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Christian Leadership to Truly Touch the World!
Sharing and Witnessing
Sharing and witnessing to Christ and her
Catholic faith, by Anne M. MacDonnell, Ph.D.,
North Providence, RI, USA.
Christian Leadership to Truly Touch the World!
In a world where secular humanism and moral relativism abound,
the search for the fullness of truth is a refreshing, necessary
journey. This journey requires each one of us to walk daily with
the Lord, realizing that we are in the world, but not of the
world. As we walk that journey every day, the Lord sustains us
if we try our best to cooperate with His will. Sometimes,
God directs our paths in ways that we may never even begin to
anticipate. In fact, there are times when God’s calling does
not make much sense to our limited human intellect at all. Yet,
it is at that very moment when we are most mystified that God
often calls us to make that quantum leap of faith and
place our trust totally in Him. Yes, God can take the most
enigmatic situations and turn them into countless, everlasting
blessings.
In the spring of 1995, a television commercial advertising
Regent University caught my attention. Somehow, I felt the
Lord was calling me to investigate this university. Yet, while
my heart and soul felt a special calling, the purely rational
side of me was contradicting this feeling. After all, I was
a committed Roman Catholic, and I believed that the population
at Regent University must surely consist of devout Evangelical
Christians. Now, I possessed the utmost respect for Evangelical
Christians who most assuredly do share many common beliefs with
Catholics. However, it did not appear to be very prudent, at
least on a human level, to pursue studies at a university that
embraced a theology with certain significant elements
that would be in total contradistinction with the teaching I
had absorbed and accepted unconditionally after thirteen
years of Catholic education. Still, as a Catholic Christian,
I have come to realize more and more that the supernatural
virtue of prudence may often contradict and must always
supersede what is ostensibly the most practical and pragmatic
of decisions on a purely human level of rationality.
Finally, after several weeks, I overcame my skepticism and
called the Regent University telephone number that had appeared
on the television screen. A friendly voice greeted me. However,
before I would allow this affable gentleman to continue any
further, I wanted him to immediately know that I was a Roman
Catholic. Needless to say, I was most surprised when he told me
that he was, too! He convinced me that there was a very
ecumenical atmosphere at Regent University.
So, in April of 1996, I decided to attend Preview Weekend at
Regent University. The doctoral program in organizational
leadership was being initiated, and it truly intrigued me,
especially since it was a computer-mediated, long-distance
program. I met some wonderful people who truly seemed to care
about me. What impressed me most was everyone’s emphasis on
allowing the Holy Spirit to help me discern as to whether or
not I should apply for this program.
After that weekend of prayer, reflection, and discerning, I
decided to apply right away. Within less than a week, I had
filled in the application, taken the Miller Analogies, and
gathered all the necessary information and documentation.
That alone was miraculous! Thus began an inspirational
journey, which affected my heart, mind, and soul in a profound
manner.
My three years of study in the doctoral program in organizational
leadership at Regent University proved to be the most challenging,
exhilarating, and inspirational of my life. It was a very intense
time in which my entire life was devoted to diligently pursuing
God’s truth through my studies. The wonderful aspect of this
program is the fact that all of my professors and my fellow
learners in Cohort I were deeply committed to the Lord. Also,
being a member of Cohort I was a pioneering adventure! After
all, we were members of the first cohort of learners to experience
a computer-mediated doctoral program in organizational leadership
anywhere in the world!
What an awesome privilege to be chosen by the Lord to embark on
a new, computer-mediated adventure involving the prayerful
sharing of charitable fraternity, ecumenical dialogue, scriptural
integration, and inspiring leadership- all based upon the principles
of Christian discipleship! Just as all Christians have been
commissioned to spread the Good News to all corners of the earth,
we were indeed using the miraculous power of the World Wide Web
to spread the Gospel literally throughout the entire planet.
What mission could be more exciting than this one?
In today’s world, a sort of false ecumenism often prevails. That
is, when Catholic Christians gather together with Christian of
other denominations, there is a tendency to limit the discussion
exclusively to areas of agreement. By the same token, at the
other end of the spectrum, individuals may become coercive,
manipulative, and self-righteous. Both of these extremes are
essentially disingenuous and actually cause more divisiveness
by obfuscating the truth. What was most interesting about
my academic experience at a Protestant University such as Regent,
was my unique opportunity to address all the topics and issues
I studied within the context of the Magisterial teaching of
the Catholic Church, without watering down the essential
doctrine and dogma of Catholicism. I was comfortable in
proclaiming my Catholic beliefs without any equivocation,
sensing an unconditional love and thoughtful respect from
my professors and fellow learners. In turn, I developed a mutual
respect for everyone in the School of Leadership Studies and
throughout Regent University. Despite our theological differences,
I truly was inspired by my fellow Christians’ love for the Lord,
His Word, and His people. Exploring our studies together in the
areas of theology, sociology, philosophy, business management,
education, communications and many other realms that comprise
Regent’s comprehensive program in leadership studies became
a cooperative spiritual and academic venture. This was not
only an opportunity to study and analyze Christian leadership
with a tremendous rigor, depth, and breadth of perspective, but
it also was a God-given opportunity to support one another both
academically and most prayerfully on a consistent basis for an
extended period of time. Through the miracle of the Internet,
this spiritual and academic collaboration occurred in an
atmosphere, permeated by a special bond of love, concern,
friendship, and cooperation between the fellow learners of
Cohort I and all the caring professors with whom we interacted.
In the summer of 1998, I was invited by faculty members to
address 150 doctoral students from the School of Leadership
Studies. This was a wonderful opportunity to express thoughts
and ideas regarding government and politics from a Catholic
Christian perspective. While my speech clearly articulated the
fact that the doctrine and dogma of Catholic teaching can never
be compromised, it also emphasized the importance of Catholics
and Christians publicly witnessing together in the name of
Jesus Christ while actively defending and promoting the sanctity
of human life and family life. Throughout the past several decades,
it is apparent that a true respect for the sanctity of the God-given
gift of life itself has been manipulated, excoriated, and essentially
abandoned by a government that is becoming increasingly
totalitarian and hostile toward Christianity and all its
principles of discipleship.
Embarking upon the adventure of researching and writing my
dissertation was the culminating experience of my program as a
student. I always wanted to compose a work that would represent
the fullness of truth and eventually evolve into a very meaningful
work for both present and future generations. I hoped that this
work would be timeless, significant, insightful, and intriguing
from all perspectives- historical, philosophical, sociological,
psychological, and, theological. Most of all, I prayed that the
work would reflect the truths that would be in full accordance
with the Magisterial teaching of the Catholic Church, founded
by Jesus Christ. As we’ve crossed the threshold of a new
millennium in the Church, John Paul II has continued to serve
as my most inspiring role model. The Holy Father is not only
the Vicar of Christ, but is also a Shepherd who gently but
firmly guides His flock with genuine love, concern, loyalty,
humility, discipline, and authority. His actions words, and
mere presence reflect and manifest true Christ-like virtue in
every manner. In the process of trying to discern a topic that
was the quintessential quality contributing to the development of
Servant Christian Leadership, I reflected upon the four cardinal
virtues (prudence, justice, temperance, and fortitude), which
have been so beautifully explicated by the most esteemed, yet
humble philosopher and theologian, St. Thomas Aquinas,
Doctor of the Church. The practice of the cardinal virtues
of prudence, justice, temperance, and fortitude emanate from
the theological virtues, which ultimately lead us to our
heavenly Father. The theological virtues of faith, hope, and
love are infused into our souls through the sacrament
of Baptism and are strengthened through prayers, charitable
deeds, and, in a special way, through the sacrament of the
Holy Eucharist, at which time Jesus Himself comes into our
hearts, bodies, minds and souls. The gift of the Holy Spirit,
which is infused into our souls as infants through the sacrament
of Baptism, is reaffirmed and strengthened when we, as young
adults, willingly accept all of the gifts and fruits of the
Holy Spirit in the sacrament of Confirmation. Therefore, in
light of John Paul’s Call to Holiness and after much prayer
and meditation between November of 1998 and January of 1999,
I decided upon a definitive topic and title for my dissertation:
Catholic Witness: Educating for Virtue.
I was truly blessed to have the opportunity to work with
seventh and eighth grade faculty members at St. Patrick’s Word
of God School in Providence, Rhode Island. While developing the
premise for my dissertation, I was also privileged to develop
a curriculum guide for teaching virtue while implementing a
series of lessons as an integrative part of the students’
program in religious studies, literature, and history. St.
Patrick’s is a school that is totally infused with the Holy
Spirit at work in every aspect of its curriculum and
community life, reflected in its unequivocal commitment
to Catholic teaching. Approximately one-third of the students
are non-Catholic, but everyone is welcome to attend the
school. Yet, while Catholic teaching is presented in complete
accordance with the Magisterial teaching of the Church,
non-Catholics are never coerced to accept these teachings.
Some students have converted to Catholicism from their own
volition, simply by witnessing the loving concern and teaching
example of those in the St. Patrick’s community. A spirit of
truly unconditional love permeates the school atmosphere.
At Regent, I knew that my mission as, scholar, evangelist,
and writer, which I truly felt the Holy Spirit was calling me
to fulfill, might be an especially challenging one. Defending
such an unequivocally Catholic dissertation in front of an
exclusively Protestant dissertation committee would not be
an easy task. Yet, the Lord works in mysterious ways. As I
mentioned previously, what often does not appear to be very
prudent when evaluated from our very myopic and limited
perspective as human beings may actually prove to be extremely
prudent from the perspective of our omniscient Creator. After
all, His vision is limitless and extends into the realm of
all eternity. Granted, my professors did not fully share
the theological and philosophical beliers that pervaded my
dissertation; yet, they did show a profound respect for my
work from a purely scholarly perspective. Needless to say,
I successfully defended my dissertation. I am grateful to
God for the opportunity to share and explain the Catholic
teaching on virtue with fellow Catholics, other Christians,
and even non-Christians through the publication of my
dissertation, Catholic Witness: Educating for Virtue.
Perhaps the greatest ecumenical experience that touched me
most deeply at Regent University occurred during my graduation
ceremony on May 13, 2000 on the university campus. First of all,
this date was personally very significant to me because it
commemorated Our Lady of Fatima’s apparition. I strongly
believe that the Blessed Virgin’s intercession played a key
role in my successful completion of the doctoral program. Our
commencement speaker was none other than the prominent
Catholic convert, author, philosopher, and ordained
priest, Father Richard John Neuhaus. The Reverend Pat
Robertson, Founder and Chancellor of Regent University,
introduced Father Neuhaus in a very zealous, enthusiastic,
and ebullient manner. The mere fact that a Catholic
priest would be the main commencement speaker at my graduation
truly reaffirmed that I was most assuredly drawn to Regent
University through divine intervention. Father’s emphasis on
becoming a part of that “great cloud of witnesses” that the
Lord calls us to be and his focus on the integration of our
faith into every aspect of our daily lives was very inspirational.
I was so moved by his commencement speech that I personally
sent Father Neuhaus a congratulatory message the very next
day. Much to my surprise, in spite of his busy schedule,
within one week, Father Neuhaus reciprocated by sending me
a personal congratulatory message of encouragement, which I
have kept and greatly cherished.
Shortly after graduation, my affiliation with Regent University
would continue when I was afforded the thrilling opportunity of
becoming an adjunct professor in the master’s program in
organizational leadership. Having the unique privilege of
teaching a course on team leadership to committed Christian
students in such faraway places as South Africa and
Hong Kong, as well as Europe and throughout the United States
has been an awesome experience, which has enriched me both
spiritually and intellectually. Having been on the “other
side of the monitor” previously myself, I certainly have been
able to empathize with students regarding the various challenges
that often accompany asynchronous communication. Yet, with the
grace of God, my students and I have always managed to
communicate consistently, respectfully, prayerfully, and
lovingly in the name of Jesus, Our Lord and Savior. Thanks
to the courage and innovation of my professors and fellow
learners in Cohort I, I certainly learned how invaluable and
significant this type of communication is from my experiences
as a student during those initial, pioneering years of the
organizational leadership program.
As a daily communicant who is loyal to the teachings of the
Catholic Church, I do constantly pray the prayer of Jesus, namely
that “all may be one”. My experience, both as student and professor
at Regent University, has deepened my faith as a Catholic and my
appreciation for the gift of my faith. I can honestly state that
I have been forever deeply touched by the kindness and charity
of all those whom I have encountered at Regent and the challenging
curriculum that afforded me opportunities to truly integrate and
infuse my faith into everything I experience in my daily life.
Finally, I must acknowledge how blessed I have been to be able to
pray, share Scripture, and enjoy fellowship with other Christians
who also support pro-life, pro-family values, while desiring
to become leaders who serve Christ the King by leading others to
Him. How grateful I am that the Lord led me to study and actively
pursue the role of Christian leadership at Regent University. I
hope and pray that I may always continue to be a part of the
community that I have joyously discovered as a member
of Regent University’s Christian family.
Anne Marie McDonnell, Ph. D.
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