91�����

Today marks the 90th birthday of 91����� Aquinas College�s beloved Jesuit chaplain, Rev. Cornelius M. Buckley, S.J. To celebrate the occasion, the community surprised Fr. Buckley at lunchtime with a gift of a new CD player, several discs, a cake, and the singing of �Happy Birthday.�

�We have been blessed since 2004 to have Fr. Cornelius Buckley at our college, a priest who loves Our Lord and the spiritual life of the Church,� said President Michael F. McLean. �Fr. Buckley has had a long and distinguished career as a priest in the Society of Jesus, an academic, an author, and an administrator. � He is a champion of orthodoxy, completely loyal to the Church and to the very best in the Jesuit tradition. He is a wonderful homilist, a counselor to students with a deft pastoral touch, sometimes an irreverent comedian, and a YouTube personality.�

�It is a joy for us, Father, to honor and thank you on your birthday,� Dr. McLean continued. �Dare I say, we hope you have many more.� Dr. McLean then asked Fr. Buckley to rise, and the students, faculty, and staff assembled in St. Joseph Commons followed, loudly cheering the College�s newest nonagenarian.

�Thank you very much,� replied Fr. Buckley upon taking the podium. �It�s a great privilege for me to be here, of course. These have been the happiest years of my life.� Keeping his remarks brief, Fr. Buckley added, �I�ll give you something pious to think about the next time I appear here like this. That will be in 10 years, so come back and hear that!�

Please send your greetings and express your appreciation
with a gift to the Fr. Buckley Scholarship Fund.