Woodstock celebrated the completion of its 30th Anniversary Year on Sunday, September 25 with a mass in Dahlgren Chapel of the Sacred Heart on the campus of Georgetown University. Avery Cardinal Dulles, S.J., delivered the homily.  Comments on the work of Woodstock were given after communion by Tim Brown, S.J., provincial of the Maryland Province, and Dan Porterfield, Vice President of Strategic Development at Georgetown. Woodstock is grateful to all those who have made this work possible, especially to our past and present benefactors.   Woodstock continued its 30th Anniversary celebration on September 26 with a Woodstock Forum on "Re-envisioning the Papacy."  The forum was featured in an article on Catholic News Service. Woodstock Theological Center - After Thirty Years Dahlgren Chapel, Georgetown University, September 25, 2005 Avery Cardinal Dulles, S.J. It is with great joy that I join this group to celebrate the thirtieth anniversary of the Woodstock Theological Center. I feel privileged to have been, with Father Walter Burghardt, among the founding fathers, and to have seen the Center begin to take shape under its first director, Father Ed Glynn. As a long-time associate I have had a share in some of its achievements and watched others of them from a distance with admiration. This anniversary liturgy provides an occasion both the commemorate the past and to open our ears to what the Spirit may be telling us today. Woodstock is, in the first place, a theological center. This means that it ponders the word of God, the Logos theou. Its particular mission is see what theology might have to say to people involved in secular callings such as business, law, medicine, and government, here in the nation's capital. God's word is spoken, we believe, not only to the Church but to the world. The Church could almost be defined as that portion of the world which listens attentively and obediently to the word of God. The relationship of the Word of God to the world is dramatically set forth in the text from Philippians, our second reading. Paul declares that the heavenly Christ, the living Word of God, did not see divine power and glory as something to be grasped or clung to, but emptied himself, taking on the form of a slave. The Son of God chose the path of obedience, humiliation, and suffering in order to redeem a world that pursued the self-assertion, self-aggrandizement, and autonomy to excess. The world crucified its Lord, but the Lord was raised to glory. In writing this passage Paul presumably had in mind the contrast between Christ and Adam. Adam, the first man, was given dominion over every living thing on earth, but God did not allow him to eat the fruit of the tree that would bring death. Tempted by the serpent, Adam distrusted the goodness of God. Seeking to be equal with God and free from every higher law, he disobeyed. For him, divinity was something to be grasped at. Looking out over the world of our day, we see tremendous and revolutionary changes due in great part to the advances of science and technology. These changes put enormous power in human hands. Satan's promise to Adam and Eve, "You shall be as gods," now seems to be bearing fruit. It almost seems as though God were no longer needed, because man can be a god to himself. We have ever-increasing control over our natural environment, over health and disease, over life and death. We can order in advance the kind of babies we want and produce them in test tubes. Technology, in the footsteps of our first parents, is often unwilling to submit to any moral restraints that might come from the Creator. Security, however, still evades us. The world constructed by technology is fragile to an extreme. Every increase in human power over nature brings possibilities of devastation as well as of progress. Without guidance from above, our world seems headed for disaster. Unable to escape the dangers, people are tormented by anxiety. Many suffer from mental illness and are driven to suicide. Today's readings speak well to our situation. Do you, like Ezekiel, hear anyone complaining in the face of recent disasters, "God's ways are not fair"? Are people responding to the call of the Baptist to repent and believe the gospel? Do they humble themselves and turn to God as suppliants, pleading for forgiveness, or do they point an accusing finger at God, demanding apologies from him? Are people still capable of adoration, of bowing their knees to the Lord and confessing with their tongues the Name above all names? The Church has much to say to the worlds of business, finance, medicine, and politics. It can encourage and bless all that is good and consonant with God's purposes. Human skill and technical proficiency are not evil in themselves. Properly guided, they can achieve much good. The Church, through its tradition of social teaching, can help to guide human organization in the paths of decency and justice. The deepest theological problem, perhaps, is to grasp the correct relationship between technological progress and the promised Kingdom of God. Does that Kingdom arrive in the form of power and prosperity for those who stand at the forefront of progress? Or is the Kingdom accessible also to those who are left behind, to the wretched of the earth, who do not enjoy the benefits of economic growth? The answer to these questions might indicate something about the specific mission of the Church. The gospel, I suggest, operates in a different dimension than technology. Christian hope looks not toward a man-made utopia but toward the dominion of the same Christ who embraced the Cross. It is his Cross that vanquishes evil and redeems the world. The first and indispensable task of the Church is turn men's minds and hearts to Him who has inherited the Name above all names. Over these thirty years, the Woodstock Center has held many fine conferences and published many excellent studies - more than I myself am aware of. Perhaps its experience has borne out the conviction that the world cannot be saved without Christ its Lord. Still today he comes into the world not from within but from above, not with a display of power but in poverty and weakness. The readings give us ample material for our theological reflection. Post-Communion Words at the Liturgy for Woodstock's Founding Dahlgren Chapel, Georgetown University, September 25, 2005 Timothy B. Brown, S.J., Provincial  Maryland Province of the Society of Jesus How fitting that we have gathered  at Eucharist on this occasion.  Eucharist means "Thanksgiving."  And we have gathered to thank God for inspiring the founding of the Woodstock Theological Center over thirty years ago. There were four people in particular that God inspired at that time. The first two were the Provincials of the Maryland and New York Provinces, Father Al Panuska and Father Eamon Taylor, who made the decision to establish the Woodstock Center and to locate it at Georgetown University.  They, in turn, had been inspired by Father Pedro Arrupe, the Superior General, who, in a famous address in 1970, listed four apostolic priorities for the Society of Jesus. The first priority was, and I quote, "theological reflection on human problems of today."  Father Arrupe was passionate in his promotion of social justice and he saw theological reflection as indispensable for its attainment. . Shortly thereafter, Father Avery Dulles published several very influential reflections on Father Arrupe's choice of theological reflection, one in the Way, an English Jesuit publication, and the other in America magazine.  With his typical theological care, Father Dulles laid out the essential stepping stones along the pathway of solid theological reflection. So at the founding of the Woodstock Center, its vigorous foundation was laid by a Jesuit General, a Jesuit Cardinal, and two Jesuit Provincials. That foundation laid out the purpose and the process.  Promotion of social justice is the purpose, and theological reflection is the process. It is reflection on our experience which leads to accurate understanding that guides wise and productive decisions for the health of society, the human community, the family of God.  It is a mission which is as necessary today as it was in 1974.  And it is a mission which has been pursued over the years not only by the Center's staff, but by hundreds and even thousands of people - like those of you gathered here - who have served as Board members and in other advisory capacities, who have participated  in projects, and who have funded them to completion. So as we gather to thank God for Woodstock's founding, we also gather to beg God that we, in our day, may remain faithful to the vision God inspired in our four "Founding Fathers."  For this we pray to the Lord. Companions and Fellow Travelers: The Georgetown/Woodstock Partnership at Thirty Dahlgren Chapel, Georgetown University, September 25, 2005 Daniel R. Porterfield, Ph.D., Vice President for Public Affairs and Strategic Development, Georgetown University Good afternoon, and thank you for joining us today to recognize the 30th Anniversary of the Woodstock Theological Center.  I bring greetings from Georgetown University President John J. DeGioia, who deeply appreciates the work of Woodstock and its relationship with the University.  Dr. DeGioia and all members of the University community extend our gratitude and good wishes to His Eminence Avery Cardinal Dulles for coming to Washington, D.C. to celebrate Mass on this special occasion.  We give thanks for the energizing presence of the Very Reverend Father Tim Brown, S.J., the Provincial of the Maryland Jesuits; Jesuit Directors of Woodstock, past and present; Woodstock fellows and staff, past and present;  and the many friends and benefactors of Woodstock. We congratulate and thank the Woodstock community for three decades of service to the Church and the world, to the Society and the University.  The providential decision made 30 years ago by the Maryland and New York Provinces to locate the Woodstock Theological Center and its library here at Georgetown has enlivened both of our communities in countless ways.  Dr. DeGioia asked me to offer a few reflections about the powerful relationship between our two institutions.  That's an easy and joyful task. In our mission statement, we say that as a Catholic and Jesuit university, Georgetown strives to educate "women and men to be reflective lifelong learners," who are "responsible and active participants in civic life" and "live generously in service to others."  This is the Jesuit ideal of the "contemplative in action" -- someone who seeks knowledge and wisdom in order to build up the Kingdom of God and to serve those who are suffering.  These are commitments that Woodstock Theological Center also embraces.  The Center carries out "theological reflection on the human problems of today" - not really for knowledge in itself, but to produce conversion in the hearts of individuals, growth in the life of institutions, change in the direction of our society. In this way, Georgetown and Woodstock are companions and fellow travelers, each helping and learning from the other.  We see the grace of God in our shared missions, our collaborations, and our many mutual friendships - as embodied by so many of you who are here today. Although it is rooted in the life and energy of our campus, Woodstock has its own distinct identity and methodology and reach. Through its projects, Woodstock collaborates with the U.S. Bishops' Conference, with the U.S. Jesuit Conference, with dioceses throughout the country, and with Jesuit social centers and universities around the world.  To give just one example, there's Woodstock's Global Economy and Cultures Project - a worldwide network of Catholic clergy and laypeople who are seeking to understand the diverse effects of globalization on the poor . through the multicultural eyes and experiences of the poor themselves.   This project simply would not be done, anywhere, if not for Woodstock.  We all would be diminished without this work, and without other projects to enhance the education of poor children in America, to explore how Catholicism can foster Civic Renewal, and to discern ways to Preach the Just Word.  Woodstock is a connector.  Animated by rigorous thought in the Catholic and Jesuit tradition, it builds build bridges and networks of understanding among scholars and practitioners, clergy and lay people, the young and the old, the empowered and the marginalized, and thinkers in diverse religious traditions. And so, we at Georgetown value Woodstock as a bridge-builder that provides invaluable ways for us to live our Catholic and Jesuit mission.  Let me talk about this in human terms. Last September, Fr. Lo Biondo brought to Georgetown about twenty-five Jesuit scholars associated with the Global Economy and Cultures Project.   They came from India and China, from Argentina and Uganda, from South Korea and the Dominican Republic.  This was a gift from God for us.  We were able to put together a dinner workshop to allow students and faculty working on global social justice issues to sit down and talk one-to-one with Jesuits who were living these exact questions.  We continued to enjoy the benefits of this unique convening during the Spring semester, as some of our students who were studying abroad had the chance to reconnect with the Jesuits they had met in Washington, D.C. We experienced another great gift last year when the Center brought to campus a visiting fellow named Francisco Claver, S.J., a retired Jesuit bishop from the Philippines.  During the year the 75 year-old Bishop Claver met regularly with several of our best seniors, sharing his experiences of working with the poor during decades of social and political unrest.  But these 21 year-old Georgetown students had something to give too, as they shared their deepest concerns and hopes for the world of their futures.  Today, two of these students have just started working the Peace Corps; the third has just begun teaching low-income children in Baton Rouge as a member of Teach for America.  Woodstock provided a mentor, a relationship, and example that will sustain our three students as they put their ideals into action and confront the tough challenges we know will come with their work. And then there is the gift of teaching - the books, lectures, and conferences are just the beginning.  Georgetown is fortunate that so many Woodstock fellows give generously in the everyday life of the University.  Fr. Connor, Fr. Byron, Fr. Christiansen, Fr. Redington, Fr. Kemp - these are large figures whose ideas have resonated deeply in our halls and classrooms.  These are men for others whose ideas have a transformative effect.   And Fr. Gap Lo Biondo leads Woodstock with an inspiring commitment to helping Georgetown animate our Catholic and Jesuit identity.  I could give many examples of his generous leadership.  One way is how he extends himself to Georgetown's lay faculty and staff, to help us better grasp the spiritual tradition to which we commit ourselves as lay collaborators.  His knowledge and the gracious way he shares it have a profound impact on this campus. These are just some of the ways that Woodstock enhances this University.  As we mark our long partnership, we see that Woodstock is also building a bridge from the past to the future.  For thirty years, Woodstock has been an invaluable contributor to the Catholic and Jesuit identity of the University.  On behalf of President DeGioia, I can say that Georgetown looks forward to growing and deepening the relationship with Woodstock for many decades to come.  Likewise, the collaboration between Georgetown University and the Jesuit Provinces of Maryland and New York has been tremendously fruitful - in part due to all of the care and support that provided by all those gathered here today.  I hope that your enthusiasm for Woodstock's important work will grow only stronger in the future.  There has never been a greater need for wise theological reflection on the global realities, and the spiritual realities, that are signs of these times.  Thank you for being here. Woodstock is grateful to all those who have made our work and this celebration possible, especially to our past and present benefactors.  In a special way, we thank Robert M. Wagner for his generous support of the 30th Anniversary reception.