Sr. Jeanne Marie Hatch Retires After 16 Years After 16 years at Rosemont, Sr. Jeanne Marie Hatch, Vice President for Mission, retired at the end of June. More than 100 members of the Rosemont community, including former Campus Ministry colleagues, students, faculty, alumni, and many Sisters (some Zooming in from Africa), joined together to share their favorite “Sr. Jeanne Story,” words of appreciation, and best wishes for her retirement. “It was a joy to minister with a dedicated administration, staff, and faculty to meet the needs of the age at Rosemont,” said Sr. Jeanne Hatch. “Together we brought forth the powerful mission of the College for all to experience through actions as well as words. These relationships with the College Community, as well as those with our students, are treasures I will take with me.”
Ministering During a Pandemic
Virtual Social Justice Forum On June 4, members of the Rosemont community gathered virtually for a forum on social justice in the wake of George Floyd’s murder and nationwide protests. Organized by Campus Ministry, more than 80 Rosemont students, faculty, staff, and alumni joined the Zoom session. “I think the Zoom call was one of the first steps to truly understand the impact of race and racism on a larger scale at Rosemont,” said Abigail Brooks, ’22. Gina Ingiosi, Director of Campus Ministry, and Tim Poole, Assistant Director of Campus Ministry, shared welcoming comments and reflections, followed by small group discussions in Zoom breakout rooms to discuss how individuals are processing the events and what our community can do to combat racism. “I honestly have never been prouder to be a part of Rosemont’s community,” said Gabe Rizzo ‘21. “I was not only impressed with the number of people on the call, but I was also impressed with the thought and effort that was put into all the participants’ comments and responses.” The forum — scheduled for one hour — stretched into two hours as participants took the floor to speak. “The two-hour forum addressing the killing of George Floyd and the issue of systemic racism gave voice to the
voiceless,” said Brittney Nix-Crawford, Assistant Professor of Communications and Discipline Chair of Communications. “As a black woman in America, the forum gave me a safe space to exhaust my personal feelings without judgment. It became an open door to lay down the grief, pain, and frustration on our community floor. Students, faculty, and alumni were heard, accepted, comforted as we confronted the issue of racism in America.” During a time when members of the campus community are apart due to the pandemic, the forum provided a supportive environment to bring Rosemont’s many audiences together. “It's been my personal experience that my students have as much (if not more) to teach me as I have to teach them,” said Roseann Corey, Assistant Professor of UC Writing. “I cannot express how much I appreciate the opportunity to be a part of conversations like this, and to be able to develop a crucial connection with all of my students and colleagues.” Rosemont and Campus Ministry will continue to keep the dialogue open and lay out next steps. “I think it is important that we do not just stop at conversations, but we have actions that back it up as well,” said Brooks.
Like so many organizations at Rosemont and beyond, Campus Ministry leadership has adapted how it reaches students. “Our priority is that we want our students to know we are always here for them and we are still a community, even though we have adapted how we can interact during the pandemic,” said Gina Ingiosi, Director of Campus Ministry. “We also still have prayer via Zoom every morning at 11 am using the Virtual Office link, Rosegrow (the student and faculty sustainability club) every Tuesday, and Scripture and Song on the Sundays between Mass.” Sr. Peg Doyle, Gina Ingiosi, and Tim Poole, Assistant Director of Campus Ministry, have organized dozens of events since the start of the semester, including celebrating Heritage Week with Mass, a mission panel and retreat in October. As Halloween approached, they coordinated card making and treat bag collecting and filling for the Providence Center, a ministry of the Society of the Holy Child Jesus offering educational programming in the Fairhill section of Philadelphia. While many prayer groups and Bible studies have moved to a virtual format on Zoom, other gatherings such as Mass have had dual components of socially distant in-person interactions with a live stream on Facebook. Read More
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