Peters, H. Monte

CONVOCATION, OCTOBER, 1995
H. MONTE PETERS
to be Doctor of Letters

In all of its years of granting honorary degrees, UNB has probably never awarded one to a man quite like Monte Peters. He is modest and has never sought recognition. In fact, he replied to our President that he was astonished to be offered an honorary degree. "I've always regarded my presence on campus," he wrote, "to be that of a guest and understood my role to be that of a servant to all who come to the University." Yet his self-effacing comment is one of the very reasons why we should honour him: Monte Peters is a unique human being who for nearly twenty-five years has served this University community. He is the students' friend.

For the few who may not know, Monte Peters is a Catholic priest who has lived and worked on the UNB campus for most of his career. He is the longest serving member of the Campus Ministry. He came to UNB in 1969 as a student in Education having already received his bachelor's degree at St. FX and a Bachelor of Theology at Laval. His passion as a young man was the sea, and he served for several years in the naval reserve and has always regarded sailing as his favorite hobby. He was appointed to the Campus Ministry in 1971 and then, in 1980 in what was one of the University administration's most brilliant moves, he was appointed Resident Fellow-at-Large and given an apartment in the men's residence complex. For 14 years he was part of the residence administrative team although in many ways he became a one-man institution.

Monte's idea about the residences was that they were not a system but a community. Where some people saw the University as an ivory tower, a protected environment for students preoccupied with education, Monte saw a diverse community of human beings with all of the strengths and weaknesses, the ambitions and the fears, that mark the human condition anywhere. His philosophy of life was that everyone is equal, and you take people as you find them.

No one was quite prepared for a priest who did not preach, did not make judgements, and believed that his main role was to help people with their problems. But it did not take long for students and even fellow members of staff to discover that here was a man who would listen, and more than listen, who would care. People came to know that his apartment door was always unlocked, and often the door was wide open — even in the depths of winter. He offered the extra bedrooms to anyone who was in need. He started a tradition of Friday night spaghetti suppers, and invited anyone and everyone who might enjoy the company. But this is what was visible; much of what Monte Peters did for people was known only to him and them. There is no file in the University that lists his accomplishments. No one has written it down, and for his part Monte does not speak of the people he helps or the crises he has defused or the lives he has touched. Yet when you speak to people who know him, you find that they all say the same things: he is always there for you, "he's one of a kind," "he's an incredible role model," "he's completely unselfish."

In a large and diverse community like this University, there are bound to be people with problems, and sometimes they are major, life threatening problems. Too much alcohol, drugs, the pain of sickness and injury, depression, mental collapse, threats of suicide, family crises, death and bereavement -- these are the kinds of problems that exist in any community, yet they are the kinds of problems that a University would prefer not to have to deal with, and would be happy to leave to someone else. Monte is that person; there is no human problem that he will avoid. If asked, he agrees to help at once. If not asked, he will offer. He has been seen in the middle of the night helping a student walk off the effects of drugs. At least a dozen times he has helped students deal with the death of one of their colleagues. If he sees tension or conflict between students and administrators, he will walk straight into the middle of it, break the tension and get them talking. And both sides will hold him in complete respect. When anyone has needed help, Monte has never been known to cross to the other side of the road and walk on by.

In singing Monte's praises, we would be mistaken if we became too serious. Monte hates stuffiness and formality. His secret weapon has always been his wacky sense of humour, an impish smile and an infectious giggle. He wades into the toughest situation with a joke on his lips and a God-given ability to put people at ease. One might hardly recognize it as a ministry, until one sees the results.

Last year, Monte was appointed as fulltime pastor of Our Lady of Fatima Parish in Marysville. While he continues to serve on the Campus Ministry team, we now must share him with his new parishioners. After almost twenty-five years of service to the University community, however, it is time to say collectively what hundreds and perhaps thousands of students have said or wished they had said: thank you Monte. Thank you for being there.

From: Honoris Causa - UA Case 70, Box 3