Column
from the president
Sister Peg Albert , OP , PhD President
Becoming Our Authentic Selves
Heartfelt greetings from Siena Heights University !
The theme chosen for this academic year was authenticity . The freshmen read for the summer was “ My Orange Duffel Bag : A Journey to Radical Change ,” by Sam Bracken and Echo Garrett .
The theme of authenticity was quite prevalent throughout the book . Basically , a young man from challenging beginnings decides to be and become his true self through his own reflections , persistence and the aid of others . The students loved the book and could relate to it well . We also had some great presentations on authenticity at our Common Dialogue Day in late September . Students , faculty and staff all participated as presenters and / or participants .
When I think about authenticity , I tend to go to a spirituality of authenticity . I ask myself many questions : Is becoming authentic a process ? Who did God create me to be ? Am I striving to become who God created me to be ? Can I live in this world that calls all of us to be so many things and remain authentic ? How does prayer assist me in being authentic , and how does my membership in a community ( in this case , the Siena Heights community ) assist me in being authentic ? For me , and , I think for many others , the answers we give to these questions and the courage to ask them contributes greatly to the process of becoming our authentic selves . When I stand before God , I stand there with nothing but me . That is who I am , my true self . Deceiving ourselves or others by being someone who we are not encourages inauthenticity and we are not our best selves .
So , an honest look at ourselves while praying and interacting with members of our community helps us to be truly authentic . As members of a university founded in the Dominican , Catholic traditions , we are all called to live a reflective life that helps us grow into our individual and institutional sense of authenticity .
As the year continues on , I am sure we will all learn more about authenticity . I invite you to do the same as we journey together as “ Saints ” becoming who God created us to be . And , remember the words of St . Catherine of Siena : “ If you are who we should be , you will set the world on fire .”
Blessings on you and all your loved ones !
2 | Reflections Fall ’ 16