Mirror - Vol. 18, No. 02 - September 30, 1993

              The
FairfieldMIRRORV Volume 18, No. 2 Thursday, September 30, 1993 The Image of Fairfield
Community Mourns Loss Of Beloved Professor
Helen Shaw
Features Editor
and
Jennifer Luongo
News Editor
Rev. Christopher F.
Mooney,S.J. died ofcancer at the
age of68 on Saturday, September
25. As a well-noted theologian,
he served on many scholarly
committees and published several
books and journal articles. As an
extraordinary religious studies
professor he challenged and
inspired all. Fr. Mooney
manifested his faith, sincerity, and
warmth through his actions; he
will be deeply missed at Fairfield.
"With affection I will
remember Father Chris Mooney
as a dedicated and holy Jesuit, a
kind and sensitive human being,
and a gentleman and scholar,"
said Rev. Donald Lynch, S.J., Fr.
Mooney's friend and colleague,
"An edifying and prayerful man,
he enthusiastically shared with
others a broad spectrum of
interests ranging from Teihard de
Chardin, Christology, religion
and law to the American Dream
and modern films."
Fr. Mooney was born in
Bayonne,N.J.in, 1925.Heentered
the Society of Jesus in 1944 and
earned his bachelor's degree in
classics in 1950 and his master's
degree in history in 1954, at Loyola
University in Chicago.
He pursued theological
studies at Woodstock where he
was ordained a priest in 195.7 and
taught at Canisius College and St.
Peter's College. After earning a
doctorate in theology at the
Catholic University of Paris, he
was named to the theology faculty
at Fordham and served as chair of
the department from 1965 to 1969.
on the staffofthe general counsel
oftheU.S. Commission on Civil
Rights. In 1978 he received a
juris doctordegree from the
University ofPennsylvaniaLaw
School and was assistant dean
for two years.
In 1980, he was
appointed as Fairfield
University's first full time
academic vice president. In
1987 he was named professor of
religious studies.
fFUSA Announces Tears For Fears!
As Fall Concert
Brian Fitzgerald
Staff Writer
FUSA has announced
that Tears for Fears will perform
in Alumni Hall on Friday October
15, as part of the Parent's
Weekend festivities.
"I'm very excited," said
FUSA president Mark Resnick,
"we feel as though we've gotten
the best band available."
Although he was not able to
comment on the exact cost of the
show,
Resnick pointed out that
FUSA will spend less than
$20,000 forTears for Fears, some
$10,000 cheaper than other
schools have paid.
This, he says, will
translate into the lowest student
ticket prices for a Fall concert
ever.
Resnick said that thus
far, he has received "a lot of
positive feedback from students."
about the decision. Senior Megan
Heaney is one student who is
looking forward to the concert.
"I've been wanting to see Tears
for Fears for a long time," she
said, "I'm very happy with the
decision."
Other students do not
share this enthusiasm. "I imagine
it'll draw alot of people;" said
Brendan Morgan '94, "but I
honestly didn't know they were
still around."
Senior Jomar Statkun
added, "It's an okay choice, I
guess, but if there's only going to
be one big concert a year they
should get someone a little more
exciting
Resnick pointed out
that FUSA attempted to book other
artists, including Lenny Kravitz,
toad the wet sprocket, and Stone
Temple Pilots, but was unable to
because of scheduling conflicts.
He also stated that it is
impossible to get many top flight
acts to come to Fairfield because
of financial constraints as well as
the performers' desire to have
a larger audience. "Students are
unaware ofthe difficult process
involved in scheduling a band,"
he said, "we'd love to get Billy
Joel or U2 if we could."
For the first time, the
Fall concert will take place on
Parent's Weekend rather than
Harvest Weekend.
FUSA's Vice
President of Student Activities
Deirdre Little said, "We don't
see this as a problem."
She added that"FUSA
is open to any student
suggestions" as to how to fill
the vacated Friday of Harvest
Weekend.
Resnick is eager to
have a successful Fall concert
in the wake ofthe disappointing
Village People show last
Spring. He has responded well
to this extra pressure."We're
not going to panic," he said,
"because every Fall we seem to
turn up a good event."
Those who knew Fr.
Mooney best recall his dedication
to the Jesuit ideal and the Fairfield
University community. Father
Lynch said, "He made an
extraordinary contribution to
Fairfield. Fr. Mooney was
outstanding in his concern for
and service to Fairfield." Rev.
John J. Higgins, S.J., Executive
Assistant to the University's
President stated, "He was a
deeply prayerful man and an
outstanding scholar who shared
both aspects of his life with the
students whom he taught. I and
my fellow Jesuits will miss him
deeply."
Fr. Mooney's students
remember him as an open and
caring teacher who challenged
them and allowed them to explore
religion in relation to society.
Alycen McAuley, a
senior who took Fr. Mooney's
"Religious Freedom in the
Supreme Court" said, "He was
an extraordinarily intelligent
man- very challenging. I think
the University lost one of its best
professors."
Coleen Campbell who
took two ofFr. Mooney' s classes
said, "Through his educational
and religious challenges, I
learned the most about religious
views and how they apply to
society today."
She added, "He was
very opento student' s ideas about
religion and he overwhelmedme
with his knowledge."
In addition to his many
teaching achievements, Fr.
Mooney was also the author of
seven books, including Teilhard
de Chardin and the Mystery of
Christ, which won the National
Catholic Book award in 1966
and Public Virtue: Law and the
Social Character of Religion,
which won the national award of
AlphaSigmaNu, the Jesuit honor
society.
The Rev. Michael
Boughton, S.J., rector of the
Jesuit Community at Fairfield,
commented, "Fr. Mooney was
an exceptional scholar and
teacher, a gracious and charming
gentleman, and a faith-filled and
ultimately simple priest. The
breadth of his mind and the
warmth of his spirit touchedand
inspired many. His death is a
great loss to the intellectual life
of the Church and to his many
devoted friends."
The funeral mass was
celebrated on Wednesday,
September29 in the Egan Chapel
of St. Ignatius Loyola, and burial
was at the Jesuit Cemetery in
N.Y.
Students Clean Up
Penfield Beach
Caitlin Whelan
Staff Writer
Nearly fifty students
and alumni were on Penfield
Beach Sunday morning to
participate in the annual beach
clean-up. Complete with
surgical gloves and garbage
bags, they set out to rid the
beach of litter.
The clean-up was
started by FUSA a few years
ago, both to help the
environment and to strengthen
relations between the university
and the town of Fairfield, says
Erica French, Director of
Community Relations for
FUSA. "There has been such a
problem with relations between
the students and the community.
We want to show that we really
care and want to be part of the
community," said French, "We
use the beach ourselves, and
this gives us the opportunity to
clean up."
The clean-up began at
the Penfield Pavilion. From
BBQ Gets
Lukewarm
Reception
^
^ J;
there, students spread out in both
directions to clean as much area
as possible. "I never thought there
would be so much garbage," said
one student, collecting hundreds
of cigarette butts and bottle caps.
Among other garbage found were
scraps of paper and styrofoam,
plastic vials, bottles, candy
wrappers, and condoms. Juniors
Neal Salisbury and Steven Schmitt
discovered a tire, about two feet
in diameter, buried in the sand. "It
was almost totally submerged,"
said Schmitt, "It took twenty
minutes to dig it out."
At the start of the clean-up,
participants were warned by
Biology professor John Trautman
to beware of harmful objects such
as drug vials and syringes.
"Syringes have been found in the
past," said Professor Trautman,
"Anything in the storm gutters
gets washed into the sewage
system," and into the sound and
its shores. "The primary source of
this material," he says, "is places
like Bridgeport."
Continued on page 3
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