by Delaney Ferguson
For all of her virtue and bravery, I must confess it is not often I find myself envious of St. Joan of Arc’s fiery demise.
However, it’s never long into Finals Week before a little bonfire sounds appealing. At least it’d be less painful.
Indeed, college life is full of the bustling movement and constant reaching towards the promise of a future that lies just beyond one more passing grade. So, for all its charm, when the assignments begin to pile high enough to crush one’s spine, the refuge of adoration is a welcome one. As the door closes, there is peace to be found as the sacred silence washes over you.
I have always found it nice to sit down and look up at the loving gaze of the Eucharist’s undivided attention. Or perhaps, I’m simply noticing that for once He has mine.
At times it might seem dull and repetitive. I doubt I am the first person to pinky promise not to sin again if I could just pass this next chemistry test. But in a week missed, the absence of this precious time is felt. Much like missing a study session, you don’t know how much you need it till it’s gone.
To me, these times alone with God have always been a date worth keeping. As life sweeps me away with all the stress of “becoming,” adoration provides a chance to just “be”.
by Meghan Mudd
St. Eugene and SWOSU Catholic’s Mardi Gras party on February 13, 2024 was a wonderful event where we as a community were able to celebrate and welcome the coming Lenten season The evening featured SWOSU's “Those Cats Out West!”, a three-person jazz combo who love their craft of music. The dedicated group’s repertoire highlighted the evening perfectly, with renditions of “Girl from Ipanema”, “Caravan”, “Sing!Sing!Sing!” and so much more!!
To compliment the musical entertainment, Chef Dee's Cajun Food Truck provided real, authentic Cajun cuisine for everyone to enjoy. Chicken wings, beans, rice, gumbo, and more were all enjoyed. Chef Dee's dishes added an essential layer to the cultural experience, making the night enjoyable for all five senses.
The impact of the event was significant, bringing together parishioners of St. Eugene parish and the campus community. People of all ages and backgrounds celebrated together! We were able to reach more students on campus, and it gave SWOSU Catholic students the ability to get out of their comfort zones and do some outreach towards others at the school.
The blend of excellent music, food, and community was not only a good time, but also fostered a sense of unity and joy, reminding everyone of the importance of community celebrations. What a wonderful way to start the Lenten season!
by Fr. Kelly Edwards
When I was in the very formative years of my Catholic life, that is, in college, I had the great opportunity to take a pilgrimage to Rome with my friends from St. John’s in Stillwater. It did for me what a trip to Rome does for so many people: cemented my appreciation and understanding of the richness, history and depth of our Catholic faith. You cannot go to Rome and not be affected.
I wanted to give the gift that I received to others, especially those in the precious formative years of young adult and college life. This past May I was blessed to take seven students from Weatherford and eleven other college students and young adults from around the Archdiocese on a pilgrimage to Rome. Many of them had never left the country.
We got a full Roman experience by walking or taking the city bus anywhere we needed to go. We visited all the major basilicas as well as many side churches, coffee shops, ruins and museums. Part of the joy of Rome is the wonder of what may be just around the corner—or under your feet.
I watched happily as uncertain travelers became confident adventurers, marveling at the Catholic riches around them and gaining new appreciation for what they experience in the Catholic churches here at home. We may not have basilicas on every corner, but our adventurous pilgrims came to see the universality of the Church and grew to embrace more fully their place in it.
We look forward to next year’s pilgrimage to Ireland!
by Annie Suenram
My vocation story has been quite a journey.
In retrospect it probably started way earlier than college, but it didn’t really become apparent until then. When I started at SWOSU I was a bright-eyed, bushy-tailed freshman ready for all the things college had to offer. One slight downside was my freshman year being in the Fall of 2020, so everything was a bit weird to say the least. The one constant in my life at that point was faith, which had been important to me in high school, so I continued to find ways to be active in college.
I had always and still do feel comfortable at church, so SWOSU Catholic became an instant home and outlet for me from the beginning. There was never too weird a question to ask and always someone to listen to the crazy thing that happened in class that day. It was the first time I found people that loved being Catholic, weren’t afraid of it, and were there because they wanted to be. Hanging out with them made me want to continue growing in my relationship with Jesus and become more comfortable about sharing my faith with others.
For me, college was a time of soul searching and asking myself what God wanted me to do with the talents He has given me. Religious life had always been a possibility in the back of my mind, but I kept pushing it back and making excuses about why it wasn’t the right time to look into it. It just kept coming up though –to the point where it was annoying. So, finally, I made a “deal” with God that I would investigate it so we could stop talking about it, thinking, “What’s the worst that could happen?”.
I started searching the internet for things about sisters and discernment. After seeing that the online resources aren’t all that great, I thought maybe talking to someone who has done the whole discernment thing might be helpful. So, I worked up my nerve and asked Fr. Kelly if we could talk about discernment stuff.
The things that have stuck with me from that conversation? Be open to what God is asking you to do, even if it is not finishing what you thought. And pay attention to what you feel when you are visiting different communities.
During the summer of 2022, I was able to visit with Sisters in Wichita, Kansas and work at the Catholic summer camp in Oklahoma. Both were important to my discernment process because with the sisters, although their life was beautiful, it did not feel quite right. I knew I had to keep searching. Working at camp that summer was important because it showed me that when I made the time to pray daily and have Jesus as the center of my life, even when I was sleep deprived and exhausted, my day was better and more fruitful. I came out of that summer knowing that if I was really serious about discernment and being a sister, I needed to first and foremost pray and develop my relationship with God before I started looking for specifics. The lightbulb moment didn’t equal an instantaneous shift in my prayer life, and it is still hard to fight the battle to keep faith and prayer at the center of my life, but it was and is totally worth it.
In January of 2023, SWOSU Catholic took students to the SEEK Conference and my friends kept nagging me to go talk to the different religious orders that were there. I begrudgingly agreed and started talking to the different tables of sisters. At this point I honestly didn’t have a plan, but I was kind of wanting to see if any orders did health care in any capacity because I really love pharmacy and helping people in that way. I just went for it, asking who they were and what ministry they did. Most seemed to be teaching orders. When I talked about how I was a pharmacy student, no one seemed to know what to do with me.
Except for one order.
When I talked with a sister from the Sisters of St. Joseph the Worker she said, “We teach and take care of the elderly at a nursing home we run.” (Automatic intrigue.) I then followed up with the pharmacy student line and sister said, “Oh, a pharmacist would be awesome!!” At that point I knew I had to check these ladies out! Still, on the bus ride back, my friend all but forced me to sit down and email the sisters about visiting for a weekend.
The visitation day came, and I flew out to Kentucky. Keep in mind, I’d only met one sister for all of five minutes and was a bit nervous. What if it was super weird and awkward for the entire weekend? But less than 24 hours after getting there, it felt like home. I kept thinking that this was definitely not normal, but I was so at peace there and all of the things that I was stressing out about before I left suddenly didn’t matter as much. I never knew until that moment what the Bible meant when it said the peace of God surpasses all understanding.
I am the type of person that wants everything planned out to the tee, so this experience kind of rocked my world. On one hand I wanted to finish my degree, but on the other hand life as a sister didn’t look too bad either. Throughout my discernment, I found that God has it all planned out; he just waits to reveal it to you when you are ready.
At that point in my academic career, I was one semester away from a natural break in my degree plan where instead of getting my Pharm D degree I could get my bachelor’s degree. The more I thought and prayed about it, the more things kept lining up and the more I felt God calling and inviting me to take the next step. That step was visiting the convent for about a week to see more than just a snapshot of what life as a sister is like. After visiting the second time, I submitted my application to become a postulant and was accepted to enter the community on February 2, 2024.
There is still a lot of discernment left to go in my vocation story, and I continue to learn and grow each day in my relationship with God. One thing I know is that the college community God placed in my life to nurture and challenge me to grow in relationship with Him is one of the most important pieces to my faith journey.
by Tyler Block
As classes resume, a beloved tradition at Kolbe Catholic Student Center comes back to life. Every Thursday, from 11:00 am to 1:30 pm, canopies rise over picnic tables, an ice chest brimming with refreshments is wheeled out, music fills the air along Custer Street’s red brick road, and one of our food truck vendors arrives to prepare free meals for students.
Thursday Free Lunch is on!
The menu changes weekly, much like the weather, but the atmosphere is always vibrant. Our goal is simple: to create a welcoming environment where students can hang out together and learn that the Kolbe Catholic campus ministry is approachable and engaging. One week we might be engrossed in a Corn Hole tournament, while another finds us cozied up indoors watching Christmas movies with hot chocolate. Regardless of the activity, our purpose remains constant: to unwind together and foster a supportive community.
Something special happens as the free lunch winds down and the food trucks depart: real conversations begin. Over time, as students grow more comfortable, they linger to ask deeper questions. Some seek prayers, others inquire about Catholicism, and some ask for advice on various challenges in life.
The community we cultivate each week is built on trust, joy, and creating an environment where personal growth can flourish. Whether through shared meals, games, laughter, or occasional antics, our aim is to forge genuine friendships. Ultimately, our free lunch program is about building an authentic Catholic community.
We’re looking for Food Truck Sponsors! Contact us to help feed students physically and spiritually. Tyler Block, Campus Minister (512) 568-6377 or Colleen de Keratry, Development Coordinator (312) 590-9291.