HM History & Heritage

Prayer Path Brings A New Facet of HM Life and Spirituality to Campus

Care for creation is an integral tenet of HM values and spirituality that Magnificat integrates into campus life in many ways including recycling, composting, and growing organic fruits and vegetables. Over the last several years, an important Mission focus has been to incorporate even more facets of the HM Sisters’ care for the Earth at the Villa into Magnificat’s outdoor spaces. The campus courtyard and All Generations Grotto and Spiritual Gardens have been places for individual and small-group prayer and reflection; and the Hoop House, installed in 2014, is a scaled-down version of the vast organic farm at the Villa. Like the farm at the Villa, produce grown at our Hoop House is donated to support local efforts to reduce hunger. In the spring and summer of 2020, the Magnificat Fathers’ Club hosted a service day to clear and lay mulch for a prayer pathway on the eastern edge of campus. This new opportunity for outdoor reflection replicates the wooded path at the Villa that Magnificat students enjoy during retreats and Freshman Heritage Day. The hope is that visitors to the path recognize nature as a gift that helps us to center ourselves in our relationship with God, with one another, and with all creation. Thank you to the Magnificat Fathers’ Club for helping to bring this vision to fruition, and special thanks to Magnificat fathers Lee Mizer of Cleve Lawn and Dave Pulice for lending the tractors that were critical to completing the project! All are invited to come to campus at any time to take advantage of the new prayer path. Future plans for bringing HM life to Magnificat include a replica of the Villa’s labyrinth!

Villa Maria Farm Attains Organic Certification

After four years and the submission of more than 650 pages of documentation, the Villa Maria farm received a letter recognizing it as an official certified organic operation. The organic certifying agency, Global Organic Alliance (GOA), determined that 243.08 acres of tillable ground at the Villa are certified organic fields and gardens. This also includes the herb garden and the vegetable transplants grown in the greenhouse. The distinction as an organic operation is a testament to the Sisters’ commitment to care for God’s creation, an HM value that Magnificat students, led by Mrs. Karen Ryan Tigue ’86 and Mrs. Karen Duffy Morley ’78, emulate in their work in the Hoop House through the Seeds of Service club.

Bridging Cultures, Languages, and Life Experiences

This fall, Magnificat students began participating in a new service program, BRIDGE. With many traditional in-person service opportunities no longer possible because of COVID, Campus Ministry initiated a new relationship with refugee students through the Catholic Charities Office of Migration and Refugee Services (MRS). The Sisters of the Humility of Mary, long-time supporters of MRS, recently gave laptops to the families of single mothers served by MRS. Using these new laptops, Magnificat students meet weekly via Zoom with students from these families. As a group, they practice English and engage in a cultural exchange while playing games, learning, and praying. Together, the Magnificat students and refugee students are bridging differences across culture, religion, language, and life experience. The families of the MRS students are from various countries of origin, including Guatemala, Democratic Republic of Congo, and Eritrea. Many of the children, though, spent most of their childhood in refugee camps in secondary countries like Tanzania, Rwanda, Ethiopia, and Burundi. Along with their cultures and customs, the children speak different languages, including Swahili, Kinyarwanda, Tigrinya, and Spanish. The students range in age from first grade through high school. BRIDGE has been meaningful for Magnificat students, sparking a commitment to the program that has spanned the first semester and continues into the second. “After the first week, I enjoyed it so much I have continued to sign up every week since,” described Gabriella

Fernadez ’22.

“I was motivated to participate in this service program because I wanted to become more involved with Campus Ministry, and spending time with kids through conversation and tutoring are some things that I enjoy,” explained Lauren Kaye ’22. “The most meaningful part of this program has been the laughs and smiles that these students have brought me each time I get to see them (virtually).” Grace Richter ’22 noted the valuable new perspective she has gained from BRIDGE. “Each Wednesday that I get to work with these amazing kids is inspiring to me. From our brief conversations, I have been able to know and understand a little bit about what they’re going through and what’s deeply important to them,” she shared. “Instead of surface-level answers like getting good grades or wanting a new toy, I’ve learned that family is their highest priority. Keeping their family safe and simply being around each other is what genuinely matters to them. This has turned my perspective around with what my focus should truly be throughout my day.” The relationships that have developed have been impactful and life-giving. “Traditionally, our Campus Ministry service programs have emphasized relationship building as one of our primary goals. Our new partnership with MRS is no exception,” noted Ms. Marissa Madden, Director of Campus Ministry. “Each week our students find new ways to connect with the young MRS clients. The relationships that they have created over the past few months are authentic and joyful. I’m grateful for both the Magnificat students and the MRS clients who have committed themselves to learning and growing together.” MaryKate Blankenship, Program Coordinator for the Single Mothers Program at MRS, highlighted the positive impact of BRIDGE for both the MRS and Magnificat students: “The students from MRS have all experienced interrupted education, both abroad and in the US due to the pandemic, and they look forward to Wednesday afternoons. The students from MRS have found BRIDGE to be a place to practice their English, meet new people, and have fun, but they also have a space to teach about their cultures and tell their stories. It is clear the Magnificat students are learning and appreciating the relationships being built and the new knowledge of different cultures, and I find it to be most meaningful that the Magnificat students are getting just as much out of this relationship as our kids do. It is a reciprocal relationship which is very important to us at MRS and to the HM sisters.”