Fall 2006 Newsletter - Regis College

Student News
The 2006 Canadian Theological
Students’ Conference
St. John’s, Newfoundland
Report by Kelly Bourke (M.Div.),
2006 Conference Co-Chair
The 2006 Canadian Theological
Students’ Association (CTSA) held its
annual conference this past February in
St. John’s, NFLD. Hosted by Queen’s
College Faculty of Theology, it was
attended by over 30 students from
across Canada representing their theological
institutions and fellow students.
Mary Bastedo was the Regis
College delegate, but two other Regis
students were also present as NPC
members (national planning team) for
2005-06: Nadia Delicata as Registrar,
and myself as Conference Co-Chair.
Nadia will continue working with the
association in the Fall, helping to create
a new vision for the role of the association
beyond its annual conference.
Mary, as part of her commitment as the
Regis College delegate, will be representing
Regis on the TST Ecumenical
Worship Committee this year (along
with Gilles Mongeau, who is the faculty
representative). Mary brings to her
position an enthusiasm for ecumenism
and interfaith dialogue.
The primary purpose of the conference
was to foster ecumenism among
students in meaningful ways, not only
in their academic endeavors in theology
but in the world outside academia. The
conference’s theme was “Being Church
in the Face of Power,” with a particular
focus on ecumenical and interfaith
issues in the Middle East. We learned
about and reflected on power struggles
and efforts for peace not just in the
Middle East but also within Canada.
The conference included workshops,
student papers and presentations, as
well as opportunities for delegates to
share, discuss, reflect, work, play and
pray together.
Although this year’s keynote
speaker was to be Dr. Bernard Sabella,
chosen by the Canadian Churches’
Forum for Global Ministries for his
work in interfaith issues in the Middle
East, Dr. Sabella was elected to the new
Palestinian government in January and
was therefore unable to attend. The
following is part of a reflection he sent,
along with greetings to the conference
delegates: “The traditional Middle
Eastern Jewish, Christian and Moslem
greeting of “Peace be unto you” calls on
all of us here to make it a reality. We
cannot honour our traditions of peacegreeting
if we do not have a joint vision
for the peace to come. But having the
vision, like the peace-greeting, is only
the beginning as the work is most difficult
and as the road that leads to peace
is full with obstacles, hurdles, letdowns
and frustrations. ...Let us hope and
pray that we will all work for that day
when the peace greeting will herald real
peace and reconciliation.”
Lonergan on the Edge
On August 11-13, Regis
College played host to the studentrun
Lonergan on the Edge conference.
It was a great success, thanks
to the enthusiasm and co-operation
of committee members Chris Jacobs-
Vandegeer, Dorothy Cummings,
Kelly Bourke, Nadia Delicata, Jorge
Zurek, Mary Jo McDonald, Andrew
Wojna, Cathy Sears and her assistant
Andree Stock, and the faculty advisor,
Gilles Mongeau, SJ. Both the TST
Advanced Degree Student Association
and the Lonergan Research Institute
donated money to the event, which
was spent on accommodation for outof-town
speakers and a wine and cheese
party. Over 40 people attended. (A more
extensive report of this conference will appear in
the next issue of the Newsletter.)
Michael Bugeja, S.J. a Th.M. student
in pastoral counselling and a Jesuit of
the Maltese Province was ordained a
priest on June 30, 2006 at St. John
Cathedral in Valletta, Malta. On July
2, Michael celebrated his first mass
with family, friends and students at
St. Aloysius College, B’Kara, where he
taught for two years during his regency.
Congratulations Michael.
Vigil
They have dressed you
in the Order’s
formal black robe
folded your hands
around a rosary
arrayed you
in a brocade
chasuble for Mass
The light above your casket
shines on thin severity
that isn’t you
pale flesh,
pinched, austere
Where does the spirit go
You know now––or don’t
I like your sister’s prayer best––
that you found
what you expected
Another form of dancing
Rosemary Blake
(MAMS, MTS)
Rosemary’s latest poetry is in Room of
One’s Own and The Antigonish Review
14 Regis Newsletter