Because the recently deceased Msgr. Glynn believed it should.
Along with most of the CSC staff, I attended Msgr. Glynn's funeral today. While I was there in the Basilica pews, I couldn't help but think, "What does this man mean to me?"
You see, I never met Msgr. Glynn. Maybe I did and I just don't remember it. But my point is that I have no personal memory or experience of him.
So I sat there in the pews wondering what Msgr. Glynn meant to me. Did I have any feelings about this man?
Then the answers--two of them--hit me:
- I have this job because of Msgr. Glynn
- I have my faith because of Msgr. Glynn
It's quite possible that Washington University wouldn't have a Newman Center without Msgr. Glynn. Think about that for a minute, especially if you've been personally affected by the CSC. It's quite possible the CSC would not exist. Or if it did, it might be two miles away from campus or it might not have a chapel or Fr. Gary wouldn't be the priest. The CSC wouldn't exist in its current form were it not for Msgr. Glynn.
Like many students, I came to Wash U back in '99 fairly ambivalent about my faith. Growing up, being Catholic had never really been a choice, and now all of a sudden it was (along with what I ate, how late I went to bed, what I watched on TV, what I studied, etc.). Without a vibrant faith community, it's quite possible my faith would have sizzled and faded away.
Instead, thanks to Msgr. Glynn's efforts to procure a building right off campus and attach a beautiful chapel to it and be succeeded by a great homeliest and conversationalist, I had one of the top Newman Centers in the country available to me. My faith was ignited and challenged, and it grew. And now I work here as a result.
Msgr. Glynn, if you can read blogs in heaven, I want to thank you for founding the Newman Center. You created the foundation for the being in faith I am today. I am forever grateful for your work and ministry.
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