve the needs of the community with education, health promotion and even healthcare,” said Dr. Pamela Smith, School of Nursing and Health Professions associate dean. “Many of our students enjoy the fellowship and ministry part of school, and this was an opportunity to blend it into nursing-related education and public health-related education.”

Smith said a Marianist Sponsorship Ministries Foundation grant helped cover costs for the program’s launch, including health promotion items for participants like pedometers, blood pressure monitors and gift cards farmers markets. The program was also made possible in part, by Kaiser Permanente through the Catholic Care Coalition.

After conversations with community stakeholders, the program officially kicked off in the Fall Term in partnership with the Co-Cathedral of St. Theresa of the Child Jesus in Kalihi. Nursing students offered screenings and health education to parishioners at the co-cathedral after each Mass. They also connected with parishioners via telehealth appointments—over the phone and through virtual meetings.

The program was expanded in the Spring to include a focus on exercise—a virtual Walk to Jerusalem that focused on the importance of movement to overall health. Participants signed up for the walk online and then tracked their progress with others along the way.

The next step for the program, Smith said, is growth.

Chaminade nursing student taking a parishioner's blood pressure for the Parish Health Program

There’s hope it can be expanded to more parishes on Oahu and even to the Neighbor Islands. The School of Nursing and Health Professions is also focused on increasing the number of students offering Parish Health services, including through one-on-one telehealth screening appointments.

Nursing student Zane Biscocho was among those who participated in the program. As part of the telehealth rotation, he held 30- to 60-minute screening interviews with parishioners to discuss everything from healthy eating to the importance of taking prescribed medication on time.

“One thing that I enjoyed most about being a part of the Parish Health program was learning how to be adaptable, utilize telehealth and education fairs, and also getting the chance to educate my patients about their appointments and concerns they may have had,” Biscocho said, after completing the experience. “My biggest takeaway is that healthcare expands far beyond the hospital.”

He added that Parish Health is not only making a difference, but adapting to meet participant needs.

That’s what Nursing student Tyler Insillo appreciated the most.

“It is always so important to meet people where they are,” she said. “We have to listen to what the community feels their needs are and address those needs accordingly, with consideration to not only their resources and time but their readiness to learn and accept the education we are sharing.”

As part of the program, Insillo delivered telehealth surveys along with in-person lessons on cardiovascular health. She said working one-on-one with participants was a rewarding experience. “I enjoyed working the community and helping them see the importance of a healthy lifestyle,” she said.

For details on the Parish Health program, click here.

Celebrating Our Founders and Heritage Awardees

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As part of Founders’ Week celebrations, three extraordinary members of the Chaminade University ‘ohana were recognized with Heritage Awards for their tireless work to put Marianist values into action.

Dr. Elizabeth Park, Celine Mesiona-Perez and Stacey Higa pose for a photo after receiving their Heritage Awards

Dr. Elizabeth Park, director of Early Childhood and Montessori programs and the Castle Teacher Resource Activity Center, was the recipient of the Chaminade Award in recognition of her work to embrace the Catholic intellectual tradition and seek out ways to promote social justice and peace.

The Marianist Award was presented to Chaminade Communications Manager Stacey Higa, who was recognized for her strong commitment to the Marianist value of family spirit and for her work to build a collaborative community centered around openness, hospitality, graciousness and faith.

And finally, Celine Mesiona-Perez was named the recipient of the Founders’ Award, presented to a student who demonstrates generosity and respect for others, serves as an exemplary role model for the community, and is engaged in service to others, especially those who are disadvantaged.

The honorees were recognized at a special ceremony on April 6 following the Founders’ Day Mass at Mystical Rose Oratory. The event was the culmination of a series of gatherings meant to celebrate not only the founders of the Marianist family—including the university’s namesake—but the characteristics of a Marianist education and the values and mission that are central to Chaminade’s identity.

Other events included a lei draping ceremony and prayer service, an exhibition of works from the Marianists & the Arts series of workshops, and International Extravaganza—a hugely popular showcase of cultural performances put on by student clubs that coincided with Father Chaminade’s birthday.

Dr. Elizabeth Park with her Chaminade Award certificate with Dr. Babington posing for a photo

The Rector’s Office presents the Heritage Awards, which are meant to celebrate the special contributions of a faculty member, support staff member and student who embody Marianist values.

Those who nominated Park for the Chaminade Award highlighted her collaborative spirit, tireless commitment to drive positive change, and her belief in her students and in the university’s mission.

“Dr. Park has been, and continues to be, a valued member of the Chaminade faculty and an exceptionally motivated and caring professor,” wrote Dr. Dale Fryxell, dean of the School of Education and Behavioral Sciences, in nominating her for the award. “The impact that Dr. Park is making at Chaminade, in her profession, in the community and internationally can clearly be seen.”

Park said she was humbled and honored when she learned she would be receiving the award.

She added that Marianist values resonate with her and with the work she does to bolster early education opportunities. “To educate in the family spirit and for service, justice and peace is to be mindful and work as a community,” she said, adding that Marianist values like peace education and educating for adaptation and change are woven into the Early Childhood Education curriculum. “We respect and support each other but also stand up for each other in the face of injustice.”

Park also said that at Chaminade she has learned to “grow and embrace my calling in life.”

Stacey Higa with her Marianist Award certificate with Dr. Babington posing for a photo

Marianist Award nominations for Higa came in from across the university—from Chaminade administrators, fellow support staff and faculty members. Lisa Furuta, vice president of University Communications and Marketing (UCM), wrote that Higa is always up for a challenge in service to Chaminade’s mission and its Marianist values and embraces a collaborative spirit to get things done.

“There are those who run away from a fire and those who run into the flames. Stacey would invariably do the latter if given the choice. However, it is her magnetic and ‘one team’ personality that draws others into the charge with her,” Furuta wrote, adding Higa is “indispensable” to her colleagues.

Furuta also wrote if your day is off to a slow start or if you are feeling down, “your best prescription would be to visit Stacey for a dose of positivity and optimism. Stacey has created a palpable feeling of warmth and enduring faith here on campus … and makes others feel instantly welcome.”

Higa said she was moved by the recognition. She added as a member of the Communications and Marketing Department, she is not only proud to belong to such a special community but “see firsthand all the amazing work and community impacts that our faculty, staff, students and alumni do every day.”

“I get to see our Marianist values alive,” she said. “I am so excited and honored to be part of this community where values and the family spirit are important. This award isn’t just a reflection of me, but also my colleagues in UCM because we truly work as a team and try to be good collaborators and partners with other university departments.”

Celine Mesiona-Perez with her Founders' Award certificate with Dr. Babington posing for a photo

Mesiona-Perez, who received the Founders’ Award, is pursuing a Forensic Science degree with a Chemistry minor. She is also very active on campus, including in Campus Ministry, student government and several clubs. Faculty members and staff who nominated Mesiona-Perez said she is not only a positive role model to her fellow students but to everyone in the Chaminade community.

“Her presence in the classroom environment is always underpinned by honest, genuine interactions,” Dr. Katelynn Perrault, an associate professor of Forensic Sciences and Chemistry, wrote to the Heritage Awards Committee. “She is concerned with being a voice for those who do not always have the ability to represent their own. It is a pleasure to have someone in our program with admirable qualities like this.”

Mesiona-Perez said she has found a “home away from home” at Chaminade and was floored by the special recognition. “The family that I have found here is made up of countless individuals who endlessly influence, equip and inspire me to be the best leader that I can be,” she said.

At Chaminade, Mesiona-Perez added, she has been able to pursue her love for STEM, strengthen her Christian faith, and deepen her passion for servant leadership. “In everything that I do, I desire to share the love that I have so gracefully received my Heavenly Father unto them,” she said, adding that she wants “others to feel at home, accepted, with a sense of belonging” at Chaminade—just as she is.

Founders’ Week Recap Video

Welcoming the Diaconate Formation 2022 Cohort

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Diaconate formation 2022 cohort with faculty and staff

On a quiet Saturday in March, a group of people from all walks of life gathered at Chaminade’s Mystical Rose Oratory to begin a five-year journey of academic, spiritual and pastoral formation aimed at preparing them for life as a deacon—or a deacon’s wife—in the Catholic Church.

Nearly 40 people attended the diaconate candidate orientation, including 22 program participants.

Dr. Dustyn Ragasa, director of the Master of Pastoral Theology program at Chaminade and an assistant professor of Religious Studies, said the newest diaconate cohort includes 10 couples and two single men. They are members of the military and law enforcement, teachers and professors, health care professionals, and business owners. “Each one brings along with them a wealth of practical experience that enables them to do theology in their own unique ways,” Ragasa said.

“Some candidates come to us with previous theological training and others are learning the fundamentals of disciplined theological inquiry. Some are lifelong Catholics and others are recent converts to the faith. This mosaic of perspectives enriches the learning experience as a whole.”

The March 12 orientation was the first held at the Mystical Rose Oratory—what Ragasa said underscores the strong partnership between the Diocese of Honolulu and Chaminade. Participants in the Diocese of Honolulu’s permanent diaconate formation program can opt to also pursue a graduate certificate, Master of Pastoral Theology or Religious Studies bachelor’s degree at Chaminade. Three women and six diaconate candidates across cohorts are currently pursuing a Master of Pastoral Theology at the University. Ragasa stressed that the degree also welcomes laymen and laywomen.

The role of deacon is an “ancient” one in Catholicism, Ragasa said, and described in the Bible.

Both married and single men can serve as deacons, and married men participate in the diaconate formation program with their wives. After being ordained, deacons serve their communities and the Church in many ways, Ragasa said. “Theirs is the responsibility to proclaim the gospel and to preach,” he said. “They also have the capacity to baptize, to distribute holy communion, to perform marriages, to officiate over funerals, to lead prayer and to take on leadership roles in their communities.”

But unlike priests and bishops, deacons hold “day jobs” in a long list of fields—from education to healthcare to engineering to social service. What unites them, Ragasa said, is simple: “It is expected that deacons will uplift and care for those around them regardless of the work they undertake.”

Diaconate formation 2022 cohort with faculty and staff

Participants complete the diaconate formation program in cohorts, dedicating three years to intellectual and academic growth and two years to intense spiritual reflection and pastoral work. Along the way, they’re mentored by those who completed the program and are now ministering in parishes.

Deacon Michael Weaver, MPT ‘14, a lecturer of Historical and Political Studies at Chaminade, attended the orientation with his wife to speak to participants and said a central element of the formation program is to help a candidate determine if becoming a deacon is their calling.

“Through both personal prayer and competent spiritual direction, together with academic and professional formation, each person discerns if such a vocation is truly present for him,” he said. “The core effect, I think, is to discover who you really are as a person and a believer. You develop confidence that manifests itself in a willingness to preach the Gospel and represent the Church in the world.”

The seeds for the strong partnership between Chaminade and the diaconate program were planted more than a decade ago, Ragasa said, and the Diocese of Honolulu has since garnered national attention for its commitment to a high quality of theological and academic preparation for its candidates.

“Honolulu is one of the very few dioceses that boasts this level of partnership with its local university,” Ragasa added. “Having local professors who understand our cultures, who sit in the pews enables them to address the specific educational needs of men and women ministering in our unique island context.”

The group of candidates that met on campus in March is part of cohort 11, and their academic preparation program officially began in April. Ragasa said the orientation was designed to both help candidates feel comfortable at Chaminade and familiarize them with resources at the University.

Bro. Edward Brink, vice president for mission and rector at the University, welcomed candidates and their wives to campus with an opening prayer and explained the rich history of Marianists in Hawaii. His talk touched on key hallmarks of Marianist education—including a mission to serve others—and encouraged cohort members to take an active part in campus life and the Chaminade family.

Participants also got a tour of the Sullivan Family Library and its vast collection.

Dr. Cheryl Edelson, dean of the School of Humanities, Arts and Design, also welcomed the program candidates at the orientation and spoke about the importance of the humanities in the Catholic intellectual tradition. She also invited cohort members to participate in school programming.

Fr. Martin Solma, Chaminade chaplain, closed the day with a touching closing rite for candidates and their wives. Ragasa said the commissioning liturgy—meant to prepare program candidates for the significant journey ahead—was the highlight of the day and a “fitting way to recognize the beginning of formation, with prayer and reflection.”

Marianists and the Arts Program

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An exciting year-long workshop series at Chaminade is seeking to help tell the rich stories of the University and its Marianist founders through art in a bid to give participants an engaging and hands-on way to appreciate the institution’s sense of place—and reflect on their own place in it.

Each Marianists & the Arts workshop approaches Chaminade’s history through a different field of study or craft, from Olelo Hawaii to ceramics to digital art to woodworking. And when each workshop ends, participants walk away with their own hand-crafted “artifact” that helps tell Chaminade’s story.

The series was developed by Sr. Malia Wong, a Humanities, Arts and Design senior lecturer.

Wong said each of the Marianists & the Arts workshops include a presentation based on readings and a unique “creating session that’s focused on bringing a part of the story to a contemporary audience.”

In launching the workshop series, Wong was able to secure a grant from the Marianist Sponsorship Ministries Foundation for supplies and other costs. Additionally, she recruited a number of Chaminade faculty members and staff who were delighted to help tell Chaminade’s story in a new way.

Kumu Kahi Renauld teaching olelo as part of the Marianist and the Arts program

Wong said that by the end of each workshop, participants walk away with insight into “one or more parts of the history of Chaminade through the vision, dreams, struggles and successes, faith and humanity, and values of the first Marianists as represented by the artifact produced.”

In one recent workshop, Kumu Keahi Renauld explored the life and contributions of Bro. Oliver Mahealani Aiu—a Native Hawaiian who went away to study and then returned to serve his community. He said the participants considered how language and culture are intertwined, and how Olelo Hawaii plays a relevant and important role in the story of the Marianists and Chaminade today.

“We all need to realize the power of our words in everyday life,” Renauld said.

Dr. Junghwa Suh teaching a Marianist & the Arts workshop

Dr. Junghwa Suh, a professor in the Environmental + Interior Design program, used digital arts to illuminate the contributions of Bro. Joseph Becker, who helped to found Chaminade and wrote its alma mater. For her workshop, she tasked participants with visualizing the emotions of the lyrics.

Suh said she jumped at the chance to lead the workshop because she wanted to learn more about Chaminade’s founders. She added that giving participants the freedom to interpret emotions in art and then incorporate their perspectives is powerful. “These activities are designed to reflect on who and where they are in the story of our founders and journey, and learn about the University,” she said.

International Studies student Marl-John Valerio attended a Marianists & the Arts workshop that focused on the legacy of Bro. Bertram Bellinghausen, the first president of what would later become Saint Louis School. Attendees reflected on his life and work as they tackled a ceramics project.

“What I enjoyed most about the workshop was the process. Shaping and forming the art that you envisioned was difficult for a novice like me,” Valerio said. “My biggest takeaway is that mistakes are OK. You can envision what you may want in life but sometimes it won’t work out as you thought.”

Chaminade student working on a ceramics piece during the Marianist & the Arts workshop

Devin Oishi, a Fine Arts professor at Chaminade, led the ceramics workshop. In addition to helping students to make pinch pots or slab pieces, he created a collaborative piece with participants. “I threw a large base on the potter wheel and students, staff and friends then added coils as a mirror of how Chaminade developed, with a foundation and generations contributing to the legacy,” he said.

Oishi said he wants attendees to think of themselves as “the next layer of stones being added to the foundation” of Chaminade and members of a strong ‘ohana contributing to society in a meaningful way.

Kumu Kahoalii Keahi-Wood, a cultural engagement specialist in the School of Natural Sciences and Mathematics, led workshops on campus la’au, or vegetation, and the teachings of Marianist Father Joseph Priestley. Keahi-Wood said he sought to underscore how Priestley, who was Native Hawaiian, embraced Marianist values without losing his cultural identity.

“In this workshop, we explored the values and steps required to be a practitioner, protocols involved in picking plants, carrying out healing, and basic chants that can be done to refocus your mind,” Keahi-Wood said. “We also take a look at plants that are found on campus and viewed for healing.”

Kahoalii Keahi-Wood instructing his Marianist & the Arts workshop

And the takeaway from the gathering? It’s simple.

“You don’t need to lose your traditions to follow Marianist ones. There is overlap,” Keahi-Wood said.

Dr. Dale Fryxell, dean of the School of Education and Behavioral Sciences, said he was honored to participate in the Marianists & the Arts series. He led a workshop focused on woodworking and the life of Father Stephan Tutas, who served as director of the Marianist community in Honolulu, taught at Saint Louis School, and was a professor and administrator at Chaminade before leaving the islands.

Fryxell said Tutas is well-known for his reflections, including his writings on an “attitude of gratitude.”

Workshop participants turned and assembled their own pen out of koa wood on a lathe.

“What better way to start each day than to use the pen that they created, to learn and write about things they are passionate about and will hopefully lead them to become leaders that will inspire others, just as Father Tutas did?” said Fryxell, who previously owned and operated a woodworking business.

Dr. Dale Fryxell watches a student woodwork during the Marianist & the Arts program

Fryxell said Tutas also wrote about “turning points in our lives,” and so he encouraged participants to consider the connection between these critical moments and the turning of an object on a lathe. “Often when you start to create something on the lathe, you may have an idea about what it will turn out to be. But in the process, it may end up completely different—similar to many of life’s journeys,” Fryxell said.

That was the big lesson that Nursing student Taylor Crawford walked away with.

“I need to have more patience as life has many turns,” she said, adding she hopes to take more workshops. “I enjoyed being creative and making something linked to the people we learned about.”

Charlie Clausner, MBA ’21, attended the workshop on Olelo Hawaii. He said he chiefly wanted to add to his Hawaiian language skills. But along the way, he said, he also “gained a deeper foundation of the Hawaiian language and learned a lot about some Chaminade classmates and the university.”

In addition to the various workshops, Bro. Edward Brink and Bro. Thomas Jalbert offered a walking tour of the Chaminade campus where participants learned of the University’s history and heard stories of the Marianists.

Catholic Intellectual Life

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Fr. Dennis Holtschneider speaking to the Chaminade community about the Catholic Intellectual Life

Chaminade University is part of a rich Catholic intellectual tradition that not only seeks to educate and inform but also ask tough questions, prompt opportunities for reflection, create space for new ideas and assist the next generation of leaders in looking for ways to build a more peaceful and just world, said renowned Catholic education leader Fr. Dennis Holtschneider in a recent talk at the university.

“Higher education is complex and rarely possible without the assistance of charitable donations. We do it as a gift to the world. Why? Because ideas matter,” Holtschneider, president of the Association of Catholic Colleges and Universities, told attendees at the March 15 address at Chaminade.

“Our graduates are gifts to a world that needs that gift for its improvement.”

Holtschneider’s talk was entitled “The Core of Catholic Intellectual Life,” and he spoke to university administrators, faculty members, staff, and others about the importance of embracing and admiring the intellectual, creative, teaching, and human development work that happens every day at the university.

Catholic universities, he noted, serve many roles. As a home for evangelization through campus ministries. As a place to offer opportunities to those from disadvantaged backgrounds. But first and foremost, Holtschneider said, “they’re in service of the intellectual life where ideas matter.”

And as the largest non-governmental provider of higher education in the world, he added, there is no shortage of ideas at Catholic universities. He pointed to just a few of the impressive projects happening at these institutions, from advancements in medicine to breakthroughs in economics or political theory.

“We prepare the next generation of teachers, social workers, nurse practitioners, business leaders, accountants, political advisers, communication professionals, counselors, scholars and more,” he said.

And this modern landscape of education is no “accident of history,” Holtschneider added, “but an expression of a Church that has welcomed, built, and supported the intellectual life for millennia. This is important work for us. This is one of our ministries. Now make no mistake, it’s a fray. If you hire an organization of independent thinkers, you get a lot of independent thought.”

In other words, he said, intellectual work means “intellectual upset.”

Beverly Sandobal, Shana Tong, Mandy Thronas-Brown, Bishop Larry Silva, Fr. Dennis Holtschneider, Dr. Lynn Babington, Dr. Scott Schroeder, Cynthia McIntyre, Bro. Edward Brink, and Margaret Rufo

It means debate. Disagreement. Growth. Reflection. And it means change.

Holtschneider pointed to the many scholars at Catholic institutions who helped present new ideas whose time had come. They were and are at the forefront of the civil and women’s rights movements, of the push to end poverty and of the monumental work to address the climate change crisis.

“It’s not a set of ideas. It’s a project. Catholic intellectual life is a project,” he said.

And importantly, Holtschneider said, while scholars in the Catholic intellectual tradition have no predetermined answers, they do have non-negotiable starting places that reflect a common set of values and ideals. “Our vocation as educators is to prepare the next generation, hoping they might even improve upon the world as we know it now. If that’s all we did, it would be enough,” he said.

“We care that our students become experts in the fullest sense of their chosen professions. We also care about who they become as they spend a life wielding the education that we have given them. We explore things with them and how they’re thinking about the world. We may not be ethics professionals all of us, but we dare not avoid ethics when teaching if we care about our students’ lives ahead.”

Holtschneider himself speaks as a Catholic scholar who believes strongly that robust academic environments help to drive positive change. He received a doctoral degree in administration, planning and policy from Harvard University, holds eight honorary degrees, and serves as a member of the faculty at several higher education leadership programs, including at Harvard and Boston universities.

“Nothing is more powerful than an idea that breaks through and changes everything,” he said.

Fr. Dennis Holtschneider speaking to Chaminade faculty and staff

Holtschneider’s presentation at Chaminade was part of a series of lectures that were made possible through the Association of Marianist Universities. He is set to speak at Chaminade’s sister universities—the University of Dayton in Ohio and St. Mary’s University in Texas—later this year.

After his presentation at Chaminade, attendees were given a chance to follow up with questions or reflections. Several people said they were moved and inspired by Holtschneider’s message and wanted to seek out ways to share it with a broader audience. Holtschneider applauded those efforts while noting that the intellectual tradition offers a pathway without a set endpoint or destination.

He called the process of searching out ideas “humbling” and full of exciting discoveries.

And it’s not just scholars on that journey; students are there, too.

“We ask them to look long and hard at the world for four years. But we also ask them to look long and hard at themselves and think about how they want to be actors in that world, about what they will value, what they will fight for in their lifetimes, and what they will work for,” he told attendees.

“Most importantly, we give them questions that matter and to think about in the lifetime ahead. And that is the Catholic intellectual tradition. All of it. Not a pre-determined answer that one generation passes onto the next but a constant searching for what’s true, what’s good and what’s holy.”