Elms College President Harry Dumay’s remarks at the college’s annual Convocation,
Sept. 28, 2022
We gather once again this afternoon in Veritas Auditorium for the cherished tradition of
Convocation. As we usually do around the opening of the academic year, we take a moment as a community bound together by our founding mission and the pursuit of academic knowledge and truth to do three things: to reflect on a common read, paired with a Catholic Social Teaching theme, to celebrate individuals both in the public sphere and among our students who bear witness to that theme, and to honor our seniors as they begin the last year of their collegiate careers.
Solidarity is the Catholic Social Teaching theme for this year, Crossing the Line by Kareem Rosser was our Common Read, and Mags Riordan is our distinguished guest and speaker. Is it serendipity, or perfect planning by our faculty, or a little bit of both? The undeniable common thread that I found between these themes is the sense of possibilities against the odds that comes from solidarity and togetherness.
According to the US Catholic Bishops, solidarity means recognizing that “[w]e are one human family whatever our national, racial, ethnic, economic, and ideological differences.” The Sisters of St Joseph who founded Elms College nearly a century ago have as their central mission today the call to unite neighbor with neighbor. The French connotation of the word ‘neighbor’ (leprochain) gives it a more expansive meaning than a narrow and local context. We can envision that the founding Sisters in LePuy, France, understood the dear neighbor in that spirit of solidarity which compels us to broaden our sense of neighborhood, to reach out in friendship and compassion to others, both near and far. As the Bishops tell us, today more than ever, “[l]oving our neighbor has global dimensions in a shrinking world.”
Reading “Crossing the Line” this summer, I could not put the book down. I was anxious to find out whether Kareem Rosser and his friends would beat the odds and defy the existence that seems to be predestined for them. Growing up in “The Bottom”, a neighborhood of West Philadelphia devastated by poverty and crime, in a household in which he and his siblings had to be the adults, he nonetheless managed to reshuffle the cards, to delete what seemed to be his inevitable plot ending, and rewrite the story of his life.
Of course, no one does any of that alone. The solidarity of Leslie Himes, who founded the Work to Ride stables in the middle of that devasted neighborhood and gave all those children something positive to envision made his journey possible. The solidarity of his fellow improbable inner-city polo players, who kept each other motivated to dream the impossible dream, that solidarity made his accomplishment possible.
And this evening, we have our real-life story of what can become possible through solidarity in our guest speaker Mags Riordan. When Professors Laura McNeil and Damien Murray, along Caroline Murray, told me about Mags Riordan and the opportunity to invite her to speak to you, our students, at Convocation, I was excited with anticipation.
Mags’ story is one that celebrates the power of the individual: to make a difference in the
World – despite great obstacles and personal tragedy– and to reach out with tenacity and love to care for her neighbor half a world away.
Twenty-three years ago, Mags was a high school guidance counselor, wife and mother, living a quiet existence in her hometown of Dingle in County Kerry in Ireland. Her only son, Billy, loved to travel and visited southern Africa frequently. He was particularly fond of Malawi, which, in his last letter to Mags, he called “Paradise” because of the beauty of the landscape and the kindness of the people. Within 48 hours of writing that letter, Billy went out with friends and drowned in Lake Malawi. He was only 25 years old.
Mags harnessed the deep pain that came from losing one’s child into dedicating herself to serving others. You will hear more about her story and current efforts and how they are
connected to western Massachusetts and Elms College, later. Her story indeed epitomizes
solidarity and the sense of what’s possible against the odds. We are honored to have her with us this afternoon.
As you listen to Mags Riordan, as you continue to reflect on the common read and the theme of solidarity, I hope that all of this helps you with your journey here at Elms College. Whether you are a senior who is thinking about both the excitement of graduating and the fear of what comes next, or whether you still have a while to go, I invite you to be motivated by these themes into looking at your challenges, whatever they may be, with optimism.
This is your time to dream without limits and pursue your dream as far as your talent and hard work will take you. Stay persistent and stay humble.
In a couple of weeks, we will hold a book signing for Along the Way, a book edited by Fr. Mark Stelzer and to which Professor Michael McGravey contributed. It is about the life, legacy, and lessons of Fr. Hugh Crean, a former professor at Elms College and pastor to many in the Diocese of Springfield. The book reproduces some of Fr. Hugh’s addresses and publications. I could not find more fitting words to close my remarks tonight than his remarks to students from another generation at a National Induction Ceremony. He said to them: … I ask you to become dreamers. In a world of knowledgeable cynics, skilled technicians, and practical idealists, I certainly encourage you to be knowledgeable and competent. Yes, you need the skills required to earn a just and living wage. However, as you learn those skills, hold on to the dreams and visions of your youth. Allow your youth-filled dreams and visions to shape your tomorrow and today.
With these words from Fr. Hugh Crean, I wish you all an opportunity-filled and dream-filled academic year 2022-2023.