SJC Long Island students, faculty and staff gathered outside on the campus quad Monday during Common Hour, chairs spaced six feet apart, for Mass on the Grass.
Father Francis “Frank” Pizzarelli, S.M.M., DCSW, led the sermon and reflection, suggesting the audience contemplate the challenges the country has faced since last spring, including the COVID-19 pandemic, social unrest relating to racial injustice and ongoing volatile political battles.
“Have we allowed these challenges to bury us under? Have we allowed them to cause us to be complicit by our silence?” Fr. Frank asked. “Have we seen those challenges as burdens, or as opportunity to grow and become the best versions of ourselves? Every new school year is an opportunity to set some goals — not just the academic ones and the social ones, but those goals personal to our own growth spiritually, humanly and emotionally.
“And although these are difficult times, it is an opportunity for us really to embrace the challenges of these times as a grace-filled moment,” Fr. Francis continued. “For change. For growth. For opportunity to reach out and build new bridges and relationships. To challenge the complacency and indifference around us by the way in which we all choose to live.”
The annual event, hosted by Campus Ministry, celebrates the first Mass of the new academic year. Director of Campus Ministry Cristian Murphy ’14 and junior Thomas Lownds gave musical performances.
Connecting with Campus Ministry
While most opportunities to connect with the Office of Campus Ministry will be virtual this semester, there are still plenty of chances to get involved.
“It’s a weird semester, it’s very different, but it doesn’t mean that we can’t find joy within it,” Murphy said.
Service opportunities will still be plentiful, as Campus Ministry will spotlight different organizations every week or so, offering initiatives for how to get involved and help out.
Campus Conversations, a series that started last spring as a way to stay connected remotely, will continue this semester on the Campus Ministry YouTube channel.
Campus Ministry has also started a podcast called Awe & Wonder, which is available for streaming on Spotify. The podcast will address bigger questions about spirituality and the meaning of life.
For more information, watch the below interview with Murphy.
