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Chronicle
March 28, 2024
Messina College Preparing for Its First Year Continued from page 1
ty’s $100 million Pine Manor Institute for Student Success initiative to enhance educational opportunity for underrepresented, first-generation students, who will pursue an associate’s degree—the first time in its history that BC has offered such an academic program. In all, Messina will eventually enroll 200 students, who will live in dormitories on the Brookline Campus. Messina College is working toward its goal to enroll approximately 100 students in its inaugural class, Berrelleza says. So far 64 students have been admitted. Fr. Berrelleza has hosted one Admitted Eagles Day and more are scheduled to take place. Recruitment efforts are focused on high schools in the areas in and around Boston, Brockton, Bridgewater, Lowell, Lawrence, Springfield, Worcester, and Providence. “It is a pleasure to meet with these students and tell them about the opportunity to study at Boston College,” Fr. Berrelleza said. “Like them, I was the first in my family to go to college. Like many of them, I spoke Spanish at home. I like to share my academic and personal journey with them so they can see what is possible here at Messina and in their futures. It is an exciting part of this job.” Aligned with BC’s Undergraduate Core Curriculum, Messina offers the majors of Applied Data Science, Applied Psychology & Human Development, General Business, and Health Sciences. With their
degrees, students can apply to earn bachelor’s degrees at BC or other four-year colleges and universities, or go on to other programs focused on specialized skills, careers, or public service. Career discernment and preparation are built into the Messina curriculum, Fr. Berrelleza said. In the fall of their second year, students will complete an internship or clinical rotation, take an accompanying course, and work closely with a Boston College Career Center coach throughout the internship process. “We are preparing them to be citizens of the world,” said Fr. Berrelleza. First-year students will arrive in July for a six-week program that introduces them to the curriculum, demands, and rhythms of college life, modeled after Options Through Education, a long-standing summer program and a pillar of the Pine Manor Institute for Student Success. Of all his tasks launching Messina, Fr. Berrelleza prizes the chance to welcome admitted students to Boston College. “One of the most meaningful steps in the admissions process for me is calling students to let them know they have been accepted,” Fr. Berrelleza said. “It’s really heartwarming to hear their reactions. It’s clear that we are making history here.” For more about Messina College, see bc.edu/messina
Office of Student Involvement Director Roatha Kong spoke at Messina College’s Admitted Eagles Day last month. The college, a two-year program of Boston College, is preparing for its inaugural academic year. photo by lee pellegrini
“It is a pleasure to meet with these students and tell them about the opportunity to study at Boston College,” says Fr. Berrelleza. “Like them, I was the first in my family to go to college. Like many of them, I spoke Spanish at home. I like to share my academic and personal journey with them so they can see what is possible here at Messina and in their futures.”
‘Growing God’: The Story of Emma’s Faith Continues Emma, the young artist whose contagious faith inspired others in the children’s book by Church in the 21st Century Center Director Karen Kiefer, Drawing God, is back. In Kiefer’s new book, Growing God, Emma spends her school vacation at her “favorite place on Earth”—her grandmother’s farm. It is a place where her grandmother, as she tells Emma, “grows God.” Emma is inspired to plant seeds and grow God, too. With illustrations from Kathy DeWit, Growing God follows Emma as she learns that with patience, love, care, and faith, seeds can grow into something amazing. Kiefer recently shared some thoughts on Growing God with Chronicle’s Kathleen Sullivan. (The following has been lightly edited.) Why did you want to revisit the character of Emma and explore more about her faith journey? My daughter, Emma, was the muse for Emma’s character in Drawing God. As a child, she never stopped creating and sharing her gifts with the world. I wanted Emma’s real-life energy and creative faith curiosity to animate the character, especially as she tries to draw God and share her masterpieces. Emma’s infectious faith in the Drawing God convinced me there was more to her story. Three years (and a pandemic) passed and I wondered what Emma might be up to as a nine-year-old. How was she sharing her faith now? I prayed about it, and the notion of Emma growing in her faith by caring for God’s creation felt right.
C21 Director Karen Kiefer, who published the children’s book Drawing God in 2019, felt there was another chapter to be told. photo by gary wayne gilbert
What was the inspiration for setting the story in nature? When I was Emma’s age, everything about nature excited me, from chasing salamanders and frogs to picking berries and plucking rhubarb stalks in our neighbor’s garden. It all felt so enchanting, and
it was where my imagination lived, in the outdoors. I began to imagine Emma visiting her Nana’s farm, a place where her grandmother tells her she grows God. Emma isn’t initially sure what Nana means by growing God, but soon enough, she learns that every seed holds an opportunity, and she is excited to begin sowing her own growing-God garden. Are there themes of Ignatian spirituality in Growing God? Knowing how creative St. Ignatius was, I’m surprised that the children’s Christian book marketplace isn’t flooded with stories infused with Ignatian spirituality, but it isn’t. I’m proud that the C21 Center could respond to that need, and that both Drawing God and Growing God and the characters and storylines embrace the importance of the mind, heart, and imagination working together to find God in all things. In Growing God, Emma’s faith is on full display as she talks to the dirt and tries to practice patience while nurturing her garden. She soon realizes that growing God is challenging, especially when every kid in the neighborhood thinks she is crazy. There’s a turning point in the story when Emma’s first and only sprout topples over. Her grandmother tells her to sprinkle cornmeal over the dirt to absorb the moisture in the soil. She reminds Emma again that every seed holds an opportunity and that even the seeds that don’t live long have something to teach us. There’s an Easter moment tucked inside those words. After
a long wait, flowers and vegetables were everywhere, even where Emma hadn’t planted seeds. What happens next will surely make St. Ignatius smile, but I won’t give it away. What do you hope young readers learn from Growing God? I hope that children can see themselves in Emma and are inspired to be the sowers of God’s love. I want them to know that they, too, have a contagious faith and how fun it is to share it with others. You’re launching a companion “Be a Sower” program and a Growing God virtual farm. Can you tell us about them? I wanted to ensure that the Drawing God and Growing God delivered a call to action, a chance to celebrate Catholic faith and share God’s goodness. Drawing God inspired the annual World Drawing God Day in November, and there is a virtual museum at the website drawing-god.com that features hundreds of masterpieces from individuals, classrooms, and parishes worldwide. Growing God’s “Be a Sower” movement encourages readers to plan an activity that shares God’s love for others in the community. We are building a virtual Growing God Farm to highlight the Sower projects so that others might be inspired to create their own. Again, sharing our contagious faith. Visit www.growing-god.com for links to where to purchase Growing God and to learn more about related projects. Royalties from the sale of the book will benefit the C21 Center.