January 18, 2001
Rev. James F. Spera
Director, Campus Ministry
This day last year was just another day, part of our own routine. When
we each retired that night, who could have imagined that our restful
sleep would be shattered by the sights and sounds of that early morning
of January 19, 2000? When my phone rang in those early hours and I was
told that there was a fire in Boland Hall, I quickly made my way from my
apartment in Xavier Hall. As I approached the stairwell, there was the
smell of smoke. Could the fire be here? When I reached the lobby, there
were somber faces of students, and their clothes, saturated with the
odor of smoke...the worst was yet to come.
It is one year since those horrendous sights and fearful sounds; the smoke, the flashing lights of emergency vehicles, the news helicopters overhead, the stunned faces of our students, the hurried activities of our University personnel and the many volunteers.
This evening, we gather around the Altar of God for three purposes:
TO REMEMBER,
TO GIVE THANKS,
TO MOVE FORWARD WITH HOPE ANCHORED IN JESUS CHRIST!
We REMEMBER in our thoughts and in our prayers our students who died: Frank, John, and Aaron. We remember in our thoughts and in our prayers all those students who were injured...some more severe than others...but we remember them all, those who bear the scars of that morning, physical and emotional. We remember the One who was born in the stable at Bethlehem, and who like all of us, suffered, died, and was buried. We remember the heartache, the pain, and most of all, those who lifted us up.
We can give THANKS to God. Those persons who lifted us up in our distress were the very hands of God. We pause this evening to offer our heartfelt thanks to God for the emergency personnel from South Orange and the surrounding communities, who so quickly and generously responded to us in our need. We are grateful to God for the Priest Community, who were constantly present to offer prayerful support and comfort, and who daily visited the students in the hospitals for weeks. We offer thanks to God for the University personnel who despite their own emotional stress labored to bring healing to our brokenness. In the midst of this tragedy, we experienced the overwhelming goodness of so many people; cards from schoolchildren, the concern of alumni, offers of assistance from other colleges and universities, the generous donations of many, and even prayerful recognition from the Pope in Rome. It seemed that after everything went so wrong, everyone was doing everything so right!
We can give THANKS to God as we REMEMBER, because as a Catholic institution we do MOVE FORWARD, WITH HOPE, ANCHORED IN JESUS CHRIST. To some, this kind of tragedy buries hope and leaves one stuck. Jesus Christ has shown us another WAY, another TRUTH, another LIFE...which is grounded in hope: His Resurrection. Dying He destroyed our death; rising He restored our life!
Our hope, anchored in Jesus Christ, is the promise of eternal life for Frank, and John, and Aaron, which is more powerful than their death.
Our hope, anchored in Jesus Christ, is in the loving concern of so many, which is more powerful and abiding than bitterness brought on by tragedy.
Our hope, anchored in Jesus Christ, is in the strength of this Catholic University, which is more powerful than cynicism or despair.
As a Catholic institution, our mission is to proclaim the Good News. And the Good News is this; that Jesus Christ has triumphed over suffering and death itself, that Seton Hall has survived this tragedy by the grace of God. And now, we move forward, with our hope, anchored in Jesus Christ!