9-22-19

Home and Family I think it is only natural that we associate the concepts of home and family. The home is, after all, the dwelling of the family, a place in which we share both the joys and sorrows, the sacred and the secular, the extraordinary and the mundane events of a life lived in communion. By extension, we make this same association when we think of other places that we have called “home” for any length of time, for example, our alma mater. As a student here at St. Ambrose, I remember feeling like I spent so much time in certain places on campus that I practically “lived” there. I would have strange dreams in which I rarely remembered the plot, but always recalled vivid images of the places, which were usually a strange amalgam of all of these buildings where I spent so many of my waking hours, and the principal characters were the many friends, mentors and teachers that swirled around me in this place. St. Ambrose was and is a home and a family to me and to many.  For this reason, each year we celebrate “Homecoming,” a time to return to this particular home and to reconnect with this particular family, our Ambrose family.  This sense of family runs deep here, from the small-campus feel, to the caring, individual attention given to our students, to the intergenerational bonds between our alumni. This was especially evident to me this past week as we learned of the very sudden death of a sister, mother, colleague, teacher and friend, Dr. Darla Baumgarten.  Darla taught for many years in the Kinesiology department and truly embodied this sense of family. As hard as this week was, this strong sense of family on full display as her peers, friends and students gathered to console each other, to remember Darla, and to begin to figure out a way to carry on in her spirit and in values of this place.  You are family. This is home. Welcome home. --Fr. Thom

Interested in Becoming Catholic? Do you want to prepare for a sacrament? Please join us for an informational session: Sunday, October 6 After 10:30 am Mass Lower Chapel For more information contact Tammy here! The 2019 Pacem in Terris Peace and Freedom Award will be given to Bishop Munib A. Younan, the former President of the Lutheran World Federation. Bishop Younan will receive the award on September 24th, 2019, at Augustana College. Click here for more information about the Pacem in Terris Peace and Freedom Award. Click here to view the newsletter!

Meet the 2019-2020 Peer Campus Ministers! Front L-R: Jenny Dickes (Hagen), Jess Mendenhall (Davis), Emily LePretre (Rohlman), Andrea Adam (Tiedemann), Kelli Kluever (Bechtel), Alyssa Duran (North), Riley Beltramea (Franklin) Back L-R: Jacob Braun (Cosgrove), Kaitlin Enright (Cosgrove), Claire McCarthy (McCarthy), Alberto Vargas (North), Johnny Callahan (Townhouses) Do you want to get involved in Campus Ministry? Take our interest survey! Interest Survey

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