The great universities throughout Catholic history have always played two important roles. First, they have formed the teachers and leaders who instruct and guide the faithful. Second, they have provided a place to reflect upon God, revelation, and reality. Through this tradition of contemplation within university life, the Church has made theological breakthroughs and has come to better understand its mission and the world in which it must share the Gospel.

Today, the Catholic Church needs a research university that can carry out these twin missions. We must prepare the Church’s future leaders and give them a theological vision that inspires them to undertake the task before us today: to share the Gospel in our sprawling, complex, and diversified world.

We must provide each of these students with the formation they need, not just to know their faith, but to share it successfully in their unique home contexts.
The proposition before us is nothing less than the mission of the Church.

It is time to think globally. It is time to think universally. The world is our mission field.

Together, let us light a fire that reaches the ends of the earth.