December 01, 2021
New book published by Providence College explains the Catholic and Dominican mission
By Ealish Brawley ’14
Providence College’s Office of Mission and Ministry has published a book, Providence College: Our Catholic and Dominican Mission.
When Rev. James Cuddy, O.P. ’98, vice president for mission and ministry, and Robert D. Pfunder ’09, associate vice president, joined the office in 2018, they were eager to take up this project, one that had been talked about at the college for many years.
“Our overarching goal was not just to explain the mission, but, just as importantly, to give all members of the community a common understanding and language for discussing the mission and seeing ways in which it is active and can unfold in the ordinary life of the college, inside and outside of the classroom,” said Father Cuddy.
Not merely a leaflet to be tossed on a desk or lost in a backpack after initial perusal, the book is a thoughtfully written and beautifully designed volume that will be kept and cherished. Photographs of stained-glass windows from St. Dominic’s Chapel and snapshots of campus life adorn the pages of the small paperback.
The book begins with an introduction from College President Rev. Kenneth R. Sicard, O.P ’78, ’82G and a brief explanation of the founding of the Dominican order and Providence College. The concept of veritas, or truth, and its role in the 21st century Catholic and Dominican college is introduced. The next section explores how contemplation, action, and vocation, three words at the core of the Dominican tradition, foster a holistic approach to education. Next, the distinctive role of prayer in the PC experience, as well as the many dedicated spaces for prayer on campus, are described. The final section is a reflection on how the PC community pursues veritas together, following St. Dominic’s example of intellectual hospitality.
“We sought to introduce the overarching narratives, metaphors, and concepts of Catholicism and Catholic education, and what holds it all together: veritas, truth,” said Pfunder.
The section on veritas begins, “Our mission is our motto: Veritas. You can see it on our official insignia and on the torch images and statues around campus. We seek to propose and to study truth in our 21st century world. And in pursuing truth, we are confident that we will encounter it here at PC: the truth of the world, the truth of ourselves, and the truth about God in Jesus Christ, who is Truth Incarnate.”
Members of the college community who have limited familiarity with the Catholic Church, as well as those who have been raised in the faith, will find the book welcoming and engaging.
“So much more detail and depth can be given to any one of the sections of this book. Our hope going forward is that, with all members of the College community being armed with a basic understanding of what it means to be Catholic and Dominican, we can engage more and more people in the work of exploring this more fully,” said Father Cuddy.
Compiling such a book was a years-long effort by the Office of Mission and Ministry. PC is not the first Catholic college to publish such a book, so their process began with a review of several existing works.
After identifying what they might want PC’s book to include, the Office of Mission and Ministry engaged members of the community, students, faculty, and staff in conversation about how they understood the College’s mission. Having wrapped up these interviews shortly before the COVID-19 pandemic, Father Cuddy and Pfunder shifted their attention to researching, writing, and editing.
Even Father Cuddy, whose life has been steeped in the Dominican tradition since he entered the seminary soon after his graduation, found this project an eye-opening experience.
“As a Dominican, most of this stuff is second nature. We live and breathe these questions of Dominican identity,” Father Cuddy said. “But this whole process helped me realize more explicitly and to a deeper degree just how much St. Dominic’s vision for the order squares so harmoniously with the Church’s vision for Catholic higher education. You see that when you compare some stories from St. Dominic’s life in the early days of the order with the writings of St. John Paul II and Cardinal Newman, although the authors lived many hundreds of years apart.”
Both Father Cuddy and Pfunder are quick to say that, although the book is a product of the Office of Mission and Ministry, it involves contributions from dozens of others. Sidebars on special topics were written by recognizable figures on campus, such as Dr. Holly Taylor Coolman, assistant professor of theology and director of graduate studies in theology, on St. Thomas Aquinas; Rev. Nicanor Austriaco, O.P. ’20G, professor of biology and of theology, on faith and reason; and Pamela C. Tremblay, campus minister and director of service immersion and social justice, on St. Martin de Porres.
Beyond those contributors, countless other members of the college community left their fingerprints on the project. During the writing and editing process, successive drafts made their way into all of the major offices on campus, to the President’s Cabinet and Board of Trustees, and to members of the theology and philosophy departments, as well as various faculty and staff who attend campus retreats.
“We wanted a fair representation of people at PC to have read it and commented on it. We wanted them to see themselves in the book, and for it to be inspiring and welcoming for all,” said Pfunder.
Rollout is underway, with a lunchtime discussion session for faculty and staff scheduled for April 19. Pfunder and Father Cuddy are also meeting with staff and students in smaller groups to share the book and engage community members in reflection and conversation about its enduring themes.
Going forward, the Office of Mission and Ministry plans to present all first-year and transfer students, as well as new hires on the faculty and staff, with copies of the book and opportunities to read and reflect in group settings.
“This is only the first part of a conversation, and we are excited to see how people take this information and run with it. With a deeper understanding and interest in Providence College’s mission, lay employees and students can have a greater participation, even a shared responsibility, for carrying it out,” said Pfunder.
This new publication will help Providence College extend its invitation to all those who set foot on its campus to adopt its mission and to take up the emblematic torch in search of truth.
Ealish Brawley ’14 is a freelance writer living in Providence.
