Birth of the New John Felice Rome Center
My Dear Friends:
Birthdays are special events and they happen in many ways. They happen when a baby is born and opens its eyes and senses to the world. They happen when nations are born and they take their place among the civilizations on our planet. They happen when people come together and agree on a new course for a great institution that brings wisdom, happiness and a life long experience to people. They happen when leaders of good will decide that a new beginning and new life can be created for a university founded by a man of faith and courage.
Yesterday a birthday happened.
The new John Felice Rome Center was born on July 1st, 2009 with the stroke of a pen, with a handshake and a smile, with resources from a great institution, with the steadfastness of a wise and courageous University President, with a dedicated staff and faculty, and with a passionate student body and passionate family of alumni. The new JFRC was born on the day Canada was born. It was born on the day the European Union was born and it was born seventy two hours before the signing of the Declaration of Independence of the United States, two hundred and thirty three years ago. The birth of the new John Felice Rome Center happened exactly forty seven years, four months and eighty one days after Father John Felice landed in Rome to found the Center that bears his name.
At the historic moment yesterday, when the title passed, we were honored with the presence of Kate Felice, Dr. Susana Cavallo, Marilyn Vitale, Fausto Fecchio, Giorgio Trancalini, Domenica Magnate, Maurizio Moretti, Teresa Mastropieri, Maria Aulisa, Dean Abol Jalilvand, Dr. Jean Gaspardo, Dr. John Nicholson, Elise Aversa, Mary Ren, Andrea Stornelli, Father Albert. and many other members of the Rome Center family including our ladies who clean our rooms and dormitories. John Felice was with us in spirit and name. He moved the pen and moved the hearts and souls of those in that room yesterday.
Please join me in celebrating this new birthday that marks a rebirth to the place we love so much and will work together to make better, more beautiful and more interesting for generations to come.
God bless us all,
Emilio
