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By Mark Zimmermann
WASHINGTON (CNS) – In a dramatic ceremony, Peter K. Kilpatrick was named the 16th president of The Catholic University of America, emphasizing the school’s Catholic identity and vowing to make it the nation’s “preeminent university of Catholic studies.”
His installation took place Nov. 11 at a Mass at the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception celebrated by Cardinal Wilton D. Gregory, who served as the university’s chancellor as the archbishop of Washington.
“Love of God and love of neighbor must guide us here at The Catholic University of America,” Kilpatrick said in his installation address, adding, “To learn to love, we must allow God to create new hearts in us.”
The National University of the Catholic Church of the United States was founded in Washington by the American bishops and was chartered by Pope Leo XIII in 1887.
Thousands of students and other members of the university community packed the basilica for the two-hour Mass, which opened with dozens of colorfully vested faculty in the center aisle, as the university’s symphony orchestra played one of Mozart’s classics. .
Kilpatrick, who was named president in March and took office on July 1, previously served as provost and senior vice president for academic affairs at the Illinois Institute of Technology. He was also a professor and dean of engineering at the University of Notre Dame. He holds a PhD in chemical engineering from the University of Minnesota.
The new president is the author of more than 100 journal articles, the recipient of numerous teaching and research awards, and owns or shares 12 patents.
“Let me point out that I came to this university because I called myself to do this,” he told the audience. “I was not actively seeking to become president elsewhere, but my interest in higher education and my deep and strong Catholic faith converged to draw me to Catholic University.”
Kilpatrick, who grew up Catholic, praised his wife, Nancy, who said, “She showed me the meaning of sacrificing one’s life for others and taught me love.”
The couple has four grown children and four grandchildren, and Nancy Kilpatrick and their grandchildren brought gifts during Mass.
At his home, Cardinal Gregory praised Kilpatrick as “a man of wisdom and integrity,” saying “he will build on the legacy of excellence that is the foundation of this university and propel us into a bright future.”
The installation was part of the homily of the Blessed Virgin Mary, the House of Wisdom, and Cardinal Gregory, who reflected on wisdom, which “ultimately comes with understanding and experience. It comes as God’s grace.”
The cardinal noted how Mary in Luke’s Gospel listened attentively and reflected on what she heard, and she willingly accepted God’s will.
“We refer to it as the seat of wisdom for our university and its new president, Dr. Kilpatrick. May he accompany him throughout his ministry, help him every day, and always reveal to him the wisdom of God, which comes from the only God,” Cardinal Gregory said.
In his address, Kilpatrick noted that Pope Leo approved the institute’s founding 135 years ago with a mandate to “provide the church with worthy ministers for the salvation of souls…and give the (American) republic its best citizens.”
“I’m ready to stand here today and make good on that promise,” Kilpatrick said.
During the installation, Kilpatrick made a profession of faith, led the congregation in the recitation of the creed, and then recited the oath of allegiance to the Catholic Church and its teachings.
Kilpatrick was presented with the symbols of his office, including an academic mace or baton, a presidential medallion around his neck, and a chain.
The new president noted how the school’s mission statement emphasizes promoting dialogue between faith and reason.
“The core of who we are and our mission lies in this vital dialogue between our faith in God and what our reason and logic teach us,” he said. “This dialogue is a gift the world needs, perhaps more than ever, as we witness great confusion about human nature in our society and culture.”
Kilpatrick added that the Catholic university “has a more important mission to show by showing love to one another, concretely listening to one another, serving one another, and giving ourselves to one another, even in the midst of intellectual pursuits. university.”
He also acknowledged the challenge facing the institution, which currently has 2,929 undergraduates and 2,130 graduate students.
“Today we are too small to be such a comprehensive university and we need to grow,” he said. “Within 10 years, we should be a university with 10,000 undergraduate and graduate students. At this size, we can become the vibrant university we are called to be, and I am ready to help take us there.
Kilpatrick said the university will need the full support of alumni, trustees, donors, faculty and staff to help it grow and achieve its goals.
“Working together, we will secure our destiny as the premier Catholic research university in our country,” he said. “With your help and prayers, I am confident that the best days are ahead for our university.”
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