Eight-hundred and twenty-five St. Thomas families registered to participate in this year’s Family Weekend, according to Assistant Dean of Students Sister Sharon Howell.
Family Weekend has been a St. Thomas tradition for more than 20 years. This year, families could listen to a speech by former Olympian Mary Lou Retton, eat brats and chili in the upper quad, attend a free concert by Tonic Sol-fa, and participate in an ecumenical worship service Sunday morning.
Howell said she hopes parents and students had fun, but she thinks it’s more important that they take something away from the experience.
“It’s not all about the activities, but ‘did you [the parents] enjoy being here, did you enjoy the experience, did you have time with your student, and did you enjoy that,’” Howell said. “And if the feedback that we get is yes, then that’s what we want.”
Colleen Schreier can be reached at schr1207@stthomas.edu.
Beautiful weekend, nice events. The students I really feel for are those from especially far away who might not be able to have their parents show up for such an event. Just a thought for next year: maybe a “surrogate” parent match-up, as a bit of intercultural exchange.
It was indeed a beautiful weekend, and the weather was perfect for family weekend!
Two points, though.
First, there were additional Masses celebrated at the Chapel of St. Thomas Aquinas this weekend, and I can personally attest that the 11 AM Mass was packed with students and their visiting families attending Mass together. What a beautiful and encouraging sight to see!
Second, why was there an ecumenical worship service on campus at a Catholic university? I understand that there are students at UST that are not Catholic, and providing a listing of non-Catholic places of worship off campus is one thing, but actually facilitating and hosting non-Catholic worship services on campus seems contrary to the Catholic identity of St. Thomas. While we should certainly respect the religious freedom and practices of non-Catholic students, I think hosting non-Catholic worship on campus is infringing on the Catholic identity of UST, and should not be allowed.
Can’t agree with you there, Mike. Ecumenical services are not only licit, but are actively encouraged by the Council and by the Catechism. Hop over to CCC 821 and have a look-see. Alternately, Unitatis Redintegratio, at 8, and Ex Corde Ecclesiae, at 39. I would quote all in full, but I don’t have space here.
On the other hand, ecumenical prayer services should not be used by campus ministers (or vice presidents) as a simple “one-size-fits-all” solution to the problem of Sunday worship for a large crowd of guests, and of course no Catholic should offer or attend an ecumenical service *instead of* offering or attending Mass. But that does not seem to be the case this time, since, as you note, Mike, there was an extra Mass, and it was packed.
James, thanks for the sources. I’ll be sure to peek at them.
I have no problem with ecumenical prayer services.
With ecumenical worship services, my main concern was that they might lead to religious indifference, which is a huge problem in moden society, especially among our fellow Milennials. However, if they don’t, and they are not a replacement for Mass, then maybe there is a benefit to them.
I guess what we have here is a case where the act (holding an ecumenical prayer service) is licit and actually good in itself, but the intention is rather… shall we say, suspect? Given the rumours of shenanigans and goings-on in the Office for Mission? And that could make it a matter of legitimate concern to the faithful — but a matter on which people of good will could (and certainly will) disagree.
It was a great weekend- my parents definitely appreciate the scheduled events for parents/families. Thank you to the Dean of Students office for putting together such a wonderful event.
In regards to the comments above, I don’t understand what the problem is. I think it is great that St. Thomas provides opportunities for people of a different faith to worship on campus. Honestly, I think St. Thomas should do even more to facilitate on-campus worship options for people of faith spreading beyond Christianity. What options does St. Thomas provide for Buddhists or Muslims? Or any other religion for that matter. Even Christians like myself might appreciate the opportunity to learn more about the religions I mentioned above, and attending a worship service of a different faith is a great way to learn about it and facilitate understanding.