St. Ambrose Legends Retire - St. Ambrose University

Diocesan Heritage
by Ted Stephens III ’01, ’04
From humble beginnings as an academy
created by the first bishop of Davenport,
St. Ambrose has always welcomed
students of all religious faiths, all
ethnic backgrounds and all economic
circumstances.
Fully 130 years after Bishop John
McMullen’s dream began with a first
class of 33 students, St. Ambrose holds
firm to its distinction as a diocesan university
built upon a foundation of faith,
learning and justice. Our institutional
identity is so deeply informed by our
diocesan heritage and mission of enriching
lives, you can see it in the actions of
our students, faculty, staff and alumni.
But how does a Catholic, diocesan
university like St. Ambrose—now one
of only 11 in the country—maintain our
diocesan character? How do we grow it?
Perhaps we should look no further
than the new center for the study of Saint
Ambrose of Milan. It is an initiative that
at its core best represents the Catholic
Intellectual Tradition that is alive and
flourishing at St. Ambrose today. It is a
perfect example of professors and students,
alumni and scholars, Catholics
and non-Catholics, asking a full range of
questions, driven by a passionate commitment
to pursue the true definition of what
it is to be Ambrosian. Together, they are
powerfully uncovering a way to live for
the betterment of others.
Consider the life of Saint Ambrose of
Milan: Know him and you will find a
man at the very heart of our mission—a
person who wrestled with intellectual,
spiritual, ethical and social issues while
also addressing artistic and physical
aspects of life. He was an active leader,
dedicated to Milan and to his regional
diocese, and a driving force behind imperial
events. He was, as Rev. Robert “Bud”
Grant, PhD, will tell you, both Roman
and Catholic.
“As a diocesan university,” Fr. Grant
wrote recently, “St. Ambrose offers a
unique charism that distinguishes us from
secular, non-Catholic and Catholic colleges
administered by a religious order
today.”
That is the gift of connectedness to our
patron saint, a man who simply wanted
the best for the people around him. To
celebrate his legacy is to live life as both
a person of the world and a person of the
Church. Saint Ambrose showed us that it
is essential for our faith to influence our
work, our service, our politics and our
social relationships. It is something not
just reserved for Sunday mornings, or
whenever it is convenient. Rather, it must
be something that changes the way we do
everything in our lives, everyday.
In other words, it defines our heritage.
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