Bridging the waters of time and change
Monday, March 23, 2009
*Msgr. Franklyn Casale
Every year, on the feast of St. Joseph – March 19 – a vivid memory of a family trip to Montreal comes to my mind. I was visiting St. Joseph’s basilica at a time when it was being constructed. Although elevators were not working, our family was allowed access since safety codes were different back then. As I stood in silence in the magnificent building, watching the great stained glass windows and carved statues, I felt a tremendous sense of awe and silence. It was one of an awesome presence, the presence of God. I thought of so many people who would stand in the presence of Jesus once the Blessed Sacrament was housed in the shrine.
There are no words from St. Joseph recorded in Scripture. St. Joseph devoted his life to his family. Although he was a crucial part of messianic history, he was never a dominant presence. He points not to himself but to Jesus.
Joseph passed on two things to his Son. First, he was of the House of David, therefore he passed on royal ancestry, a concept essential to the messianic promise of God – that he would send a savoir, a king above all kings. Through Joseph, Jesus receives his kingly status in the human realm. Second, he passed on pragmatic knowledge and skill, which gave Jesus his carpenter’s trade.
All of us pass on many things to people we influence or people we mentor or
serve. This year on the feast of St. Joseph, St. Thomas University honoured a
great woman who has the qualities of Joseph. Marta Gutierrez, the longest
employed staff member at St. Thomas University, is retiring after 55 years of
service that started in Havana, Cuba. She is a living history of St. Thomas
University and has seen the university grow through all its historic stages:
first Santo Tomas de Villanueva in Havana, then Biscayne College in Miami and
then when the name was changed to St. Thomas University to reflect its
Cuban heritage.
Marta’s quiet faith always pointed to God’s love. Being a considerable presence in St. Thomas University and south Florida’s Cuban community, she never dominated yet was always visible. Day in and day out, she faithfully discharged her librarian duties in a most efficient way. She is so much a part of St. Thomas University and Santo Tomas de Villanueva (founded in 1946 in Havana). What still strikes me is her energy - serving coffee, checking a reference, keeping a record, helping our university for five decades.
Someday in heaven, Jesus will introduce “St. Joseph the Worker” to “St. Marta the Worker”. From Havana’s academic origins to the opening of our museum of Catholic history and art, Marta has connected all of us to our roots, to our people, history, dates and places. Long before archives…we had Marta.
Msgr. Franklyn Casale
President, St. Thomas University
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