God is good!

It's been quite a grace-filled week at the Newman Center.  Last weekend, 40 GW Catholics attended the FOCUS Conference in Baltimore.  We joined over 1,000 other Catholic students from east coast universities that have FOCUS missionaries on their campuses.  The weekend was very good, and especially moving for our students.  For many, it was life-changing.  The highlight for me, outside of Mass and Adoration, was Saturday night confessions.  Over 500 students went to Confession between 9:30 pm - 12 midnight.  Almost all of our students went, as far as I can tell.  I set up my "booth" away from the other priests because our first penitent grabbed me right at 9:30 on the third floor for Confession.  We were two floors up from all the other students, and I wanted to let the GW students know where I was so they could come to me.  As I was about to ask the student to tell the others where I was and for them to come to Confession to me, he said, "they're here".   A huge line of 15-20 of our students had already formed on the third floor. 

I wish I could have been on the bus ride home.  Students got on the bus's mic and told about their experiences on the conference.  One student said she committed her life to Christ.  Another recommitted hers.  And, one student told the bus that he would be applying to seminary...!  The best line of the whole weekend was from one of our freshmen who is hilarious,  She said, "this weekend has ruined my life...I think I'm supposed to be a nun".  Most likely, she and I will work together to discern her vocation.  Whatever it is will be her happiness.

Then, on Monday, almost 60 GW Catholics participated in the March for Life.  Over 20 had a blast at the Rally and Mass for Life at the Verizon Center, many of whom had never been.  Afterwards, 40 of us marched down on the Mass- probably the largest group ever from the Newman Center to march.  Again, for many of these students, it was their first time at the March for Life. The great pic below is from Monday.

Yesterday, a very special monstrance arrived.  It was used by Pope John Paul II.  The Serra Club which promotes vocations to the priesthood delivers the monstrance to parishes and Catholic groups each month around the country.  It is used mainly to promote vocations to the priesthood.  We will be using it through February for Eucharistic Adoration for my daily Holy Hour, for Wednesday Adoration, and on Feb. 4 ("Jesus and Burritos").  And oh by the way (!), six of our upperclassmen and grads will be attending an Archdiocesan  retreat with Cardinal Wuerl about discerning the priesthood.  We were hoping for just a few, and God has provided six.  This is a serious weekend, so this means that we have six serious candidates for the priesthood.  That's just our upperclassmen, too.  There are several underclassmen who are discerning priesthood.  There are a few of our women discerning religious life - some who have recently expressed this, such as the "this ruined my life" freshman. All in all, it's a great time to be a GW Catholic...a real Springtime of faith around the Newman Center.  God is good!  All the time.