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Heythrop College Graduation Ceremony


image by Damian Walker

image by Damian Walker

Heythrop College's Graduation Ceremony, held at Kensington Town Hall last Wednesday was a gala occasion, as hundreds of graduands, in their caps and gowns, processed to the stage to receive their BAs, MAs, and Doctorates - a record number this year. Professor Malcolm Cook was awarded an Honorary Fellowship and Dr John Wilkins received an Honorary Doctorate.

In his introductory address, Fr Michael Holman SJ, praised the graduands for their hard work and pointed out that Heythrop offers more than simply professional qualifications: "Because Heythrop's vision of education is one which sees human life as a unity in which our studies are related to the other aspects of our lives: moral, spiritual, social. It is a vision which has the care of the person and a personal approach to learning at its centre because it understands education to be a formation of that person. It is a vision which gives pride of place to shared responsibility and shared humanity. As Dr Rowan Williams, the former Archbishop of Canterbury, reminded us at the conclusion of our 400th anniversary conference at the Senate House last summer, being faithful to this vision ensures that education remains a work of service, a 'ministry' and does not become a mere 'commodity'."

Fr Holman also said a recent study rated 62% of Heythrop research as 'internationally excellent or world-leading'. Six months ago, the national student satisfaction survey, gave Heythrop a 90% overall student satisfaction rating, placing the college among the top three in the University of London institutions.

In June this year, Heythrop announced it would be unable to continue in its present form, because of financial pressures. Fr Holman said that since the announcement there had been a huge response from former students and academic world internationally. "We are all well aware of the support which our friends and former students have for Heythrop and the strong desire shared by everyone that our mission and work must carry on into the future. It would be a tragedy if what makes us who we are were to be no more. Intellectual life and the life of the Church in this country would be impoverished - without the distinctive way in which we bring theology into dialogue with philosophy and philosophy into dialogue with theology; without the work of our centres and institutes; without the opportunities we provide for ministerial training in a university context; without the resources we provide from the Catholic tradition for those of other Christian denominations, of other faiths and of no faith and without the personal approach to education which makes us proud to describe our work as a ministry."

The governors have established a 'Forward Planning Group' which includes all staff and student governors, and is coordinated, with the Jesuit Forum, Fr Holman said, concluding: "Our hope is that further news will be available next month and how I hope it will be good news."

Professor Malcolm Cook, Emeritus Professor of French and former senior deputy vice chancellor at the University of Exeter and an external advisor to Heythrop, was awarded an Honorary Fellowship for his contribution to higher education 'especially in guiding the development of quality assurance and enhancement policies and processes'.

John Wilkins was made a Doctor of Divinity, largely for his 21 years editorship of the Tablet. The citation reads: "He built up the Tablet as a platform for intelligent, mature and well informed communication, nearly trebling the circulation." In her introduction, Anna Abram, head of Pastoral and Social Studies, said Wilkins has the quality of 'a quiet attentiveness."

In his response, John Wilkins expressed his gratitude and said the award was very unexpected, and he was particularly pleased because it came from the Jesuits.

Working as editor of a Catholic publication can be challenging. He recounted a time when visited Australia, and Cardinal Pell, who was actually leaving to attend a World Youth Day in Toronto, sent him a message, saying he was sorry he was unable to say Wilkins was welcome in Sydney - as he was not. He commented that it was a brilliant stroke of Pope Francis to put Pell in charge of Vatican finances. "If this man can't do it no one can."

Recalling Leonardo Boff's comment on Pope Francis, Wilkins said that St Francis of Assisi was considered utopian in his time. Perhaps we had to wait for a Jesuit with Jesuit discernment to make that dream a reality.

Wilkins said John Henry Newman has been an important influence in his life. He reflected that Lord Hunt, one time chair of the Tablet board of governors who always had the passage from Newman in his wallet which says: 'God has created me to do Him some definite service. He has committed some work to me which he as not committed to another.'

John Wilkins concluded by saying he hoped that quotation would be an inspiration to all students and graduates of Heythrop.

Read more about Heythrop College here: www.heythrop.ac.uk/

To sign a petition to support Heythrop, see: https://netivist.org/campaign/stop-the-closure-of-heythrop-college

There will be some more pictures from the day on ICN's Facebook page

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