This past Saturday, April 9th, was the event of the season. The SJV men from the Grand Avenue Apartments battled the Catholic Men’s Floor of Ireland for the first time in St. Thomas history. Coming in as a late addition to the bracket, the Men’s floor was seeded high and ready to compete, their strengths lying in their energy and enthusiasm. The men from Grand were also set as their playing style emphasized experience and seniority. Free popcorn, entertaining announcers, and a guest appearance from our very own Archbishop Nienstedt were among the highlights of the evening. Both teams proved to have a sizable turnout in terms of their fan sections, though the seminary might have had a “home-field advantage” due to their large number of organized cheers.
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My final semester of college strays far from that “ideal” schedule every freshman dreams of—only 3 classes, plenty of naps, no 8:00am’s, not having to walk to South campus. Instead, I wake up in time to pray Morning Prayer with the women I live with and am out the door every day by 7:15am. With my coffee in hand, I walk four blocks to St. Mark’s School where I spend the entire day student teaching.
Matt McQuillan, Senior Catholic Studies student, writes of his experience preparing for his last Tommie baseball season this Spring as he spends a much deserved Spring Break in Florida with the team. His reccount of the toils and tribulations of such preparations seem to be reminiscent of each Catholic’s journey during the Lenten Season. This is a great opportunity for reflection on this Lenten experience, as the Eternal Ray of Hope, Jesus in the Resurrection, remains waiting on the horizon to dispell the long dark days of Lent. Here is Matt’s experience:
It has been a very, very long winter. The long dark days, the high cost of heating a poorly insulated duplex, and the seemingly endless cycle of snow emergencies have all contributed to its incessancy. But for myself, and the University of St. Thomas baseball team, this winter has been particularly long. Perhaps it was the month of 5:30 A.M. practices we endured. More likely it is the monotony of attempting to practice baseball indoors by doing the same drills day after day…after day. Needless to say, there were many mornings when we asked ourselves, “is this really worth it?”
On March 1st, Dr. Don Briel, director of the Center for Catholic Studies and avid Newman scholar, gave a lecture titled “Why Newman Matters,” the first of a series of lectures on Faith and Culture. Although he acknowledged a variety of possible reasons for the importance of John Henry Newman, Briel chose to speak about Newman as an educator who had profound insights into the nature and end of higher education. Newman’s Idea of a University was the primary source of Briel’s reflection.
On February 25th Catholic Studies sponsored its fourth annual Monte Cassino night–an event that has become quite the spring semester tradition. Dressed to the nine, students pack themselves into the warm and homey atmosphere of Sitzmann Hall. This time, however, the building is disguised as a casino. The elegant evening is comprised of a poker tournament, blackjack, a karaoke contest, prizes, food, and a bar with cleverly named virgin drinks (Sanctus Soda, Mimosa Mary, Ave Maria Apple…to name a few). Below are pictures from the festivities.
Pictures courtesy of Miriam Stella and Nathaniel Binversie
From Ben Dellaria, Resident Advisor to the Floor:
The Catholic Men’s Floor was initially created by Gregory Crane as a place where men seeking to grow in faith could do so in a safe environment with other devoted Catholics. After being given the R.A. (Resident Advisor) responsibility, I knew I was under qualified and unprepared to lead the men on the floor. Beyond maintaining the floor, the chance that it could grow was completely out of the question. Fortunately for me, God has taken a hold of the floor and molded it into the idea we had initially hoped for. As a residence life employee it is our job to build community on our floors, but I noticed the community on the Men’s Floor was building itself. It was so clear that since the men were all pursuing God, it was only natural that community life be a result. This community where each person is safe being themselves yet challenging each other to grow, has flourished under the protection of Jesus Christ.
Blogging has become a way for students studying abroad to stay in touch with their friends and family, but it also serves to encourage a great deal of reflection while encountering a vast array of new experiences. At least this seems to be the case for most Catholic Studies students who travel to Rome. Kristin Vasko, a junior studying Elementary Education and Catholic Studies, is amongst the 30+ students and faculty spending the next four months in the the Heart of the Church. Together they will be experiencing the transformative power of community life, prayer, and formation. They will marvel at Italian culture (including, but certainly not limited to food and drink), beauty and art, the Saints, and the Holy Father. As they pursue their studies at the Angelicvm, they will be privileged by the knowledge of well-known Dominicans and Art Historians. This, however, only briefly scratches the surface of the myriad of experiences and events one encounters during a semester in the Eternal City.
1. St. Albert the Great was the real-life Nicolas Flamel.
You all know the story of Nicholas Flamel: he was an alchemist who invented the “Philosopher’s Stone” which produced an “elixir of life” that could turn metals into gold and bestowed immortality. Why do you know this? Because that’s the story J.K. Rowling told you in Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone, is why. And that story is a more-or-less accurate retelling of various old seventeenth-century legends about medieval sorcery and alchemy.
Encounter. This word, in many ways, expresses the goal of spiritual retreat. In spiritual retreat, one has the opportunity to go into the silence, and for a little while, get away from the many distractions that fight for our attention every moment of our busy lives. Going into the silence has been often compared with going into the desert, and the use of this imagery is quite apt, for retreat often feels like a being in the desert. Nonetheless, there are such tremendous wonders awaiting us in the silence. There, in the quiet of our hearts, God’s voice is heard. In the stillness of prayer we can encounter our Creator and our Father, we can encounter our Savior and our King, and we can encounter the Living Spirit of Love moving within us. In the silence we can truly encounter God.
Chalk shatters, dissipating into clouds of white dust. Numerous diagrams cover the board, intersecting into webs of chaos. The students, wide-eyed and alert, write vigorously, notebook pages flying, hoping not to miss a single word. One could only encounter such excitement in Dr. Junker’s 301 class.