On the Naming of the new Chapel
at Dominican University, San Rafael.
John P. Piazza
Note: I originally wrote this document as a suggestion
for the name of Dominican’s new
chapel, but it soon became a vehicle for expressing my thoughts on the Rosary,
and its place in the Church. Your feedback
would be appreciated.
I am a Dominican alumnus from a Catholic background, and I
have an interest, both professional and personal, in religion, and particularly
in the Catholic community. Upon hearing that Dominican University is beginning
to decide on a name for the new chapel, I wanted to suggest not so much a
specific name as a general concept which, I believe, represents an important,
though often overlooked aspect of the faith. This is the Rosary. In the wake of
Vatican II, the Church has had to redefine the Rosary’s place in Catholic life
and worship, and the dialogue on this matter has only served to reaffirm at
least the potential significance which the Rosary holds for modern Catholics.
This affirmation has culminated in John Paul II’s apostolic letter Rosarium
Virginis Mariae, in which he calls for a renewal of this form of prayer
in this Year of the Rosary. For reasons given in that letter, as well as other
reasons, I think this religious concept is worth the committee’s attention,
especially as the name of the chapel will represent the future direction of the
ministry on the Dominican campus.
As a student
and teacher of comparative religion, I have witnessed firsthand what John Paul
II calls a “new call for spirituality,” and a “renewed demand for meditation.”
As a result of negative experiences with some form of Christianity, many young
people are seeking out other religions, which appear to posses a
contemplative and meditative aspect
which they see as lacking in their own tradition. Indeed, John Paul II sums up
well this phenomenon when he acknowledges that this desire “at times leads to a
keen interest in aspects of other religions. Some Christians, limited in their
knowledge of the Christian contemplative tradition, are attracted to those
forms of prayer.” For many of these seekers, the realization that Christianity
also has this inner contemplative strain allows them to look upon their own
tradition with new eyes, eyes which are open to the possibilities religion
holds for finding peace and strength in a difficult and confusing world. To me,
the emphasis on this inner strain seems to hold much promise for the college
demographic, and the Rosary seems to be the most accessible aspect of this
tradition in the Church. It holds the unique position of an ancient custom
which can also have a direct appeal to younger generations.
Another
association with the Rosary that the Church has emphasized in recent years is
that of peace. In Ingravescentibus
Malis, Pius XI praised the protection offered by the Rosary in various
crusades, past and present. But a closer look at even this document reveals
that the real struggle is taking place within each individual, and that the
Rosary can be of assistance to this internal battle against sin and the misery
which results from it. Later in the same document, Pius XI acknowledges the
effect of the Rosary upon this inner struggle, one which many moderns can
relate to.
Everyone can understand how salutary it
is, especially in our times wherein sometimes a certain annoyance of the things
of the spirit is felt even among the faithful, and a dislike, as it were, for
the Christian doctrine. Therefore, revive the hope of immortal welfare, while
the triumph of Jesus Christ and of His Mother, meditated on by us in the last
part of the Rosary, shows us Heaven open and invites us to the conquest of the
Eternal Country.
His successor, Pius
XII, in a similar document, echoes this message, clearly stating that peace is
to be achieved “not with force, not with arms, not with human power, but with
divine help obtained through the means of prayer...” (Ingruentem
Malorum).
In recent
years, interpretations of the Rosary have focused almost purely on the power it
has to foster peace on every level, from the individual to the family to the
world. This stance again culminates in John Paul II’s words, in an obvious
reiteration of his now famous anti-war stance.
Consequently,
one cannot recite the Rosary without feeling caught up in a clear commitment to
advancing peace, especially in the land of Jesus, still so sorely afflicted and
so close to the heart of every Christian . . . . Anyone who assimilates the
mystery of Christ–and this is clearly the goal of the Rosary–learns the secret
of peace and makes it his life’s project. (RVM)
“Moreover,” he continues,
by
virtue of its meditative character, with the tranquil succession of Hail
Mary’s, the Rosary has a peaceful effect on those who pray it, disposing them
to receive and experience in their innermost depths, and to spread around them,
that true peace which is the special gift of the risen Lord. (Ibid.)
This seems like the best use of an aspect of tradition which
can speak to modern issues in a very progressive way, without abandoning the
foundation provided by age-old practices.
Contrary to the older views of the
Rosary as nothing more than a device which generates indulgences and
forgiveness of sins, much recent attention has been focused on the direct value
of this form of meditation and prayer, of which people are in such need. A
result of this reexamination, new emphasis has been placed on its power to help
people and communities not by erasing or allowing sin, but through the direct
effect that meditative prayer can have on people. The “mechanical” repetition
of prayer, we see, can be viewed in an entirely different light.
The recitation of identical formulas
repeated so many times, rather than rendering the prayer sterile and boring,
has on the contrary the admirable quality of infusing confidence in him who
prays and brings to bear a gentle compulsion on the motherly Heart of Mary. (Pius
XI, Ingravescentibus
Malis, 10)
Far from being
mechanical, the repetition of prayer in the Rosary can actually help the
faithful to resist the allures of a society that so often wants its citizens to
become “like the machines they build--cold, hard, and devoid of love” (John XXIII,
Veterum Sapientia). Paul VI has added that without the inner
contemplation of the mysteries, this repetitious form of prayer is nothing more
than what skeptics have been calling it.
The inner quiet and peace
that the Rosary has been proven to offer people for centuries is precisely what
young people, who are constantly bombarded with agitating and confusing
messages from popular culture, are longing for. Indeed, people of all ages are
currently searching for a via
contemplativa in their own lives, as well as contact with an ancient
tradition that they can feel a part of, and these forms of prayer speak
directly to this need.
If we agree that the
problems suffered by individuals are often manifested in their community, then
we can see that the Rosary’s effect upon the individual is in no way opposed to
the well-being of the Church community at large, but in many ways serves as its
foundation. Of course, this is not to suggest that the Rosary, or any
individual aspects of the faith, should overshadow the Liturgical and community
aspects, which bind the religious community together. On the contrary, the Rosary has been
established as a contemplative aid which is ultimately Christ-centered and in
harmony with the Liturgy. It has been called a “compendium” of the liturgy
because of its inherent component of contemplation of the mysteries. John Paul
II, in adding a new set of mysteries to the Rosary prayer, has only reinforced
this aspect.
The connection of the Rosary with the
Dominican order is almost too obvious to mention. Tradition holds St. Dominic
to be the most fervent early proponent of the Rosary. As a result of this, the Dominicans
have been in large part responsible for its propagation among the rest of the
Church. This makes the Rosary a unique treasure of the Dominican order, while
serving at the same time as a unifying force within the Church among
individuals and families.
For these reasons, as well as many
others, I want to suggest that the name of the new chapel at Dominican
University incorporate the Rosary, as the public recognition of this important and unique aspect of the Catholic
faith. It is something “simple yet profound” (RVM)
which at once encompasses the personal and communal life of parishioners, and
is ultimately a much needed unifying force in a fragmented world of fragmented
people. If it is found that the Rosary is not an appropriate concept for the
name of the new chapel, I hope that my perspective can at least prompt further
discussion of how significant the chapel’s name will be with regard to the
future of the campus ministry.