2013-Spring-DU-Magazine

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BEARING wITNESS To hISToRY Bearing Witne to History 6 <strong>DU</strong>QUESNE UNIVERSITY MAGAZINE <strong>Spring</strong> ‘13 Alumni, students and staff from Duquesne’s Italian Campus were on hand to say good-bye to Pope Benedict and welcome Pope Francis, waving Duquesne’s flag in St. Peter’s Square. Here, several members of the Duquesne family reflect on witnessing these events firsthand.
ss Reflection on a ‘Spiritual Irony’ Bishop David A. Zubik, A’71, GE’82 I was on the roof of the Pontifical North American College in Rome with students and faculty as the helicopter bearing Pope Benedict XVI swept across the skies on its way to Castel Gandolfo after his resignation. The helicopter came up behind the dome of Saint Peter’s and then made its last flight around the perimeter of Vatican City, coming straight toward us. The students were there to wave the American and Bavarian flags. It looked as though the pope saw us and was waving from the helicopter. But it was just a thrill to be able to demonstrate our gratitude. It was purely coincidental that I was in Rome the last week in February. Six months earlier, I had made arrangements to visit the five seminarians and three priests of the Diocese of Pittsburgh who are studying there. Little did I know that the occasion would be his last days as pope. I had met with the Holy Father last October when I was leading the Pittsburgh Catholic pilgrimage to Italy. As is the custom after his weekly audiences, the pope met with each of Liz Lev, Adjunct Professor, Art History, Duquesne Italian Campus The only thing better than having a front row seat to history in the making is being able to witness tradition and change through the eyes of young people. The excitement and interest with which the Italian Campus students have lived these last weeks of the papal abdication, conclave and the surprising first days of the pontificate of Pope Francis, has been inspiring. Teaching classes on the history of Christian art or Baroque architecture, we study the role of St. Peter’s tomb in the history of Rome; but the cold marble stones of the basilica and the ancient tomb of the martyred fisherman took BEARING wITNESS To hISToRY the bishops in attendance personally. In my brief meeting with our Holy Father, I could easily tell that, while as cordial and mentally sharp as ever, he was not strong physically. It was clear his body was wearing down. In my February visit, I had the opportunity to witness Benedict’s praying of the Angelus and his last general audience. Being there was an exceptionally emotional experience. While the Church is an institution, it’s much more; it’s a family. And as a family, we had only those few remaining days to express our gratitude to Benedict for the great leadership that he afforded us for the last eight years. The spiritual irony in all this for me is that it was all so similar to my Rome visit in April 2005, when I was Bishop of Green Bay. I had planned to visit my seminarians in February of that year, too, but I had to cancel the trip due to my mother’s illness and move it back to April. As a result, I ended up arriving in Saint Peter’s Square just in time to see the white smoke from the Sistine Chapel and witness Pope Benedict introduced to the world as our new Holy Father. It was a sure gift of Divine Providence to be there for the pope’s first and last days. on new meaning as they became the backdrop to history during the long hours the students spent in the square. St. Peter, the first pope, was crucified a few short steps away from where Pope Benedict gave his final audience. As he spoke of “other ways to carry the cross,” he was looking at the obelisk in the square, the silent witness to St. Peter’s death almost 2,000 years ago. The setting helped those of us in Rome to understand that his was not a decision taken lightly, but with full knowledge of the heroic witness of his illustrious predecessor and the expectations of his office. The solid granite monument, never broken, never lost, also serves as a beacon, a reminder that after Christ gave the keys to St. Peter, He promised the apostle that “the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.” (Mt 16:18) continued on next page www.duq.edu 7
Page 1 and 2: Also in this issue: New Provost and
Page 3 and 4: Thoughts from the President When a
Page 5 and 6: New Deans Selected for Schools of B
Page 7: New Entrepreneurial Studies Directo
Page 11 and 12: Pope Benedict’s farewell address
Page 13 and 14: On the Grant Gerlich, GA’01, rece
Page 15 and 16: “U.S. News” Names DU Law Among
Page 17 and 18: Duquesne Adds Biomedical Engineerin
Page 19 and 20: LASTING MEMoRIES Lasting Memories S
Page 21 and 22: and elicited personal stories that
Page 23 and 24: around, yet for Weaver the gatherin
Page 25 and 26: That unique combination has been dr
Page 27 and 28: “All of the papers, classes, inte
Page 29 and 30: Tom White Duquesne University Archi
Page 31 and 32: SNaPShOtS 1. 2. 3. 5. 6. 1. John Ka
Page 33 and 34: DU Team Reports Breakthrough in Pai
Page 35 and 36: Alumni Scholarship Benefits Legacy
Page 37 and 38: ate ate ate FOOTBALL TO PLAY FIVE O
Page 39 and 40: DUQUESNE’S African Ties DU Delive
Page 41 and 42: James Doelling, N’88, was promote
Page 43 and 44: Marriages Joshua D. Rice, E’96, G
Page 45 and 46: in Memoriam: Charles Loch Charles L
Page 47 and 48: Aug. 8, 2013 Duquesne Athletic Fund

2013-Spring-DU-Magazine

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