Having attended Saint Louis University (SLU), a Catholic Jesuit university, for the past four years and being Catholic myself, I have been exposed to and explored the ins and outs of what the experience of a religiously affiliated college can look like. From individual faith formation to service in the community to explorations of building strong relationships, I have seen and partaken in an array of opportunities offered to students seeking these religious experiences. Given that it’s my senior year, I want to reflect on what that’s been like.
Before I begin my list of experiences, let me provide an overview on the Jesuit tradition. This religious order focuses on caring for the whole person in mind, body and spirit and serving the greater good of humanity. Some pretty big ideals, huh? It’s this mission, though, that led me to SLU as their deep-rooted values in service of others and care for oneself and one another struck a chord in me.
This is how I’ve experienced this rich tradition on campus.
Service Within The Community
Students at my university are compelled by a common desire to become active members of the community that houses and supports our school. Through work in schools, shelters, places of worship, homes and other community organizations, students seek to make connections with people they share the home of St. Louis with. This ideal of being for and with others is so refreshing when often volunteering can be an unintentionally self-serving endeavor.
Student Masses
Attending Sunday evening services with friends is an experience I treasure knowing I won’t find anything like it after I graduate. Something about seeing pews full of familiar faces, classmates and friends always makes my heart swell with a feeling of community and belonging.
Classes That Cut Deep
Our school has a core curriculum requiring some level of theology and philosophy classes. For those of us STEM majors, this can be an uncomfortable task, but I appreciate being compelled to look at the world outside of the formulas, diagnoses and statistics that we have been so conditioned to see it as. My philosophy class sophomore year was so frustratingly interesting, and having to defend or refute different forms of knowledge was harder than any biology exam I ever took.
Immersion Trips
Last year for spring break I was able to travel with a group of ten other students to West Virginia to be immersed in a public health-centered trip that had pillars of community, spirituality, justice and solidarity. This trip allowed my peers and myself to engage with social injustices in a way many of us never had. We had conversations unlike any we had had before. We learned to listen deeper than ever, and we were brought together as a group and as people in communion with those who opened their arms to us in West Virginia.
Small Faith Communities
Joining a group of women once a week to share our faith and study Scripture has been foundational as an adult developing their faith life. Through these groups, I have met individuals with similar goals as me who can also challenge how I look at the world and the way I introspect. Many communities are offered to people of every interest to find a place of community for everyone seeking one.
Slowing Down on Retreats
Both of the retreats I have attended at my university gave me much-needed breaks from the hecticness and chaos that defines everyday life in college. Taking time to reflect on one’s morals, beliefs and desires is critical as we grow up, but a lot of the time the busyness of life at school prevents us from having even the shortest moment to breathe deeply and ponder these questions.
While every Jesuit college has its own unique way of being, the core values of Saint Louis University offer ample opportunities for students like me to begin to better themselves, others and the world around them.