Mark Stelzer - Along the Way: The Life, Lessons, and Legacy of Father Hugh F. Crean

Dedication

The College of Our Lady of the Elms

Chicopee, Massachusetts

Dedicates this Work

To the Memory of

Father Hugh Francis Crean, PhD, STD

(19372015)

Parish Priest, Professor and College Trustee, Visionary, and Friend

And to the Members of

The Crean and Andrews Families

In the face of a true friend, one finds a second self.

Cicero, De Amititia

Contents

Foreword

I am particularly humbled by the invitation to write the foreword to this book honoring Father Hugh Crean, in whose honor the College of Our Lady of the Elms established the Father Hugh Crean Endowed Distinguished Lecture Serie s in 2019.

In so many ways, this book reflects the commitment of Elms College and our Saint Augustine Center for Ethics, Religion, and Culture to work collaboratively with the Diocese of Springfield in advancing our Catholic mission and the legacy of women and men like Father Hugh Crean, whose ministry has impacted the lives of so ma ny people.

This book honors Father Creans very special relationship with Elms College. A gifted classroom teacher, informed trustee, and honorary degree recipient, Father Crean was deeply committed to the vision of the Sisters of St. Joseph of Springfield who, in 1928, founded the College. At the same time, he was instrumental in helping Elms College realign its mission and programming in response to the changing needs of the Church and society. His keen financial sense helped guide Elms College through some very l ean years.

I express sincere thanks to Father Creans family for entrusting Elms College with the actual manuscripts and typescripts of material Father Crean hoped to publish. Because of their trust, the book their uncle, great-uncle, and brother-in-law envisioned has become a reality.

I am also most grateful to alumnae and other friends of Elms College who worked behind the scenes to get these manuscripts ready for publication. In particular, I thank Dr. Rosalie Ford (62), who worked tirelessly with Father Crean in the late 1980s and 1990s to organize many of the homilies and other material found in this book. Without Dr. Fords hard work and attention to detail, this book would not be. I also thank Sister Eileen Murphy (69) and Mary Ellen OConnor (74) for dutifully reviewing the material organized first by Dr. Ford and later by Sister Margaret McCleary and Cheryl Willis. Finally, I thank Sister Angela Deady (69) and Kathleen Gilhooly (74) for editing the essays submitted by our con tributors.

This book is of particular value insofar as it affords the reader (or listener) firsthand access to original material first written by Father Crean. Added value is found in the contributions of faculty members and friends of Elms College who expand on the major themes and foundations of Father Cre ans work.

Sister Jane Morrissey, former member of the Elms College faculty and Father Creans childhood friend, shares memories of Father Hughs family and the formative influence of Saint Marys Parish, and Saint Marys Grammar and High School, all in Westfield, Mass achusetts.

Dr. David OBrien, former professor of history at Father Creans alma mater, the College of the Holy Cross, shares a talk he first delivered at Elms College in 2021 in conjunction with the Reverend Hugh Crean Distinguished Lecture Series. In that talk, which has been adapted for this book, Dr. OBrien considers some of the challenges society faced in the wake of Vatican II, which began in 1962, the same year Father Hugh was ordained.

Dr. Michael McGravey, assistant professor of religious studies and director of the Institute for Theology and Pastoral Studies at Elms College, explores Vatican IIs invitation to shared ministry. Dr. McGravey also discusses some of the tensions and challenges of shared ministry that Father Hugh first highlighted in a talk delivere d in 1984.

Sister Mary Johnson, congregational leader of the Sisters of Notre Dame de Namur and native of Sacred Heart Parish in Springfield, Massachusetts, where Father Crean ministered for many years, shares rich sociological and pastoral insight into what life and ministry in that inner-city parish looked and felt like in the last half of the twentieth century. Sister Mary also introduces us to Father Creans cherished colleagues in ministry during his years at Sacred Heart. Sister Marys essay is particularly pertinent, given that she was the inaugural speaker for the Reverend Hugh Crean Distinguished Lectu re Series.

Dr. Peter DePergola, Shaughness Family Chair for the Study of the Humanities, executive director of the Saint Augustine Center for Ethics, Religion, and Culture, and associate professor of bioethics and medical humanities at Elms College, suggests ways in which theologian Paul Tillich, the subject of Father Creans doctoral dissertation, impacted Father Creans lifelong quest to understand the interplay of faith and doubt in the life of the believer. As chief ethics officer for Baystate Health, based in Springfield, Massachusetts, Dr. DePergola also describes how Creans insights can be brought to bear in the care of patients and families living with complex medical diagnoses as they experience intermittent moments of great faith and gr eat doubt.

Last but certainly not least, Father Mark Stelzer, special assistant to the president for Catholic identity, college chaplain, and associate professor of humanities at Elms College, invites us to consider ways in which Father Creans priesthood of fifty-three years became, in effect, a sacrament of friendship for all who knew and loved him. It is no hyperbole to say that this project would not have taken place without the quiet leadership of Father Stelzer. He has been behind every aspect of it, from the initial contact with the family of Father Crean to the selection of the project contributors to the interaction with the publishing house. I express special thanks to Father Stelzer for the time and effort he has devoted as editor and leader of thi s project.

Father Creans great mentor, Paul Tillich, reminds us that the first duty of love is to listen. I invite you to listen with me to the voice of God that speaks to us through the pages of this book. At the same time, I invite you to listen with me to the voice of Father Hugh Crean encouraging us on our common journey along the way.

Harry Dumay , PhD, MBA

President

College of Our Lady o f the Elms

Chicopee, Mas sachusetts

I ntroduction

This collection of homilies, reflections, and essays extends to those who knew Father Hugh Francis Crean (19372015) an invitation to listen once again to a familiar voice. At the same time, this collection affords an opportunity for those who never knew Hugh to listen for the first time to a voice that uplifted Gods people in the Diocese of Springfield, Massachusetts, and beyond for more than fifty-th ree years.

Prior to his retirement from full-time ministry in 2005, Hugh spoke frequently of a desire to publish his homilies and talks. That hope only intensified during his retirement years. A handwritten prayer found among his papers reflects this hope:

Lord, please give me one last energy to complete my work of writing and finishing my little project for humble pu blication.

I am tired but I hope not yet finished.

Help me, O God.

As a result of a diagnosis of Alzheimers disease in 2005, Hugh was never able to publish. The contributors to this project are most grateful that Hugh did write an introduction, foreword, and outline for the work he envisioned. To no small extent, these pieces have guided the selection of material included in this book. These pieces were also helpful in the choice of authors invited to expand on the rich theological, ministerial, and pastoral insights found in Hughs writings.