David Coleman, Professor of Philosophy and Religion, School of Humanities, Chaminade University

I can only express gratitude for the privilege of being at Chaminade University. It is a place where my faith is nurtured; at times, a place of refuge in an era that coopts faith for its own faithless ends or simply manifests indifference to the movements of the Spirit calling us to faith in our God who is Love. Chaminade has called me to a faith of the heart that motivates action in response to God’s command to love my neighbor as myself. It does not do this with a heavy hand, but with joyful hospitality, welcoming all to be most fully who we are within a community of learning and service. In its attention to its identity as a Catholic and Marianist University, it has helped me celebrate my faith in and through academics and service, developing habits of the heart and mind through which the presence of God in my life is imminent, while drawing me toward the horizons of transcendence. In this tension between imminence and transcendence, Chaminade has grounded me in service to our students, our University and Marianist communities, and called me to work for more equitable access to our Chaminade community, particularly for our Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander brothers and sisters. In gratitude, I can say it is a place that continually renews my journey of faith, hope and love, making me a better person.

Posted in Marianists Change Lives