AD ASTRA

At the start of the 2021-2022 school year, the St. Lawrence Center decided to start a new learning series to replace the formal Institute for Faith and Culture classes that had been offered to students in previous years. The new learning series focused on creating short mini-series offerings for students in an effort to figure out what works best for their intellectual formation and spiritual formation going forward.

Mark Wertin, a staff member at the St. Lawrence Center said that the new format has been a great direction to move into because it allows students to come to the truth.

“We realized that when they can discuss it and come to the conclusion, it’s going to stick,” Wertin said. “Whereas if we just stand out there and talk it’s probably not going to have the same impact. Hopefully, it will be transformative enough for the students so that it will basically springboard them into a fuller life and guide their story. ”

While the setting has changed, the information being presented has remained the same. For some students like Caroline Kenagy, a senior in Marketing, the new casual environment has taken away the pressure of a traditional classroom setting.

“I think St. Lawrence has grown a lot from Ad Astra,” Kenagy said. “I think just the environment where it’ s casual and set up like a living room is nice. You also don’t have to come to one session to understand the last session. People can come and they can go and there’s no pressure and you feel welcome if you don’t come to all of them, which I think is a huge step.” The changed format has allowed the center to reach more students than ever before. Through the first three series, 232 students were in attendance. Lucas Grand, a sophomore studying information systems has praised the center for the changes that have been made this school year.

“I mean, it’s really an invaluable resource for students because a lot of what we have thrown at us every day in classes is just a professor talking to us,” Grand said. “This actually gives us the opportunity to ask questions, have a deeper conversation, and grow in our faith in the way that you can’t really experience anywhere else in the center.”

As the school year begins to wrap up, the zeal for the faith hasn’t changed around the center. Ad Astra will continue next school year as the St. Lawrence Center continues to educate students on the Catholic faith.

“THIS ACTUALLY GIVES US THE OPPORTUNITY TO ASK QUESTIONS, HAVE A DEEPER CONVERSATION, AND GROW IN OUR FAITH IN THE WAY THAT YOU CAN’T REALLY EXPERIENCE ANYWHERE ELSE IN THE CENTER.”