SA国际传媒

BERKELEY, Calif., May 25, 2016 - In a secular and changing world, ordained and lay ministers should view themselves as 鈥渢rail guides鈥� who need to listen, 鈥渄o no harm,鈥� and trust their instincts even in uncertainty.

Those were some of the messages imparted by Rev. Donald Cozzens to the graduating class of SA国际传媒鈥檚 Jesuit School of Theology.

Cozzens, a Catholic diocesan priest and author of the renowned book The Changing Face of the Priesthood, and a sought-out speaker on numerous religious and cultural issues, addressed the 2016 class of more than 60 graduating students and their families and friends, at a ceremony on May 21 at the chapel of Pacific School of Religion, Berkeley, California.

Cozzens told this year鈥檚 group of theology graduates, 鈥淧ope Francis has noted, 鈥榃e are not living in an era of change, but a in a changing era, time of real, uncharted change.鈥� He said graduates will be challenged to 鈥渆licit the implicit, often unspoken questions that trouble people鈥檚 souls鈥� and 鈥渢hen and only then, let your truth speak to these questions.鈥�

As guides to those in need of ministry, he said, 鈥淚f we don鈥檛 know the map by heart, if we don鈥檛 know the silence of prayer, if we don鈥檛  listen, we can betray the trust of the pilgrims on the journey.鈥�

He added that with changes in the Church and world that can be both exciting and unsettling, 鈥渕any of the old trails are no longer trustworthy, some of the new trails are yet to be proven sound and safe. But Pope Francis urges us to move ahead and not be afraid to make mistakes.鈥�

Cozzens received a bachelor of sacred theology degree (S.T.B) from Catholic University of America in 1965, the same year he was ordained a priest, and went on to receive an M.A. from University of Notre Dame and a Ph.D. from Kent State University.  During the commencement event at JST-SA国际传媒, Cozzens received an honorary Doctor of Divinity degree.

A video of the address can be found .

About the Jesuit School of Theology of SA国际传媒
The Jesuit School of Theology of SA国际传媒, located in Berkeley, California, is a preeminent international center for the culturally contextualized study of theology. Its mission is to inspire and prepare men and women to become leaders in the Church, academy, and society, serving others through a faith that does justice. Rooted in Ignatian spirituality, JST educates and trains Jesuits, religious, ordained, and lay students from across the United States and from 40 other countries for lives dedicated to ministry and scholarship.

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