February – 2012 – Catholic Studies Blog

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February 2012

Alumni, Student Profiles

For the sake of learning.

 

Written by Kelsey Willits, Alumna ’11, current CSMA graduate student
 
At the midway point of my college years I realized that I had lost my love of learning.  Rather than pursuing my studies for their own sake, I found myself fettered to the instrumentality of acquiring ‘A’s to adorn my transcript.  School was becoming work, a mere mechanical production, quite contrary to true meaning of school, which, believe or not, is leisure.  Yearning to be pierced by the wonder of the academic adventure, to enter deeply into the art of learning, I began the process of letting go of studying in order to do something and instead started pursuing it in order to become someone, that is, the woman that God calls me to be. 
 
By the end of the fall semester of my senior year, I reached a point where the thought of not being in school the following year was next to unfathomable.  My heart hungered to continue to partake of the feast of knowledge, to chew slowly on its delicacies, allowing the individual flavors to color the palate of my mind.  I now find myself a third of the way through the Catholic Studies Masters Program and with yet greater gumption I continue to exclaim, ‘I love school!’  What am I going to do with it, I often get asked?  I am not sure.  Who am I going to become?  I pray a better daughter, sister, friend, and, God willing, one day, an adorer of Christ in Heaven.

February 29, 2012 by
Catholic at UST, Catholic Residences, Social Events

Ain’t No Party Like a Catholic Party

Written by Catherine Huss ’14, Catholic Studies and Fashion Design

In the winter of 2010, my older brother harangued me into attending the Catholic Studies overnight, which was made complete with Monte Cassino. “You’ll get to meet great girls, and I’ll even round up a couple buddies to dance with you” he told me. Great, just what I need, my brother’s seminarian friends to be forced to show his little sister a good time. Reluctantly I attended, and he was right. The women on the Catholic Women’s Floor were so welcoming. They raided everyone’s closet to find me an outfit for the night, as I had come totally unprepared. The Catholic Men’s Floor made us “Brinner,” and I even found the courage to sing and dance to “Single Ladies” for the karaoke contest. To this day, people still remember me for that unexpected performance.

 Last Friday night was the “2012 Catholic Studies Monte Cassino Night.” Named after the hill in Italy where St. Benedict first established his monastery, the evening is wrought with a black jack tournament, board games, door prizes, catered food, a mini bar and my personal favorite, the karaoke contest Continue Reading

February 22, 2012 by
Catholic at UST

Latino Leader Spotlight: From Miami to St. Paul

Posted by Alexandra Castano ’13, Catholic Studies and History
 
I have been a Latino Leader for the past two and half years. This time has been transformative and eye-opening.  I came to know about the Latino Leadership program because a couple of friends of mine from Miami, FL were also Latino Leaders. They encouraged me to go through the process of applying, and so I did and miraculously, here I am.
 
Being a part of this program has actually been a huge blessing for me, particularly since I moved from Miami (a city saturated in Latin culture, especially awesome Latin food) to St. Paul, MN (which I wouldn’t necessarily identify by its Latin characteristics). I have also grown to Continue Reading
February 15, 2012 by
Catholic at UST, Service

A Catholic VISION

 

Paige Patet, ‘13, English and COJO

I know how to ask three questions in Spanish: What is your name?, How old are you?, and Where’s the bathroom?  So when I exited the Guatemalan airport alongside my fellow VISION participants with three weeks of sunshine, black beans, and cockroaches ahead of me, I was nervous.  On a trip that is intended for students to explore their spiritualties, how could I continue my search if I couldn’t even understand the community I was living with or even the readings at mass?

I remember asking myself this question early on in the trip while sitting on the roof of our hotel.  I looked out at Lake Atitlan and the mountains surrounding us.  The wind blew empty bottles positioned on standing stakes rattling them like marimbas.  The sun slowly dipped in a sky of pinks and oranges.  In that moment I could perfectly understand God’s presence Continue Reading

February 10, 2012 by