Spiritual leader set example of faith, integrity

By Claire Byun

 
After fighting cancer for two and a half years, Father David Valtierra passed away on Friday, May 21.

 He served as Winthrop’s campus minister for Catholic students for many years and supported the founding of Winthrop’s peace, justice and conflict resolution studies minor.

 

“He was a good listener, brought the best out of students and faculty/staff and set an example of faith, honesty and integrity,” said Peter Judge, chair of the department of philosophy and religious studies.  “He was loyal to his church and represented its best sides to those who were sometimes puzzled, confused, angry, disenchanted or nonchalant.

In addition to serving as Winthrop University's Newman Apostolate director, Fr. David was the sacramental priest at St. Mary's Catholic Church and director of the Oratory's Center for Spirituality in Rock Hill. 

Though influential to the Winthrop community as a whole, Valtierra affected individuals from the first welcoming moment to his last breath.

Frank Ardaiolo, Winthrop's vice president for student life, worked with Valtierra for 20 years.

“Through the years I came to admire his keen intellect and his extraordinary openness to all people and ideas,” Ardaiolo said. “He was amazingly welcoming in his presence and a sense of peace always settled over me after listening to his sermons or after our conversations.”

Valtierra, 62, taught many courses at Winthrop, including ACAD 101.

He offered a course on the history and importance of social justice in the Christian tradition.

Since its founding in 2006, the peace, justice, and conflict resolution studies minor

was very important to Valtierra.  He served on the advisory committee for the minor with excitement.

“I believe he (supported the minor) because he was firmly committed to these things – not only intellectually but in the way that he himself lived,” Judge said. “He wanted students to have a resonance with these values regardless of whatever else they study or do with their lives.”

Not only did Valtierra co-sponsor many events in the minor, but he also developed a friendship with the program's director, Ginger Williams.

“We shared similar values and we had many conversations about social issues over the years,” Williams said. “We participated in many events at Winthrop and in the Rock Hill community together.”

Several weeks before his passing, the “Father David Valtierra Peace Studies Scholarship” was established to honor his contributions to the university and support student academics.

“He was truly touched by this gesture,” Ardaiolo said.

Memorials may be made to the scholarship by contacting the Winthrop University Foundation at www.wufoundation.com. 

Besides monetary donations, Judge said people can honor Valtierra’s memory by working for social justice and valuing humanness.

“Live and teach the values of human cooperation and orientation to peace at all levels that imbued his own life,” he said.