Spring 2003 - Fenwick High School

Secrets of Success
CELEBRATING FAITH
Celebrating with Music
“Evangelization and Religious
Education” is one of seven
categories for which the Archdiocese
of Chicago recognizes outstanding
teachers who “demonstrate enthusiasm,
energy and spiritual commitment
to our students.” Fenwick’s Br.
Jordan Kelly, O.P., Director of Faith
Formation and Theology, was one of
only two teachers from throughout
Chicago Archdiocese elementary
and high schools to receive a 2003
Heart of the School Award in that
area.
Br. Jordan Kelly, O.P.
Brother Kelly joined the Fenwick faculty in 2000. In addition to
teaching theology at Fenwick, Br. Kelly has organized a campus
ministry choir to sing at liturgical celebrations. He believes that
students at this age are often seeking “someone and something to
pattern their lives after. It’s important to give them permission
among their own peers to say and show they are fascinated by Jesus
Christ and the Church.”
Brother Jordan was ordained as a deacon in October of 2003 and at
his request, the Ordination Liturgy took place at Fenwick at an allschool
Mass. It was recorded on video and is available on the web
site: www.fenwickfriars.com (see video/audio section)
Faith on the Big Screen
Lumen Multimedia: Dominicans Are Preaching
on the Frontiers of Culture
By Rev. Reid Perkins-Buzo O.P.
Iwas in a small village in Honduras, watching an old U.S. TV
show with a large group of Hondurans. From their absorption
in the inane adventures, it was obvious how much these
reruns were a part of their lives! All over the world today the
media are the most powerful sources of the popular imagination.
Given the power of the media, Dominican General Chapters
since 1977 have urged the Friars to preach using it. To answer
this call, in 1996 five Dominicans – Alicia Alvarado, O.P.; Isabel
Rafferty, O.P.; Anita Smisek, O.P.; Richard Woods, O.P.; and
myself – founded Lumen Multimedia to develop media on faith,
spirituality, and Christian living. Lumen is a non-profit 501c3
corporation; I am its Executive Director. Lumen has won two
international awards for the CD-ROM Sinsinawa Dominicans.
Lumen also produced the film, Quantum Memory, which I wrote
and directed. It brings together quantum mechanics, poetry,
love, and death in a reflection on Christian friendship. It has
been screened at the CIVA Festival (Dallas), Film Centre
(Dublin, Ireland), and 17th International Catholic Film and
Multimedia Festival (Warsaw, Poland). Fenwick students acted
in Quantum Memory.
Understanding
Other Religions
8
SPRING 2003
Seniors at Fenwick may know more about Islam than many
average Americans. In the World Religions class taught by
theology teacher by Pat Mulcahy, students explore not only the
Muslim religion, but also Hinduism, Buddhism, and Judaism.
According to Pat, “The value of learning about other religions is
that it gives students background for interpreting their world.”
For example, in discussions related to current events, students
could put a “fatwah” (a legal opinion on an Islamic point of law)
into some kind of context.
“Students begin to see that although religions tend to ‘act’ very
differently, they seek to answer common human questions and
needs.”
Rev. Reid Perkins-Buzo O.P., during filmmaking.
Catholic filmmakers, like other Catholic artists, are after a
transformation of heart, a metanoia, in the viewer. A film may
seem a long way from the Sunday homily. But, because of the
unique position of the media today, the Dominican filmmaker
has the most effective means of preaching in our media saturated
society.
Fr. Perkins-Buzo also has taught at DePaul, Loyola, Columbia
and Northwestern universities. During his studies at
Northwestern, he won the Center for Interdisciplinary Research
in the Arts Fellowship, and the Excellence in Art and Technology
Certificate from the Center for Art and Technology.