By Cassandra Taylor, Publications Assistant
Thomas More College welcomed the Most Reverend James Ruggieri, Bishop of Portland, Maine, to campus on September 12, 2025 to celebrate the Convocation Mass. The College’s opening of the academic year began with a morning Mass commemorating the Memorial of the Most Holy Name of Mary.
“It was an honor to have Bishop Ruggieri with us to offer Mass in honor of Our Lady’s Holy Name and mark the ceremonial start of the academic year,” commented Fellow and President William Fahey. “On that holy day in 1683, Catholic Europe saw the rescue of Christendom with the end of the siege of Vienna. Prayer is always more powerful than arms. I truly believe humble and holy men like His Excellency are quietly working for the restoration of our Church and culture. It was a joy to hear his words and to be with him at Mass.”
Preaching on the Visitation, Bishop Ruggieri reflected on how Our Lady, pondering things in her heart, was perhaps “the first Christian philosopher.” Speaking to the assembled students, faculty, and staff, he continued, “Philosophy obviously means a love of wisdom, and Mary shows us what it means to receive God’s Word in faith and then to seek deeper understanding through reflection. Her faith was fruitful because it was reflective.”
Bringing in the examples of St. Augustine and St. Anselm of Canterbury, Bishop Ruggieri encouraged the faculty and students embarking on another year of dedicating themselves to the Catholic intellectual life. “At a Catholic college named after St. Thomas More—whose own life shows the harmony of faith, reason, and courage—these witnesses speak directly to your vocation as students and as professors,” he exhorted. “For students, your studies are not separate from your faith. Let your belief lead you to ponder like the Blessed Mother.”
After Mass, members of the faculty and the Board of Trustees gathered into the College’s Chapel, where—on behalf of the Ordinary, the Most Reverend Peter Libasci of the Diocese of Manchester, New Hampshire—Bishop Ruggieri heard their Profession of Faith and Oath of Fidelity to the Magisterium. The College is grateful to His Excellency for his generosity in blessing our community with his presence on such an important day for the TMC community.
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