Stories from the 2018 Conference

University Ministry leaders collaborated with students from courses taught by Prof. Anthony Suárez-Abraham and Prof. Rogelia Lily Ibarra, titled “Our Lady of Guadalupe: Mother of a New Creation” and “Afro-Latinidad,” respectively to create a Día de los Muertos ofrenda. The ofrenda was constructed by students, faculty, and staff and drew the Tree of Life tradition and a proverb drawn from indigenous wisdom: “We are our ancestors’ wildest dreams.”

The ofrenda was blessed in a student-led prayer service which included proclamation of Scripture, silence, poetry, and a particular remembering of those killed in the anti-Semitic attack at Tree of Life Synagogue in Pittsburgh.

The ofrenda is a sign of convivencia, but more expansively it is the kind of hope-filled mutuality that we aspire to as a university community. It also honors our ancestors and challenges us to, in the words of theologian Shawn Copeland, to be “other-regarding, neighbor-loving, selfless to the point of self-sacrifice, fearless and loving in the face of persecution, open, and hopeful.”

University Ministry student interns constructed a shrine with Our Lady of Guadalupe which was displayed outside the University Ministry center. Faculty, staff, and students were invited to write intercessions and tie them beside the shrine. A large number of Spanish, English, and Spanglish prayer intentions were added in the days leading up to December 12.
 

Student interns also led a novena to Our Lady of Guadalupe, which included praying the rosary, sharing coffee and pan dulce, and reflecting on the story of Guadalupe’s appearance to San Juan Diego.

On Sunday, December 9, a festive bilingual Mass for students, staff, faculty, Sisters and their families was celebrated in Rosary Chapel, which included a procession with roses and music led by guest and student musicians. The preaching, offered by Claretian Father Eddie De León, focused on Our Lady of Guadalupe as a symbol of promise and the Christian call to resist unjust structures that diminish human dignity. A convivencia featuring traditional foods and villancicos followed the Mass.