Bishop Gerald Kicanas is bishop emeritus of Tucson.
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Commentary
25 years after his death, Cardinal Bernardin's voice and presence still missed
Bishop Gerald Kicanas: As we mark the 25th anniversary of Cardinal Joseph Bernardin's death, the U.S. Catholic Church remains divided and polarized. Bernardin would not be pessimistic. He trusted in the promise of the Spirit. He would be sitting down, engaging those on all sides.
Column
I saw Christ on the southern border
Soul Seeing: So many along the border mirror the actions of Christ, imitate his tender compassion, live out his call to serve, practice his self-sacrificing love.
When the soul sees desperate need, it does not turn away
Soul Seeing: Many people are doing what they can to help those fleeing Syria, Iraq and Afghanistan, even though their own conditions are desperate.
Text of Bishop Gerald Kicanas address to ACCU
The following address was delivered by Tucson Bishop Gerald Kicanas at the annual gathering of the Association for Catholic Colleges and Universities Jan. 30.
INTRODUCTION
Catholic colleges and universities matter much. Your work makes Christ's mission come alive and flourish. Through you the faith is handed on to others. My respect for you and what you do every day could not be greater.
I esteem the challenge you give your students to live not for themselves but for others, preparing them to contribute selflessly to their community. One of the core characteristics of a Catholic college or university identified by Pope John Paul II in Ex Corde Ecclesiae is "an instituional commitment to the service of the people of God and of the human family" (Ex Corde, 13,3) You live out this commitment in exceptional ways.
I value the scholarship of your faculties, women and men for whom being Catholic means a grand curiosity about life and a willingness to question and explore, always with the blessed assurance of revelation and Church teaching as guide.
