tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15148649.post1893029070928153727..comments2024-02-28T12:45:41.512-05:00Comments on Greig Roselli — Teacher, Writer, Philosophy Sprinkles Maker: The American College of Louvain To Close Spring 2011Greig Rosellihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03334077247271264789noreply@blogger.comBlogger4125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15148649.post-12220675840023024072011-07-02T13:39:32.640-04:002011-07-02T13:39:32.640-04:00From: Richard Cross, fliszt@cloud9.net
Re: The clo...From: Richard Cross, fliszt@cloud9.net<br />Re: The closing of the American College of Louvain<br /><br /> The closing of this historic institution was not necessary. But it is not surprising either given the present leadership in the American church.<br />American bishops, for the most part "cultivated" in Rome - like Rome itself - have always looked askance at anything north of the Alps. They failed to support our College over the years in the past when they could have sent more seminarians to our college. They were stingy then when there were many more seminarians than today. Enlightened bishops in those days like Charlie Buswell were few and far between. Today they are even harder to find.<br /><br />With apologies for some hyperbole to our brothers who attended our younger sister, the North American College in Rome, we in Louvain used to say that if you want to learn philosophy or theology, go to Louvain; if you want to become a bishop, go to Rome. Sadly that's where most of today's bishops were spawned.<br /><br />The reasons given for the closing of our college are limp at best: if the church opened the priesthood to married men and women (pace, JP2) the halls of our Alma Mater would be filled with candidates. <br /><br />Rome's attitude toward Louvain has not changed over the years. <br />Fifty years ago in my time if a thoughtful Louvain professor would get a "monitum" from Rome it would be seen as a sign he was do- ing something worthwhile. We knew that it indicated that he was was actually thinking too much, rather than relying on the worn out and dated theology manuals as was often the case in Rome.<br /><br />"Memorize the manual, parrot it back, get your degree and throw your hat into the Tiber."<br /><br />It is not surprising then that the crop of bishops we are saddled with today, who are hell-bent on turning back the clock to Trent and Vatican I, have little use for our 154 year-old College and the oldest existing Catholic University in the world (1425). The great theologians from Louvain like Thils, Philips and Janssens helped shape Vatican 2 and made their mark as did the great bishops from Belgium, France, the Netherlands and Germany. As Canon Joseph Coppens used to say quoting Genesis: "Gigantes erant temporibis illis." Those were indeed the days of the giants.<br /><br />The harsh language we hear today from the the American hierarchy is not the language of Vatican 2. It was conciliatory, tollerant and open to dialog. Alas, we don't hear that kind of Vatican 2 language today. Rather we hear "my way, or the highway."<br /> <br />As someone who has been working in Hospice care for over a decade, I have come to recognize the signs of a terminal patient. I do not fear for the People of God. But this recent closure is but one more sign of an institution that cries out for Hospice care.<br />A Louvain American College alumnus sent me a quote from John Stuart Mill that aptly seems to describe our current leadership: <br />While advocating originality in thinking John Stuart Mill suggests that we live in an age that is intent on "supplying our deficiency of giants by the united efforts of a constantly increasing multitude of dwarfs."<br /><br />John Stuart Mill, "The Spirit of the Age" (1831).Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15148649.post-55918662433887435222011-06-08T13:21:20.262-04:002011-06-08T13:21:20.262-04:00Thanks for the update! Yes, mail from Kessel-lo is...Thanks for the update! Yes, mail from Kessel-lo is cool!Greig Rosellihttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03334077247271264789noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15148649.post-42936208770087286432011-06-06T22:11:54.734-04:002011-06-06T22:11:54.734-04:00There will be a house of formation for Catholic un...There will be a house of formation for Catholic university students, priests continuing to study here, and priests on sabbatical. I am actually part of this. The rector and vice-rector are not really against it, they just do not meddle very much in the issue because they have other things to focus on. <br /><br />Btw, your mail comes from Kessel-Lo. That cool!Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15148649.post-77117967003157427772011-03-07T17:31:05.756-05:002011-03-07T17:31:05.756-05:00Some people want to continue as a house of studyin...Some people want to continue as a house of studying for Catholics, priests, sabbaticals and lay people alll this organized by the Belgium Church. But the actual rector and vice rector are completely against this idea .....Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com