04.28.19

Believing Thomas My parents never really told me which St. Thomas (if any) I was named after, and there are many good ones to choose from (Becket, More, Aquinas).  But because the feast of Thomas the Apostle is the day before my birthday I have always taken him as my personal patron.  I always felt that Thomas got a bad rap for being “doubting Thomas.”  The fact is, in terms of his faith, he was in exactly the same situation as the other apostles only a short while before.  I have often wondered how difficult it must have been for Thomas to see his friends so filled with joy at the resurrection of Jesus, all the while wanting desperately to believe as they did, and yet unable to bring himself to do so.  If nothing else, Thomas is intellectually honest.  But when Jesus does appear again after the resurrection, and this time Thomas is with them, we have one of the most beautiful exchanges in all of scripture.  Jesus invites Thomas to put his finger into the nail marks and his hand into his pierced side, at which Thomas exclaims in deepest faith, “My Lord and my God!”  Incidentally, this is probably the highest and most unveiled Christological title bestowed on Jesus by anyone in all four Gospels.  We are all beneficiaries of this exchange, as Jesus says, “Have you come to believe because you have seen?  Blessed are those who have not seen and have believed.”  That’s us.  In a sense we can say, “O happy doubt! That made it possible for us to understand that we need not see to believe!”  As we hear this beautiful Gospel proclaimed again on this Second Sunday of Easter, we can thank Thomas, not for his doubt in itself, but for his honesty that opened the door to faith for so many who would come after him.  Fr. Thom. Service on Saturday April 27 10:00 am - 12:30 pm Join us at Camp Hand-in-Hand for mulching and painting projects.  Hand-in-Hand is a center for children of all abilities.  To learn more about this service opportunity, contact Abby. Sacraments of Initiation Please continue to pray for our candidates preparing to celebrate the Sacraments of Initiation this Sunday, April 28 at the 10:30 am Mass. Reception into the Catholic Church, Confirmation, & First Communion Chris Boer, Alex Goeller, and Catie Steck Confirmation & First Communion Adriana Costa and Amber Voss Confirmation Sandra Blom, Charlotte Flynn, Jessica Hemm, Eva Latz, and Haley Rawles The candidates met together throughout the past year to explore the Sunday Scriptures and experience the Catholic way of life.  We congratulate them and welcome them with great joy! If you'd like to learn more about becoming Catholic or preparing for the Sacraments in the future, contact Tammy to learn more! In Loving Memory John Hennen John Hennen, father of Fr. Thom Hennen, passed away on Friday, April 19.  A funeral mass will be held at 10 am on Monday, April 29 at St. Mary of the Visitation in Ottumwa, Iowa.  Remembrances and condolences may be expressed online here. Please keep Fr. Hennen and his family in your prayers. ADORE - Praise and Eucharistic Adoration Monday, April 29 8:30 - 10:00 pm Join us for a night of Eucharistic Adoration with praise and worship music here in the Chapel.  Take a break for some prayer, some song, and some quiet as we get to the end of the semester.  Contact us to learn more! Music for Commencement Mass All SAU students, faculty, and staff are invited to assist with music for the Commencement Mass on Saturday, May 11 at 9am in the Chapel.  Help make a beautiful send-off for our graduates!  Rehearsals start May 2.  Contact Chris to learn more. BRING BACK YOUR RICE BOWLS!!! There's still time to bring back your filled Rice Bowl - simply drop it off in the basket in the Gathering Space, or click here to donate online! 2018-2019 Service Hours Help us tally all the hours of service that our students, faculty, and staff have done in the past academic year!  This is a great way for us to recognize our university's commitment to the Catholic values of service and justice.  Last year, SAU completed 180,271 hours of service!  Can't wait to see what this year brought.  Click here to log your service hours! Going Away Party for Chris Clow Sunday, May 5 Following the 10:30 am Mass Chris, our Director of Music and Liturgy, will be leaving St. Ambrose University this May after 8 years of service.  Please join us after the 10:30 am mass on May 5 for a reception in the Gathering Space as we celebrate Chris and wish him and his family well on their next adventures! Finals Week Chapel Schedule Please make note of the changes to the Chapel schedule as we near the end of the semester: Sunday, May 5, is the last regular Sunday of the year with Masses at 10:30 am and 6:30 pm. The noon Mass on Monday, May 6 is the last regular daily Mass until August.  There are no regular daily masses during the summer. The last student Mass is Tuesday, May 7 at 9 pm in the Grotto, followed by Midnight Breakfast. All graduates, family members and friends are invited to the Commencement Mass on Saturday, May 11 at 9 am in the Chapel.  Bishop Zinkula will be the celebrant for this liturgy as we send off our graduates with a beautiful Mass.  Followed by the Graduation Breakfast and Commencement Activities later that afternoon. There will be a 10:30 am Mass on Sunday, May 13, but no 6:30 pm.                    QUICK BUZZ                    Know that the Sacrament of Reconciliation is always available for our students.  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

04.14.19

The Source of Christian Joy It hardly seems possible that we are already on the verge of Holy Week, but here it is! I told those who attended our Ash Wednesday Masses more than 5 weeks ago now that I and they would likely fail at some point in our Lenten resolutions, at least if we were taking up something of any significant challenge. Check. In fact, for me it didn’t take long at all. By this time in Lent I usually feel a bit like Peter, caught in his denial of Jesus by the crowing of the rooster. I feel ashamed that my Lent was not as good as I had hoped it would be, that I didn’t do enough, that I don’t feel closer to Jesus than I do after 40 days. And yet, the rooster hasn’t crowed just yet. There is time. It has always struck me that the only significant difference between Peter and Judas is that Peter “wept bitterly” for his sin and eventually sought out the other disciples again to be reconciled to the community, but Judas despaired of his sin and fled in isolation. And so, even if our Lent has been less than perfect, our Easter can be filled with joy.  In the end, He is risen! And that is all that matters. That transforms everything. Jesus’ triumph over sin and death is the source of our Christian joy, not our own insignificant triumphs. As we enter into these high holy days of Triduum and Easter, I pray that we will all embrace more fully God’s mercy and love, and so experience more deeply the joy of the Resurrection.  Fr. Thom. Holy Week Schedule Christ the King Chapel   Palm Sunday, April 14 - Masses with blessing and distribution of palms at 10:30 am & 6:30 pm Monday, April 15 - Mass at 12 noon Tuesday, April 16 - Mass at 4:30 pm Wednesday, April 17 - Mass & More at 9:15 pm Holy Thursday, April 18 - Chapel will be open for people to come pray in silence, or to pray the Stations of the Cross.  No Masses will be celebrated in the Chapel today. Good Friday, April 19 - There are no chapel services on April 19. Easter Sunday, April 21 - The Mass of the Lord's Resurrection will be celebrated at 10:30 am on April 21 for Ambrosians in the area.  No 6:30 pm Mass will be celebrated on Easter. Easter Monday, April 22 - There will be no noon Mass on April 22. From all of us in Campus Ministry, have a blessed Holy Week and Easter! Good Friday Fasting and Abstinence A reminder that Good Friday is a day of both Fasting (Catholics age 18-59 should only have one full meal; two smaller meals that do not equal another full one are permitted, as is drinking of liquids) and Abstinence (Catholics over 14 should not have meat, but eggs, milk, and condiments from animal fat are fine).  This is a serious obligation, but no one should be scrupulous - if health reasons or the ability to do one's work is seriously affected, these regulations do not apply. BRING BACK YOUR RICE BOWLS!!! Before you head home for Easter break, be sure to bring back your (filled) Rice Bowl to the Chapel Gathering Space, beginning on Palm Sunday.  The proceeds from the Rice Bowl go to fight hunger in the Quad Cities and around the world.  This is a great way to observe the Lenten practice of almsgiving.  Thank you for your generosity!  Remember, you can always donate online here. Project Renewal Fit Fest Saturday, April 13 8 - 11 am Join us next Saturday for a fitness festival with and for kids & families from Project Renewal.  We are looking for volunteers to help with the events of the day.  Contact us to sign up! Sacraments of Initiation During this Holy Week, please pray for our candidates preparing to celebrate the Sacraments of Initiation on Sunday, April 28 at the 10:30 am Mass. Reception into the Catholic Church, Confirmation, & First Communion Chris Boer, Alex Goeller, and Catie Steck Confirmation & First Communion Adriana Costa and Amber Voss Confirmation Sandra Blom, Charlotte Flynn, Jessica Hemm, Eva Latz, and Haley Rawles The candidates met together throughout the past year to explore the Sunday Scriptures and experience the Catholic way of life.  We congratulate them and welcome them with great joy! If you'd like to learn more about becoming Catholic or preparing for the Sacraments in the future, contact Tammy to learn more! Online Stations of the Cross https://saustations.blogspot.com/ Perfect for Holy Week! 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! 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. Service on Saturday April 27 10:00 am - 12:30 pm Join us at Camp Hand-in-Hand for mulching and painting projects.  Hand-in-Hand is a center for children of all abilities.  To learn more about this service opportunity, contact Abby. Music for Commencement Mass All SAU students, faculty, and staff are invited to assist with music for the Commencement Mass on Saturday, May 11 at 9am in the Chapel.  Help make a beautiful send-off for our graduates!  Rehearsals start May 2.  Contact Chris to learn more. ADORE - Praise and Eucharistic Adoration Monday, April 29 8:00 - 9:30 pm Join us for a night of Eucharistic Adoration with praise and worship music here in the Chapel.  Take a break for some prayer, some song, and some quiet as we get to the end of the semester.  Contact us to learn more! 2018-2019 Service Hours Help us tally all the hours of service that our students, faculty, and staff have done in the past academic year!  This is a great way for us to recognize our university's commitment to the Catholic values of service and justice.  Last year, SAU completed 180,271 hours of service!  Can't wait to see what this year brought.  Click here to log your service hours! A Holy Week How-To Want to know more about why Catholics call this week "holy?"  Check out this video from BustedHalo.com.  A blessed Holy Week to all!                    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