A Visit from Bishop Barron

With an exciting night of Italian sodas, pinatas, and quesadillas in their memories, students on the High School Summer Program awoke this morning to the glorious sights of the California campus. Nestled in the foothills of the Topatopa mountain range, the campus offers hikes into the surrounding hills (and mountains!), and a group of dedicated Programmers took advantage of that opportunity bright and early. “It was beautiful!” one of the hikers remarked.

After hikes and the 7:15 morning Mass, students dug into a hearty breakfast, fortifying themselves for a day of scriptural exegesis. At their first class they discussed the first 10 chapters of Genesis, from the accounts of Creation to the flood narrative. Some sections compared the two stories of Creation, contemplating why the Bible includes two accounts rather than just one. Others focused on defining difficult concepts, inquiring into the natures of free will, goodness, and other related topics.

When the morning class came to an end, many students made their way over to Our Lady of the Most Holy Trinity Chapel. Yet offering the midday Mass was not Summer Program Chaplain Fr. Sebastain, but a visiting celebrant — the Most Rev. Robert E. Barron, Auxiliary Bishop of Los Angeles!

A good friend of the College, Bishop Barron will soon be leaving the Archdiocese’ Santa Barbara Pastoral Region to be installed as Bishop of Winona-Rochester, Minnesota. Graciously, His Excellency paid one last visit to the California campus before leaving the region. In addition to offering the Mass, he took time to pose for photos with Summer Program students and ate lunch with College officials.

During his homily, the Bishop first appealed to the philosophical aspect of TAC, saying that to pursue God is to pursue “the First Cause, the Unmoved Mover.” He went on, explaining that by using our intellect to understand God, we come to know Him. Likewise, God “moves our will” and uses our understanding to draw us to Him. His Excellency then asked the programmers what drove their will to attend the Summer Program, tying this pursuit and others like it to the ultimate pursuit of Eternal Happiness. “God moves us to happiness,” he said. “Ask, ‘What does God want for me?’ That question will change your life.”

Students pondered that question and more over a lunch of turkey-club sandwiches, chips, and salad in St. Joseph Commons. “I really love the depth of the Great Books,” said one programmer, reflecting on his experience of Catholic liberal education. “Even though I’ve read some of these works before, I find more in them each time.”

And with that, it was time for the afternoon class. Students continued their discussion of Genesis, with many sections focusing on God’s covenant with Abraham and the sacrifice of Isaac. Kierkegaard grappled with the latter in his Fear and Trembling, the subject of tomorrow’s classes. Between that and students’ recent discussions of piety and duty in Plato and Antigone, there are sure to be numerous connections drawn in the coming discussions.

As of this writing, afternoon rec time has begun. Check the Summer Blog tomorrow for a full report on all of tonight’s activities!