vol.
50
S P R I NG 20 20 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 25 March
On the Annunciation of Our Lord Jesus Christ Dear KU Catholics, 62 years of stories written from this Holy Hill dear to you and me . . . and counting! But never stories quite like the ones being written right now! Campus is locked down. Graduation is canceled. Classes and degrees are being granted only online! This is definitely not how this chapter of the St. Lawrence + KU story was supposed to end. I’m (re)writing this Catholics on The Hill message in light of COVID-19 and on the Solemnity of the Annunciation. On this day, we know that it is nine months til Christmas, and Christmas can not get here soon enough in what has been a rough start to the new decade. Yet Christmas came because Mary, speaking on behalf of you and me, said YES when the temptation to give into the no of fear and uncertainty was greatest. She invites us her children to do the same. To fill this moment with faith, courage and hope. To welcome the Lord precisely in the most unprecedented of circumstances. To invite Him to come, and begin His redemption, at our smallest and weakest point. I know the current crisis is hitting all of us very hard. But our faith was made for this, for us to say YES to finding a way forward when we are most likely to quit. The greatest stories are conceived in the most unusual of circumstances. May our alma mater and Her annunciation show you how to say YES to this moment.
Fr. Mitchel Zimmerman Director P.S. Drop me a text (913-220-8809) or email (frmitchel@kucatholic.org) to let me know what it’s like out there for Catholic Jayhawks in 2020! And above all, keep praying for us . . . and send in as much support as you can.
Stay Connected
UNTIL WE MEET AGAIN
S pring at St. Lawrence
THE KU CATHOLIC MISSION
In February, Good Company hosted their second annual Open Mic Night, drawing over 280 students on a Friday night to McLain’s Market up on campus. There were hundreds of new faces who experienced genuine hospitality and authentic fellowship. It was a night to be remembered! (see also cover photo)
During spring break, students were notified not to return to campus because of COVID-19. Within one week, every apostolate at St. Lawrence had moved to a virtual platform, engaging students in worship, community, and intellectual formation. The last week of March, Archbishop Naumann even got to join in our Zoom call with over 90 student leaders preparing for the rest of the semester!
Ministry
CONTINUES
Instead of reacting with fear to the worldwide COVID-19 pandemic, St. Lawrence has responded with the strength of faith. Faith is always a strategy! Our faith helps us to read the opportunities for growth and learning in new circumstances. We’ve translated 100% of our mission and ministries to online platforms, from Mass, to classes, to spiritual direction to discipleship! Our aim is to respond with creativity, compassion, generosity, courage - and most of all prayer. It’s what our KU Catholic community is for. It is what our benefactors expect. When our graduates are experiencing tremendous discouragement and an uncertain future, our parents are needing support to know what to do, and our students are tempted even more to disillusionment and isolation, it’s then that St. Lawrence is at our best.
@kucatholics @instituteforfaithandculture @goodco.ku
@kucatholic @St.LawrenceInstituteforFaithandCulture @goodco.ku
THEN to NOW
2011
1988 Mary E. Ryan
11 88 Pictured here with dear friend Fr. Tom Fangman, a KU Catholic who answered the call to the Priesthood and has been serving as a Priest for over 30 years!
Tell us your story. I grew up in Omaha, Nebraska. I received my undergraduate degree in Journalism from KU and my graduate degree in Guidance and Counseling from the University of Nebraska Omaha, and began a career working with college students. I went on to work at the University of Kansas for 26 years serving in various leadership roles.
How did St. Lawrence fit into your experience at KU? When I arrived as a student at KU in 1981 there were two wonderful priests serving in Lawrence: Fr. Vince and Fr. Bill. I enjoyed attending the masses at the Kansas Union with my Kappa Alpha Theta sisters before the Center was even built, and especially loved the masses over the lunch hour at Danforth Chapel. The St. Lawrence Center became a place to study, attend Lenten retreats and often have a free meal. It was wonderful to show up at this beautiful home, and truly feel so welcomed and at peace. I returned to KU in 1991 to join the university staff. I sought out Fr. Vince often during these years, discerning decisions about graduate classes and my KU career. He was with my every step of the way, and I trusted his counsel as he guided me to make these decisions with prayer; I know he deeply understood how challenging the lives of our students, staff and faculty can sometimes be on a university campus.
I was especially blessed during part of my KU tenure to serve as Director of New Student Orientation. My colleagues and I made a wise decision one year to hire Mitchel Zimmerman to become an Orientation Assistant for KU. To witness his path as a student, and now a priest, has been a wonderful blessing in my life. Currently, I serve on the St. Lawrence Center Board of Directors and it has been such an honor to witness this staff and their devotion to reach and serve every KU Catholic student.
Emma Frosini
Where would I be, if it wasn’t for the St. Lawrence Center?
Lost. There is really no better way to put it. To add some background, when I was a junior in High School, I was in a near-fatal car accident. I was in the hospital over a month and it took months after returning home to walk again. It was a physically, mentally, and spiritually traumatic experience. I had plenty of coping mechanisms; none of which had much to do with God. How did the St. Lawrence Center play a part in your KU experience?
Although I attended Mass sporadically my first semester in college, I was lost, I had no faith life, no community, and no peace. It wasn’t until I attended and volunteered on a Koinonia retreat and began spiritual direction with one of the Italian sisters that I began to return to my faith. What are you up to today?
As far as what’s happening now, I’m homeschooling my oldest three kids, mentoring engaged couples with Luigi, my amazing husband, and hosting a book club with other Family Members at St. Lawrence. And what does the future hold? In the autumn, on the 16th anniversary of that near-fatal car accident, we will be welcoming our sixth little Frosini!
2021 Aiden Setter
Major: Business Administration
21
What do you hope to do with your degree? I would like to work within college athletics and specifically athletic fundraising and administration. My goal is to become a successful major gift fundraiser for a power 5 conference university's athletic department. I also aspire to work my way up and one day become the Director of Athletics for a university. My absolute dream job would be to become the Athletic Director here at KU. I am blessed to have a strong work ethic and am able to put in the work needed to make my goals become a reality. The downside of this was putting my self identity into these goals, and when doors were slammed in my face at KU, I was left heartbroken. In fact, without St. Lawrence, I do not know where I would be. The staff and students at St. Lawrence have been instrumental in helping me deepen my faith, grow a closer relationship with Jesus Christ, and put my self identity into being a Son of God. Looking back on my last 4 years, I have had several moments where I was questioning where I was in life and who I wanted to become. St. Lawrence has been there for me every single time to build me up and push me to become the best version of myself! How do you hope to change the world? I want every single person I meet and interact with to feel like they are the center of the universe. I sincerely desire to make every person feel their full value and importance when they are talking to me. I am inspired by stories like St. John Paul II being able to remember every single person he met because they were a child of God.
Flashback to the
80s
Monsignor Vince
INSTITUTE for Faith and Culture The IFC pivoted quickly in response to the COVID-19 pandemic by moving all courses and seminars online immediately following spring break, and many of the students in the courses relayed that their IFC class was the only course they had at KU that was going “live.� All of their other course lectures were being recorded for playback with no student-professor interaction. As reality has settled in, the courses, meetings, and face to face interaction has proven to be fertile ground for the Holy Spirit to move in the lives of KU students.
COURSES FOR CREDIT : FALL 2020
WHO AM I? WHO IS GOD?
What does it mean to be human? Through Scripture and classic works of the humanities, students will explore the Christian vision of the human person. Who is God? How do we know him? Is faith against reason or science? In addition, study principles that have guided the practice of the faith throughout the centuries while also examining contemporary issues.
More information and register online at instituteforfaithandculture.org/courses
! s U n i o J
November 14, 2020 Fiorella's - Overland Park
2020 Divine Winefest Chairs Peter and Veronica Mallouk
DIVINEWINEFEST.COM
SACRAMENTS Celebrated Baptisms
November 24, 2019 | Eden Claire Lucido Daughter of John Michael and Emily (KU Focus Missionaries)
Heinen Family
December 22, 2019 | Leo Robert Krumisick Son of Kolter and Kaitlyn (Alexander)
Lucido Family
December 28, 2019 | Margaret Louise Heinen Daughter of Isaac and Kylie January 25, 2020 | Annabel Conrad Daughter of Keith and Jennifer (Meitl) February 2, 2020 | Luke Gregory Wellnitz Son of Gregory and Katie (Hamilton)
Sacrament of Marriage
The Huffines
November 30, 2019 | Alexandra (Dahlgren) and Terence Huffines December 21,2019 | Annie (Quigley) and Chris Kohlrus December 27, 2019 | Sarah (Stratmann) and Dave Misasi December 28, 2019 | Victoria (Reggeti) and James Beyer January 18, 2020 | Angela and Ian Smith
Solemn Profession
November 24, 2019 | Br. Karel Soupkup, OSB St. Benedict Abbey, Atchison, KS
Fireside Cafe + Patio Alumni Spotted
The renovations of last summer have been put to good use this year. Pictured here are three alumni families: AJ and Micah (Shilling) Naeger, Greg and Katie (Hamilton) Wellnitz, and Nico and Emily (Moisan) Jaumard. These KU Catholic alumni gathered late last fall to enjoy a picnic lunch after a Sunday Mass at St. Lawrence. We want to welcome YOU to come and enjoy the spaces as well...they are yours, after all. Did we miss your big news? Be sure to send an email to jconrad@kucatholic.org with any sacrament updates you have so we can include them in the upcoming issue!
Br. Karel Soupkup
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 NC E , 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 Mark Wertin MaryCason DeWitt, FOCUS Kelvin Gothman, FOCUS Jessica Little, FOCUS John Michael Lucido, FOCUS Catherine McManus, FOCUS
Upcoming Events Zoom Holy Happy Hours
November 14, 2020
Coming this Summer!
DI V I N E W I N E F E S T
Watch our social media for details!
divinewinefest.com
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