It’s gonna be a great year!
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It’s gonna be a great year!
Tag Archives: videos
Appalachia: A Slideshow!
As promised, here’s a slideshow of our Alternative Spring Break trip to Summers County, West Virginia! It was the first visit to Appalachia for everyone on the team, and I think it’s safe to say that we each left a bit of our hearts there. It was an incredible week of service at various sites–construction, hospitality, farming–and growing in Christian community with our team from Keene and the greater group of volunteers we worked with, who were amazing.
We were so busy during the week that we really didn’t get much of a chance to take pictures, but here’s what we were able to get! Enjoy.
You’ll Want to Go to Adoration Now…
Check out this great (and short) video on Adoration and the Eucharist. I especially love the quote at around 2:35 from St. Therese of Lisieux:
“Do you realize that Jesus is there in the Tabernacle expressly for you–for you alone? He burns with the desire to come into your heart”
O come, O come Emmanuel…
Happy Catholic New Year! Advent is a not only the four weeks of waiting and anticipation before Christmas, it’s also the beginning of our liturgical year! So Happy New Year, and check out a few of the links below for ways to celebrate the preparation of Advent in a way that makes the celebration of Christmas even sweeter:
BustedHalo’s Digital Advent Calendar
Click on the photo above to be taken to this online Advent calendar, where each picture link becomes active as we count down the days toward Christmas. This year, the calendar theme is “Hope, Love, Joy and Peace” and each day includes a Daily Jolt, something to reflect on, a Mini-Challenge and a chance to win a prize. It’s like the Advent calendars of your youth, only digital!
Advent in 2 Minutes
Not sure what the difference between Advent and Christmas is? Do you find yourself getting sick of Christmas by the time the actual holiday rolls around? Then check out this short and clever video on what Advent is and how to celebrate it:
Events at the Newman Center this Advent:
Tuesday, December 3rd–Theology on Tap: The REAL Saint Nicholas
Local Burger
6:00 pm
Join us at our new hangout, Local Burger on Main Street, for a conversation about this week’s topic: the REAL Saint Nicholas! Advent and Christmas get pretty Santa-centered, and with all the talk about the Man up North, we often forget that Santa Claus is a tradition based off a real person: Saint Nicholas of Myra, who was kind of a big deal in his time as the Bishop of Myra, a secret gift-giver, and a church father at the Council of Nicea who slapped a heretic across the face.
Sunday, December 8th–Ugly Christmas Sweater Party
Newman Center Common Room
After the 7 pm Sunday Evening Mass (around 8:00 pm)
Calling all students, young adults and Newman Center supporters! Whether you’ve been a part of the Newman Student Organization, Theology on Tap, you’re on the Mission Trip team, or you just love the Newman Center, you’re invited to don your favorite ugly Christmas sweater and join us for an Advent party! Egg nog, prizes for the ugliest sweaters, recognition of our Newman Center leaders and holiday fun will be had!
Monday, December 9th–Prayer Labyrinth
Newman Center Common Room
10:00 am – 6:00 pm
Whether you missed our Fall Retreat, participated via the Fall Retreat in a Can, or just want to experience a little peace in the midst of a stressful time of year, come at your leisure to experience a Prayer Labyrinth in our Common Room! This self-led labyrinth walks participants through the 7 images Christ gives of Himself in the Gospel of Saint John, and all are invited!
Finals Week at Keene State College: Stop by the Spirituality table at this year’s Relaxation Day on Reading Day, and keep an eye out for special stress-relieving treats for students (and staff!) outside the Newman Center Office and in the larger Residence Halls!
Next Theology on Tap: Sacramentals, or Launch Pads, or Air Rams…you know, whatever works
In planning our upcoming Theology on Tap discussion about sacramentals, I tried to find an adequate metaphor. How best to describe this varied group of physical things that lead us to spiritual realities? What purpose does a rosary serve? Or Holy water? Or signing myself with the Sign of the Cross? How do Icons impact my spiritual life? My first thought was “compasses…they’re compasses toward God” but then I thought of something way more fun…
Sacramentals are like mini launchpads toward God–they take us and launch us higher than we could make it ourselves!
Or, maybe a more fitting metaphor is that they’re air rams:
…but nobody really knows the name for those machines, they just see them in action movies whenever people go flying.
So, launch pad or sacramental or air ram–whatever you call it, come talk about it and experience it at our next Theology on Tap! 6:00 pm at Margarita’s on Main Street!
Welcome to College!
Yesterday’s Clap-In and Convocation here at Keene State were pretty great, but just in case you need a special pick-me-up, here’s a pretty fantastic Sophomore Welcome from Georgia Tech:
Monday Musings: It’s Not So Black and White
1993 was a fantastic year. It wasn’t the year that the Berlin Wall came down or anything as exciting as that, but it was the year that this happened:
That’s right. 1993 was the year that “Sister Act 2” was released. And it was the movie that convinced me that I totally needed to be a nun. Except for one problem: I wasn’t Catholic.
Thus began my conversion.* Continue reading
Pentecost in 2 Minutes
Gotta love BustedHalo! Here’s their latest installment of explanations of major Church seasons and holidays in 2 minutes or less:
Holy Week in Two Minutes
Holy Week has been happening since Sunday, but now that Holy Thursday is upon us, here’s a little primer on where all our traditions come from:
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Ash Wednesday and Lent in Two Minutes
The Newman Center at Keene State College 