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Starting game night with prayer time

By Hadassah Umbarger, Staff Writer

Students involved in Campus Ministry are familiar with the weekly Wednesday game nights that the group hosts. This semester though, things are changing a bit with the addition of short reflections before the usual evening of fun and camaraderie.

Sophomore Marcus Lines is in charge of the series, which he says is relaxed and informal.

The subject matter varies from week to week, but Lines said that each reflection is pointed toward helping students “learn to be a good Catholic man or woman in the world.”

Assistant Director to Campus Ministry Emily Simon said that the Campus Ministry board of students developed the idea after having adoration before game night earlier in the semester.

“They really liked that sequence of doing something prayerful and spiritual and then transitioning into a fun event,” Simon said. “It seemed like the perfect event to add some sort of spiritual element.”

Lines said that, like the subject matter, the form that the reflections are offered in will also change from week to week.

“Sometimes [it will be] praying with a little parable or section of scripture. Other times it’s part of a podcast, [and] talking through that,” Lines said. “There's no set curriculum. We pray, ‘Come, Holy Spirit,’ and we go from there.”

Simon said that her hope for the reflection series is that it will start conversations between students about their Catholic faith.

“So far I think we've had pretty good discussions come out of events, and it's just nice to kind of actually talk about your faith on campus, which is a little surprising, because it's a Catholic campus,” Simon said. “I think there are many times that we just don't even talk about those elements…[and] don't even think about the ways we could share our faith.”

Simon did say that it can be uncomfortable for students to share their faith, but that the hope for these reflections is that they will help with that.

“It can be a little awkward or a little tricky to talk about the gospel with your friends,” Simon said. “But if we kind of lead a discussion [and] ask some good questions that put you in that mindset…You continue thinking about that and talking about it with your friends, outside of the chapel as well.”

The reflections take place at 6 p.m. every Wednesday in the Campus Ministry office on the first floor of Sacred Heart Hall. Game night follows at 6:30 p.m. in the basement of Sacred Heart Hall.

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