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S P R I NG 2019 k u c a t h o l i c . o rg

c a t h o l i c s on the h i l l

The mission of the St. Lawrence Catholic Campus Center is to form the students, faculty and staff of the University of Kansas, and others who wish to join in this mission, in the Gospel of Jesus Christ through the Catholic intellectual, moral, liturgical and spiritual traditions.

LETTER from the

DIR ECTOR Dear Friends: I’ve been accused of jinxing the Jayhawks with my Final Four prediction in the Fall Catholics on the Hill. I can’t believe you devout Catholics could be so superstitious (wink, wink). Because of this year’s outcome, I’ll cry uncle - no basketball prognostications this time! But still, go Jayhawks! How’s this instead for a question - do you go out too much? Our ministry this semester has been marked by a pivotal question each week, a question to spark meaningful conversation and relationship. One of my favorite questions to ask students is if they invite people over as much as they go out. Most all of us go out a ton. That might be great for the economy, but I think we should eat together more often, and host each other more. An instagram campaign went out this spring telling short 30 second stories about how students ‘got in’ to the St. Lawrence Center. Who invited them? What did that look like? Inviting and having people over is hard. It takes preparation and intentionality. It takes time and love. It’s probably why we go out more than we invite in. Thanks to your support, we continue to build the Catholic Church at KU, giving without strings attached, because there is nothing more important to us than getting into relationship with students at KU to share the Gospel with them. Your gifts and prayers help us get better at having people over to our beloved St. Lawrence! Our future is happily in your hearts and in your hands.

Fr. Mitchel Zimmerman, Director

N ICK

the power of

AN INVITATION

H A R DEST Y

I am grateful to be a part of the KU Catholic family and have been privileged to share many stories in my first eight months here, on how God is working through this mission. One such story struck me recently, with a simple reminder of how much God can do with our yes and a simple invitation. One of our St. Lawrence staff shared with me a story about the amazing transformation of a young man he has been working with over this past year. After sharing his story, I was impressed with the humility and simplicity in his description of this student’s conversion: “I am just humbled at how much God has done, and all I did was extend an invitation.”

Director of Advancement

It really is that simple. God is asking each of us to extend an invitation. He is not asking us to change hearts, He does that. He is not asking us to break open the Gospel so that His word burns in the hearts of His people, He does that. All we can do and are asked to do is to be a witness and extend an invitation. God will do the rest. As the Easter season and summer months approach, I extend an invitation to each of you. Connect with us, pray with us, visit us, and partner with us. Your “yes” gives direct support to the work of spreading the Gospel of Jesus Christ on KU’s campus; we couldn’t do this without you! Happy Easter! Nick Hardesty Director of Advancement

Your support has helped us move forward with our renovation project! We are currently in construction mode, creating a more welcoming entryway for the St. Lawrence Center, as well as adding some seating and a patio area on the North side of the Center. Construction should finish just in time to welcome over 5,000 KU Catholic students back in the fall! Check out the full plans: kucatholic.org/slcrenovations

GOOD COMPANY: YOU’RE INVITED Just a group of students pursuing a common goal: to seek Love itself. Breaking down walls of isolation and loneliness, we want to build real connection. We think life is better when lived together. Our door is always open, so come hang out with us. You’re in good company.

Open Mic Night @ McLain’s Market drew over

200 students together on a Friday night for lots of talent, sharing and laughter!

Trivia Night has become a social event staple at the SLC. Over

250 students joined together in March to connect, love, and share joy!

SLK29

The 29 th St. Lawrence Koinonia Retreat invited over

110 students into community with one another and with Jesus Christ.

staff ADDITION

ELIZABETH RHEA KIRK Director of the Institute for Faith and Culture Kowalski Chair of Thought TELL US ABOUT YOURSELF: The St. Lawrence Center takes as an essential responsibility the role of guiding personal stories. Someone once told me that my “story” was to learn to wait patiently. I am not sure how patient I am, but if it is true that good things come to those who wait, I have been abundantly blessed! After many years of single life, spent in my college and law studies and then in the practice of law, I was blessed by the vocation to marriage and this summer, my husband, Bill, and I will celebrate our 15th anniversary! Part of our story of “waiting” is that we have carried the cross of infertility, and through the experience of that cross, we have been blessed beyond measure - to welcome four children into our home through adoption: William (11), Benedict (10), Alice (8) and Nicholas (4). WHAT ATTRACTED YOU TO THE ST. LAWRENCE CENTER? Having served in Catholic higher education for much of my professional career, I was drawn by the opportunity to mentor and teach young people at this important juncture in their lives - as they transition to an adult, mature faith and to their personal vocation. The opportunity to do so through a leadership role at a vibrant place like the St. Lawrence Center and to work with Fr. Mitchel, Dr. Luke, and such a collegial, dynamic staff was especially appealing. WHICH SAINT IS YOUR FAVORITE, AND WHY? This is an impossible question! This is like asking me to choose my favorite parent! The richness of the communion of saints has been part of my life since I was a young girl and I’ve drawn consolation, courage and example from many different saints throughout my life, including my name saint, St. Elizabeth of Hungary, my confirmation saint, St. Catherine of Siena, St. Thomas More, St. Anne, St. Gianna, St. Benedict, St. John Paul, and of course Our Lady and St. Joseph. Our family has a special devotion to the Sacred Heart of Jesus. I have asked St. Rose Philippine Duchesne - that “woman who always prays” - and who had such a heart for the people of Kansas and her spiritual son, Father Pierre-Jean DeSmet (who is not a saint, but whom I love very much), to be my special personal patrons as I undertake my new role at the Institute for Faith and Culture.

ASH WEDNESDAY @ S T. L AW R E NC E

Ash Wednesday is the Christmas, Super Bowl, and Easter all combined for the St. Lawrence Center! We pray with over 1200 students on this day, including a Mass on campus in Woodruff Auditorium. At each Mass, our hospitality teams were in full force, greeting people with open hearts, striking up conversations with unfamiliar faces, and inviting new souls into our St. Lawrence family.

alumni REFLECTION By Karlie Brown When I showed up as a freshman to the University of Kansas, I didnâ€™t know anyone. I graduated high school from a small, rural town in north-central Kansas and was the only one who chose KU. As I was moving in to Daisy Hill in August 2007, I remembered seeing a sign for backto-school BBQ hosted at the St. Lawrence Center. At this point in my life, my Catholic faith had taken a back burner, but I thought Iâ€™ll make an appearance, if not for the free food. That night at the BBQ, I learned the power of a simple invitation and the chain reaction it can have my life. An upperclassman sat down at my table and made us instantly feel welcomed and at ease. She would extend an simple invite that would introduce me to my best friend, who would introduce me to daily mass, which would introduce my to the Apostles of the Interior Life, which would introduce me to Adoration, which would introduce me to Jesus, which would change the course of my life and the lives of so many. St. Lawrence truly formed me as a whole person, intellectually, emotionally, physically and spiritually. I am so very grateful for the impact that the St. Lawrence Center had on me and especially grateful for a single person who courageously extended an simple invitation that forever changed my life. Karlie Brown graduated from KU in 2012. She currently serves as a missionary for Beauty in her classroom at St. Thomas Aquinas Catholic School in Wichita, Kansas, as an elementary art teacher.

alumni UPDATE On July 1, Father Beseau will become the 17th rector/president of the Pontifical College Josephinum.St. Lawrence is so honored to have a KU Catholic leading in this way. Congratulations Fr. Beseau! All of us at St. Lawrence promise to pray that this new position will use your gifts well, and that you will continue to glorify God by preparing holy priests for the service of the universal Church.

From left are pictured Msgr. Christopher J. Schreck, current rector of the Pontifical College Josephinum in Columbus, Ohio; Bishop Frederick Campbell, of Columbus; and Father Steven Beseau, incoming rector/president of the Josephinum. PHOTO COURTESY OF THE PONTIFICAL COLLEGE JOSEPHINUM

sacraments CELEBRATED

CONGRATULATIONS! BAPTISMS LORENZO FROSINI, son of Luigi and Emma Frosini, September 30, 2018 THOMAS GERARD BURKE, son of Joe and Leigh Burke, December 15, 2018 EDITH THERESE PASCAL, daughter of Steve and Shireen (Kukereja) Pascal, January 27, 2019 JOSIAH PAUL MCMAHON, son of Lee and Adelle (Loney) McMahon, February 3, 2019 THOMAS AND JUDE CHAPTMAN, sons of Tim and Lauren (Cunningham) Chaptman, February 21, 2019 PETER GEORGE SCHMITZ, son of Justin and Jordan (McEntee) Schmitz, February 24, 2019 LILY JULIE ENGLANDER, daughter of William and Aly (Lange) Englander, March 10, 2019 (with Jayhawk godparents Andrew Sabatino and Kate Cropp) EMMA GRACE SCHMITZ, daughter of Chris and Kayla (Burditt) Schmitz, March 23, 2019 MARRIAGES Isaac and Kylie (Dressman) Heinen, November 10, 2018 Gage and Hannah (Krick) Shirley, February 2, 2019

Englander Baptism

Shirley / Krick Wedding

Chaptman Baptism

Frosini Baptism

Burke Baptism

Address Change? Receiving multiple copies? Want to unsuscribe? If so, contact us: 1631 Crescent Rd. Lawrence, KS 66044 (785) 843-0357 kucatholic.org | jconrad@kucatholic.org

NON PROF I T ORG . U. S . P O S TAG E PA I D LAW R E NCE , K S PE R M I T NO. 19 1

STAFF Fr. Mitchel Zimmerman Fr. Dan Morris Sr. Elena Morcelli, AVI Sr. Ruth Kuefler, AVI Sr. Michela, AVI Stacy Cretors Nick Hardesty Linda Hornik Elizabeth Rhea Kirk Kyle Kuckelman Emily Liuzza Jen Meitl-Conrad Luke Murray Brian Nelson Steve Puthoff Mark Wertin MaryCason DeWitt, FOCUS Kelvin Gothman, FOCUS Jessica Little, FOCUS John Michael Lucido, FOCUS Anna Taylor, FOCUS

Upcoming Events

For more information, check www.kucatholic.org

Aptil 28, 2019

May 19, 2019

November 16, 2019

S E N IOR HONOR S N IG H T

GR A DUAT ION W EEK END

DI V INE W INEFEST

5PM Mass + Dinner

8:30AM Mass + Brunch

Fiorellaâ€™s in Overland Park

RSVP: kucatholic.org/graduation

Tickets: divinewinefest.com

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