President's Blog: From the Heart

(Eric and I love spending time with University of Dayton students. Whether it’s enjoying a meal together in the student neighborhood or catching a performance in Boll Theatre, we are energized by all the ways UD is shaping their lives. For the past four years, I’ve served as a mentor for Marianist Student Communities — an experience that has shaped my life. Teri Rizvi interviewed me and met the men of 428 Stonemill at a recent in-service event. She and I collaborated on this blog. — Karen Spina)

When Brother Ray Fitz, S.M., and I became mentors for the women living at 57 Woodland four years ago, I asked myself, Can I be a faith leader when I’m still on my own faith journey?

I quickly learned a fundamental truth: we all share the struggles and joy of faith, whether you’re a student at UD or the wife of the president. That faith, I discovered, takes deeper root when we open our hearts and share ourselves with others.

That’s the beauty and power of the Marianist Student Communities — 10 houses scattered throughout the student neighborhood where housemates share meals and their lives as they grow in their faith and service to others. It’s here, in these houses with their welcoming porches, oversized dining room tables, and crucifixes on the walls, that they learn what it means to grow in faith in a community.

“The program has grown in recent years because students are hungry for intentional community,” says LeeAnn Meyer, assistant director of Marianist strategies for student programs. “By their junior and senior year, students know what it's like to live with roommates and sometimes to simply exist in the same shared space, but never really build a relationship. The MSC program challenges this by expecting students to pray together, share meals together, and participate in formation with mentors.”

This year Father Jim Fitz, S.M., and I are mentoring the men of 428 Stonemill, a group of six Honors students from majors running the gamut from mechanical engineering to history. Their hometowns sprawl from Buffalo to Chicago to neighboring Oakwood.

I love being around them. They’re enthusiastic, hospitable, faith-filled, and intellectually curious. I marvel how they carve out time to cook dinner for each other every single night. They routinely invite other students into their three-bedroom home for hot cocoa, chicken wings, prayer, and reflection. But what most impresses me is their willingness to engage in deep conversations with each other, sharing their vulnerability and their dreams.

At a recent Sunday afternoon in-service activity about loneliness and the healing power of connection, LeeAnn read a reflection from Sister Joyce Rupp, O.S.M., a spiritual guide and author of Boundless Compassion: “And only when we have the courage to break open the hard shell of ourselves will we ever truly know and love who we are.”

Father Jim and I participated in a tabletop exercise with the students where they opened up about times when they experienced profound loneliness and offered places where they feel they can be their real selves and “not put on a mask,” as Aidan Reichenberg observed.

“Where can I be myself?” asked Jordan Marsh. “I’ll take the cheap, easy answer — this community.”

As I listened to their conversation, I realized that this is what living the Marianist spirit is all about. It’s about mutual support, encouragement, and respecting the gifts that each brings. For me, it’s been such a blessing to be part of their faith journey.

It’s my journey, too.