November 2019

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Greetings from all of us at the St. Thomas Aquinas Newman Center. This is our November 2019 E-Newsletter and it is so jam-packed with stuff, I thought that it would be helpful to include a table of contents, of sorts. Below you will find:

Our Feature Story about a day in the life of a Derek Hayden, one of our FOCUS Missionaries.
Our Feature Video showing what happened at "Box City", when our students slept outside in boxes on the Newman Center lawn.
An Events Update explaining why Bishop Folda visited us twice in October.
Final Thoughts about the trivia of the day, both local and ecclesiastical.

Thanks for reading, and God bless you.

- Fr. Luke Meyer, Pastor

A Day on Mission with Derek Hayden

“Go forth and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.” - Matthew 28:19

2,000 years later...

Derek Hayden has been in Archives Coffee Shop for over half an hour, and he still hasn’t started the work he brought with. Derek is a FOCUS Missionary at the University of North Dakota. And this Tuesday afternoon he was planning to call all the students who have applied to go on his mission trip to Belize. He ordered his coffee, opened his laptop, plugged in his cell phone, and is now standing 20 feet away, talking to two male students at a high table.

They are discussing Bible studies, particularly a new one for men in Greek life. After 10 minutes at that table. Derek says hello to two female students who are both on the Student Board at the St. Thomas Aquinas Newman Center. Now, sitting down at his workstation, lukewarm coffee in hand, he greets the young lady on a nearby couch who recognizes him from Welcome Week.

They begin talking about the stresses of the day, then the difficulty of planning work and relaxation, then the role of prayer, and soon Derek is talking to her about coming to Mass and adoration at the Newman Center. She enthusiastically agrees and Derek gives her a few Bible verses to pray with throughout the week.

FOCUS Missionaries have a very difficult job to do. In the years after they graduate college, they are moved away from their homes and their alma maters, placed on a campus they have never been to before, and are charged with spreading the Gospel to the students they meet.

Think about this for a second: you are hundreds, maybe thousands, of miles from home. Your schedule is yours to make. And you are trying to preach the Good News to the most distracted, busy, and anxious generation the world has ever seen. What would you do? How would you do it?

For 24 hours, we followed Derek around the campus of the University of North Dakota to see how he does it. And we invite you to do the same. One thing we learned: When Derek walked into Archives Coffeeshop, the students he stopped to talk to weren’t a distraction from his mission. They were the mission.

Read the rest on our blog.

Box City is now a 12-minute documentary.

Last spring, a few of our students decided that they wanted to better serve the homeless in Grand Forks. And they wanted to experience for themselves what it feels like to live without a home. We documented what happened. And were a little bit surprised...

Bishop Folda visits undCatholic...twice.

We we blessed to welcome Bishop Folda to the St. Thomas Aquinas Newman Center twice in the last week of October.
His Excellency joined us first on Friday, October 25th for the Catholic Medical Association (CMA) White Mass. Fr. Luke and Fr. Cheney (who you may know from that other Newman Center south of here) concelebrated. Attending the Mass were members of the Fargo Guild of CMA, other Catholic medical professionals, and Catholic med students from UND. At a dinner following the Mass, Dr. Paul Carson spoke about the work CMA is doing in North Dakota, primarily supporting pro-life legislation, and Christina Krieger spoke about the work the students have been doing, primarily hosting a weekly bioethics study group.
Then on Monday, October 28th, Bishop Folda, joined us again for a Mass for Vocations. Young men from the Newman Center attended the Mass and then joined His Excellency for dinner. At this dinner, priests of the diocese, including Fr. Luke, shared their vocations stories.

Final Notes

Did you know that every year students from the Law School and the Medical School face off in a football game known as the Malpractice Bowl?
The Medical School won this year's Women's Game. And, for the first time ever, the men's game ended in a tie.
We aren't so bold as to combine our Mass for med students and our Mass for law students into a single liturgy. (Though it would be nice to use the Rose vestments once more.) So remember that our Mass for Law students is coming up this month.
The Red Mass for lawyers, law students, and students interested in studying law will be November 14th. Register for the meal here.
Thanksgiving is almost here. We would like to remind everyone that St. Christopher is the patron saint of travelers, and you can never go wrong seeking his intercession as you move about the country.
During this month of November, we ask that each of you please pray for the repose of the souls of the souls in Purgatory. And suggest obtaining a plenary indulgence for them through your prayers.

Copyright © 2018 undCatholic, All rights reserved.

St. Thomas Aquinas Newman Center
410 Cambridge St.
Grand Forks, ND, 58203

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