Snapshots of Your Impact

October 2022: After the Supreme Court overturned Roe v Wade, the U.S. began a new experiment. Half of the states restricted abortion (some banning it completely) and the other half solidified abortion rights. How are Catholics to respond to this new moment? Julie Hanlon Rubio, professor of Christian Ethics at Santa Clara University, and author of Hope for Common Ground: Mediating the Personal and the Political in a Divided Church, unpacked the complexity of Catholic teaching on the morality and politics of abortion, and led a conversation about the shape of credible and compassionate Catholic witness after Dobbs.

At Common Roots Farm, people with disabilities join with others to grow healthy food, beautiful flowers and create friendships that sustain everyone. Stanford Catholics regularly volunteer with planting, harvesting, working soil, clearing beds, petting chickens, feeding sheep, or whatever needs to be done on the farm that day.

CC@S welcomed 17 new members through Infant Baptism this past year.

Most people live siloed lives in which our faith is rarely integrated into our studies or work. John Denniston led our community through the writings of Pope Francis, John F Kennedy and Thomas Merton, who have highlighted the high degree of difficulty in making this happen – because of the powerful gravitational pull of our culture of indifference.

The Mass of the Holy Spirit is a Jesuit tradition dating back to the sixteenth century. It is an opportunity for the entire Stanford community to pray for the guidance and wisdom of God's Spirit as we undertake the work of our mission during this academic year.

Festifall brings out all student organizations at the beginning of the year out to greet undergrads in White Plaza. The Pope was out in fine form.

Undergrads, Grads and Year Round Community flocked to our Catholic taco dinner behind Memorial Church after Mass on the first Sunday of the quarter. The beautiful, intimate space encouraged lots of fun and important mingling.

CC@S undergrads, grads and Year Rounders regularly serve breakfast to the unhoused who gather at the Opportunity Center located across El Camino Real and Stanford’s eucalyptus groves

The CLT gathers weekly to plan prayer, social, service, and learning opportunities for undergrads

The Undergrads hosted a Posada, a religious festival celebrated in Mexico that commemorates the journey Joseph and Mary made from Nazareth to Bethlehem in search of a safe place to stay where Mary could give birth to Jesus.

The Days of the Dead is a holiday that originated in Mexico but is also commonly celebrated throughout other parts of Latin America. It brought the student community together for an opportunity to remember and celebrate the lives of departed loved ones.

Every August, we gather for an annual mass on the grass and picnic at the Dominican Friars’ home at Arbor House in Menlo Park

We celebrated the end of the year and bid goodbye to many great grad students who graduated in June

Twice a year, CC@S leads a Silent Directed Retreat at the nearby Jesuit Retreat Center. About 15 people of all ages spend a long weekend being individually directed by spiritual directors as well as dedicating their time to individual prayer and reflection.

Welcome leis (prayer cards, tote bags and other goodies) were distributed before enjoying time to meet and get to know each other at the beginning of the year

The CGS program is a Montessori-based, international program focusing on prayer, liturgy, and scripture that has been successfully used for over 50 years

Among other things, the CLT practiced Discipleship Duos: an undergrad guides another undergrad in a 7-8 week experience of friendship in Christ, developing the habits of daily prayer and seeking answers to their questions about their faith.

22 graduate students gathered at the Arbor House for a retreat themed “(Re)connect”. The students enjoyed a day disconnected from busy campus life and used the opportunity to reconnect with God and each other through prayer and fellowship.