Note: This message was originally sent on December 6, 2021
Tomorrow, December 7, 2021, would have been Father Bernard J. Coughlin’s 99th birthday. It is hard to believe that he passed away just a little over two years ago. On the eve of this special day, I encourage you to take a moment to visit the memorial site, we stood up in the weeks following his passing, at gonzaga.edu/Coughlin where you will find stories, photos, videos, links to exhibits of his life and more. I invite you to read the eulogy delivered by Dr. Thayne McCulloh from Father’s funeral services. In particular, I hope you’ll key in on this closing message:
“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.’”
Thank you for holding Father close in your heart and carrying his story forward. He was such a gift to everyone who knew him. His values and way of proceeding are woven into the DNA of GU and therefore into each and every student we serve. Because of him, because of each of you and your support in GU, our students know their lives have meaning, they are worthwhile, they matter to God AND that they are part of something very special at GU—something that must and will carry on for generations to come, just like the spirit of Father Coughlin. He is in our hearts and minds tomorrow. God love you.
P.S. One of the many points of pride that Father Coughlin held close to his heart was the creation of our endowment, which took place during his tenure as President. Something to celebrate on his special day is the generosity of the gifts and investment strategies (wisdom) that have led to our endowment being ranked among the top 10% in the nation among other higher education institutions for performance/earnings. For each of you who have created and supported endowed funds and/or other various permanent funds, I hope you take great pride in knowing all you contribute to and make possible. Learn more: Endowment Performance