By Lois Rogers | Features Editor

The call to holiness may be difficult to hear and even more difficult to answer in these archly secular times.

But, as Bishop David M. O’Connell, C.M. told faculty, students, staff and members of the community at large at Georgian Court University, Lakewood, Jan. 29, a positive response holds the key, not only to heaven, but a more fulfilling life on earth.

“Believing is a daunting task,” said Bishop O’Connell, who had been invited to speak on “The Call to Holiness” as part of the university’s ongoing celebration of the Year of Faith declared by Pope Benedict XVI in October.

“We have to work at (faith),” he said, by making certain that “this contemporary crisis of faith does not go unchallenged,” especially where Church teachings on such complex issues as abortion, same sex marriage and euthanasia are concerned.

Speaking in the Little Theater before about 150 persons, the bishop gave an overview of the Year of Faith drawn from his first pastoral letter “One, Holy, Catholic, Apostolic Church: I Believe, We Believe,” released Sept. 13, to mark the special year and the 50th anniversary of the Second Vatican Council.

Find the complete letter at www.dioceseoftrenton.org/pastoral-letter.

 The bishop’s presentation had originally been scheduled for Nov. 1, following closely upon the Oct. 11 opening of the Year of Faith declared by Pope Benedict XVI. The arrival of  Superstorm Sandy Oct. 29 forced its postponement.

In her opening remarks, Mercy Sister Rosemary E. Jeffries, university president, said having the bishop speak on what it means to be holy was a great way to focus on “what the Church has called us to do.”

In a relaxed manner, Bishop O’Connell spoke of the basic human faith possessed by each person and Christian faith which, he said, differs from human faith in that it is a grace given by God.

“Faith is personal,” he said. “If I didn’t have a basic, human faith, I wouldn’t put my feet on the ground every morning.  Basic human faith enables me to live in the world” while Christian faith “opens our eyes and makes it easy to perceive the truth.”

The bishop revealed the depth of his own belief when he spoke of a reporter who once asked him what his goal in life was. Though the reporter was taken aback, the bishop said he stood by his answer – “my goal is to be holy and get to heaven.”

The president of The Catholic University of America in Washington, D.C. for 12 years before succeeding Bishop John M. Smith as the 10th Bishop of Trenton in 2010, Bishop O’Connell said he had been asked by students “do you ever doubt.”

He answered: “absolutely. But as I got older, the doubts diminished. I believe. I can’t prove anything,” he said. “But I believe.”

Bishop O’Connell shared this conviction earlier in the day when he celebrated Mass for the faculty, staff and students of Georgian Court in the Dorothy Marron University Community Chapel and met with students for a discussion on the call to holiness.

Georgian Court senior Stefannie Nicholson, who will graduate this spring with a business degree, made a special point of going to the Mass and the discussion.

Nicholson said the bishop’s visit reinforced the strong sense of faith on the campus. “The Year of Faith caught everyone’s attention here,” she said. “People here rely on faith. It is a pretty big deal.

“It was a great honor just to have him come to the campus to speak words of wisdom and knowledge and faith. We all take interest in them.”