Kean Professor Presents in Rome
Young and Old on the Synodal Journey: Kean Professor Christopher Bellitto Ph.D. speaks at the World Meeting of Families in Rome
August 4, 2022
The World Meeting of Families takes place every three years in a new city around the world. This year, Pope Francis chose for Rome, Italy to host the monumental event- the largest gathering of Catholic Families in the world. The World Meeting of Families was created by St. Pope John Paul II in October of 1994 in Rome, and in recent years was hosted in the United States, when over 20,000 attendees from 100 different countries visited Philadelphia in September of 2015. Che grande famiglia!
The mission of the WMOF is to celebrate the family as the cornerstone of our lives, and as the fundamental building block of society and the Church. The theme for this year’s WMOF, chosen by Pope Francis, is Family Love: A Vocation and a Path to Holiness. This seeks to strengthen the bond of family life, which unites all of us. Who can attend the WMOF? Everyone! Married, single, religious, lay people, with or without children- all are a part of the human family and the meeting is for all.
This year in Rome, one of our own Kean Cougars, Professor of History Christopher Bellito, Ph.D. was invited to speak on June 23rd, 2022 among other distinguished speakers from around the world. Professor Bellitto was part of a panel entitled, Young and Old Together for the Church of Tomorrow. While Professor Bellitto spoke on Young and Old on the Synodal Journey, other speakers from Spain and Italy on the panel spoke on the Role of Grandparents and the Eldery in the Pastoral Care of the Church. Professor Bellitto was kind enough while on his travels in Italy and the UK to answer a few questions for Kean Catholic Campus Ministry on his experience and what his panel was all about.
L: You introduce yourself in the beginning of your speech as a Church historian; Could you define what that is?
Bellitto: I got my doctorate at Fordham in medieval history with a specialization in the church. My own field of research is how the church has tried to reform itself—or not—and succeeded---or not, especially in the Middle Ages.
L: You mention a 2010 quote by Pope Benedict XVI when he said “As advances in medicine and other factors lead to increased longevity, it is important to recognize the presence of growing numbers of older people as a blessing for society.” Why was this statement a foundational point for your speech on pairing young and old together in the Church?
Bellitto: That’s just one in a long series of statements that John Paul II, Benedict XVI, and now especially Francis have made about the importance of caring for our elders and recognizing them as treasures and not burdens. If anyone, especially in pastoral ministry, is looking for a topic for a paper, an MA thesis, or even a doctorate, this is a good one.
L: Simeon and Anna in the Bible teach us multiple spiritual lessons. Is there one you feel strongest about from the lessons you list in your speech?
Bellitto: Patience. They waited and waited…..and waited. They shame me: I am very impatient.
L: Pope Francis gave “Papal homework” in 2016 to speak to our grandparents and ask them questions, as they have memories and experiences that are a gift to young people on life’s journey. How would you recommend college students connect with elders who do not have grandparents? In addition- One of your closing remarks received some applause when you spoke: “Reclaim the dinner table with no smart phones.” How important is it to emphasize face-to-face communication between young and old today?
Bellitto: Our elders are all around us. Every day of the week 10,000 Americans turn 65. By 2040, 20% of the world’s population will be over 65—that’s one in five people on the planet. Moreover, for the first time in history, there will be more people alive over 65 than under 5. So there are elders in your communities, neighborhoods, synagogues, mosques, churches, senior centers, nursing homes….all over. Help the old lady next door by shoveling her snow, but be sure to listen closely and fully when she wants to tell you about the big storm she remembers from her childhood. Because of COVID, we’ve lost connection and attention. Time to give both to our elders, especially.
L: Is there an experience, memory, or lesson you learned from an elder in your life that has shaped your life as a historian, educator, or father?
Bellitto: Through absolutely no merit of my own, except maybe for curiosity, at each stage of my life there was an older person who decided to put her or his arm around me and bring me along. Let me tell you about one. My first department chair, when I taught English at Cardinal Spellman HS in the Bronx in the late 1980s (my alma mater), was June-Rita Ederer. She was a born mentor. I was raw and she started to polish my instincts and classroom approaches. She overlooked my over-enthusiasm, slowed me down, and made me think very intentionally about every choice I made in a classroom. I’ll say this to everyone and not just young people. It’s time to go back and thank people who met you at a crossroads you didn’t recognize at the time. The pandemic taught us that time can be suddenly short. Don’t wait. Make the phone call tonight.
L: In the spirit of providing lessons and wisdom with others, will you be sharing that Bellitto coconut cream pie recipe?
Bellitto: No, that’s Mom’s secret.
As we approach another academic year, may this discussion on building connections between generations of Catholics call our students and those in our communities to try to learn from one another, pray with one another, and spiritually grow with one another, regardless of our age.
You can watch Kean Professor Bellitto give his speech at the below Youtube link, and his speech is introduced at the 2 hour 39 minute mark- but we encourage you to watch the whole panel of speeches from those around the world. If you also want to continue to dive deeper into wisdom from the generations, you can continue to read Professor Bellitto’s work in his book, Ageless Wisdom: Lifetime Lessons from the Bible.
Resources:
World Meeting of Families: First Part 23 June 2022
Ageless Wisdom: Lifetime Lessons from the Bible. Mahwah NJ: Paulist Press, 2016