Wake Forest Magazine, March 2007 - Past Issues - Wake Forest ...

Louisville, Kentucky, and has beena visiting professor at the LouisvillePresbyterian Seminary and the LexingtonTheological Seminary in Kentucky.During the summer, he hastaught at the Liturgical Institute inIllinois, serving as choirmaster ofits summer sessions. He edits andcontributes to the Saint MeinradLiturgical Music series and theResources for the Divine Officeseries, has served as an associateeditor of the American BenedictineReview, and contributes to a varietyof periodicals and journals.Weber was on the faculty of St.Meinrad College in 1998–99 when asurprising but intriguing opportunitypresented itself. Wake Forest was inthe process of assembling a facultyin preparation for opening its newdivinity school in fall 1999 andsought to appoint a Catholic priestto advance its ecumenical agenda.Through contacts at Belmont Abbey,a Benedictine college in Charlotte,Wake Forest officials learned ofWeber and extended an offer. Webersought the guidance and approval ofhis abbot at St. Meinrad, who gavehis blessing. In May 1999, one weekafter Weber’s appointment wasannounced on Vatican Radio, FrancisCardinal Arinze, the eminent Catholicprelate who oversees the preservationand renewal of the traditionalRoman Rite liturgy worldwide, cameto Wake Forest as its Commencementspeaker. In the presence of the gathereddignitaries, Arinze said toWeber: “The Holy Father knows ofyour good work here and sends youhis blessing.” Later, the cardinalspoke to Weber privately about theimportance of the appointment andits ecumenical implications.Weber credits Dean Bill J. Leonard,and especially former PresidentThomas K. Hearn, Jr., with “settingthe tone” for his successful tenure.“Dr. Hearn and I talked at greatlength about spiritual subjects andhis vision for the Divinity School,” he“The two things thatmatter most areto know the truth andto be in love. My jobis to tell my story—to teach the fullnessof Catholic truth.”says. “He did everything he could tofoster my presence here and encourageme. I can’t tell you how warmthe welcome here has been for me.”He describes Wake Forest as “awonderful place” to teach. “The studentsare excellent and a joy to workwith, and the administration is sosensitive and responsive. As for mycommissions and scholarly work,Dean Leonard has nurtured myIn his courses, Weber makes no attempt to proselytize.projects from the start. The environmenthere is so life giving; it’s as ifWake Forest wants to say, ‘Let usgive life to the human family.’ Myexperience has been totally positive.”Weber has not the slightest ofdoubts about the veracity of hisfaith, but in his courses on Catholicspirituality, church history, worship,and Latin, he makes no attempts toproselytize. “I’ve never been expectedto be anything other than what Iam, and I don’t expect my studentsto be anything other than what theyare,” he states. “The two things thatmatter most are to know the truthand to be in love. My job is to tellmy story—to teach the fullness ofCatholic truth.”“We are here not to argue,” hegoes on. “We are here to do whatwe can, not what we can’t. True ecumenismis telling your story withan attitude of respect. Consider theLatin origin of the word ‘respect’—re+spicere, which means to lookupon another with an intention ofgood will. We bear any tensions wemight have [in the classroom] in aspirit of blessing for the greater good.”P R O F I L EMARCH 2007 29