Dear Friends,
It is a great joy to welcome you back to campus for another year of growth and discovery, and to welcome our newest Cardinals to Catholic University. I am grateful for the opportunity to serve this community of scholars and to walk with you as we pursue excellence together in academics and in life.
Each new year comes with many new invitations and opportunities. As I shared with our first-year students at the Freshman Orientation Mass last week, I believe it is wise to pay attention to what most attracts your heart, mind, and soul. Which invitations do you respond to, and which ones do you choose to ignore? It is not always clear, which is why it is so important to stay close to those who help us to say “yes” to those invitations that help us to learn and grow.
In this election year, I believe we are presented with a particularly challenging invitation: to commit ourselves to honest, charitable dialogue as a means of seeking the truth together and pursuing the common good. Recall that Catholic University’s motto is Deus Lux Mea Est (“God is my light”); we encourage one another to lead with light because we are convinced that the highest service we can render to the Church, the nation, and the world is to reflect what God has given us. We will contribute to a more just, merciful, and peaceful world in proportion to the generosity of our “yes” to the Lord.
I continue to be humbled by the character and commitment of our students, faculty, and staff. Please know of my prayers for each of you, and please keep me in yours.
Sincerely,
Peter Kilpatrick
President
The Catholic University of America