Dear Catholic Community at Stanford,
I am writing this just before Thanksgiving, and there is so much to be thankful for. The joy of these last months is tangible in the smiles of so many here at CC@S. There is a contagious hope and joy for the future. Isaiah's words wash over me: “See, I am doing a new thing! Now it springs up; do you not see” it? (Is 43:19).
God is doing marvelous things here through YOU, shaping all of us is in His hands. Here are some glimpses of grace:
The Undergrad Catholic Leadership Team is 28 leaders strong! Their number is matched by their faith: initiating, planning, and organizing socials (retreats, formals) faith opportunities (posadas, dios de los muertos) and talks (Democracy and Catholicism, The Immaculate Conception, and Exorcisms). What they do now, they will do in their future parishes.
The recent workshop sponsored by grad students at CC@S and Christians in Business/CSA at the Graduate School of Business awakened a new excitement in students and community members as they learned how to discern their primary values, adopted tools to exercise self-leadership and set goals to towards becoming more effective servant leaders in their lives.
Student Discipleship Duos and Peer Coffee Chats are connecting undergrads and graduate students in new, inviting ways. More and more, we see our student leaders actively sharing their faith and encouraging others who are curious about deepening and exploring their faith.
CC@S is fully committed to the Church’s Spirit of Synodality. Synodality calls for speaking and listening to one another and the Holy Spirit in order to find a path forward in addressing the issues facing the Church. The whole community dedicated a significant amount of time to listening to one another and passing on our feedback to the Bishop.
The many Small Groups continue to deepen faith and mutual support across undergrads, grads and year round community. Many have described it as experiencing true community.
Some notable recent lectures this fall quarter are the one on Addiction and Craving by Dr. Anna Lembke, and the upcoming Conversation with Boston’s Doctor to the Homeless, Dr. Jim O’Connell. They are revelatory.
Our students and community members traveled to Chiapas, Mexico for an immersion trip that greatly impressed them. Here is one of my favorite comments shared by a student traveler: “Witnessing the faith here has taught me there isn’t only one right way to express devotion and to be a true Catholic. I have been asking the wrong questions. We are all born with an imprint of God which keeps us always searching for God. Different people and communities can cultivate that space with God in different ways. To be open to the ways people are in relationship with God is beautiful and a real gift.”
More people than ever seek Spiritual Direction; they are transformed by discovering they are God’s beloved. It has been such a gift to have both Dominican and Ignatian spirituality here at CC@S. I think it might be the only campus ministry in the US that has mixed traditions!
Our new Mobile App has put CC@S in the palm of your hand. I am particularly excited by the possibilities!
These are just glimpses. I wish you could see into students’ hearts. God is touching them. Thank you for being a part of God’s plan. Without your help, nothing can happen. With your prayers and support, we can touch the world.
Fr. Xavier Lavagetto, OP
xavierop@stanford.edu
