Note: This message was originally sent on December 7, 2023
Today would have been Father Bernard J. Coughlin’s 101st birthday. He was our former president and chancellor as well as a friend and mentor to thousands.
Last week, I was reading a story written by my colleague, Holly Jones, about a recent encounter she had with two of our former vice presidents, Margot Stanfield and Sue Weitz, and Trustee Emerita Gerri Craves. The intent behind this not-yet-published story (sneak peek here) will be revealed another day. What I did not expect was to read about and see the theme of common connection emerge within the story – all triggered by Father Coughlin. Sue, Margot, Gerri and then a whole cadre of leaders (pictured above) and across this campus (not pictured) who started their journey at GU during Father Coughlin’s time as president and were influenced by his way of connecting with others. Their leadership today, shows these same traits.
We could not let today close without this commemoration of a transformative leader, so I turn to another to capture the significance of Father Coughlin’s bond with so many. Dr. Thayne McCulloh shared this closing reflection at Father Coughlin’s funeral service in 2020:
“God bless you; God love you. Father Coughlin consistently signed off—whether in his written notes, his phone calls, or his in-person conversations—with a heartfelt, ‘God bless you; God love you.’ What was striking about this for me is that it contained two core messages: First, he had an unshakeable belief not only in the existence of God, but in the Christian message at the heart of the Gospel—that God loves us, each and every one of us, just as we are. He was not only supremely confident in this belief, he was serenely. It was just fact. This unwavering confidence in God’s love was a force that vibrated strongly within him. It was the source of his strength in good times, in times of grief, in times of stress. His faith was his superpower. But another core message was what he was saying about you, when he said, ‘God bless you. God love you.’ He was saying, you matter. Your life has meaning. You are worthwhile. You matter to God, and you matter to me, also. When Barney said ‘God love you’ he also meant, ‘I love you.’”