As a freshman I regularly read The Observer but never really thought about writing for it until the Editor-in-Chief, Michael Reer, a student I knew from Saint Thomas More Society and other groups, suggested I consider it.  I took him up on his offer, and began writing for The Observer, and (at the editors’ request) working on building a new website, the fall of my sophomore year.

Like many writers at campus newspapers, I began writing by covering events and speakers on campus.  Armed with a notebook and voice recorder, I took copious notes at lectures and mustered up the courage to cold-call faculty members, administrators, and students for quotations in each article.

As I became more serious as a journalist with The Observer I began to realize that there are certain people with whom you should speak at Boston College if you want to know the university’s position on a particular issue.  The most important of these is Jack Dunn, Director of the Boston College Office of News and Public Affairs.

I want to thank Jack Dunn for offering his valuable time to sit down with me and discuss the important issues facing the university.  He was never unwilling to talk about a particularly sensitive or controversial issue, and he was always available to offer a comment on a story.  I appreciated his candidness and honesty, and his true love for the Boston College community.

As a senior, I had the opportunity this year to write more controversial stories.  These included “BC Club Teaches Sex Ed in Boston Schools,” “Res Hall Features ‘Support Love’ Poster,” and “National Group Launches Protest Against BC Law.”  I know some students have disagreed with the perspectives offered in these stories, but please know that they have always been written with a great love for Boston College, its students, and its Jesuit Catholic mission.

Of course, in addition to writing for The Observer, I have greatly enjoyed my time as Online Editor building and managing our website.  The writers, editors, and section heads have really stepped up and joined in the effort to make our website the best news website on Boston College’s campus.  There is much more to do, and I am confident that Ethan Mack, who will be succeeding me in this position next year, will be able to continue to build up this invaluable part of our publication.

I am forever grateful to so many men and women who made my time at Boston College, and at The Observer, so amazing.  I want to thank Michael Reer, one of the best Editors The Observer has ever had and one of my best friends, for challenging me as a freshman to become involved with the paper and for providing inspiration and support during my time here.  Thank you also to Jesse Naiman, Megan Rauch, and Allie Gallagher, the Editors-in-Chief who I served under over the last three years.  And best of luck to Morgan Chalfant as she takes over this exciting position for the coming year.

Finally, I want to thank all of those people who I couldn’t fit in this article who have been inspirations to me while at The Observer.  Editors, writers, administrators, students, alumni, friends, and family: your continued support and readership is greatly appreciated.

To our friends and donors: your continued support is what makes The Observer possible on campus.  I know my “Senior Gift” will be going to The Observer this year and for many years to come, and I hope our readers, both in the BC community and beyond, will remember the important role we continue to hold here at Boston College.

The Observer is in a unique position to hold Boston College’s administration, faculty, and students accountable to transparency, honesty, and the Jesuit Catholic tradition.

In 1984 it was The Observer that challenged the faculty for self-identifying as more pro-abortion than pro-life.  In 1989 it was The Observer that exposed abortion referrals at BC’s Health Services.  In 2009 The Observer highlighted professors’ anger when the university dared to place crucifixes in the classroom.  In spring 2010, UGBC and the ALC and GLC released line-item budgets only after pressure from The Observer.  In the fall of 2010 when BC Law defended a link to an abortion clinic on its website, it was the article in The Observer that prompted them to remove that page.

To love Boston College means to take it seriously and hold it accountable to its values.  I hope that The Observer continues to be a catalyst for positive change at Boston College as the university strives to be the best Catholic institution possible.

To conclude, and to offer some advice to current and future writers, I wish to quote one of the early mottos of this paper:

Neminem Recte Faciendo Timeas.

Sincerely,
Andrew Rota
Boston College A&S 2012

Carroll School Of Managment Sophomore Michael Gannon was found dead in his dorm on Saturday afternoon.

Boston College Public Affairs Director Jack Dunn said “The medical examiner has not found the cause of death.”  However, police do not suspect foul play.

Dunn said police have not reported anything about the condition of Gannon’s Walsh Hall dorm room, where he was found.  Dunn did rule out drinking as a factor.

Vice President of Student Affairs Patrick Rombalski asked the campus in an email to pray for Michael’s sister Michelle Gannon, a senior in the Carroll School, Michael’s many friends on campus, and Michael’s family in his hometown of Lake Forest, Illinois.

Gannon’s death comes in the wake of the mourning for Boston College student Franco Garcia, who disappeared in February and whose funeral was April 18th.

Rombalski encouraged the community to again band together in mutual support, and encouraged students to seek campus counseling and ministerial aid at 617-552-3144, available 24 hours.

Congrats to Chris Kreider on his first NHL goal.

Good news: Shinskie is here for only one more year.

This is our last issue, so put all your torches and pitchforks away until next year.

Pete Souza / White House Flickr

The Buffet rule arose after billionaire financier, Warren Buffett, complained that rich people like him do not pay enough taxes. The liberal media then created the lie that millionaires and billionaires pay less taxes than the middle class, something which is impossible given our progressive income tax. A progressive income tax compels the rich to pay higher rates than everybody else. While Buffett sends hundreds of thousands of dollars in tax revenue to the government, his secretary sends a couple of ten thousands.

What the Buffett rule is a cover for is an increase in the investment tax. When Warren Buffett says his overall tax rate is 17% and his secretary’s rate is 30%, he does not mean he pays a 17% income tax. He means that most of his income comes from investments like stocks and bonds which are taxed at a flat 15%.

If Occupy Wall Street protestors are so jealous of this, they can buy stocks and bonds of their own and pay a 15% tax on them. There isn’t anything stopping them or anybody else from paying the 15% investment tax.

The reason investments are taxed at a flat rate of 15% is to encourage investment. Investment is risky, and although the President compares investors to casino gamblers, it actually requires tremendous prudence and caution. It is not as easy to make money as people think. An investor has to determine not only which stocks to buy, but when to buy them, and when to sell them. Determining the answers to these questions requires research and thinking. And even with that, the investor still does not know what will happen to his money. If investors are to engage in this risky enterprise, there needs to be something for them to be gained, and that is money.

Another reason why the capital gains tax is a flat 15% is because investment is good for a country’s economy. When someone buys stocks and bonds, they provide firms with money which can be used to build factories, hire new workers and expand. That is good for an economy because it produces growth.

That is the basic economics of the issue. The politics of it is that President Obama is resorting to class-warfare because he doesn’t have anything else to say. He, as a former constitutional professor, cannot run on an incredibly unpopular and possibly unconstitutional health care bill, a stimulus that nobody liked, and a financial sector reorganization bill (Dodd-Frank) which nobody understands. He has nothing.

So, he’s going to run for re-election by blaming rich people for our problems. And along the way he and his angry Democratic allies will also find time to blame churches and stay-at-home moms. So expect complete nonsense for the remaining year from an angry liberal President with baloney ideas.

The following are a few thoughts intended for anyone that plans to pursue a business profession:

• Get to know administration and faculty. These are your most valuable resources, and a unique asset to any college student. If you play your cards right, some of your professors and deans can serve as long-standing mentors and resources throughout your post-BC professional life. Establish solid relationships, and maintain them. • Go to office hours, department events, Dean’s Coffee, etc. This is the best opportunity, and easiest way, to accomplish #1.

• Pursue your own interests outside of class. Everyone knows how important it is to be involved in extracurricular activities. These are great resume builders, and are valued by employers and grad schools alike. Still, not everyone can be the UGBC President or head of the Finance Academy. Rather than pursuing outside activities solely for their “value” to your resume, join clubs that genuinely interest you. Focus on these activities. You will be more motivated to dedicate time to the group, and the impact you have may surprise you. It is in making your own path that you will find the greatest success – and that is what employers are really looking for.

• Apply for leadership programs and internships early. Often, summer programs feed directly into employment post-graduation – sometimes without even another round of interviews.

In other cases, your summer internship may land you some excellent connections or valuable references to use during the senior year job hunt. Make your summers meaningful; it will certainly pay off in the end, and give you an advantage over those scrambling to put together plans during their last months at BC.

• Work hard…but don’t let your four years go by too fast!

After Fr. Schaeffer’s mismanagement of the McGuire affair and before his time at BC, he was president of the national Jesuit Conference in the United States. This promotion calls into question the leadership of the Society of Jesus on an international level. If Fr. Schaeffer’s superiors in Rome were aware of what had happened during his tenure in Chicago, it is shameful that they would have promoted him.

While it was right for Fr. Schaeffer to resign, it would be nice to see a day when clerics, who are involved even tangentially in abuse or its mishandling, either voluntarily step aside or are removed from prominent roles by their superiors immediately, and not only when the media reveals the facts and public outcry escalates.

Ten years after the revelations of rampant child sexual abuse by Catholic clergy came to light, it is very sad to see that full transparency is still not yet a reality.

Pope Blessed John Paul II issued Ordinatio Sacerdotalis in 1994 to address this very issue.  The Holy Father notes that Jesus Himself established the holy priesthood when he appointed the twelve Apostles.  Christ did not appoint men to the priesthood because of cultural norms or societal pressure to exclude women.  The roles of women in the Gospel, and in the early Church, demonstrate that this cannot be the case.  Consider, for example, the Blessed Virgin Mary, the saint whom Catholics venerate above all the saints as the Mother of the Church.

Ever since Christ appointed these first priests, the Church has followed His example by ordaining only men to the ministerial priesthood.  However, in light of 2,000 years of tradition, some theologians began to speculate after the Second Vatican Council that perhaps that might change.

The question, of course, always goes back to that word, “infallibility.”

The Catholic Encyclopedia defines infallibility as “exemption or immunity from liability to error or failure; in particular in theological usage.”  It is not impeccability (exemption from sin), or even some kind of omniscience.

According to the Decrees of the Ecumenical Councils by Norman Tanner, S.J., papal infallibility was defined at the First Vatican Council and means that the Holy Father, when he speaks ex cathedra “1) in the exercise of his office as shepherd and teacher of all Christians, 2) in virtue of his supreme apostolic authority, 3) he defines a doctrine concerning faith or morals to be held by the whole church,” he possesses infallibility.

So the question is, does Ordinatio Sacerdotalis contain an infallible declaration?  It seems clear that it does.

In Ordinatio Sacerdotalis, John Paul II states, “Wherefore, in order that all doubt may be removed regarding a matter of great importance, a matter which pertains to the Church’s divine constitution itself, in virtue of my ministry of confirming the brethren (cf. Lk 22:32) I declare that the Church has no authority whatsoever to confer priestly ordination on women and that this judgment is to be definitively held by all the Church’s faithful.”

In this statement, the Pope is speaking in his exercise of his office as shepherd and teacher of Christians, as well as by virtue of his supreme apostolic authority, when he says “in virtue of my ministry of confirming the brethren.”

The Second Vatican Council’s Lumen Gentium says that this is a clear form of citing infallibility when it states, “And this is the infallibility which the Roman Pontiff, the head of the college of bishops, enjoys in virtue of his office, when, as the supreme shepherd and teacher of all the faithful, who confirms his brethren in their faith, by a definitive act he proclaims a doctrine of faith or morals” (LG 25).

He is also defining a doctrine concerning faith to be held by the whole Church, when he states definitively that “I declare that the Church has no authority whatsoever to confer priestly ordination on women and that this judgment is to be definitively held by all the Church’s faithful.”

Brother Ansgar Santogrossi, O.S.B., associate professor of philosophy at Mt. Angel Abbey and Seminary in St. Benedict, Oregon, affirms that Ordinatio Sacerdotalis is an infallible statement.  He concludes his paper on the topic by stating, “Through the context provided by Pastor aeternus of Vatican I, the Report of the Deputation on Faith for Pastor aeternus, LG 25, and the practice of the Church attested to by an event during the Council of Trent and by Pius XI, it is manifest that Ordinatio Sacerdotalis contains an ex cathedra definition.”

Now one might wonder why Pope John Paul II didn’t just come out and say this teaching was infallible after theologians expressed uncertainty on the topic.  Well, it turns out he did.

He asked Joseph Cardinal Ratzinger, then Prefect of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, to publish Responsum ad Dubium to clear up any confusion on Ordinatio Sacerdotalis in 1995.

At the request of, and approval by, Pope John Paul II, the CDF declared:

“Dubium: Whether the teaching that the Church has no authority whatsoever to confer priestly ordination on women, which is presented in the Apostolic Letter Ordinatio Sacerdotalis to be held definitively, is to be understood as belonging to the deposit of faith.”

“Responsum: In the affirmative.”

“This teaching requires definitive assent, since, founded on the written Word of God, and from the beginning constantly preserved and applied in the Tradition of the Church, it has been set forth infallibly by the ordinary and universal Magisterium (cf. Second Vatican Council, Dogmatic Constitution on the Church Lumen Gentium 25, 2).”

Any theologian who continues to look for loopholes in this doctrine is fooling himself or herself.  It is crystal clear that this is an infallibly defined doctrine to be held by all of Christ’s faithful.

And it is by the power that is vested in Him, inherent in Him, from the beginning that He reveals God, life, and our destiny.

It is in the resurrection that we finally see that God is in Christ, that Christ is who He says He is.  This act, the raising up of the One once dead, is the final, absolute revelation of who God is and the absolute, concrete revelation of God through the person of His Son, Jesus Christ.

The fact of the empty tomb tells us that Christ has entered His glory, but it is in the appearances prior to His ascension that we find the truth of His resurrection and His divinity.  It is significant that the first witnesses could not recognize Him.

The reason that this occurs is because of the absolute, concrete revelation of God in Christ at this moment being made known.  It is precisely because it is God being revealed that man cannot recognize Him, for He is apart, above, and transcendent of all human knowledge.  This is why I say it is God who is revealed; for if God was able to be recognized by the women outside the tomb, or by Cleopas on the road to Emmaus, it would not be God.  It is precisely the point that Christ had to reveal Himself that makes this point.  Man cannot understand or comprehend the full revelation of God on his own, for that is utterly beyond him.  Christ must reveal it to man, and even then, it will still only leave man wondering at the infinite and incomprehensible.

That is precisely what God is (not even, for He transcends even this!), and since it is through the resurrection of Christ that we find God in Him for the first time, it is precisely the moment that man cannot comprehend Him.  It is precisely for this reason that He appears and disappears, such as at Emmaus, or in the midst of the Eleven, for He lies beyond the boundary of human comprehension, beyond which (and He transcends this description also!) lies knowledge of God, which only God Himself can impart to man.

Christ’s resurrection also serves as a revelation of the new destiny of man.  In rising from the dead, Christ redeemed flesh and spirit, body and soul.  He is the first fruits of the new age, the age when God will dwell forever with man, and man forever with God.  It is by the resurrection that we see the fulfillment of the promise which God has made to man, that man shall be raised from death, saved, and that man will live again.  It is by the resurrection of Christ that we see this first action, and by seeing the resurrected Christ, even now in communion and in the action of the Church, we are given our purpose.

Our purpose lies in hope, and this hope was given to us from the beginning by God; for it was always the will of God that He should dwell with us and us in Him.  Thus it was that He would be with Adam in the Garden.

It was always the will of God to reveal Himself to man, for the Word was always with God, by the Word was everything made, by the Word was God revealed, and in the Word do we find the will of God.  Because it is the will of God, who is infinite Love, to have man, the image of God, dwell with Him and since man cannot save himself, God through Jesus Christ destroyed death on the cross and brought life in the resurrection.  Because it is His will that we live, we are given hope.  Because it is a process, this salvation, it was first borne out by God Himself (else how could it begin, but from God?).  It foreshadows our own destiny; for we shall see death, but its hold is not final, and because of God in Jesus Christ we shall be raised.

In the resurrection, we see for the first time the concrete reality of the future which is already seeing its first fruits in Christ.  Because of this resurrection, the living Christ, the Church which is His body, we are given hope and proclaim the hope which has now been proven by Christ.  We, therefore, need not fear anything; only life awaits us.  Because the victory is already won, we go and proclaim our victory through the Lord Jesus Christ and the life which is ours and the world’s to have.

His story begins in 1499 when he was born son of the governor of Alcantara, Peter Garavito. He was raised in this noble family until he left home at age fourteen to pursue a degree in Philosophy from the University of Salamanca. Once he returned home, he became a Franciscan friar of the Stricter Observance and was soon sent to form a new community for the Strict Observance.

Two years later he was ordained a priest and began to preach with what others called the ‘greatest human sympathy’. He followed a path, and it is evident he chose wisely.

After this, things become a little rockier for Peter. Due to his success he had been appointed minister of St.Gabriel’s province, but soon after came to find it very difficult to lead with his own beliefs and ideas seemingly too severe to be shared and preached openly.

At this point he, along with John of Avila, retreated into the mountains of Portugal to live in solitude. This solo mission did not work out as he planned because men began flocking to him, and so he formed communities in the mountainside and was able to share his ‘severe’ ideas, his more raw and true ideas about life.

Another two years passed, and once he had been fully cultivated in the mountains – yes cultivated, like a living tree – he journeyed barefoot to Rome and asked Pope Julius III for permission to start his own convents in Spain. He was granted this right and then was finally able to build up communities precisely as he had earlier dreamt of.

There were three main communities in Spain, which eventually flourished and spread across the world to the Americas in the following centuries. Peter was a patient man and a reflective one, he relied not on the material things of this world but lived in poverty, using this poverty as a means to following Christ and growing in purity of heart. This is shown in a letter he wrote to St.Teresa of Avila, saying “I do not praise poverty for poverty’s sake; I praise only that poverty which we patiently endure for the love of our crucified Redeemer…for if I thought or believed otherwise, I would not seem to be firmly grounded in faith.”

If it was not for his retreat and reflection upon his path of life, Saint Peter of Alcantara may not have been remembered or written about here today. So I would encourage each or any of you reading this to reflect upon your own path and poverty when times are tough, and maybe, just maybe, you can work towards some better way.

St.Peter of Alcantara, Patron of Brazil, is celebrated on October 19th in certain local areas and particular liturgical calendars.

Andy Rota/The Observer

Terence McKiernan of Bishop Accountability protests near Linden Lane

When reports of McGuire’s sexual abuse of minors came to Fr. Schaeffer’s attention in 1993, no significant action was taken to remove McGuire, a renowned retreat leader and close friend of Blessed Mother Teresa of Calcutta, from his ministry.  Fr. Schaeffer, who was the Jesuit Provincial in Chicago at the time, never contacted the police regarding the allegations; instead, he sent McGuire for rehabilitative treatment which reportedly ended early and in failure due to McGuire’s lack of cooperation with therapists.

Reports of McGuire’s abuse extended as far back as the late 1960s, yet Fr. Schaeffer, like his predecessors, allowed McGuire to continue traveling with young boys while offering retreats.  It is believed that he abused children until as late as 2003, and it was not until 2007 that McGuire was expelled from the Jesuits, laicized by the Vatican, and sentenced to 25 years in prison on molestation charges.  Today, McGuire still claims that he is innocent.

When news broke last week regarding Fr. Schaeffer’s involvement in the McGuire case, various groups on campus called for his resignation.  On behalf of the faculty, Professor Susan Michalczyk of the Arts & Sciences Honors Program and president of the Boston College chapter of the American Association of University Professors asked Fr. Leahy for Fr. Schaeffer’s resignation from the board during a regularly scheduled faculty meeting last Wednesday.  Fr. Leahy seemed unwilling to take any definitive action regarding the matter.

“His response, I think, stunned the faculty in the audience,” said Michalczyk.

University spokesman Jack Dunn explained Fr. Leahy’s hesitancy, saying that proper protocol regarding membership on the Board of Trustees is governed by the board’s bylaws and cannot be imposed upon by the President.

The next morning, Fr. Schaeffer did submit his resignation.

“As all in our community know, Boston College is a wonderful, caring institution of higher education,’’ wrote Fr. Schaeffer. “I do not want to harm it or be a distraction. Therefore, I am ending my service as a trustee today.’’

David Clohessy, director of the Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests, said in a comment to The Boston Globe, “This is a step forward, but real progress will be when Catholic officials, not public pressure, force those who ignore and conceal child sex crimes to step aside.’’

Before the resignation was widely known, a small protest and media briefing had been planned by a group of advocates for victims of clergy sex abuse.  The protest was staged near the main gate on Linden Lane, and the organizers discovered upon their arrival that Fr. Schaeffer had already resigned earlier that day.  The group had been prepared to deliver a letter to Fr. Leahy demanding Fr. Schaeffer’s resignation.

At the briefing, Terence McKiernan, founder of Bishop Accountability, an organization that monitors sexual abuse by clerics, said, “We’re certainly happy to hear BC has been tendered the resignation for Brad Schaeffer.”  McKiernan went on to say, “The Jesuits have certainly known about his past and it’s astonishing to us that he was ever admitted to the board.”

After the briefing, Professor Michalczyk expressed her pride in the Boston College community for standing up and speaking out.

Source: UGBC

An unusually early event, the concert began at 5:30pm. Each ticket reminded students that the doors to the concert in Conte opened at 4:30pm and promptly closed at 6:00pm. As such, many students had to rush from afternoon Friday classes in order to get a good seat for the performance.

The concert began seamlessly and without delays. First, Third Eye Blind took to the stage, performing many of their catchy hits. Their songs included “Semi Charmed Life,” “Never Let You Go,” and “How’s It Gonna Be,” among other recognizable 90’s hits.

Singing along happily to each song, the students in the crowd were obviously excited to be reminded of their younger days by the music of Third Eye Blind. The crowd was truly impressive; it seemed to boast many more students than last year’s spring concert, which featured rappers J Cole and Wale.

A brief intermission found tons of students chatting, laughing, and purchasing food at the snack stands in their anticipation of well-known rapper Nelly. Finally, when Nelly took the stage, the crowd erupted in applause, obviously thrilled to hear Nelly perform.

As he rapped “Country Grammar,” “Hot in Herre,” “Ride Wit Me,” “Air Force Ones,” “Over and Over,” and “Shake Ya Tailfeather,” the students in the crowd sang and danced along. The upbeat rap songs provided a great contrast to the more mellow rock songs performed by Third Eye Blind.

Nelly even took a break between songs to thank Boston College for hosting him. He gave a shout-out to the student athletes with whom he lifted weights in Conte Forum earlier on that day.

As there were no technical difficulties that interrupted the two acts to leave students cranky and bored, the concert was much more successful than those of previous years. For example, technical problems greatly hindered the performances of LMFAO and Kid Cudi at the fall concert of 2010.

More importantly, the earlier start time of this spring concert yielded a significantly smaller number of hospitalizations due to alcohol poisoning. On past occasions, concerts with later start times found many more students taken to the hospital via ambulance.

With two great musical guests and no disruptions, the spring concert that featured Third Eye Blind and Nelly was certainly a great way for students to spend their Friday afternoon. As junior Thea Bass noted, “The concert brought me back to seventh grade; it was the best!” Undoubtedly, countless members of the crowd shared similar sentiments.

Tanenhaus first admitted that the world of print review has shrunk dramatically, but this does not mean the number of voices has. In the midst of many publishing revolutions, such as Barnes and Noble’s failed attempt at publishing or the success of audio and electronic books, the sales of printed books are still very high. Tanenhaus explained this by noting, “This change in publishing still does not stop anyone from writing or thinking.”

The presentation of books is experiencing the shift, as Amazon sells more books now than all bookstores combined. Additionally, Amazon reviews are very influential and now compete with top book review companies such as the New York Times Book Review.

Next, Tanenhaus expressed his disappointment that the world of writing has changed so much; it has made it very difficult to make a living off of writing and journalism these days. He shared that years ago, people made good money writing for “The Times,” and now this is not as common.

In giving advice to established writers, Tanenhaus suggested, “Don’t bring your professional expertise to your writing. Instead bring a sort of ignorance to the table.” He explained that this would allow both the writer and the reader to experience something new and undiscovered in the work.

However, he advised just the opposite to young writers, maintaining that they “need to learn about something and must become well-versed in one particular subject.” This would allow them to learn through writing about new things later in life and to altogether improve their writing in the process.

In response to a question from a BC professor of undergraduate writers, Tanenhaus suggested three important points to stress when teaching non-fiction writers. The first is context; the reader should know early on why he or she is reading and what he or she is reading about. The second is clarity; Tanenhaus revealed, “Writers can’t be ambiguous in non-fiction.” The third is transition; writers must learn how to transition “from idea to idea, from paragraph to paragraph, from sentence to sentence, and even from word to word within a sentence,” he maintained.

Next, Tanenhaus told the audience that journalism is about conveying information. He admitted, “People don’t read reviews because they intend to read the book; they read them because they don’t intend to.”

Another change that Tanenhaus pointed out in the world of writing is the increase in the popularity of non-fiction writing. He explained that it is more and more difficult to write about fiction these days because “it is much harder to connect and truly feel something with a plot and characters that you’ve completely imagined.”

Tanenhaus next went in to detail about how the New York Times Book Review operates, what its intentions are, and how it goes about choosing which books to review and who reviews them. He explained how editing book reviews is a precarious and oftentimes tedious task.

Finally, Tanenhaus admitted that writing, publishing, and book reviews, even bad reviews, “are all part of a performance that takes place.”

For many, a book is simply words on synthetically produced pages. The art of the hand-bound book has become lost, as the production of the written word has become more mechanized. In fact, with the Ipad, the “Kindle”, and the “Nook,” the livelihood of books in their physical state is constantly threatened by modern technology.

Despite all of this, a recent collaborative exhibition from Boston College’s Burn’s Library and Dr. Thomas Dillon Redshaw of the Center of Irish Studies at the University of St. Thomas in St. Paul, Minnesota, has served to remind many individuals of the beauty and value of the hand-bound book.

The “Traffic Street Press Irish Poetry Series,” currently on display on the third floor of the O’Neill Library, features poems by well-known Irish poets that have been hand-bound and produced on organically made paper. Paulette Myers-Rich, a teacher of Art and Design at Minneapolis College and a renowned book artist, has constructed each of the books of poetry in the collection.

Myers-Rich, with the help of other Minnesota book artists, used a combination of hand-produced paper’s printings and bindings to foster an eloquent and rustic beauty within the collection. The books have an unusual quality and foreign texture to them that, as Myers-Rich would say, looks to “satisfy the hands, the eyes, and the mind.”

Every book is bounded tediously by hand, and the papers are made through long processes of combining unusual materials.

Take the Cave Paper, for example; this style is made from flax found only in Belgium.

Bridget O’Malley, the co-owner and creator of Cave Paper, suggests that, “unusual [paper] surfaces beg to be combined with under-printing, overprinting, and incorporated into finished artwork.”

Putting this much work into the production of books may to some seem silly and unnecessary with all of our modern advances.

However, such collections as these seek to indulge us in the beauty and art found in a more archaic style of bookkeeping.

Myers-Rich asked the various poets to contribute their thoughts on how the books should be presented, in a hope that the physical appearances of the books will somehow lend themselves towards the understanding of the meaning of the content presented on the art-like pages.

Reminding students of a simpler time of bookkeeping, the “Traffic Street Press” exhibit shows us that there is a sense of accomplishment and beauty in what we as humans can create without the help of modern technology and tools. Those interested can observe this wondrous collection, on display until March 30th on the third floor of O’Neill Library.

You may be tempted to wonder why such an obviously massively important work should be stapled to the back of the behemoth of ancient sayings and scriptures that is the Old Testament, rather than be allowed to stand on its own.  Especially in our eco-conscious age, you would think the seemingly unneeded first two-thirds of every Bible would be better off recycled.  Why bother with what a bunch of people in chapter one said about God when in chapter two God comes and speaks for himself?

The answer lies in the nature of God’s revelation to man.  Christ is the fulfillment of all divine revelation, for, as St. John of the Cross put it, “in giving us his Son, his only Word… he spoke everything to us at once in this sole Word – and he has no more to say…because what he spoke before to the prophets in parts, he has now spoken all at once by giving us the All Who is His Son.”  This much is clear, and even someone only cursorily acquainted with Christianity understands that the life of Christ is the thesis statement of the religion.  What the Old Testament does, however, is provide the background and the historical context, an invaluable addition.

God’s plan is one of love and light, and while Jesus was the most emphatic and complete expression of that, the Old Testament gives the story of God slowly allowing man to become acquainted with Himself through the great prophets and deeds it contains accounts of.  St. Irenaeus of Lyons used the phrase “becoming accustomed” when he discussed the nature of God’s first revelations to Man.  The light of divine glory is bright, and eyes need time to adjust.

In these early stages of history, the appearance of Jesus might have gone much differently (although it would be hard to imagine his being received any worse than he eventually was).  In contrast to the primitive religious climate of the time, the concept of a single, personal, and just God was earth-shattering enough of a revelation to take at least a few centuries to digest.  Imagine if Jesus had had to explain that as well on his arrival.

The process of exposing the chosen people to fleeting glimpses of divine nature was one that teaches us about God’s love and his relation to the world, and we can learn a great deal from it as such.  In the same way that you can distinguish how important a dignitary is by observing the lengths gone to and the pains taken to prepare for his arrival, the Old Testament reveals the majesty of Christ precisely by detailing the long and arduous (for what words better describe the story of the Jewish people?) process of God’s making way for his Son.

Having made the more important point, a less important one can now be made.  That is that the Old Testament provides a compendium of some of the most majestic tales, useful allegories, and staggering poetry and literature ever assembled.  Even Friedrich Nietzsche, Christianity’s most vitriolic opponent, was brought to a certain pause, saying that in the Old Testament “we find men, things, and words in a style so grandiose that the Latin and Greek literatures have nothing to lay upon it.”  Countless great lessons have been illustrated and analogies completed by making reference to the narratives found in the books from Genesis to Maccabees.  So to put the answer in brief: the Old Testament is kept around because (1) it helps to glorify God, and (2) it’s simply good reading.

Andy Rota/The Observer

On April 19th, Vice President for Student Affairs Patrick Rombalski
sent an email to the Boston College community informing students and administrators of the investigation of these incidents. Rombalski assured students that the individual was immediately provided with help from multiple individuals on campus. He wrote, “BC Police met with the individual and investigated the complaint. Other administrators also met with the student over the weekend to offer support, and the incident was reported to the Office of Institutional Diversity according to the guidelines of the University Hate Crimes Protocol.”

However, Rombalski stated that there exist inconsistencies in the student’s report of the attacks that do not match up with the findings of the Boston College Police. According to his email, “BCPD has concluded that no threat was ever present to the BC community or to the individual.”

Nevertheless, the case does remain open, and Rombalski encouraged any students or individuals with information about the alleged assaults to come forward to the Boston College Police Department or the Office of Student Affairs.

Moreover, he assured the BC community that the student is being provided with adequate attention. The email read, “Members of our staff are continuing to provide assistance and support to the student as needed.”

The turmoil surrounding these incidents has been heightened by the conversations about the case on the internet and social media sites. Specifically, several students posted information about the alleged assaults on Facebook even before Rombalski sent the email explaining the investigation surrounding the case.

His email also included information about a separate racially charged incident that was reported to the BCPD. Rombalski wrote, “a BC student also reported this week that a driver yelled a racial epithet at her while she was walking near Campanella Way.” He continued, “BCPD is investigating this incident and welcome any information you have at 617-552-4440.”

In general, Rombalski’s email reminded the Boston College community that “The University treats allegations of this nature with the utmost seriousness, and is committed to addressing them to the fullest.” By banding together to combat any sort of intolerance, all members of the Boston College community must work towards eliminating all violence and hate.

Again, students with information regarding either of the two separate cases are encouraged to contact the Boston College Police Department or the Office of Student Affairs.

On Tuesday the community gathered for a wake and vigil at St. Mary’s in Waltham. Choirs sang, friends and family shared stories, and priests shared prayers. People came to pay their respects until 1:30 the following morning. Wednesday morning a Mass of Christian Burial was celebrated at St. Ignatius Church at BC. I could not have asked for anything to be more beautiful or perfect.

Franco was one the sweetest people I’ve ever known. He could always make me laugh when I was sad and gave the absolute best hugs. Even when he moved off campus to live at home, he still did his best to spend time with us despite his busy work schedule. He was working as a pharmacy tech at CVS in Waltham and studying chemistry. He’s always talked about wanting to go to med school and becoming a doctor.

The day I flew back up for this semester, he picked me up at the airport so I didn’t have to take the T with my suitcase in the freezing cold. We spent that whole day together, playing in the pep band for Frozen Fenway and then watching the Patriots’ game that night. I never heard anyone say anything bad about him; everyone who met him loved him instantly. I think the amount of people at the wake on Tuesday and the funeral Mass on Wednesday is a real testament to the amount of people he touched in his short life.

During these past couple months we became close with his family. The Garcia’s are Peruvian, and are a really close and loving family. Mrs. Garcia told us the other day that even though she lost her dear eldest son, she gained all his close BC friends as new children.

Having Franco as a friend during my years at BC was truly a blessing. He taught me to always look for the bright side of situations. As hard as it was to find a bright side in his death, I’ve learned to take each day as a miracle and to cherish each and every friendship that I have. Thank you, Franco, for sharing yourself with us. I miss you everyday, and I’ll love you forever.

Donations to help the family afford the cost of his funeral and burial can be made via the WePay https://www.wepay.com/donations/findfranco.

The Garcia family and Franco’s friends here at BC are enormously grateful for all the prayers, support, concern, and kind words from everyone over the past two months.

The 5-foot-9, 175 pound native of Madisonville, Louisiana is showing his teammates and competition around the ACC that he has adjusted to the college level. For an Eagles team that sits with a conference record of 6-15 (15-25 overall) as of April 22, the season has had its ups and downs. Seeing Butera step in and make a difference during his first year with the team is refreshing.

“I think [the coaches] have a lot of trust in me and feel like I can get the job done,” Butera said. “Second base wasn’t an established position at the beginning of the year, and I guess they were just happy with what they saw in me.”

The ACC, because of its mostly-southern school nature, is a talented baseball conference. Florida State, North Carolina, Miami, and NC State are currently top-25 teams in the nation, according to the NCBWA poll. For BC, Butera cracked the starting nine almost immediately this season at second base, the only freshman in a class of ten to do so.

A rookie adjustment period was evident as Butera had to become used to collegiate-level pitching as he hit ninth in the order. In his first 15 games, he hit only .260. Then on March 17, he was moved up to second in the batting order. Since then, it has become obvious that Butera is more comfortable at the plate, hitting .316 with 11 runs, four doubles, one home run, 12 RBI, and 10 walks entering last weekend’s series against NC State. This helped vault his season average to .289.

Butera notes that moving up in the lineup jumpstarted his game. “Earlier in the year I was getting used to hitting in the ACC, to transition from high school to college,” he said. “As I got moved to the second spot in the lineup it just helped get things going. I really got used to the college game and it helped my confidence out.”

Becoming comfortable is the least of what Butera accomplished—in the middle of the season he posted a 13-game hitting streak during which he went 15-for-41 (.366) with three doubles, six runs, and six RBIs, and seven walks. That streak is currently the longest streak in the ACC this season. He was named a CollegeBaseball360 Primetime Performer for March 19-25, during the start of his streak.

During the hot streak, his breakout series may have been during a three-game sequence against Georgia Tech. Butera went 3-for-5 in the opener, hit a game-winning walk-off single in the middle game, and reached base eight times during the series.

The key to hitting for Butera during a hot streak is to keep a patient approach at the plate that is no different than any other time.

“It was the same as it’s been the all year,” he said. “I just needed to go up there and look for a good pitch to hit, and get good swings on the ball. During those 13 games, I was finding the open spot in the field.”

If the hitting streak isn’t convincing enough of the difference he has made in the lineup, Butera leads the team in two-out hitting with 11 RBIs in those situations, and is among the team leaders with three game-winning RBIs.

The Eagles as a team have particularly struggled on the road; losing streaks away from Shea Field have reached five and 10 games at different points this season. Said Butera, “We’ve had some fairly tough opponents on the road this year. The first two series against Miami and Clemson [in particular], we really didn’t play too badly. We just weren’t able to pull out any wins and it’s basically been having tough luck on the road this year.”

On that note, Butera feels that BC knows it can keep play with the best teams. The Eagles recently pulled out a huge 17-6 victory over then top-ranked Florida State. According to Butera, that kind of a win reassures the team that they can have an edge over just about anyone on a good day.

As for why Blake Butera finds himself at home at BC, look no further than several years back. He is following in the footsteps of his brother Barry, who wore the maroon and gold for BC from 2007-09 as an outfielder and was drafted by the Houston Astros. As seen in other sports, the BC legacy can run in the family. This personal familiarity with the program coupled with new coach Mike Gambino’s recruiting landed Blake on the Heights.

Though Coach Gambino can have mixed feelings about results of many scorecards for his team this season, he must feel pleased about likely filling part of the middle infield for seasons to come with Butera.

For the freshman, this season has seen his obvious adjustment to collegiate ball and he knows that his impact will stretch beyond this trialing year.

“I’m definitely looking ahead, but we want to finish this year out strong and hopefully make the ACC tournament and possibly postseason play,” Butera said. “I’m soaking it all up right now and trying to take whatever I can from this year, and help the team moving forward, becoming better every year.”

The fourth-seeded Cavaliers would go on to beat the fifth-seeded Eagles 13-8, bouncing BC from the ACC Tournament in the first round.

BC put itself into an early hole, spotting Virginia a 4-0 lead because of costly fouls and untimely turnovers. After Brooke Blue scored BC’s first goal of the game from in front of the net, the Cavilers would score four more goals to put themselves up 8-1.

For many teams, a seven goal lead would seem insurmountable, but BC has played some of its best games against highly-ranked foes. They almost beat then No. 6 Duke, losing by one goal, on April 7 and fell one goal short of upsetting then No. 3 North Carolina on March 24.

In the final minutes of the half, Rix would score two goals to cut Virginia’s lead to 8-3 and put BC on the comeback trail. Even though the Eagles gave up a goal with only 30 seconds left in the half, they would come out strong to start the second half and would score three unanswered goals to cut the deficit to three.

But that’s as close as they would get.

The Cavilers would respond to that offensive burst with a goal of their own and would also outscore BC 2-1 in the final minutes of the game to secure a trip to the semifinals with a 13-8 win. Virginia would go on to lose to top-seeded UNC the next day 14-6.

Virginia’s goalie Kim Kolarik played a huge game in net and even tied a first-round ACC Tournament record with 11 saves in the game. On offense, Julie Gardner paced the Cavilers, scoring on all six of her shots.

For BC, Igoe, Rix and Stanwick each scored two goals in the loss. Stanwick also tallied two assists to finish with a team-high four points.

Igoe’s two goals moved her closer to becoming BC’s all-time career-goals leader. The graduate student captain will have two regular season games, against Yale and New Hampshire, to score the two goals needed to put her on top of this list.

While BC’s NCAA Tournament hopes may have been dashed with this loss since only 16 teams get into the tournament, the season was, in many ways, a success.

Igoe became only the second player in ACC history to be selected to the All-ACC team four times and is wrapping up her career at BC in style, leading the team in goals (44) and points (55).

Rix and Stanwick, both freshmen, have emerged as star players. Rix is second on the team in goals with 34 and Stanwick is second in points with 51. Both earned All-ACC honors this year and were the only freshmen to make the team.

Blue, a junior, has continued to impress, posting 34 goals on the season, good for third on the team. Senior captains Brittany Wilton and Sam Taylor are putting the finishing touches on their outstanding careers: Wilton lead the team in draw controls with 64 and Taylor sits in fifth place in goals with 23.

The Eagles will be back in action on Saturday when they will take on Yale on Senior Day. Even if it turns out to be their second to last game, the team has accomplished a great deal this season and will look to have a bright future moving forward.

Entrance to the event was included in the Senior Week Ticket Package.  As a senior with a ticket, one was eligible for two free drinks, either wine or beer.  Food was also provided, and students and teachers were treated to veggie and beef burgers and hot dogs.  The event also featured music by two BC students who played well-known songs everyone could sing and dance to.

The food and drink lines did get long, and drink choices became limited very quickly.  But everyone had friends to chat with, and professors were fast to chat with students while they were waiting.

A well-known professor in the Earth Sciences department serenaded the attendees and was happy to comply with cries for an encore from many students.

As the night got colder, the students dwindled.  As the event winded down, many students could be heard talking with amazement about how surprised they were that an event so controversial was actually entertaining for students.  Prior to the event’s Facebook page, many students expressed frustration with the event’s cost, its conflicting start times (Facebook versus printed ticket) and whether or not the ticket was needed to enter the event.  The Senior Week Committee handled these concerns very well, and made themselves very visible at the barbeque, standing underneath a sign indentifying themselves and fielding questions from confused attendees.

Although the event was controversial, it served as a sign that the Senior Week Committee has good things in store for the Class of 2012 as they count the weeks to Graduation!

“Running for the campus school is one of the best experiences you could have at BC,” sophomore and two-time Marathon runner Chris Lustrino said. “Donning the campus school shirt and having all the fans along all 26 miles scream in support of the school just makes the day all the more special.”

Sophomore Matt McGrath, also a two-time runner, echoed Lustrino, adding, “Finishing the marathon was definitely one of the most fulfilling experiences of my life. I made the decision to run just because I felt like it was an opportunity I wouldn’t have had anywhere else and I thought that this was as good of a time as any to go for it.”

While the weather was far from ideal—a Washington Post article pointed out that the heat rising off the pavement was measured at 120 degrees at one point—the runners made the most of their experience. Some said it was even more rewarding to finish in the oppressive heat.

“To be a part of this heat wave run forced you to challenge your mental strength and push past that runners wall that hit many of us very early on in the race,” Lustrino said. “I think as a runner you’re always looking for that ultimate challenge and running this incredible marathon in this heat did exactly that.”

It was also amazing for them to see the fans brave the heat to cheer them on.

“It brought out the best in the cities and fans along the route,” sophomore Lizzy Bayoff said. “It brought out kids holding out oranges, strangers holding out cups of water and bags upon bags of ice, and homeowners running their hoses and sprinklers for hours, not caring about their water bills. People could’ve stayed inside, but there they were all along the way bearing the heat to cheer us on. It was unbelievable.”

Unlike Lustrino and McGrath, Bayoff ran in her first Marathon this year. While she had run cross country for seven years, she hadn’t thought about running any marathon until she saw the runners come down Commonwealth Avenue last year.

“After watching it last year, I told myself I would run this year, and just went out and did it,” Bayoff said. “I know it’s a big deal to be able to do it, but I haven’t really come to terms with how much of an accomplishment it is.”

For junior Marissa DiGirolamo, like many, running the Marathon was the culmination of 14 long weeks of training. But it was also the exclamation point on a move towards a healthier lifestyle where she changed all of her eating and exercising habits.

DiGirolamo only started running in June of 2011, and she did it to stay in shape. In the fall, she found herself falling in love with the sport, but the Marathon never crossed her mind. Then she was convinced by her boyfriend, who has run the Marathon twice himself, to try to run it this year. She didn’t look back until she crossed the finish line.

“Finishing the marathon meant everything to me,” DiGirolamo said. “I took my training very seriously, and I told myself no matter what that I would finish what I started.”

“I put everything I had into my training and preparation and immediately became passionate about the event of a marathon, but more specifically the Boston Marathon. I knew that running in the Boston Marathon meant I had been given an amazing opportunity since it is such a huge legend, and runners everywhere only dream of finishing Boston.”

While it’s fun for all four to look back on it now, the Marathon wasn’t without its trials. When asked to describe the most challenging part of the event, all four said that the last five miles were especially painful.

“I knew I was so close to finishing at this point, but each mile felt like it took hours to past by,” DiGirolamo said.

Added McGrath, “At that point the bottom half of my body felt like it had been hit by a bus and I felt sick to my stomach from drinking so much Gatorade in the heat. Each mile also felt even longer than the last because I was running at a slower and slower pace.”

But those miles led to the finish line and were preceded by the highlight of the actual running for these people. Each cited going through BC after making it to the top of Heart Break Hill as one of the most special moments.

“Coming over the hill and seeing the spires of St. Ignatius was such a relief,” Bayoff noted. “It was the moment I had been waiting 21 miles for.”

Said DiGirolamo, “I was so amazed by how enthusiastic the students were and the overwhelming support I felt in their presence. I was definitely feeling the distance at that point in the race, so the screaming fans as well as all of my friends definitely kept me going when I thought my legs wouldn’t carry me anymore.”

While Lustrino agreed that running by BC and seeing the sea of yellow shirts had to be one of the best moments, he also shared another memory when asked for a highlight.

“One very special moment was running alongside a guy dressed in a burger suit who wanted to know all about the campus school,” Lustrino said. “He was running for his friend with ALS, and it was just a perfect representation of what Marathon Day is all about.”

Seeing people running for different causes is another thing that makes the Boston Marathon so memorable. While the ones who get the 150,000 dollar checks are the ones who win, the ones running for causes can be very inspirational as well.

It was special for these runners to get to run for a cause like the Campus School.

“It really is a fantastic place for children and young adults with multiple disabilities,” Lustrino said. “I think it represents everything BC stands for, and I feel very fortunate to have had the chance to get to be a very small part of a truly amazing place.”

Added DiGirolamo, “I see the campus school students whenever I’m walking to class and it always reminds me of what a great cause it is. The students also really appreciate it and it was great to know that they watched the marathon and cheered the runners on.”

McGrath summed up the experience succinctly: “I can’t imagine running for any other charity.”

And of course, finishing the race is something they’ll all cherish for the rest of their lives.

“I turned onto Boylston Street and saw the finish line in the distance, and I instantly smiled out of relief and pride for how far I had come,” DiGirolamo said. “I ran as fast as I possibly could in those last .2 miles.”

All four raised a lot of money for the Campus School. All four earned their Boston Marathon medals in one of the hardest ways imaginable, running in heat that saw an event-record 2,181 runners have to get help at Boston Athletic Association medical tents.

All four, like every runner who finished the Boston Marathon this year, have many reasons to be proud. But, for one, the magnitude of her accomplishment still hasn’t fully sunk in.

“It still seems like no big deal,” Bayoff said, with a laugh. “I probably won’t realize how special it is until I go for my next run.”

A BC political science associate introduced Lynch as a “rare scholar who does it all.” He is a published scholar in Middle Eastern politics and international relations, and also runs the Middle Eastern channel of the website foreignpolicy.com.

Lynch began his lecture by marveling at the level of surprise that the world experienced in response to the Arab uprisings. He noted, “It was as if no one knew it was going to happen.” He continued, “It’s true that no one could have predicted the events that set off the Arab uprising, but I think it’s just fundamentally wrong that no one saw this coming.”

Lynch suggested that the Arab uprisings are a result of intensely unified politics in the Middle East, through technology and other avenues. For him, the iconic image of the Arab Spring was from Al Jazeera, an independent broadcaster that broadcasted the events of the Arab uprisings live. Lynch remembered seeing a split screen of five different uprisings in five different Arab cities, all chanting the same thing simultaneously.

Over the past decade, there has been an increase in uprisings, which have all been linked together. Lynch commented, “All the struggles for domestic change are linked together.” He also noted, however, that the protests and actions for political change in the 2000’s have all failed.

Next, Lynch suggested that the Arab Spring was not the introduction of something new. “That’s why I don’t like the words ‘Arab uprising,’ because it was quite the opposite,” he stated. The Arab Spring was rather a steady flow of protests, and not something shocking or unexpected as many believe it to be.

Professor Lynch next explained the Arab uprising in detail, commenting on Tunisia, Egypt, Morocco, Jordan, and Saudi Arabia. January 25, 2011 was a significant day for the Middle East and the Arab Spring because it was the first time in a decade where normal people came out and joined the usual protestors. The streets were filled with nearly a million people joining together in protest.

Following the large protest, President Mubarak stepped down in Egypt and the protestors viewed this as the certainty of change and success. Every Middle Eastern country began mass mobilization movements as possibility turned to certainty in their minds.

Lynch informed the audience that the real Arab Spring lasted from January to March of 2011 and that in a span of ten days in March, the movement died due to a chain of political events. He stated, “The Arab Spring died that week, but mass mobilization still continues but is fragmented and has lost confidence of inevitable success.”

Lynch maintained, however, that the much broader Arab uprising has not died. “In fact, it has only just begun. We are seeing the beginning of a very long period of change.”

Students selected by their professors at more than twenty Boston-area colleges and universities read a few pieces of their own poetry at the annual intercollegiate poetry event.

Poet Fred Marchant, professor of English and director of Creative Writing and The Poetry Center at Suffolk University, was the keynote speaker. Marchant’s most recent book of poetry, The Looking House (Graywolf Press, 2009) was named by Barnes & Noble Review as one of the five best books of poetry in 2009.

Marchant is also a longtime teaching affiliate of the William Joiner Center for the Study of War and Social Consequences at the University of Massachusetts, Boston. He has taught workshops at various sites across the country, and in 2009 was co-winner of the May Sarton Award from the New England Poetry Club, given to poets whose “work is an inspiration to other poets.”

Marchant provided a rich and entertaining introduction to the student poets, drawing from classics, modern poetry, and some of his own work to create an atmosphere where the readers felt comfortable sharing their art and the audience listened with open minds.

Professor of English here at BC, Suzanne Matson, explained, “Begun in 1987, the festival has been a way to honor student poetry by showcasing one undergraduate poet from each of a number of area colleges and universities.”

The festival chapbook contains her introduction as well as a single poem from each of the twenty-two poet representatives of their respective colleges and universities. She continued, “We celebrate not only what is distinctively individual about each offering, but also what we have in common as poets and lovers of poetry.”

Each of the poets took the stage, reading a few of their pieces to a receptive audience. Reading with passion and vigor, each reader expressed their words artistically and aesthetically, impressing the diverse audience of students, faculty, poets, and observers alike. From Italian sonnets to free pose, the variety of themes, subjects, and forms kept listeners on their toes as they absorbed the rhythmic words of the poets who shared their art.

The reading portion was followed by a reception in which poets, faculty, and poetry lovers gathered to discuss the night’s fabulous display of creativity and passion.

Moderated by Allies Vice President Melanie Courtemanche, A&S ’13, the panel consisted of four speakers: a local Jewish rabbinical student, two Episcopalian BC faculty members, and one BC undergraduate who is a member of the United Church of Christ.

Mr. Eric Cohen, a fifth year rabbinical student at Hebrew College in Newton Center, spoke first.  Raised in an orthodox Jewish family, Mr. Cohen no longer classifies himself as orthodox, but he does maintain traditional religious practices.  He says he feels that his “mission is to be out there as a queer rabbi, and someone of faith to show people that that is actually, not just a fine path, but a very rewarding one that can do a lot of good out there in the world.”

Professor Meghan Sweeney of the PULSE Program for Service Learning was also on the panel.  A former Roman Catholic who has been in the Episcopal Church for roughly 12 years, Professor Sweeney self-identifies as a lesbian, and is in the ordination process in the Episcopal Church; she will be ordained to the transitional diaconate this June and to the priesthood next January.

The next speaker was Joshua Tingley, a student in the College of Arts & Sciences Class of 2013.  As a theology major and someone who self-identifies as a gay male, he said that he “has been interested in this topic a lot.”  As noted above he is a member of the United Church of Christ.

Fr. Jim Weiss, an Episcopal minister, was the final panelist.  He, like Professor Sweeney, teaches PULSE and is a former Roman Catholic.  Moreover, Fr. Weiss founded the Capstone Program and is tenured in the Theology Department.  Since no Roman Catholics were on the panel, Fr. Weiss aimed to present the Catholic position during the discussion although, as a heterosexual Ally, he does not agree with the Catholic teaching on this topic.

Allies President David Riemer, A&S ’14, when asked about the motivation for hosting such an event had this to say: “We try to do an event every year that addresses some part of the intersection of homosexuality and religion because for many students on campus, this is one of their greatest reservations – how to reconcile their faith with respect and tolerance of others.”

The event was indeed well attended, proving the importance of this issue for the student body.  The classroom in which it was held was at capacity.  One Allies supporter who spoke to The Observer after the event was quite pleased at the large and diverse turnout of students.

Riemer admitted that diversity was lacking somewhat on the panel, considering that two of the four speakers were Episcopalian and despite there being many Catholic priests on the BC campus. Riemer commented on this, saying: “We had intended to have a wider range of perspectives, and invited professors of many different faiths and denominations, but sadly due to scheduling issues, we were not able to get the representative diversity we would have liked.”

Catholic Issues, therefore, will print here two excerpts of the Catholic Church’s teaching on the pastoral care of homosexual persons from a 1986 letter to Catholic bishops, published by then-Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger (now Benedict XVI) as Prefect of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith and approved by Blessed Pope John Paul II:

“It is deplorable that homosexual persons have been and are the object of violent malice in speech or in action. Such treatment deserves condemnation from the Church’s pastors wherever it occurs. It reveals a kind of disregard for others which endangers the most fundamental principles of a healthy society. The intrinsic dignity of each person must always be respected in word, in action and in law.”

“The human person, made in the image and likeness of God, can hardly be adequately described by a reductionist reference to his or her sexual orientation. Every one living on the face of the earth has personal problems and difficulties, but challenges to growth, strengths, talents and gifts as well. Today, the Church provides a badly needed context for the care of the human person when she refuses to consider the person as a “heterosexual” or a “homosexual” and insists that every person has a fundamental identity: the creature of God, and by grace, his child and heir to eternal life.”

But there is no more important event (save the Resurrection) to us as the Church.  It is at the cross that Christ shows us who He truly is.  It is at the cross that Christ shows us the depths of suffering and Hell.  It is at the cross that Christ shows us the depths of Love.  There is one event which Paul repeatedly dwelt upon in his Epistles – the cross.  There is one event in the life of Christ upon which all the Gospels focus – the cross.  And it is so because of the incredible, no, unspeakably incredible nature of the event.

Those of us who have seen the incredible movie The Passion of the Christ have a glimpse of just how brutal death on a cross was.  But that was not the only suffering, nor was physical death the only death on that cross.  What lies at the cross is the infinite gap between God and man; in the old dispensation, man lies at the bottom of an infinite pit, staring up from the depths of our own making, the depths of woe.  It is precisely this gap which is forever bridged by the cross.

God the Son in becoming flesh not only poured Himself into the flesh, but poured out His being into submission to the will of the Father in the flesh.  In doing so, He underwent the torture that was not rightfully His, the condemnation of man – death.  This means also that when the moment of death approached on the cross, He began the descent into Hell, for the Father had turned away His presence from the Son, thus separating the Son infinitely from the Father in that moment.  And this is Hell.  Christ was turned aside by the Father (and paradoxically out of Love from the Father for His creation), and out of submission to the will of the Father and the depth of His Love, a Love extending to the depths of Hell, He took on all the sins and Hell for all time for us.  This was His burden; infinite Hell for all time was taken on in one moment on the cross as He cried out “Eloi, Eloi, lama sabachthani.”

Yet He did not deserve any part of this punishment; it was rightfully ours, and the power of the cross also lies in this point.  By following the Law and taking on the wages of the flesh, though unstained by sin, He fulfilled the Law, forever destroyed the Law, and dissolved its damning hold on us, and it was by His death that we find (paradoxically) the true Christ.  It is the Christ who cries out to God as Father.  It is the Christ who remains forever obedient.  It is the Christ who descends into Hell out of His infinite Love, and by this infinite Love, we know who He is – God the Son.

And Love indeed is the key.  The Law had no answer to Love for Love transcended the boundaries of the Law, and it is for this reason that the tombs were opened and the veil of the Holy of Holies in the Temple was torn in half at the moment of Christ’s death.  The separation between God and man (spiritually), no longer existed.  The Law was finished, and Christ had bridged the infinite gap between God and mankind with infinite Love forever.

This is why the cross is the ultimate Christian symbol – it continually reminds us of the punishment, the Hell which is rightfully ours while showing us the depth of the Love of God for us, that His Son would die and go through Hell for us.  He put Himself in our place so that we could be made righteous before God through this infinite grace, by faith.  While we must continue on to physical death, we have the same promise that Christ gave to His disciples: “The Son of Man will be betrayed to the chief priests and the teachers of the law. They will condemn him to death and will turn him over to the Gentiles to be mocked and flogged and crucified. On the third day he will be raised to life!” (Matthew 20:18-19).  We now wait, huddled and frightened, for the day to break, for the third day, for Easter morning, for the first day of the week when God says, “Let there be light.”

Unfortunately, Rita’s husband, Paolo Mancini, was not a good man and was often verbally abusive and violent towards her.  Although she suffered greatly, she was a woman of God and never stopped praying for her family.  After faithfully being married for about twenty years, her husband was brutally stabbed to death.  Before he died, he felt remorse for his sins and repented, no doubt because of Rita’s incessant prayer.

Shortly after this, Rita lost her two sons to natural causes, leaving her without family.  Because of this, she knew it was time to enter religious life.  When she went to enter the convent at Cascia, the sisters turned her down because of the scandal surrounding her husband’s horrific death.  Only after she made peace with her husband’s murderers was she allowed to enter the convent.  At the age of 36, she entered the convent of the Augustinian nuns at Cascia and finally fulfilled her desire she had as a young girl.  Her life became full of good works, prayer, and suffering for Christ.

While in the convent, Rita asked Jesus if she could suffer as He did.  Once she asked, a thorn from a statue of the Crucifixion fell onto her forehead, leaving her a wound and causing her suffering for the remainder of her life.  Because of this, Saint Rita is often depicted with a wound on her forehead. The wound was not only painful, but also pungent.  On the day that she died, however, the wound smelled of roses.

Saint Rita is, therefore, also commonly depicted with roses.  There is a story associated with Saint Rita when she was sick and confined to her bed in the convent.  Apparently, her cousin had visited her and Rita took this as an opportunity to ask her cousin to fetch a rose and fig from her garden at home, as she was not able to leave her bed.  It was a cold January, and her cousin had not expected to find a rose nor a fig, but she found one of each.  This story represents the fact that Rita’s faith made nothing impossible, which is why she is the patron saint of impossible cases.  This specific rose bush is still in bloom today.

Rita died on May 22, 1457 and was canonized on May 24, 1900 by Pope Leo XIII and she was appropriately given the title of the patroness of impossible cases.

Abused women often seek her for intercession, as do people who are in need of a miracle.  Her strength and desire to be obedient and to do good deeds is inspiring especially because of the adversity she endured.  For anyone interested, there is a statue of Saint Rita at St. Leonard of Port Maurice Church in the North End in Boston.

I never, ever thought of giving up Facebook for Lent or anything else. For me, Facebook and friendship was like toothpaste and toothbrush or milk and cereal. I get to be in touch with people I know from all over the world in an instant at my fingertips. I get to learn about events around campus, keeping myself up-to-date with my friends, acquaintances, celebrities and stores. Not to mention, I get to see what my roommate from freshman year is up to!

On Thursday after Ash Wednesday, however, I had an interesting conversation with a couple people that caused me, a Facebook addict, to give it up.  I discovered that giving up Facebook for Lent may not be the easiest thing to do, but it is definitely worth it.

With the routines of life, I found myself simply going through the motions of life. Though I’m grateful for the opportunities that have been given to me and I am interested in the subjects that I’m studying, I felt that life was very mundane. There was no excitement in it, and I felt that I was almost losing the spring in my steps. My academics, my faith journey and my relationships with others were pretty much very ordinary. Suddenly, I realized that I no longer make as much effort to grow in my faith and that I had unintentionally drawn myself apart from some of my most cherished friends. After all, who is not busy with their own schedules, to-do lists and personal concerns at BC?

With the demands of school, work and other activities, I spent most of my free time on Facebook to reconnect / keep in touch with my friends – or at least, that’s what I thought. However, after all of those hours that I spent on Facebook, I found my heart empty and dry. I know that if I wanted to be honest, I usually spend more time doing useless things on Facebook than purposely reaching out to the people whom I care about the most.  Although Facebook is a great innovation that helps people to always have the opportunity to be connected to one another, it is not a strong-enough medium to help me develop real and rich friendships with those around me. Additionally, Facebook does not allow me to show my friends that I truly care about them. I think that writing in (or responding to) someone’s wall, liking one’s status, etc. neither means nor shows that I am being attentive and loving that person.

Therefore, I started to consider deactivating my account for the season for some reasons. First, I was tired of getting bombarded with so much information every time I logged in which ranged from the ones that I’m happy to see to the ones that I would wish that I never saw. Second, I noticed that I have over 900 “friends” on Facebook. Some are my friends, but a lot of them are merely acquaintances with whom I love to be in touch every once in a while. I pondered about this fact for a while, and I realized that if I want to be the woman I have always wanted to become, I have to invest more time with my loved ones and to really let my family and friends know how much I value our relationships. Third, I want to start appreciating the gift of each moment that has been given to me from above.  To be honest with you, it is often difficult for me to live in the moment. For instance, when I’m in class, I often think what I’m going to get for lunch. When I’m at lunch with friends, I think about the work that I need to do or the work that I should have been doing. When I’m out with my friends, I would check my iPhone every now and then to make sure that I didn’t miss a text, an email, a Facebook message and so on. Someone once told me that, “wherever you are, be all there (before it’s too late).” Therefore by taking some time off from Facebook, I know that I would eliminate a big chunk of possible distractions in my life and wherever I am or whatever I’m doing,  I can try my best to focus on “being all there.”

As expected, I had my adjustment period of life without Facebook. Many times during the day, I thought about “walls,” “statuses,” and “post tags.” At the same time, however, it was also very peaceful. For once, I don’t get 40 notifications a day, read 100 different statuses or see 1000 different pictures from my 925 friends. Instead of being on Facebook, I bought myself a beautiful, bright journal that I’ve been using almost every day since I’m away from Facebook. Journaling has been nothing but a wonderful and helpful experience for me. I get to express my thoughts in writing, and also I get to see the progress I’ve made and see the areas that I need to work on in life. With journaling, I get to look back to my day / my week and see the works of the Lord in my life and in those around me.

I have learned many things during this Lent. However, if I have to pick and share one thing, I would say that I’ve discovered that perhaps my desire for intimacy and friendship with others is not that much different from God’s desire for intimacy and friendship with me, with us. John 3:16 states: “For God so loved the world that He gave His only Son that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.” This Lent, by learning how best to love other people, by paying more attention to my loved ones, their interests, and their concerns. I have also come to realize once again that I am too, His beloved.

The addition of Divine Mercy Sunday to the Roman Catholic liturgical calendar occurred on the same day that Pope John Paul II canonized St. Maria Faustina Kowalska. Faustina was born in Poland in 1905 and joined the Congregation of the Sisters of Our Lady of Mercy when she was 20 years old. In her diary, she recorded revelations and visits from Christ beginning in 1931 and continuing until her death in 1938. The prayers that Christ instructed Faustina to pray make up the novena of Divine Mercy, to be prayed from Good Friday through the Octave of Easter and the Chaplet of Divine Mercy, to be prayed on Fridays at 3pm in remembrance of Christ dying on the cross.

The Chaplet of Divine Mercy is prayed with a standard rosary. The opening prayer, “You expired, Jesus, but the source of life gushed forth for souls, and the ocean of mercy opened up for the whole world. O Fount of Life, unfathomable Divine Mercy, envelop the whole world and empty Yourself out upon us.

“O Blood and Water, which gushed forth from the Heart of Jesus as a fount of mercy for us, I trust in You!” (three times), is followed by the Our Father, Hail Mary, and Apostles’ Creed. On the first bead of each decade, pray “Eternal Father, I offer You the Body and Blood, Soul and Divinity of Your dearly beloved Son, Our Lord Jesus Christ, in atonement for our sins and those of the whole world. Amen.” The prayer “For the sake of His sorrowful Passion, have mercy on us and on the whole world” ten times for each decade. After the five decades have been prayed, the concluding doxology, “Holy God, Holy Mighty One, Holy Immortal One, have mercy on us and on the whole world” is prayed three times. Finally the closing prayer concludes the Chaplet, “Eternal God, in Whom mercy is endless, and the treasury of compassion inexhaustible, look kindly upon us, and increase Your mercy in us, that in difficult moments, we might not despair, nor become despondent, but with great confidence, submit ourselves to Your holy will, which is Love and Mercy Itself. Amen.”

On Divine Mercy Sunday, a plenary indulgence (forgiveness of all temporal punishment resulting from sins that have already been confessed) is granted to the faithful who go to Confession, receive Communion, pray for the intentions of the Holy Father, and “in any church or chapel, in a spirit that is completely detached from the affection for a sin, even a venial sin, take part in the prayers and devotions held in honor of Divine Mercy, or who, in the presence of the Blessed Sacrament exposed or reserved in the tabernacle, recite the Our Father and the Creed, adding a devout prayer to the merciful Lord Jesus.” Partial indulgences (the remission of some temporal punishment from sin) are granted to those who pray with a contrite heart to “the merciful Lord Jesus a legitimately approved invocation.”

The Divine Mercy Novena Faustina received from Christ has specific intentions for each day. The first day, Good Friday, is for the sake of all mankind, especially sinners. The second day is for the sake of priests, monks, and nuns. Day three is for the sake of all the faithful. For the fourth day, pray for the sake of those who do not believe in God and those who do not know Christ. Day five is for the sake of all those who, while Christians, have separated themselves from the Roman Catholic Church. The sixth day is for the sake of all the little children and the meek and humble. The seventh day is for the sake of all those most devoted to His mercy. Day eight is for the sake of the Souls who are in the prison of Purgatory. The final day is for the sake of all the souls who have become lukewarm in their belief.

The Novena is intended for Good Friday through the Octave of Easter, to culminate on Divine Mercy Sunday. The Chaplet of Divine Mercy is most commonly said on Fridays at 3pm, but is appropriate for everyday at 3pm. Faustina recorded these words of Christ in her diary: “At 3 O’clock, implore My mercy, especially for sinners; and, if only for a brief moment, immerse yourself in My passion, particularly in My abandonment at the moment of agony. This is the hour of great mercy for the whole world. I will allow you to enter into My mortal sorrow. In this hour, I will refuse nothing to the soul that makes a request of Me in virtue of My Passion.”

Rankings are determined by a 50-question survey that is distributed to about 86,000 graduating seniors from more than 140 universities. The survey concentrates on measures of student satisfaction, post-graduation outcomes, and academic quality, and includes questions that range from teaching styles to recreational facilities. The results of the surveys are combined with rankings from 2010 and 2011 to determine current-year results.

Carroll School Dean Andy Boynton was quoted saying: “Our focus at the Carroll School is for our undergraduate management students to share an experience that features Boston College’s strong liberal arts tradition, our commitment to student formation, and an excellent management education. This ranking helps validate our distinctive strategy.”

The Carroll School strategy has certainly been effective, given this year’s substantial jump in rankings. The award was celebrated this past Thursday at Dean’s Coffee outside the Fulton Honors Library.

Keith Olbermann soon left MSNBC after the network decided not to renew his contract. He went to a station called Current TV, a progressive (liberal) channel. There he would continue his Countdown show, much like the one he had at MSNBC. I, for one, was ecstatic about this. No longer would I have to see his horrible face as I’m flipping through the channels, for I was certain I did not get Current TV, or even if I did, it was in the upper channels that I never ventured towards.

Whatever the case was, I didn’t have to see him, but my contempt for him still laid in my heart. This is for many reasons. One reason was for his idiotic left-leaning views. This is not a blatant swing at liberals. There are many liberals out there with whom I could have a good political discussion, with them countering my points with facts and good arguments I may not have thought of. Olbermann, on the other hand, was just stupid. He had no good arguments and just made fun of conservatives. But the real reason I hated Olbermann was I could never get those seasons of Football Night in America out of my head. He had poisoned my mind forever. So imagine my surprise when I found out that Keith Olbermann had been fired from Current TV last week. Remember, he was fired, he didn’t “leave” like he did at MSNBC.

So what does this mean? It means that I was right. No one likes Keith Olbermann. Wherever he goes, they tell him to leave, whether it’s MSNBC or Current TV. He is an unlikeable human being, an idiot, and should have no place on television. Current TV fired him for “breach of contract,” but I view this as God punishing Olbermann for ruining football. Whatever the case may be, may he never find another job on television, because if he does, TV will get a little stupider.