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Campus Ministry Reflections
Twenty-one years ago I was sitting at my desk in my room on the 3rd floor of Hayes Hall working on my senior self-evaluation for seminary. I had some classical music playing softly in the background. In fact, I know exactly what piece I was listening to: the second movement of Beethoven’s “Sonata Pathétique.” As I wrote, I found myself suddenly overcome with emotion. I was crying. They were tears of sadness at the thought of having to leave this place that had become such a dear home to me, but mostly tears of gratitude, for the learning I had received, the experiences I had had, the friends I had made. What seemed like such a chaotic path to me in the middle of it all, now seemed to make sense. I was grateful to God for this time, even for the twists and turns, the stumbles and falls, for seeing me through this time, without really feeling like I had deserved it in any way, and bringing me safely to the next part of the path. All I could do was cry and say, “Thank you, thank you, thank you.” I have felt almost exactly the same way in the last few weeks, as I have looked back on my past four years as chaplain at this beautiful place. In speaking with many of our soon-to-be graduates, I know that this has been their experience as well. They know it is time to go, even as their time here seemed to fly by, and yet they are sad to go. Mostly, I think, they are grateful. This doesn’t just happen. This experience, this feeling of deep gratitude for graces received is built over years and by a million little interactions with hundreds of caring people. This is what St. Ambrose University is about when we are at our best. On behalf of all those who will leave St. Ambrose this spring, let me say first to God and to all our faculty, staff, and students: thank you, thank you, thank you! -- Fr. Thom
Congratulations to the class of 2021! A well earned congratulations to all who will be graduating from St. Ambrose on Saturday, May 15th! May God continue to grant blessings on all your endeavors and in the best of our SAU tradition, may you be a blessing for the world!
*The Mass schedule during finals week will be the normal schedule as shown above.
Congratulations to our 2021 Faith Learning Justice Award winners, Kelli Kluever and Jacob Braun!
This week, Fr. Thom and Meg welcome fellow history lover Rachel Wiedman to the podcast! They discuss Rachel's senior history thesis and compare past political climates to todays'. We also get an update about what everyone's watching and reading.
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.
