President's Blog: From the Heart

By Eric F. Spina

(In my Easter message to the campus community, I write about how hope lives in each of our hearts and lights the way on our journey of faith.)

Dear Students, Faculty, and Staff,

The pandemic has turned our world upside down, leaving our chapel and churches across the country empty on the joyous, holy day of Easter. Perhaps some of your families will eat dinner over Facetime or Zoom. Others are caring for loved ones who are ill or praying for the safety of health care workers on the frontlines.

Yet, the Easter message of hope still lives in each of us, in our hearts. It’s lighting the way on our journey of faith. It’s encouraging us to build community in new ways. It’s bringing us together as citizens of the world in a spirit of solidarity that I pray does not fade after this public health crisis ends.

Like St. Paul, we are called today to enter into the mystery of the unknown and “walk by faith, not by sight.” Pope Francis encourages us to reach out to each other, particularly the lonely and vulnerable, with “the creativity of love.”

On this Easter, Karen and I offer peace to every member of our University family as we journey together with faith down an unfamiliar road. We extend happiness to our Jewish brothers and sisters celebrating Passover and blessings to our Muslim community who will soon enter the holy month of Ramadan.

We wish you and your families the faith and hope that’s embodied in the resurrection. May God’s loving grace and compassion be with you always.

Eric F. Spina
President

(Photo credit: Crucifixion, Donald Jackson, 2002, The Saint John's Bible, Saint John's University, Collegeville, Minnesota. From the Marian Library collections, University of Dayton.)