"Lord, make me an instrument of your peace..." reads the prayer of St. Francis. This sentiment should wash across each of us. The events of the past days have shattered the calm of middle America, chilled the nascent spring sunshine, and pulled down our spirits. "America at war" does not fall easily from our lips, much less from our hearts. It is a somber and a sobering sentiment. Yet that is the reality. We must address this reality and respond to it in word and deed. We must respond as the caring university community we are.

I ask that you pray for the leadership of our country and for leaders across the globe. As the machines of war advance, we must seek justice, not vengeance; we must protect citizens and civilizations; we must not demonize ethnic or religious groups. We pray for the safety of our troops and the minimization of casualties-- allies and Iraqi-- civilian and military.

As a community, Creighton must respond to these events in a positive and reasonable manner. We are a community who cares about its many parts. This is a time to listen, to hold, to help, and to heal one another. This is not a time to point fingers, make accusations or divide this community. You will disagree among yourselves about the justice of this war or not; about the objectives of this war; about how we got from the war on terrorism to the war on Iraq; about the motivation and determining forces, shaping this conflict. Each of your opinions is valid and valued. A university is a proper setting for such a conversation, for an honest exchange of differing ideas and positions. The quest for consensus is always an exhilarating experience!

As I wrote to you in the aftermath of September 11th: "Amidst this tragedy there must be a learning moment." I ask the faculty and staff to be present to our students, most of whom have never experienced war before. Allow them to reflect, to share their opinions, to struggle with their doubts, or to just "hang out" in and around your classrooms and offices.

Members of the Campus Ministry team and the University Counseling Center are available for individual and group discussions and conversations. These resources will be available in the short term and into the future.

As we begin the next chapter in this extraordinary turn in human events and in the rendering cadence of our national life, we must do so as women and men of faith, hope, and confidence. We pray that we each may be "instruments of peace" in our own time and place. We pray that our leaders have the courage to uphold what they believe to be right with integrity and justice in word and in deed. Just as we pray that those who dissent from these actions do so peacefully with compassion and forgiveness.

Finally, let us, as the Creighton community, continue to be a community in dialogue and conversation; a community that is faith-based and justice-focused.

Our Collaborative Ministry Office is providing you an opportunity to record the names of any family members or friends involved in this conflict whose safety you wish to commend to God. This can be done by sending an email message to alexa@creighton.edu.

Let these words of Pope John Paul II give pause for each of us: "...we are called to be sentinels of peace wherever we live and work...the church believes that peace can be constructed even in the darkest moments. The church believes in the power of the human mind and the courage of the human heart to find peaceful solutions to disagreements...War is a defeat for humanity. War is a defeat for humanity because war is a defeat for our intelligence, our creativity, and our firm conviction that peace is always possible."

Lord, make me an instrument of your peace...

With all best wishes and prayers for you and those close to you.

John P. Schlegel, S.J.
President