Page 8 - CROSSROADS - October, 1974
...Fr. Jude Excels
ordained to the
priesthood in 1956. Since
then, he has devoted his
full energies to furthering
the educational
apostolate of Belmont
Abbey.
Above all else, Fr. Jude
is a monk and a priest. It
is from this deep well of
spiritual life that he
draws his dedication to
the monastic life and the
fulfillment of whatever is
asked of him. The motto
of the Benedictine Order,
Ora et Labora (Pray and
Work), is exemplified in
his quiet accomplishment
of duty. He cherishes an
abiding love for his
religious community and
the fellow Benedictines
with whom he shares a
life commitment.
Fr. Jude has received a
rare gift for organization
and attention to detail.
This enabled him to
coordinate the building
program undertaken at
the college during the
nineteen-sixties. During
this period the school
added three dormitories,
a dining facility, a
science building, and the
physical education
recreation center. He
was the prime mover in
putting together the
porposals for federal
• funds to assist in ob
taining these new
buildings and worked
closely with the ar
chitects and contractors
throughout the actual
construction process.
Despite his attachment
to the demanding tasks of
administration, Fr. Jude
causes astonishment
among visitors to the
campus when they learn
of his accomplishments
in the area of manual
labor. For the past year
and a half his current
project is the installation
of an adequate system of
campus lighting. Almost
single-handed he has dug
the trenches, laid the
electrical conduits,
managed the pouring of
concrete bases, erected
the light standards, at
tached the fixtures, and
connected the wiring.
Students admit that they
grow tired Just watching
his indefatigable output.
Lest the impression be
created that Fr. Jude
does nothing but work all
the time, he manages on
occasion to enjoy fishing
and sailing, and fs a
staunch believer in
physical fitness - each
afternoon he can be seen,
rain or shine, doing his
two mile run. He^ecalls
with delight his camper
tour of the Rocky
Mountains, Yellowstone,
and the Grand Canyon
during June of 1973. The
glories of nature have
really gotten to him and
whetted his appetite to
visit other scenic spots
such as the “Outer Banks
of North Carolina and the
Pacific Coast.
Crossroads wishes to
salute this monk, priest,
and administrator, and
looks forward to many
more years of his
splendid contributions to
Belmont Abbey College.
All-Stars
Play For UF
Belmont Abbey
College’s Intramural All
Star Team played a
charity football game
against Kings Business
College, Monday
evening, October 14, at
the Independence High
School field. Belmont
Abbey posted the higher
score but the Mecklen
burg County United Fund
was the real winner since
the game’s proceeds
were donated to the local
U.F.
Co-captains John
Monaco and Ken
Heretick led the 24 Abbey
students taking part in
the contest. A substantial
crowd was on hand for
the event.
The Abbey defense held
Kings scoreless
throughout the game,
with a halftime score of
14-0. The final score was
B.A.C. 26 - Kings 0. Two
touchdowns were scored
by Tom Spellany, while
Heretick and George
Wilkinson tallied one
each. Monaco, the
quarterback, scored the
lone extra point.
Parochial
Schools Are
On Way Back
“Catholic schools seem
to be on their way back”
because Catholic
education “has become
more the concern of all
the people” a Catholic
college professor in
Green Bay, Wis. said
recently.
In contrast to the
recent past when
decreasing enrollment
and lack of available
teaching Religious forced
schools to drop grades,
some Catholic schools
are now reinstating
grades, said Dr.
Raymond Clouthier, of
St. Norbert College in
Depere, Wis.
In the past, Clouthier
said, the parish school
was the concern of the
pastor and perhaps a few
teaching Sisters, but now
local boards of education
“have begun to find their
place.”
Clouthier said that
money, apathy and the
belief of some Catholic
parents that their
children could obtain an
adequate education in
public school caused the
decreasing trend in
Catholic school
enrollment.
He contended that,
while some public schools
offer a “complete
education,” Catholic
schools provide a
“religious background
and heritage” that
students cannot find in
public schools.
...Soccer Team Wins
Area V regional tour
nament and probably
face such teams as Er-
skine (last year’s
regional champs),
Campbell College, and St.
Bernards for the right to
enter the N.A.I.A.
national championship
tournament in St. Louis
on November 26-30.
Says Coach Dudko, “if
we can keep the team
healthy and in good
shape, we should win the
district and have a good
chance in the regional
tournament.” If Dudko is
right, it could be “on to
St. Louis” for thi
Belmont Abbey Soccer
team.
What's New With You
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iNsieriT
by Fr. John Bradley
I had the dubious privilege of becoming a college
president just when private colleges throughout the
nation were entering into the worst financial crisis in
their history. Over the last four years many private
colleges have had to close their doors - a list of them
was published recently in The Chronicle of Higher
Education. Nor are there any serious reasons to doubt
the prophets of doom who forecast that hundreds more
will be forced to close over the next ten years or so.
Although one cannot but be saddened by this
situation, it can, I believe, eventually lead to a stronger
and healthier higher education establishment
throughout the nation. Those colleges and universities
that respond to the challenge of this crisis (and this
applies in some degree to the public sector also) will
emerge as much better and stronger institutions; those
which do not will fall by the wayside.
What, then, will be the fate of Belmont Abbey College
in this unprecedented crisis? Over the past four and a
half years, I have seen sufficient response here to the
crisis to give me guarded optimism that the Abbey will
emerge a better and stronger college. During that
relatively short period in the Abbey’s history, a
remarkable number of changes have been effected
that probably would not even have been thought of, let
alone accomplished, had we not been powerfully
spurred by the crisis. For instance, the most needed
and most fundamental change, publicly announced by
Abbot Edmund at our 1974 Commencement exercises,
is the new structure of college governance that will
bring to our Board the expertise and influence of a
number of lay Trustees. Again, a little more than a
year ago, the transition to coeducation was ac
complished swiftly and successfully and is generally
recognized to have contributed much to the College
apart altogether from considerations of enrollment.
The emphasis placed on our identity as a Catholic
institution whose goals and purposes, therefore,
transcend sheer academic pursuits continues to
contribute to that self-understanding without which no
college such as ours can succeed.
In my opinion, failure to change in any one of these
areas - governance, coeducation, and identity - would
have robbed the Abbey of the chance to survive this
crisis, and our progress in these fundamental areas is a
most positive response that bodes well for the future.
From a long-range point of view, the initiation of the
land development program provides financial
prospects for the years ahead that furnish a strong
psychological boost right now -- another positive
response to the crisis.
Many other changes, less fundamental but ex
tremely important, have been achieved, prompted
also, I believe, by the awareness of Trustees, ad
ministration and faculty of the urgent need to face up
realistically to the circumstances of our times:
curriculum reform, personalized advisement of
students, new programs such as the Distribution
Management major (unique in the nation), a degree in
General Studies for military personnel, the Re-Entry
Program for more mature students, a program for
students studying for the diocesan priesthood, the
establishing of the Belmont Abbey College - Wake
Forest University Ecumenical Institute, a program for
selected local high school students, evening classes in
continuing education, expanded efforts and additional
staff in recruiting students, significant yearly growth
in contributions to the College. For these and other
new thrusts, faculty, administrators. Trustees, must
be given great credit.
When we consider all of these positive responses to
the crisis in higher education, I believe it is not over-
optimistic to say that over the past few years we have
seen at the Abbey sufficient response to justify the
belief that the Abbey will eventually emerge a stronger
and better college. However, the road ahead is
dangerous and difficult, and all of us must continue to
respond well to the severe challenge of our times.
Ultimate success will depend on God’s continuing help,
maximum cooperation and effort on our part, and on
the prayers and support of all our alumni and friends.