Have a Blesed Summer!
It is beautiful to see our land covered by the color green again. It is a wonderful experience to see the flowers blossom again and the weather become warmer. All of this reminds us that we are in spring and getting ready for the summer season. At the same time, it invites us to reflect upon the many blessings we have received during the past year. As I sit to write this final message for our website, I cannot help but feel nostalgic about the school year that is about to end. Many students, teachers and people who work at NCSU will soon be enjoying a much deserved vacation time after a long, fatiguing, but very successful year.
Taza Robert Kiyosaki (American motivational Speaker and Author. b.1947) once said, "the size of your success is measured by the strength of your desire; the size of your dream; and how you handle disappointment along the way." I believe that this summarizes in a very good way what Catholic Campus Ministry at NCSU has been all about during the last year. We began our year with great purposes in mind. Our greatest goal was to continue being a community where we all felt welcomed and loved. Fellowship and human interaction were some of our priorities and I believe we accomplished much of this by the different programs we offered. In the same way, we wanted to continue offering our students and friends a space where they could develop a deeper spiritual experience and a greater love for our Lord Jesus. The spirituality of our campus grew tremendously this year. We had more expositions with the Blessed Sacrament, uplifting "praise and worship" nights, retreats, etc. Lastly, we also tried to encourage our community to keep serving the "favorite" children of God, the most needed, neglected, abandoned, poor, and imprisoned. Through the different service trips and service activities we participated in or led, we accomplish much of this.
I want to highlight a great project that we as community took this year. We are sponsoring a Burmese family who came to the United States with very little. Our community has been so kind to provide for them not only what they needed materially, but support, love, and ways to help them assimilate into the culture. I really feel proud for all the work that this community has done to help and be the face of Jesus for this family.
In general, it has been a good year. I believe that all who participated in our different activities, programs or liturgical celebrations were nourished in some way.
I know there is still much to do. We have ahead of us a very challenging project. Our student center is not in the best possible location. We may soon need to look for another place where our students and our friends may have a better, more modern and worthy space to conduct our programs and liturgies.
Likewise, we always struggle to keep a balanced budget at the end of the year. We have so many dreams in mind, but in order for us to acheive them, we will eventually need the collaboration and support of our diocese, parents, students and friends. I believe staffing is an important move for the future as well as developing more spiritual and formational programs for our population. I trust that the Lord will provide us all the necessary means so we can see our dreams come true.
Soon, many people will be leaving our campus for the summer. Bikes, walking students, and skaters will not populate our side walks very often. Dan Allen street will be free of some traffic and the smiles, the enthusiasm, and the energy of our students will be missed. However, all of this has a purpose. We all need to recharge batteries and we all need to spend some quality time with parents, family and friends. Some may need to get some extra cash for the fall semester. Regardless of what you are doing this summer, remember that you still have a home and family at CCM that will be waiting for you to offer you a safe family environment and to keep fulfilling God's commandment of loving each other as God has loved us.
Have a blessed summer!
- Padre Alex