MIT Catholic Magazine| Spring 2021

MIT CATHOLIC A PUBLICATION OF THE TECH CATHOLIC COMMUNTIY

SPRING 2021

TCC Fall Retreat

CONTENTS | SPRING 2021 2

chaplain's message

4

mit during the pandemic

6

to spread the gospel

8

disciples of all nations

10

faith beyond graduation

12

choosing to be catholic

14

finding community

16 a special christmas gift 18

give to the tcc

19

mit 24-hour challenge

20

upcoming tcc events

22

meet the pastoral team

FOLLOW US ONLINE! tcc.mit.edu @mittcc MIT Tech Catholic Community @MITPadre

“WHATEVER YOUR CONNECTION IS TO THE TECH CATHOLIC COMMUNITY - STUDENT, PARENT, ALUMNI, FACULTY, STAFF, FRIEND - YOU AND YOUR SPIRITUAL JOURNEY ARE IMPORTANT TO ME AS YOUR CATHOLIC CHAPLAIN.” FR. MICHAEL MEDAS

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A MESSAGE FROM THE CHAPLAIN Welcome to the launch of MIT Catholic! Inside you will meet members of the MIT Tech Catholic Community, be introduced to two of our FOCUS Missionaries, be inspired by the faith story of an alumna, and learn of some wonderful events that will happen this Spring semester. In future issues we’ll include articles by alumni, offer practical suggestions for growth in the spiritual life, and address thought provoking issues. Whatever your connection is to the Tech Catholic Community student, parent, alumni, faculty, staff, friend - you and your spiritual journey are important to me as your Catholic chaplain. I hope you will find this magazine a valued resource in your connection with the Tech Catholic Community. As a reminder, while we will be having a special lecture this semester for alumni, all the lectures mentioned herein, including the alumni lecture, are open to you and can be accessed via Zoom. Just email catholic@mit.edu and let us know which lectures you are interested in, and we will get the Zoom link to you. And please find the announcement inside on how to sign up for our new email service that will alert you to upcoming lectures on Catholic spiritual life, dynamic presentations on Catholic thought, and offer inspirational messages on important days in the liturgical calendar.

Blessings of Lent and the joy of Easter!

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TO SPREAD THE GOSPEL Tara Lauderdale, fearless leader of the MIT FOCUS team Growing up in Oklahoma with three siblings, it was a priority for my parents to bring me and my siblings up with a Catholic education. My parents were deep influencers of my faith, praying with me and my siblings each night before bed, taking us to Mass on Sundays, and teaching us how to love one another. I was blessed to receive Catholic education all the way up until college, and my Catholic faith did not begin to have a fundamental role in my life until I went to high school.

Now, several years later, as a missionary, I can say that my Catholic faith is everything to me. My life revolves around my faith in Jesus Christ and how I live that out. It affects my family, the friendships that I pursue, and deeply impacts my desires for long term career and vocation. My Catholic faith really began to have meaning in high school and college when I slowly and surely began to have deeper encounters with Jesus Christ. In college, after a profound encounter with God’s mercy, I knew I had to share the love of Jesus. During my time in college, I felt invited by Christ to become a FOCUS missionary, and after a year on mission, I became a Team Director.

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As Team Director, I have the great privilege of leading a team of missionaries to make missionary disciples at MIT. To be a missionary disciple means to follow Jesus Christ, to love, serve, and strive to imitate Him in every way. To be missionary means to be sent, to go out and proclaim the good news of Jesus Christ.

My team and I are trying to help MIT students know and love Jesus Christ and make Him known. As missionaries, we follow the model that Jesus used. Jesus selected 12 men that He would invest deeply in, men that He would share His life with, teach, and love. In a similar way, as missionaries, we invest in MIT students by sharing life with them, having spiritual conversations, meeting in small group Bible studies, and spending time together in authentic fellowship. Ultimately, the MIT FOCUS team uses this method of evangelizing because it is the model that Jesus has given to us, to invest deeply in a few, teaching them how to invest in others, and entrusting to them the message of the Gospel. It is my greatest joy to be a missionary at MIT, helping to make students into saints, following after Jesus joyfully and wanting to share Him with others.

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DISCIPLES OF ALL NATIONS Greg Giangiordano, third-year FOCUS missionary

My Catholic faith, my faith in Jesus Christ and the Church that He founded, means everything to me. Jesus Christ is the center of my life, and I don’t think I could have said that before I became a FOCUS missionary. Living out my faith in the context of the Great Commission, Christ’s words to His disciples at the end of the Gospel of Matthew, “Go forth, and make disciples of all nations,” is what drives me. I want everyone to know that God exists, that He knows them and that He loves them, and I want to give everyone the chance to have a personal relationship with Jesus in prayer and in the Sacraments. I am convicted of this – if Jesus wants me to know that He loves me, then He also wants you to know that He loves you.

When I was a college student, I was blessed to be a part of a student community of fellow Catholics who desired to grow in their faith through prayer and fellowship. It was in being a part of this community, and with my chaplain's support and encouragement, that stirred me to want to give all of myself in service to Christ and His Church. After a discernment period, I applied to FOCUS, and here I am three years later and loving it!

I cannot express how grateful I am – had I not become a FOCUS missionary, Christ would not be the center of my life. Typically, my day to day as a missionary revolves around two central themes: prayer and Holy Mass. No day is complete without having prayed for an hour in Adoration and having attended Mass. It is what sets the rhythm of the day. Then there are usually meetings with the team for Catholic formation or planning events for students, and also throughout the day mentorship and Bible study with students.

Currently, I lead a group of Upperclassmen men both in Bible study and in small group mentorship, called Discipleship. Here, the men and I pray together, discuss virtue and how it applies to our lives, and encourage each other in the pursuit of sanctity and in outreach to peers. It has been an honor walking alongside the men of the TCC; I know they will be great saints some day! My goal is that these men become the next generation of passionate Catholics in our society, and that they begin now, while on campus, to share their passion for Jesus and His Church with their fellow students.

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FAITH BEYOND GRADUATION Allison Chang, alumna of MIT I am currently serving my third year as a Co-Chair of the TCC Advisory Board, which I have been a member of since 2015. The TCC Advisory Board is a group of MIT faculty, staff, and alumni who help to oversee TCC finances and operations. Two years ago, I also joined my parish community in Lexington, MA, where I began volunteering recently and hope to become increasingly involved. The Catholic Faith is important to me because it gives meaning to my life and guides me when I feel uncertain. The quote by C.S. Lewis “I believe in Christianity as I believe that the sun has risen, not only because I see it but because by it, I see everything else” resonates strongly with me.

I grew up in Edison, NJ with my parents, a twin sister, and our grandmother. In college, where I majored in Applied Math, I discovered that I enjoyed building and solving optimization models, and I wanted to learn more in graduate school. After receiving my acceptance to MIT and visiting the Institute, I felt it was a good match for my interests and began studying there in 2007. I graduated with my PhD in Operations Research in 2012.

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Faith was not always a part of my life. I am not from a Catholic family, and was a junior in college when I first explored joining the Church. I was shy and insecure living away from home, and without my family around, I struggled to feel a true sense of belonging. With support from Catholic friends, I started attending Mass. The understanding that God is always with me was very powerful, and the more I learned about the faith, the more I felt that Catholicism was right for me.

In my senior year, I participated in RCIA, and entered the Church at the Easter Vigil.

At MIT, I loved attending Mass with Fr. Clancy, and in my second year, I began to lector and EM. In my third year, the first FOCUS missionaries arrived at MIT, and their efforts were very effective in bringing together a vibrant Catholic student community, for both undergraduates and graduate students.

I am grateful to the TCC for helping me during my grad school years to really grow in faith, and some of my closest friends today are from the TCC. Shortly after graduating from MIT, I began working at Lincoln Laboratory, where I currently help to lead one of the research groups developing technologies to support safe and efficient transportation. I think that one of the clearest ways in which we can integrate our Faith lives with our work lives (beyond guiding ethical decisions) is in how we interact with our colleagues. In a secular, corporate environment, it is easy to forget that all people are children of God who deserve my respect and empathy, but I think it is largely this principle that has helped me to work well with my teams. Christ is also my role model for leadership. My faith tells me that leadership is an act of humble service rather than commanding authority, and just as service in my personal life is rewarding, applying the same concept in my work life has made my career more fulfilling thus far.

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CHOOSING TO BE CATHOLIC Diane Henle, MIT sophomore With so many role models and so many people to ask questions to, it was easy to be Catholic. I was extremely fortunate in not facing any significant challenges with respect to religion in my early years.

Faith has always been an integral part of my life. Growing up, I attended a Catholic school from kindergarten to 8th grade and have many fond memories of learning about the Bible in religion class, going to morning Mass with my classmates, participating in the living rosary during Lent, singing Christmas songs in music class, and so many more. I was surrounded by others who followed their faith: classmates, teachers, family.

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My world of comfort and safety experienced a change when I moved to a new state and a new school for 9th grade. A public high school opened up my eyes to others who maintained very strong beliefs against my own - from other Christians to other religions to atheism. Faith ceased to be an assumed commonality when making new friends and became a topic generally avoided as to not make anyone uncomfortable.

Through freshman year, I focused on simply trying to adjust to high school and did not actively seek learning more about Catholicism.

One day, a friend convinced me to come with her to church youth group, and I realized I sincerely missed being part of a faith-centered community. Soon enough, this youth group on Sundays and girls Bible study after school on Wednesdays became part of my weekly schedule.

This provided an outlet to talk to friends about our religion and a place to ask my growing number of questions. Through retreats and service trips, we grew close together as a community and more importantly, grew in our faith.

However, upon graduating it was again time to move to a new environment. I knew right away that I wanted to find a religious community at MIT similar to that of high school. The Tech Catholic Community provided exactly this and so much more. From the very beginning, everyone was incredibly welcoming and open to new members. The missionaries and upperclassmen frequently talked to the new freshmen as to include us in their close knit community.

I’ve witnessed a true passion for faith in so many of them that I have only seen in a few other people. Being a part of this community has helped me so much through my time at MIT so far, and I definitely want to continue to be part of the TCC through the next couple of years.

For the past two years, I’ve loved being a part of this community. I have made some great friends, who I know I can count on through any challenges I may face in my personal or faith life.

Through the many social events, spags on Fridays(student spaghetti dinners), Bible study, and Mass, I have grown close to the TCC members and have also grown significantly in my faith. Though my faith still frequently faces challenges, doubts, and questions, I know there are people I can turn to. The members of the TCC do not just follow a religion because their parents make them, but rather, actively choose to be Catholic and to live out their faith each day despite its challenges in an increasingly secular world.

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FINDING COMMUNITY John Shackleton, MIT junior

My name is John Shackleton, and I am currently a junior majoring in Courses 8 (physics) and 18-C (mathematics and computer science). I am from Sault Sainte Marie in Michigan which is a small town on the northern border with Canada. I have a brother who attended MIT majoring also in physics and is currently at Harvard for his graduate degree researching condensed matter theory.

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In high school, I was active in our quiz bowl team all four years, our local youth group, and studying math and physics on my own. The primary reason I chose to come to MIT was because my family and I already had a decent amount of familiarity with the school from my brother attending.

Additionally, my other main option was CalTech which made the decision easy to choose MIT. My Catholic faith really started to flourish when I started attending my high school youth group.

What initially started as a weekly torture forced by my mother slowly transformed into an activity I looked forward to as I learned more about the faith. Coming to MIT, I was quickly integrated into the Tech Catholic Community by making friends at coffee and donuts, going to Bible Study, and becoming a member of the council helping plan social events. The missionaries and friends I made in the Tech Catholic Community (through the grace of the Holy Spirit) have helped me tremendously in learning about the Catholic faith and how to live the Catholic faith.

I feel slightly bad for saying this as my Confirmation Saint was St. Albert the Great, but currently my favorite saint would be St. Thomas Aquinas for a number of reasons. Of course, for his impact on how to think critically about the faith but also for his approach to his work (non nisi te domine and mihi videtur ut palea). Most importantly I just finished reading The Quiet Light which is a novelized form of the life of St. Thomas, so he is very fresh in my mind. I love the rosary as a devotion to Our Lady and as an opportunity for silence, to be filled with the Holy Spirit, and to reflect on the life of Jesus. As a part of this, I have been attending and helping lead our weekly community Rosary which has been a great opportunity to see and pray with fellow members of the Tech Catholic Community. The Tech Catholic Community has had a wonderful and marked influence on my time at MIT. This influence will hopefully continue its impact throughout the rest of my life, and I am very grateful for all of the friends and mentors I have met through the Tech Catholic Community. I look forward to continuing our mission and community in the next and upcoming semesters.

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A SPECIAL CHRISTMAS GUEST Sophia Mittman'22 on Cardinal Sean's Visit With a substantial group that attended, it was also an opportunity to see familiar faces and meet new ones.

Overall, the event was quite a success!

For many MIT students, by the time December rolls around, steam begins to run out as the semester comes to a close, and any remaining motivation left is often spent focusing on finals and projects. Unfortunately, though, as is the case for a range of MIT students every year, this academic hustle-andbustle often detracts from the joy and peace that the season of Advent brings.

By the time finals are over and students are finally able to spend some time actively awaiting and anticipating the birth of Jesus, Advent is almost over and Christmas is only a few days away.

As the fall semester of 2020 neared its end, on December 4th the MIT Tech Catholic Community (TCC) had the blessed opportunity to meet Cardinal Sean O’Malley (over Zoom!) who gave a talk focused on Advent. Thanks to technology, undergraduates and graduates were able to attend live from locations across the country and the world. Throughout the semester, the TCC had gathered for virtual rosaries, game nights, other talks, and Bible studies, but this event was a highlight for all.

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Hence, the Meet-and-Greet event with Cardinal Sean was a wonderful opportunity for MIT students in the TCC to refocus their efforts at the beginning of Advent before the temptation of the hustle-and-bustle took over. This was especially true for this semester, which was spent completely online for most TCC members. While school did not slow down, the event with Cardinal Sean was a reminder that the season and spirit of Advent can be lived out even with a busy MIT lifestyle.

In his discussion, Cardinal Sean reminded us that, as Christ chose to be born into humility, we too should welcome Him into the humble parts of our everyday lives. By doing so, we solidify our relationship with Jesus as we bring Him into our personal world— not just at church, but in the moments when we interact with our families and friends, while we’re studying at school, while we’re juggling tasks at work, etc.

The cardinal emphasized the truth that, during Advent, if we recommit ourselves to building this relationship with Jesus—a relationship that is not episodic, but rather, continual—then we are allowing Christ to light up our lives, just as Christ brought light into the world through His birth on Christmas.

The news of the hope that this light brings was a beacon for the TCC to hear this past Advent.

Some had never met Cardinal Sean before, and others had never met a cardinal in their life. Thus, the encounter was a spectacular event for people to grow spiritually and grow more united to the Church. Many thanks to Cardinal Sean for taking the time to share the enlightening messages on Advent to our community. We hope to host more events with Cardinal Sean in the future, and, God willing, in person someday, too!

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HELP THE TCC CREDIT CARD

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Give a recurring or one-time gift by visiting tcc.mit.edu/donate and clicking "Give Now"!

Give a recurring gift that is taken directly from your checking or brokerage account by visiting giving.mit.edu/eft

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MATCHING GIFTS

Send a check to MIT Annual Fund Office of Records at 600 Memorial Dr, W98-2nd Floor, Cambridge, MA 02139 and credit check to MIT Account #2558700 - TCC's Annual Fund.

Your employer may have the option to match your gifts to the TCC. You can choose to match for either educational or religious activities. To do so, please visit giving.mit.edu/ways/matching-gifts

If the gift is over $5,000, consider giving to the Christopher K. Lindburg and Ben Johnson Reynolds Fund to contribute to our endowment . Credit check to MIT Account #3657300.

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MIT Tech Catholic Community 40 Massachusetts Ave, Building W11 Cambridge, MA 02139

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CONTACT INFORMATION

MIT 24-HOUR CHALLENGE Do you want to leave your impact on the TCC community?

MIT will hold its fifth annual 24-hour day of giving on March 11, 2021. This event is focused on increasing donor participation in a 24-hour time period by members of the MIT community. The Tech Catholic Community will be participating for its 3rd year. Given we continue to offer Catholic ministry through the pandemic, your participation is essential. This year two anonymous donors offer a challenge.

The challenge is: if 100 people make gifts, the donors give $5,000.00 if 125 people make gifts, the donors give $7,500.00 if 150 people make gifts, the donors give $10,000.00 Gifts can be of any size, and can be from students, faculty, alumni, parents, staff and friends. Help the TCC make the challenge! Mark your calendars for March 11, 2021.

To access the challenge online, please visit https://mit24hourchallenge.mightycause.com/story/Tech-Catholic

Your financial support is essential to keeping Catholic ministry present and growing at MIT. I humbly ask for your support during the 24 Hour Challenge.

Any gift will be greatly appreciated.

Thank you! — Fr. Michael

TCC UPCOMING SPIRITUAL EVENTS March 5,6,7 Spiritual Retreat: The Father’s House Presenters: Fr Michael & FOCUS Missionaries: Tara, Greg, Cathy, John March 20 at 11:00AM: TCC Lenten Lecture: Human Suffering: Punishment from God, a Random Act, Neither or Both?

We all know good people who have suffered terrible loss or insurmountable pain. Whether this suffering may have come from the hands of others or from embedded injustice, it usually leads to our asking where God is in the midst of this existential mayhem. Fr Michael Patella, a Benedictine monk from Saint John’s Abbey in Collegeville, Minnesota, will probe this question by examining Scripture with an eye for the connection between human suffering and Christ’s redemptive sacrifice.

Presenter: Fr Michael Patella, OSB, DSS, is a Benedictine monk and professor of New Testament at Saint John's University, Minnesota.

April 7 at 7:00PM: Catholicism 101: Why Do Catholics Do That?

Got a question about what Catholics believe? Join us for this informal Q & A!

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April 14 at 7:00PM: Alumni Lecture: Amid the Burning Layers of Grace: Science as Prayer Paleontologist, geologist and theologian Pierre Teilhard de Chardin, SJ said "By means of all created things, without exception, the divine assails us, penetrates us and moulds us…we live steeped in its burning layers.” If God speaks to us through the created world, can scientific research be a way to pray?

Presenter: Michelle M. Francl, Ph.D., Frank B. Mallory Professor of Chemistry at Bryn Mawr College, and an Adjunct Scholar of the Vatican Observatory April 17 - 20: CPW Lecture: Intercollegiate Panel Discussion Catholicism, the Intellectual Life, and Wholistic Health April 23 at 7:00PM: Grad Student Lecture: Discerning the Will of God for Your Life May 6 at 11:00AM: Class of 2021 Baccalaureate Lecture What is the Teleology of Grace in Your Life?

Want to stay connected?

The Tech Catholic Community is developing a new email list that will alert you to upcoming lectures on Catholic spiritual life, dynamic presentations on Catholic thought, and offer inspirational messages on important days in the liturgical calendar. Now, and post-COVID, Tech Catholic Community lectures will remain accessible to all via Zoom or a similar platform. To register for these updates email: catholic@mit.edu and simply put “Update Email” in the subject line. Don’t miss out!

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MEET THE PASTORAL TEAM

FR. MICHAEL MEDAS Chaplain

DEACON AUGUSTINE HWANG Deacon

LONI BUTERA Secretary

MIT'S FOCUS MISSIONARIES

JOHN ORTEGA 22 | MIT CATHOLIC

TARA LAUDERDALE

CATHERINE ALEX

GREG GIANGIORDANO

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MIT Building W11-012 40 Massachusetts Avenue Cambridge, MA 02139

UPCOMING STUDENT EVENTS march 5-7 | father's house spring retreat march 11 | mit 24-hour challenge march 20 | lenten lecture: human suffering: punishment from God, a random act, neither or both? april 7 | catholicism 101: why do catholics do that? april 14 | alumni lecture: amid the burning layers of grace: science as prayer april 17-20 | cpw student panel: faith & life april 23 | grad student lecture: discerning the will of God for your life may 6-7 | baccalaureate lecture