The Martyrs of Valeria
March 14th, 2020
Dear Thomas More College of Liberal Arts Community,
Since late January, the Administration has studied with growing concern the course of COVID-19 and the trailing public turmoil. Thomas More College has, by the grace of God, withstood a variety of dangers and disturbances in the past. The College is not free from suffering. No community, no matter how removed from the world it believes it is, can be free from suffering. It is hubris to think otherwise. Last week, I was speaking to Fr. Healey about the readings from the traditional Mass for Deliverance in Time of Pestilence. These so clearly teach as they console. The sufferings caused by disease, the very presence of disease, is bewildering and—at times—terrifying. We must never forget that above our own failings, which contribute and sometimes are the cause of suffering, there remains God’s justice, mercy, and love. “In those days, the Lord sent a pestilence upon Israel…” is always matched and answered by “The Lord sent his word and healed them.”
I would ask that the College and its community turn with me in prayer as we face together our share of the problems related to COVID-19, the Novel Corona Virus.
From the Third Sunday of Lent (March 15th) until the Feast of St. George (April 23rd), I am asking for increased sacrifices and prayer. At the end of this letter is a Prayer for the Protection of Our Community in Time of Pestilence and Public Turmoil. This is composed of traditional sources. I am inviting everyone to pray this particular prayer at least once and to mark the other 40 days from March 15th to April 23rd with petitions for God’s merciful protection over the College and all people. The College has been placed under the special protection of the Mother of God and of St. George in the face of this crisis.
As many of you know, our Rome Program was beset by difficulties earlier this term, as COVID-19 erupted in northern Italy. The Rome staff worked admirably over seven weeks and displayed the greatest concern for all those additional details and needs created by the virus, the Italian quarantine, and growing international unrest. During its time abroad, the College program was placed under the protection of the Mother of God and St. Frances of Rome. Upon her feast day (March 9th), the program concluded its operations, and all students have safely returned home. We were the last Catholic program of our kind to leave Italian soil. On behalf of the College, its Trustees, Administration, Faculty, and Staff—and especially, on behalf of the families with sons or daughters abroad—I would like to thank Mr. Tony Assaf, Dr. Paul Connell, Ms. Hannah O’Connor, and Ms. Nicole Martin for their industry, good humor, and bravery.
Many have asked what the College intends to do in the face of COVID-19 spreading rapidly and dramatically throughout our country. Scores of colleges and universities are closing, parishes and whole diocese are suspending worship, and ordinary events seem to have been swept away in a general fog of fear and pandemonium. Few of us, if any, have been free from the frenzy of watching, listening, and obsessing over the spread of contagion. It is incumbent upon each of us to do our part for the sake of the common good.
Upon consultation with the Trustees and the Strategic Council of the College, I have decided that we will continue operations. This is not a decision taken lightly. It seems, in the view of the College leadership, the wisest and safest course of action.
To continue, however, does not mean to be stubborn, arrogant, or inflexible. Indeed, we must be the opposite. The situation differs from region to region, from family to family.
Further guidelines and reports are forthcoming, but the urgency of the hour and the growing concern within the community required a brief notice this weekend. Furthermore, as I have said, I view prayer—a 40-day campaign of prayer—essential.
Please note, that the following general policies will go into effect immediately (some already are):
- Certain travel restrictions have been placed upon students. Students from areas deemed currently problematic (with concentrations of COVID-19) have already been asked not to return to campus from their recent brief vacation.
- Students who do not feel that their health or family situation allows them to remain on Thomas More College’s Merrimack, New Hampshire campus will be allowed to return home and continue their studies remotely. They should first apply for this residential release from the Dean; the College fully intends to exercise broad latitude and a generous interpretation of circumstances. Students are requested to remain until Friday, March 20th.
- Students and families must recognize that visits to campus by friends and family will be prohibited without the explicit permission of the Dean of Students; families that choose to pick up their son or daughter from campus should arrange this in advance, in consultation with the Dean of Students.
Please note, we are anticipating that all in-person classes and instruction will continue. Any modification will be communicated by the Dean and President.
- Students who remain will be asked to sign a waiver acknowledging that they have studied the matter and have made their decision fully informed and with the consent of their families; they must also agree to abide by any new rules and regulations. Restrictions on regional and local travel have already been put in place. The Dean of Students will further clarify the new travel policies this week. Other restrictions regarding off-campus employment will also be introduced. A more detailed policy document for students and families will be circulated and discussed early this week.
- The College has already established a New Hampshire COVID-19 Committee that monitors and discusses the matter on a daily basis. This task force is composed of members of the administration, faculty, and trustees. This committee is an expansion of the Strategic Council, which has monitored the situations since early January.
What are the basic reasons we have for continuing operations of the College with confidence? First, although we expect the COVID-19 infections to spread, our campus is located in a State with a low number of incidents. At the time of writing, there are seven confirmed cases in New Hampshire out of approximately 2,500 national cases. Within the state, the concentrations have been to our east in Rockingham County and to our north in Grafton County. Again, I am not under the illusion that we or any community is impervious, but a strategy of “sheltering in,” seems advisable at this time.
Second, we believe that the lessons learned from our Rome program have prepared us for this moment and can serve as a model for our New Hampshire policies as well. Furthermore, at the end of February, I authorized the Dean of Students and the Business Office to begin building up reserves of food and paper products, as well as sanitation and basic medical supplies, at the College to weather any disruption in supply for up to two weeks. This has been accomplished.
Most importantly, the very nature of a small Catholic College such as ours presents us with unique advantages. We—students and staff—live with a heightened sense of communal norms and obligations; the community is small and easy to regulate; communication can be achieved rapidly; and most of all, we recognize that grace builds on nature, and it transforms the efforts of men and women. We turn in trust to God.
Again, I do not want to pretend for a moment that the College is immune from disruption or danger or common anxieties. Nor can we for a moment cease to be vigilant. If the situation changes dramatically, we will dramatically change our policies and efforts—in ways a larger or less cohesive institution cannot.
Finally, I must say that an important factor in our decision to continue has been our commitment to the small, residential, liberal arts mode of education. This commitment is shared by faculty, staff, trustees, students, and their families. In the past four days, I have received warm encouragement from representatives of all groups that we should work together with prudence and under grace to continue our educational mission. In the past weeks, I have seen quiet determination and diligence in making the extraordinary new duties become part of the ordinary course of our lives. I am all inspired to continue by the nobility of my colleagues and our students.
Again, we respect that all students and families must make prudent decisions regarding their particular situation. Thomas More College of Liberal Arts pledges to maintain to the best of our abilities our educational mission on campus and, in those necessary instances, through remote learning. All will remain part of our community and common endeavor.
I encourage you all in your prayers; this is one critical act in all of our control. I ask all members of the community who are able to join me in fasting and abstinence on this Wednesday and to celebrate the Solemnity of St. Joseph with joy and a quiet trust in his patronage and in Our Lord’s compassion.
In Christo Rege,
William Fahey, Ph.D.
Fellow & President
Prayer for the Protection of Our Community in Time of Pestilence and Public Turmoil
