The place of religion.

This convocation address was delivered at St. Paul's University, Ottawa. Editor.

This is a happy and delightful occasion. St Paul's is among Canada's most venerable universities, and I am honoured to become a part of it. I note that its foundation as the College of Bytown occurred in that great year of European revolutions, 1848. Certainly the remarkable initiative of the Oblate Missionaries deserves to be thought of as revolutionary, and I note that its second superior bore the name of Napoleon. Although I have spend many years working on the history of universities, I have to confess to considerable surprise at my inclusion in these happy proceedings. Ordinarily you might expect to be recognized by your alma mater, or by a university to which you had made some contribution, as Bishop Baycroft has done so impressively here. Captains of industry and giants of the corporate world may expect to be flattered by the acclamations of universities grateful for their bounty, and by the solicitude of those which still aspire to enjoy it. As my circumstances are far from theirs, I rather think tha t the Board must have approved my degree in a fit of absence of mind. Oh happy fault! It is very nice to be back at St Paul's as a guest.

This occasion is not about honorands, however, but about you, the graduates. I congratulate you on the achievement which we celebrate today, and I congratulate as well all of those who have helped to make it possible: your teachers, your sponsors, certainly your families. You have worked hard for what you have attained, and it may well be that others have supported your aspirations even at the cost of personal sacrifice. They are to be commended along with you, and your graduation today should give everyone concerned a buzz of satisfaction at a worthy goal attained.

I say a "worthy" goal since, whatever your Faculty, you will be entering into the service of your fellow Canadians from a formation that is Catholic, bilingual and ecumenical. You will have much to give, and you will live "in interesting times" as the saying goes. The traditions of Christian service to the common good are ancient, and rooted in the deepest well-springs of our civilization. They have been the inspiration of many of the greatest lives, the most enduring institutions of the past, and Christian ideals continue to provide the same inspiration today. As the Anglican Primate Archbishop Michael Peers reminded us recently, Christian faith continues to foster creativity and initiative in the realms of justice and compassion--the name of Tommy Douglas which he cited should be honoured by every Canadian (I say this in part as a native of Saskatchewan) as the name of Martin Luther King, also cited by him, is acknowledged now the world over.

Michael Peers. How refreshing to hear a churchman speak out on the national scene against the vapid secularism promoted by our governments and media today! Of course there was much anger at his impudence. The archbishop was attacked by a columnist in the National Post--of all places--who carefully ignored the theme and argument of the Primate in order to accuse him of special pleading. Shall I put it to you? Is it unreasonable to think that we are saddled with elected rulers and to some extent by paid servants of the media who would like us to agree that religion has played no part in the creation of Canadian society, Canadian values and Canadian aspirations, and plays no part in them today except, of course, to provide occasions of scandal? The archbishop spoke of what has become, de facto, the establishment of non-religion as the official religion of Canada. He spoke the truth.

I believe that it is our task as Christians to deepen and embellish our faith, as we embrace the aspirations of those of other faiths and work with them to serve the needs of all. It is folly to think-and I adapt the Primate's phrase-folly to think that we can promote social health while we ignore the aspirations of the human spirit and the religious traditions-wonderfully various as they are-- that attend to it. Make no mistake, my young friends and fellow graduates: we do not recommend ourselves to our colleagues and associates of other faiths - nor to those of no faith - simply by well-mannered deference to criticism, legitimate and otherwise, or by hunkering down in the trenches when there is a storm in the air.

Of course the air is stormy; when has it not been? But you would not be here if you did not think that your future ministry offered a life worth living and rich fulfillment in the service of others. I am here to tell you that it does. There are those who would work to see the religious traditions of Canadians jettisoned in the illusion that a perfectly secular society will be free of prejudice, enmity and hate. It will not. It has been tried. The tyrannous conformity of a secular ideology is one possible result: consider Nazi Germany. Consider Soviet Russia. The other is nihilism, where no principles are respected. Neither of these solutions offers the prospect of a liberal world of peaceful tolerance.

We have so much to be grateful for in Canada, and high among them is the fertile mingling of faith traditions. It is our duty - it is yours as you leave today - to see that the tradition you represent is presented with integrity, honest endeavour, compassion and a love of truth. If you do, your rewards will be rich indeed. And let me remind you in concluding of the words of St Paul in the liturgy on this Low Sunday of the Easter Season:

"By his great mercy he has given us a new birth into a living hope ... an inheritance that is imperishable, undefiled, and unfading.... In this you rejoice, even if now for a little while you have had to suffer various trials, so that the genuineness of your faith may be found to result in praise and glory and honour when Jesus Christ is revealed."

Remember this university. Remember one another. And remember always your great vocation. May God bless you all.

Fr. James Kelsey McConica, C.S.B., is President of the Pontifical Institute of Medieval Studies in Toronto.