Greetings Dr. Pestello, Members of the Board, and all who help our campus to be what it is:

During this Christmas Season, we would like to express our heartfelt gratitude and appreciation for your leadership and guidance of our university toward its mission and ideals as a Catholic Jesuit University. We read now more than ever how many Catholic universities are straying from the traditions of the Church; that is why we thought we would take this joyous time of year to thank you for maintaining our rich heritage.

We thank you for your commitment to the Church and what she teaches in your defense of our Catholic groups and students and your willingness to endure resistance and animosity for the sake of the Truth.

We thank you for your goodness to us which makes Saint Louis University more than a school, but a place we can find a home that cultivates not only our minds, but our whole persons.

We thank you especially for your enthusiasm and support of our Catholic Studies program, the Catholic Studies Centre, and the new chapel and library being built in Boileau. We recognize the great generosity given to us to make these spaces possible, and so we offer our wholehearted thanks and excitement to be beneficiaries of this great moment on campus. We recognize that we are not carving out a new identity, but following in the footsteps of a great 200 year tradition, and we are filled with joy to follow your leadership as we continue to build on this legacy.

Simply, in this season of gratitude, we wanted to take this opportunity to voice our appreciation for your wonderful work and continued efforts to make Saint Louis University a truly Jesuit, Catholic institution.

In Christ,