“We should be proud of our cultural and ethnic identities, but that pride should never, of course, make us feel better than other people,” Van Gorder said. “We should use our cultural heritages as resources, not only to share who we are, but to learn and listen and validate other people.”
Author: Marisa Young
“That’s the most fundamental category with which we ought to interact with one another,” Foley said. “You are a person created in the image of God, and therefore worthy of my love.”
This summer, the Waco Mammoth National Monument will celebrate its 10 year anniversary of becoming a recognized site by the National Park Foundation. This designation was the result of over six years of hard work between the park staff and Waco community, according to National Parks Service Site Manager Raegan King.
Maxwell said that while this is a season of mourning for the Catholic community, it can dually function as a season of remembrance and gratitude for the dedication Pope Francis showed the church.
“I don’t believe it’s appropriate for Christians to celebrate Seder because they neglect the story from which it originates,” Abel said. “I don’t believe that you can throw a name on a celebration that has deep cultural meaning to others.”
“This is an opportunity for us to give students a care package to celebrate the Easter season and also have some meals for those suffering food insecurity who may need it over the season,” Fernandez said.
According to their website, Esther’s Closet has helped over 800 women in their employment journeys, some of whom have gone on to start their own successful businesses.
“The goal is mostly to build an environment of Catholic fellowship,” Foley said. “It gives people an opportunity to go to the kind of event that typically college students want to go to, but hosted by a Catholic organization and with a Catholic mindset.”
“All Christian traditions can appreciate Easter for what it is, and I think the preparation season is a really good opportunity, for reflection, for connection, for understanding,” Menesses said. “I think that’s something that we should be able to share in and should be encouraged to be a community wide process.”
“[Guns ‘N Hoses] means a lot because a lot of our Special Olympics athletes don’t get the opportunity to play in quote-on-quote ‘regular sports’ with other kids,” Johnson said. “This gives them the opportunity to come out and participate.”
Stahl similarly hopes this event, and the trip itself, will enable students to a unique type of learning experience they can’t receive in school.
While Baylor likes to advertise our Greek system as more morally upstanding than secular schools, they are only right to a degree. Yes, we have Phi Chi singing hymns during Sing. It’s a sweet sentiment, but we as a system have bigger fish to fry.
“Sigma Week is the culmination of all our hard work and planning,” Salinas said. “It’s been a lot … but for it to be less than a week away, I’m really excited.”
“We know that housing alone will not solve homelessness, but we believe that community will,” Hinojosa said. “That is what is baked into our model.”
With the guidance of the Lenten Devotional series, Simpson hopes that all members of the faith will use this season as a time to grow in unity, despite differences in practice.
By partaking in the cultural practice of fasting this season, Shafiq said she feels an extra level of connection with those who are suffering in Gaza currently.
In addition to giving students an opportunity to “have fun and fellowship with like-minded believers,” Oramalu said the event will be centered around Black History Month.
Treadwell said that she hopes the doors of the mission trip will be opened soon to other Baylor women, not just those in the chapter. The experiences she took away from her time serving are ones that she would like to share with others.
“We really wanted to create a Lunar New Year celebration here in Waco because we want to see more cultural festivals and be able to share more Asian heritage,” Chen said.
On Sunday, senior pastor Jimmy Dorrell welcomed almost two full rows of college students to the service. Despite the church’s majority population of homeless adults, Dorrell said the church would never have existed without the inclusion and dedication of students.