Saint Mary’s College Welcomes New President

On Friday, September 23, 2005, Brother Ronald Gallagher FSC, Ph.D., was inaugurated as the 28th president of Saint Mary's College of California in a ceremony that culminated a weeklong celebration of the school's liberal arts, Catholic, and Lasallian traditions. Saint Mary’s College, founded in 1863, is one of the oldest Catholic colleges in the west.

Brother Ron, a native of Oakland, California, and an alumnus of Saint Mary’s College (class of 1969), has a doctorate in comparative literature, speaks several languages, and has done many demanding jobs as a De La Salle Christian Brother, from classroom teaching to global strategic planning. At Saint Mary’s College he has taught English and Modern Languages and has chaired the Department of English and Drama; abroad, he has served as Vice Chancellor of the University of Bethlehem and as Secretary General of the Brothers of the Christian Schools in Rome.

Addressing several hundred people gathered on the plaza before the College chapel to celebrate the inauguration, Brother Ron said, in part:

“In front of us lie halls named for Dante and Galileo, two giants who represent Science and the Arts, and are emblems of our Liberal Arts traditions. Dante, the pilgrim, whose Divine Comedy examines the ethical, literary, historical and spiritual scope of human society of his day. Galileo, the astronomer, who looked outward to the cosmos.

“Behind us, and at the center of this campus lies the Chapel, dedicated to Mary. Here is the place where we celebrate the liturgy, the heart of the Catholic tradition of the College. And here we find representations of Mary, the mother, maiden, example of spirituality, whose soul "magnifies the greatness of Lord." I can't imagine a better model for us, who in this Catholic tradition of higher education seek to discover the greatness and depth of all that is human and in doing so can discover the greatness of the Lord and the many truths of creation.

“Along the corridors hang banners representing the Lasallian tradition, the many Brothers who have been the responsible leaders of this Institution for 142 years. When we walk along that arcade, we are walking through one aspect of the history of the college. These are the precursors who have carried here on the Pacific coast the educational vision of Saint John Baptist de La Salle: give a human and Christian education to the young, especially the poor. And in front of us stands, or better, kneels the statue of De La Salle, facing all who enter this campus, making a gesture to a book, reminding us that we are in the holy presence of God.

“We as a college community are challenged today to embody these traditions. In the vision of De La Salle, spoken to the Brothers more than 300 years ago, he says, "God has called you to your ministry to procure his glory and to give students the spirit of wisdom, the insight to know him, and to enlighten the eyes of their hearts."

“Today we are all partners in that ministry. What we do here is not just a job, it is a call, a ministry.

“In reflecting on Catholic higher education, the late Pope John Paul the Second wrote eloquently in Ex Corde Ecclesiae about the challenge and importance of this ministry of Higher Education today: The dialogue of the Church with the cultures of our times is that vital area where "the future of the Church and of the world is being played out as we conclude the twentieth century"(4)... "It is essential that we be convinced of the priority of the ethical over the technical, of the primacy of the person over things, of the superiority of the spirit over matter. The cause of the human person will only be served if knowledge is joined to conscience. Men and women of science will truly aid humanity only if they preserve 'the sense of the transcendence of the human person over the world and of God over the human person"(Ex Corde Ecclesiae).”

To read the full text of the new President’s remarks, and for complete coverage of the inauguration and related events, visit the Saint Mary’s College of California Web site at www.stmarys-ca.edu