03.31.19

Defend the Dignity of All People On a recent visit home to visit family one of my older brothers told a story about my father that I had never heard before. He recounted that the first time he ever had his mouth washed out with soap was when my dad heard him utter a racial slur. This wasn’t surprising to me at all, given what I know of the character of my father.  But what was surprising is that this episode took place sometime in the mid 1960’s, when use of such a slur in largely white small town Iowa would, sadly, not have been uncommon among the neighborhood kids.  Many parents at that time might have let this slide.  Also, you have to understand that my dad is a very mild-mannered man (an engineer by trade, if that gives you some clue), and he is not a person who is given to fits of rage or anger.  My dad was also born in 1927 in white, rural, western Minnesota.  And so, I ask myself, “How is it possible that my father, given his age and background, given the culture in this country at the time, could make sure that no son of his would ever speak in that way, and yet in recent weeks we have had multiple incidents of racist graffiti on this campus in 2019?”  As our administration has forcefully said, this has no place on our campus.  This is the antithesis of what it means to be Ambrosian.  As we continue to hurt and heal and look for justice, I pray that, especially in this time of Lent, we will all recommit ourselves to passionately defending the humanity and dignity of all people.  Fr. Thom. Going Away Party for Kaitlin Bormann Sunday, March 31 Following the 10:30 am Mass Kaitlin, our director of Service and Justice, will be leaving St. Ambrose University in the middle of April after almost 5 years of service.  Please join us after the 10:30 am mass on March 31 as we celebrate Kaitlin and wish her and her family well on their next adventures! URGENT SERVICE ON SATURDAY Help Stuff Sandbags for Buffalo, IA Saturday, March 30: 9am - 1pm Help our neighbors in Buffalo, IA prepare for the flooding Mississippi River by filling sandbags at their Community Center THIS SATURDAY.  Lunch is provided; find out more here. Antioch Retreat April 5-7 REGISTER BY MONDAY There are still a few spots for next weekend's retreat, so if you've been looking to get away for a weekend and meet some new people, sign up today! Homelessness Panel Monday, April 1  6-9 pm Click here to sign up for the panel, simulation, or both! Adoration w/ Communal Reconciliation Monday, April 1 - 9 pm Christ the King Chapel Join us for our late night time of Eucharistic Adoration, with the opportunity to receive the Sacrament of Reconciliation from a number of priests present. Ambrose of Milan Lecture Thursday, April 4 - 5:30 pm Christ the King Chapel Join the Academy for the Study of St. Ambrose of Milan for this year's annual lecture: "An SAU History through its Patron's Portraits," delivered by History professor emeritus Fr. George McDaniel.  The lecture will be followed by light refreshments and a scavenger hunt of the Ambroses on St. Ambrose.  All are welcome!  Click here to learn more. Service on Saturday Saturday, April 6 From 9 - 11 am Help spruce up the neighborhood for Project Renewal as they prepare for next week's FitFest event on April 13.  Sign up here! Pacem in Terris Tuesday, April 9  - 7 pm Rogalski Center Ballroom The Pacem in Terris "Peace on Earth" award has been awarded by the Diocese of Davenport to honor those working to bring about the peace of God in this world.  This year's recipient is His Holiness the 14th Dalai Lama.  Bishop Zinkula visited the Dalai Lama in Northern India, and will share and celebrate him at the award ceremony here on campus.  All are welcome! Online Stations of the Cross https://saustations.blogspot.com/ Our Online Stations of the Cross provide a great resource for Lent no matter where you are.  Each station features reflections from a current SAU student, as well as the Station artwork from Fr. Edward Catich, as featured in Christ the King Chapel.  Be sure to view the entire collection! A Story of Hope from Sierra Leone We are called in this Lenten season to both live out our rights and responsibilities, as well as to work to ensure that everyone has the basic human rights that they all deserve.  Learn more about how your Rice Bowl donations help to preserve human rights by learning about Kumba from Sierra Leone.  Please pick up and fill up your Rice Bowl, or click here to donate online! Ambrosian Reflections https://saulent.blogspot.com/ Hear from the collective wisdom of SAU faculty and staff as they reflect on the weekday readings during Lent.  New reflections posted every weekday school is in session until Holy Thursday.                    QUICK BUZZ                    Lent is a perfect time for the Sacrament of Reconciliation.  Offered before every daily mass at: 11:15 am Monday/Friday; 3:45 pm Tuesday/Thursday; & 8:30 pm Wednesday.  Also available by appointment, and with a larger communal service during this Monday's Late Night Adoration.  Contact Fr. Thom to learn more.   BeesKnees is our prayer chain for the needs of our St. Ambrose community.  Email BeesKnees@sau.edu Have a prayer request, or want to join.

Have a question about a program or event going on in Campus Ministry? Got an idea for something you'd like to see happen? EMAIL US at ministry@sau.edu. Follow us online for news, events, prayer and spiritual resources, plus much more: Twitter Instagram Facebook

03.24.19

Respond with Compassion In the Gospel for this 3rd Sunday of Lent Jesus references two recent tragedies that must have been on the minds of his listeners.  He mentions an incident in which Pontius Pilate mingled the blood of some Galileans (Jews) with the customary Roman (pagan) sacrifices, and an incident in which a tower fell on some people in Jerusalem and killed them.  After mentioning each incident, Jesus asks, “Do you think they were greater sinners because this happened to them?”  And in both cases he says definitively, “By no means!”  In the face of great evil, whether natural or moral, we want to know why, and often we are all too willing to settle for a simple answer.  In Jesus’ own time a prevailing attitude in the wake such tragedies would have been to assume that those afflicted had done something wrong or were bad people.  Jesus directly refutes this kind of thinking, while at the same time calling us to greater faithfulness.  It is reassuring to me that Jesus does not go on to offer his own alternative “easy answer.”  Rather, with us, in his sacred humanity, he has to wrestle with a certain amount of mystery in this life.  And yet, he is compassionate (literally, “suffering with”).  As we continue our Lenten journey, may we not be tricked by simple answers to big questions, but in all cases imitate the compassion of Jesus.  Fr. Thom. Memorial Mass for Dr. Anita Zahs Our St. Ambrose University community was saddened to learn of the death of Biology professor Dr. Anita Zahs.  We will celebrate a Memorial Mass in her honor on Tuesday, March 26 at 4:30 pm in Christ the King Chapel, with a simple reception afterwards.  All are welcome. To paraphrase the words of St. Ambrose, our patron: "We have loved her in this life.  Let us not abandon her until we have conducted her by our prayers into the house of the Lord." Spring Antioch Retreat Friday, April 5 - Sunday, April 7 Feeling stressed out, or just wanting to get away for a weekend?  Join in this semester's Antioch retreat.  This is a great chance to make new friends, have some fun, and take time out of your busy schedule to reflect and grow.  Open to all SAU students.  Click here to sign up! Congratulations 2019-2020 Peer Campus Ministers! The following students have been selected to serve as Peer Campus Ministers for the 2019-2020 academic year: Kelli Kluever - Bechtel; Jacob Braun & Kaitlin Enright - Cosgrove; Jess Mendenhall - Davis; Riley Beltramea - Franklin; Jenny Dickes - Hagen; Claire McCarthy - McCarthy; Alberto Vargas & Alyssa Duran - North; Emily LePretre - Rohlman - Andrea Adam - Tiedemann; John Callahan - Townhouses. Congratulations to next year's Peer Campus Ministry team! Going Away Party for Kaitlin Bormann Sunday, March 31 Following the 10:30 am Mass Kaitlin, our director of Service and Justice, will be leaving St. Ambrose University in the middle of April after almost 5 years of service.  Please join us after the 10:30 am mass on March 31 as we celebrate Kaitlin and wish her and her family well on their next adventures! Online Stations of the Cross https://saustations.blogspot.com/ Our Online Stations of the Cross provide a great resource for Lent no matter where you are.  Each station features reflections from a current SAU student, as well as the Station artwork from Fr. Edward Catich, as featured in Christ the King Chapel.  Be sure to view the entire collection! A Story of Hope from Sri Lanka In this Lenten season, we are reminded that we are called to look out for one another - indeed, we belong to each other.  See how your Rice Bowl donations can help us to extend that community outward as we learn about Christyan from Sri Lanka.  Please pick up and fill up your Rice Bowl, or click here to donate online! Ambrosian Reflections https://saulent.blogspot.com/ Hear from the collective wisdom of SAU faculty and staff as they reflect on the weekday readings during Lent.  New reflections posted every weekday school is in session until Holy Thursday.                    QUICK BUZZ                    Lent is a perfect time for the Sacrament of Reconciliation.  Offered before every daily mass at: 11:15 am Monday/Friday; 3:45 pm Tuesday/Thursday; & 8:30 pm Wednesday.  Also available by appointment.  Contact Fr. Thom to learn more.   BeesKnees is our prayer chain for the needs of our St. Ambrose community.  Email BeesKnees@sau.edu Have a prayer request, or want to join.

Have a question about a program or event going on in Campus Ministry? Got an idea for something you'd like to see happen? EMAIL US at ministry@sau.edu. Follow us online for news, events, prayer and spiritual resources, plus much more: Twitter Instagram Facebook