51����

Today marks the 90th birthday of 51����’s beloved Jesuit chaplain, Rev. Cornelius M. Buckley, S.J. To celebrate the occasion, the community surprised Fr. Buckley at lunchtime with a gift of a new CD player, several discs, a cake, and the singing of “Happy Birthday.”

“We have been blessed since 2004 to have Fr. Cornelius Buckley at our college, a priest who loves Our Lord and the spiritual life of the Church,” said President Michael F. McLean. “Fr. Buckley has had a long and distinguished career as a priest in the Society of Jesus, an academic, an author, and an administrator. … He is a champion of orthodoxy, completely loyal to the Church and to the very best in the Jesuit tradition. He is a wonderful homilist, a counselor to students with a deft pastoral touch, sometimes an irreverent comedian, and a YouTube personality.”

“It is a joy for us, Father, to honor and thank you on your birthday,” Dr. McLean continued. “Dare I say, we hope you have many more.” Dr. McLean then asked Fr. Buckley to rise, and the students, faculty, and staff assembled in St. Joseph Commons followed, loudly cheering the College’s newest nonagenarian.

“Thank you very much,” replied Fr. Buckley upon taking the podium. “It’s a great privilege for me to be here, of course. These have been the happiest years of my life.” Keeping his remarks brief, Fr. Buckley added, “I’ll give you something pious to think about the next time I appear here like this. That will be in 10 years, so come back and hear that!”

Please send your greetings and express your appreciation
with a gift to the Fr. Buckley Scholarship Fund.