The Jesuits have approved the merger of Boston College with Weston School of Theology. The plan is to move Weston to the former chancery grounds in the St. William’s Hall that was part of St. John’s Seminary.
Rev. Robert E. Manning, S.J., president of Weston, emphasized the significance of this merger.
“If we move, they [Boston College] would become the center for the study of Roman Catholic theology in the United States,” Manning told the Boston Globe.
God help us. Separately, the BC theology department and Weston were disasters for Catholic thought. Together, who can imagine what baloney they’ll come up with. BC’s president Fr. William Leahy claims as his goal for BC to become “the nation’s Catholic intellectual powerhouse.” Yeah, right.
As a BC student, let me just say I have mixed feelings about this. The Jesuit scholastics who study at Weston are, from my limited experience with them, Catholic. One of them expressed horror at when told of what goes on at BC. Anything to bring these orthodox men closer to campus is a good thing in my mind. Also, there are a few (very few) good theology profs at BC, and Catholic students who ask around know who they are. I’m sure a few solid ones are at Weston, too. This just expands the number available.
My perception of both places, as an x-Boston resident, is more to the unfavorable side.
But on the plus, BC has Peter Kreeft and the Dominican Romano Cessario.
On the minus, the head of moral theology at Weston, Fr. (I forget his name) testified before the State House in MA that Catholic teaching does not oppose same-sex marriage.
Plus, lot’s of the presenters at their flagship VotF meeting, the one’s who misrepresented Catholic teaching and penned prayers to God the Mother, all sported masters degrees from Weston.
Perhaps it means there’s no market for the Weston flavor of theology, and they have to grab a lifeline from their heterodox buddies at BC before they go down the tubes?? Is Weston bursting for need of space, or are they dying?
Fr. Cessario is at St. John’s. I don’t know if he teaches anything at BC.
Oh.
Did he teach at BC years ago? I read a book of his, spiritual meditations on the rosary mysteries, Perpetual Angelus. Very nice stuff.
He also worked on a book w/ a group of Dominicans. It was a really brief into to the Catechism. A primer, if you will. Also quite good. Something that might work as an appetizer to actually picking up the Catechism and reading it in depth. I almost used it for an RCIA class. A Love That Never Ends. Check that one out, if y’all are not familiar out there in ‘blog land.
I know he gave talks at BC. I think he taught here, although I am not sure. He is an amazing priest.
FYI: His name is Romanus, not Romano.
If we’re lucky the word “powerhouse” used by Father Leahy should read “powderhouse” and the two combined will explode into the oblivion which should be reserved for all fraudulent enterprises.
This is good news: it’s much better than having Weston continue its cohabitation with the ultra-liberal Episcopal Divinity School in Cambridge.
And adding Weston, a faculty that grants pontifical degrees, to B.C. will mean that at least one part of B.C. will be under direct Vatican supervision. It can’t hurt!
Is there a possible downside, though: could Weston become a bad influence on St. John’s?
No. The rector at St. John’s and the entire faculty would never allow their students to be influenced by heretical ideas. Even the archbisop (cardinal-elect) had put his foot down with Leahy in regards to a joint effort at the seminary. Their goal is to make St. John’s the best seminary in the area, and they are serious about it.
What exactly would make them better than DC?
Dominican House of Studies, Catholic University of America, Washington Theological Union, John Paul II Institute, Institute for the Psychological Sciences, Notre Dame Graduate School of Christendom College (in Alexandria VA)
Plus, the Institute for Carmelite Studies, various religious order theologates, Georgetown, the Library of Congress, the Folger Library, Trinity College, the Washington Theological Consortium, and Michael Novak and others of his ilk scattered throughout the think-tank world.
Weston alum here.
1) Jim Keenan, the priest who testified that gay marriage was ok by Catholic teaching, has not taught at Weston for some years, having joined the BC faculty.
2) There are a lot of orthodox priests, seminarians and lay-people at Weston. There is also a lot of heterodoxy. So, room for improvement, but not a lost cause.
3) The reason for the merger…basically, after BC acquired the old bishop’s residence, they came to Weston and said, “we’re going to have a theology grad school. You can either be it, or we, with our greater resources, are going to put you out of business. Which shall it be?”
“Jim Keenan, the priest who testified that gay marriage was ok by Catholic teaching, has not taught at Weston for some years, having joined the BC faculty.”
But they’re merging, so which ever side he’s coming from is moot.
And Peter Kreeft is in the Philosophy Dept. not the Theology Department at B.C.
Rome (Cong. of Ed.) still needs to approve the merge, right?