By The Rev. Bill Dorwart, C.S.C.
Last week, our life here on The Bluff was celebrated and honored by events taking place in Le Mans, France.
I was invited to participate in the ceremonies there in France surrounding the beatification of the Rev. Basil Anthony Moreau, C.S.C. My experience there found me standing in awe of what we are all a part of here at the University of Portland.
Over the course of three days, the beatification celebration in Le Mans drew thousands of people into various moments of storytelling and feasting; singing and praying. While it was all rich food for the soul, one of the most memorable events for me was the very first.
A large caravan of buses moved those of us visiting from the city of Le Mans to Laigné-en-Belin, a rural village about 30 miles away, where Fr. Moreau grew up.
We assembled near the mayor's office in the town square, at the door of the village church where young Basil was baptized. Nearby there stood a small, humble house where he (the ninth of 14 children) was born.
There beneath a clear-blue morning sky, in the light of a new day the crowd was abuzz. It was like a family reunion, as people from every corner of the globe stepped off their bus to tell a common story in a variety of languages.
The square was chaotic, there was excitement in the air, and the church bells called us to attention. The villagers welcomed the visitors. And then the first of many accounts of a local farmer/wine merchant's son unfolded.
Near the end of the ceremony (before the French Champaign reception in the mayor's courtyard), representatives from various countries were called forward to place the flag of their respective country on the steps of the church.
One by one, they moved through the crowd as their country's flag unfurled. When the last one came forward and the sound of the bells echoed across the countryside, 21 flags were planted at the steps of that small village church. I trembled a little - from this very spot UP's story (and so many others) began to take shape!
At that moment, I thanked God for Blessed Basil Anthony Moreau - for his faith in God, his vision for education and his commitment to youth echoing across the world, making a difference in the lives of so many.
I then prayed for you, and thanked God for the possibilities that life affords each of us here on The Bluff. As the story continues to unfold in our telling and living may it ring true as a blessing for generations to come.
