Mystery Dinner

Every month, Hill Street Place hosts a themed dinner for their residents.  For the month of October, the theme was a "Mystery Dinner".  There was a murder and a theft.  Students connected with Newman put together the clues, and many of the decorations, to help put together an evening of fun and activities for the residents.  In the end, Mr. Scarecrow was found to be the villain, the booty (100 Grand bars) was returned, the meal was served and eaten, and a good time was had by all.

Thank you to the Newman members for continuing to serve as the Hands and Feet of Christ to his children, of all ages.

All Saint's Day: A Holy Day of Obligation

A Holy Day of Obligation is almost upon us.  All Saint's Day is a solemn holy day of the Church.  It is a day to remember all those who have gone before us and have reached heaven.  The Vigil Mass will be held at the Campus Religious Center on Tuesday, October 31st, at 7pm (followed by our Halloween Party).  Masses are scheduled within the parish for Wednesday, November 1.  Here is the full schedule:

ResHALLoween and Trunk or Treat 2017

It was a busy weekend for the Newman students.  Hours upon hours of work went into turning the Campus Religious Center into the city of Agrabah, with many of its residents, like Aladdin, Jasmine, and the Genie, among others.  Once the transformation was complete, the doors were opened to participate in the campus-wide 2017 ResHALLoween event, sponsored by the RHA and open to the community.  Many children visited us and enjoyed choosing treats as well as getting their pictures taken with the characters.  We also had visits from President Gore and Stanger! 

After a busy Saturday, Agrabah traveled to the back of the Holy Redeemer Education Center for the annual Trunk or Treat event sponsored by the Council of Catholic Women, Catholic Daughters of America and Catholic United Financial.  More goodies were given away and more pictures were taken.  It was a fun weekend of giving back to our community.

Special thanks to the team of people who brought Agrabah, and its residents, to life!

ResHALLoween 2017

It is hard to believe how fast this semester is flying by!  Halloween is just around the corner.  With that, is an annual SMSU Tradition:  ResHALLoween!  The houses on campus are all invited to participate by decorating their house and handing out candy to the trick or treaters who make their way to campus.  The Campus Religious Center has participated, off and on, throughout the years.  We are back again this year, with a theme of Aladdin!  A phenomenal amount of work is going in to the decorating and I can't wait to see the end result.  Stop on by this Saturday, from 4p-7p, to help hand out treats!  Here is a sneak peek:

Pumpkin Painting at Hill Street Place

We held our second annual pumpkin painting with the residents at Hill Street Place.  A good time was had by all who participated!  Special thanks to Becca (at Hill Street Place) and Amanda (from the Newman Club) for organizing and putting this event together!

Focus on Faith: Jill Jay

For this month's Focus on Faith, Jill Jay joined us to share her story of adoption and living the love story of being a mother without actively parenting her child.  She continued through the love story she has with her husband and the two children they are raising. It was an emotional evening, made all the sweeter by her husband and those two additional children being there to hear her share her story and support her through the telling of it.

It gave us all food for thought as well as some insight into the unplanned pregnancy option that is talked about the least:  adoption!

Thanks, Jill, Nick, and the rest of the Jay family, for sharing such a personal life experience.

Fatima Centennial Candelight Rosary Procession

On the 100th anniversary of the Miracle of the Sun, a small group of Newman Club students traveled to the Schoenstatt Shrine in Sleepy Eye for the Fatima Centennial Rosary Procession, led by Bishop LeVoir.  It was a beautiful night, warm enough to walk comfortably, and enjoy the time spent together in community.

The Procession ended at St. Mary's Church, with a homily from Bishop LeVoir about Mary's purpose in the visitations she has had.  Her purpose is to bring peace to Earth as well as to help people keep their eyes on the true call we have to follow Christ.  The night was a nice way to bring our Pilgrimage to New Ulm last October full circle.

2nd Annual Pumpkin Painting

Last fall, members of the Newman Club contacted the staff at Hill Street Place to offer to come in to paint pumpkins with the residents.  The event was a hit!  The club members and the residents really enjoyed their time together and many memories were made.

We have been invited back to paint pumpkins with them again this year.  The event will be on Wednesday, October 18, leaving from the CRC parking lot at 2:15pm.  Please join us as we share our time and talents with those at Hill Street Place.  Let us know you are coming by signing up here

Fatima Centennial Celebrations!

The Centennial of the Miracle of the Sun is coming upon us very shortly!  Bishop LeVoir will be leading a Candlelight Rosary Procession at the Schoenstatt Shrine, in Sleepy Eye, on Friday, October 13.  Our group will be leaving from the Campus Religious Center at 4:30pm, with a stop for supper in Sleepy Eye.  We will return back to the Campus Religious Center after the conclusion of the evening.

Cost is just the price of your own supper, along with a contribution to the driver for gas.  Please sign up here to let us know you will be joining us.

On Saturday, October 14th, our Area Faith Community will participate in the Public Square Rosary Rally.  Please join our parish community at 12n at Memorial Park (downtown, across from Varsity Pub) to pray the rosary.  Let us know you are coming by clicking here

FOCUS Student Leader Summit 2018

FOCUS (Fellowship of Catholic University Students) hosts an event every year.  In odd years, there is a nationwide gathering of Catholic college students with speakers, adoration, Mass and Reconciliation, as well as break out sessions to bring awareness to students about a variety of relevant topics.  For 2017, our campus had students attend the SEEK Conference in San Antonio, TX. 

In even years, it is a smaller gathering, geared for the current and future leaders in campus ministry from across the nation.  Not only are there awesome speakers, Mass, Reconciliation, and adoration, there are also sessions to give the students they need to effectively evangelize on their campus.  Even more exciting is the close proximity for this year's conference.  It will be held in Chicago from January 2-6.  The mission for the conference is "Inspire & Equip".

The cost for the conference is $599.00, payable to FOCUS.  The cost for transportation will be determined when we get closer to the event, depending on the number of people attending.

You can find more details about the conference, including this year's speakers, here

Registration can be done online here

Once you register, please let Becki know so you can be included in trip planning and fundraising opportunities.

Homecoming 2017!

It was a busy set of days leading into the Homecoming Weekend for 2017.  There was a float to build, roller blades to locate, bookmarks to make and fun to be had!  Thank you to all who came together to make this weekend happen!