Michael W. Higgins

Waterloo Looses a Good Man

I had the privilege of meeting Michael W. Higgins in the classroom back in the spring of 1998, I had just returned to school as a part-time mature student and to be honest did not expect to do well. I had been out of university for about 5 years and was lacking in confidence. I took two courses that term, RS 209 Paul’s Life and Letters with Peter Frick and RS100C Faith Quests with Michael W. Higgins. Both of these men are scholars, professional and men of devout faith. Both of these men have been involved internationally in scholarship and promoting specific area’s of focus in their studies.

Yet here in this article I want to focus on Higgins, for the primary reason that he is leaving us. In almost every public lecture I have attended of Higgins since that first class he almost always quotes Donald Nicholl’s article ‘Scientia Cordis’ an article about the science of the hart, and people who go on faith quests. Yet one of the quotes from that book can sum up Higgins for us. “Hence the characteristic medium of the scientia cordis is neither a principle nor a law but a story – a story that will move the heart.” Donald Nicholl Beatitude of Truth p.161. Higgins is a man who open’s up what ever he is teaching or talking about through story, and he always speaks so passionately that the audience is drawn in and captivated by his topic and talk.

Higgins who has a breadth of experience and role’s to equal ten lesser men. CTV Vatican Correspondent, Toronto Star Columnist, a regular contributor to The Record. He has authored numerous scripts for the CBC’s Idea’s program former Editor of Grail: An Ecumenical Journal. As well as author of many books, Stalking the Holy, Power and Peril, Heretic Blood, The Jesuits… These and many more roles has he balanced while remaining an active member in his faith community, a public speaker, and husband and father. Last year he was named one of the “Top Ten” lecturer’s in Ontario.

Currently Higgins is the President at St. Jerome’s University’s President and Vice-Chancellor, but he is leaving Waterloo to pursue the same rolls at St. Thomas University in Fredericton New Brunswick . The Maritimes gain is truly our loss. Waterloo is loosing a world class scholar, a man who served in and around his community and a person of character faith and integrity. So thus we must bid him fair well we will have no choice but to follow his future exploits from afar.


Books by Michael W. Higgins:
Genius Born of Anguish: The Life & Legacy of Henri Nouwen
The Unquiet Monk: Thomas Merton's Questing Faith
Heretic Blood: The Spiritual Geography of Thomas Merton
Thomas Merton: Faithful Visionary
Jean Vanier: Logician of the Heart
Faith and Literature Matters
Power And Peril: The Catholic Church At The Crossroads
Stalking the Holy: The Pursuit of Saint Making
My Father's Business: A Biography Of His Eminence G. Emmett Cardinal Carter
…

Books with Douglas R. Letson:
Soundings: Conversations about Catholicism
The Jesuit Mystique
…

Contributed to:
Commonweal on Contemporary Theologians
Introducing John Moriarty In His Own Words
Vatican II: A Universal Call to Holiness
Impressively Free: Henri Nouwen as Model for a Reformed Priesthood (with Kevin Burns)
Suffer the Children Unto Me: An Open Inquiry into the Clerical Abuse Scandal (with Peter Kavanagh)
...

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