Bishop Agüero Celebrates Opening Mass

On Monday, August 24, students, faculty, and staff gathered at Ave Maria Catholic Church for the Opening Mass of the Holy Spirit, marking the beginning of the 2026–2027 academic year. Most Reverend Emilio Biosca Agüero, O.F.M. Cap., bishop of the Diocese of Venice, served as celebrant.

In his homily, Bishop Agüero reflected on St. Bartholomew, apostle and martyr, and called the Ave Maria University community to follow the saint’s example of faithfulness to Christ.

“He encountered Christ and followed Him,” Bishop Agüero said. He connected the witness of St. Bartholomew and the martyrs to the mission of Ave Maria University, which seeks “to form future saints who will be a fountainhead of renewal for society and the Church.”

For Bishop Agüero, a Catholic university is “a privileged place where the human person is invited to encounter the truth and ultimately Truth Himself, Jesus Christ.”

“The pursuit of truth requires intellectual courage, and Christian truth especially requires moral courage,” Bishop Agüero said. He continued, “We are all called not only to know what is true, but to live according to the truth.”

Bishop Agüero shared a personal story to illustrate the lasting power of that witness. As a newly ordained priest serving as a missionary in Papua New Guinea, he brought fewer than five books with him, including the Acts of the Martyrs. After contracting a serious case of malaria, he wondered whether his priesthood might be cut short. Yet, it was during his recovery that Bishop Agüero “pored over the Acts of the Martyrs” and discovered a particular strength. Decades after his recovery, the witness of the martyrs continues to stay with him, shaping his priesthood and strengthening his faith.

“The martyrs are this tremendous witness, a powerful witness that the world needs and that we need,” he said.

The Mass concluded with students in Ave Maria University’s Ph.D. program in theology—Anthony Cabrera, Fr. Tharcisse Onema, Richard Perry, Samuel Gerbic, Sylvia Kryszczuk, and William David Beutel—making the Profession of Faith before Bishop Agüero and receiving the mandatum, a sign of their commitment to teach in communion with the Catholic Church.

As the 2026–2027 academic year begins, Ave Maria University does so with a renewed call to pursue truth, grow in holiness, and become witnesses for Christ in the Church and the world.