Success and Succession

"Mahogany Row"
College of the Holy Cross, Worcester MA

The ground floor of the main administration building at Holy Cross is commonly known as “Mahogany Row.” It’s one of my favorite interior spaces on campus, and reminds me of a style more akin to the elite boarding school portrayed in one of my favorite films– Dead Poets Society. When I walk down its tiled hallway, past the panes of frosted glass on office doors that open inward, my attention is drawn upwards to the oil portraits of the College’s past presidents. Early last Friday morning, workers hung the thirty-first portrait, honoring Rev. Michael McFarland, SJ, whose nearly twelve years of leadership fostered significant growth and development of the College in nearly every aspect of its identity, and made an indelible impression on the life of the Holy Cross community.

[An excellent article about Fr. McFarland's time as president of Holy Cross appeared last month in the Worcester Telegram and Gazette.]

Rev. Michael McFarland, SJ
31st President of the College of the Holy Cross (2000-2012)

Having lived in community with Michael since moving to Worcester, I’ve admired his highly successful and effective leadership of Holy Cross, as well as his presence around the house. I’ve also enjoyed seeing him on the roads around the College, as we’re both avid early morning runners. I’m grateful for all that he’s taught me by his example– the importance of regular, visible, generous, and personal involvement in the life of the community, the asset of a creative balance between prayer and work, exercise and rest, and a clear sense that devotion to a given mission of the Society of Jesus is inseparable from attention to the hopes, dreams, concerns, and needs of the people whom it serves. Even from my humble post in the College’s grant-writing office, these are lessons that I’m trying to incorporate in my daily work, striving to aid in sustaining the mission and enhancing the legacy of Holy Cross.

[Also, just posted today on the Holy Cross website, is a brief announcement welcoming Rev. Philip Boroughs, SJ to campus on his first day serving as the College's thirty-second president. May God bless him and his ministry to the Holy Cross community!]