From Colleen Zanis Job
Alumnus/a '07
"Never stop serving, remember always your role in the world as women and men for others. Never stop loving. Here at Scranton, you were handed and then built for yourselves a community where people care deeply about one another and invest their energies accordingly. Thats the surest sign of Gods grace active among us. Take that special Scranton grace out into the world and, as St. Ignatius urges, set the world on fire. Do that and your Scranton education, your Scranton friendships, and, yes, your Scranton parties, will not stop" Fr. Pilarz
The above was from Fr. Pilarz’ commencement address to our class of 2007. The Class of 2007 embarked on their Scranton journey right along side Fr. Pilarz during his first year as President. He lived in an apartment on the first floor of our dorm. His dog Jack did his rounds daily with our lovely cleaning woman, Cathy. Jack provided myself and so many others with comfort as we made Scranton our new home. I don’t know how to put into words just how special Fr. Pilarz made our Scranton experience. He was a humble and wise man. He messages were powerful. He was an eloquent writer, speaker, and leader. He always went out of his way to put the students first.
The picture below was from our wedding. Shortly before our wedding, Fr. Pilarz announced his ALS diagnosis. As we went to do our obligatory Scranton wedding pic we decided to all pause and say a prayer for Fr. Pilarz as we knew what a horrid disease he faced. Above all, we prayed as He was the man who fostered the amazing environment that keeps us all so close so many years later. He was the man we all admired and honored many years past our graduation.
Even though my friends and I can’t physically hold hands tonight and pray for him, I know around the country all U of S alum have a heavy heart as we pray for his family, his peace, and our ÐÓ°ÉÔ°æ. Thank you Fr. Pilarz for all your love and dedication to Scranton. You made this world a better place. May you Rest In Peace and forever watch over our beloved ÐÓ°ÉÔ°æ."
