#GivingTuesday 2024
December 3 is #GivingTuesday! Please consider making a gift to support our ministry at Hope College. We thank you for your generosity!
We share stories from our current students every year during October and November. When you give to the Saint Benedict Institute, your generosity will foster many new stories in the lives of students at Hope College in the years to come.
Check out our featured students below!
Commitment Is Freedom
“Since participating in Genesis, I have grown in self-control, love, and desire for the Lord, and I have learned about more structured ways to pray.”
Poverty, Offering, Solidarity
“From July 1-10, I had the opportunity to serve in Costa Rica with the FOCUS missionary team that is on campus! I would describe the work with three different words—poverty, offering, and solidarity.”
True Desire for Holiness
“One of the biggest fruits that I have seen in my life is an increase in true desire for holiness and closer union with God. I am so thankful for the fertile ground Exodus 90 provided for my faith to improve, and I look forward to what God will do with this newfound desire.”
Saying “Yes” to the Lord
“I was determined that, even with these fears filling my mind, my eyes would remain fixed on the Lord. Through prayerful discernment and encouragement, I said “yes” to leading a Bible study.”
#GivingTuesday 2023
November 28 is #GivingTuesday! Please consider making a gift to support our ministry at Hope College.
We share stories from our current students every year during October and November. When you give to the Saint Benedict Institute, your generosity will foster many new stories in the lives of students at Hope College in the years to come.
Check out our featured students below!
Molly Leonard on Daily Mass
“Regularly attending daily Mass has been the single most important part of my life at Hope.”
Altar Servers
“What team could be better than serving the Lord with your bros?”
Julia Suss on Freshman Year
“The Catholic life on campus has helped bring me back to what really matters.
Drew Hoeksema on Seeking the Truth
“Even when I don't fully recognize it, I am so grateful to have access to the remarkable ministry of the Saint Benedict Institute.”
#GivingTuesday 2022
November 29 is #GivingTuesday! Please consider making a gift to support our ministry at Hope College. Anyone who gives $25 or more on Giving Tuesday will receive a Saint Benedict medal with a card explaining this powerful sacramental.
We share stories from our current students every year during October and November. This year, we have focused on our new student interns. These Student Stories are beautiful accounts of community, prayer, worship, intellectual and spiritual growth, and giving back. When you give to the Saint Benedict Institute, your generosity will foster many new stories in the lives of students at Hope College in the years to come.
Check out our featured students below!
William Hurley
“Access to Christian thought through the speakers whom SBI has invited to campus has been very helpful and important to me. I seldom see groups on campus bring speakers to talk about controversial aspects of the faith, and I am grateful to the Saint Benedict Institute for braving the storm and speaking the truth in love.”
Cameron Maloney
“It all started when Fr. Nick invited me to get coffee during my freshman year. I learned about daily Mass on campus, adoration, confession, and spiritual mentorship. All of these things were offered to me, and I quickly made them a part of my weekly routine. The opportunities that the Saint Benedict Institute offered and the community that came with it changed my life.”
Kirsten Miskowski
“If you were to tell me five years ago that I’d be receiving spiritual direction from a Catholic priest on a weekly basis, I would have looked at you like you were crazy. When I was a freshman at Hope College, first trying to find my footing on campus, I was also in the midst of figuring out where I stood in relation to Christ. Coming out of a very dark period in my life, I was grasping for some answers and seeking Truth.”
Alec Kowalski
“The sacrifices of Exodus paved the way for a deeper understanding and relationship with Christ. Instead of wasting an hour scrolling through social media, I was invited to spend that hour with the Lord. I was freed from the saturating grips of technology and modern society and left with a simpler life with eyes turned towards the Lord.”
#GivingTuesday 2021
November 30 is #GivingTuesday! Please consider making a gift to support our ministry at Hope College. Throughout the months of October and November we have shared several stories from our current students. They are beautiful accounts of community, prayer, worship, and intellectual and spiritual growth. When you give to the Saint Benedict Institute, your generosity will foster many new stories in the lives of students at Hope College in the years to come.
Check out our featured students below!
Welcome Back!
“The seats were full of students excited to see one another as the new school year began. We gathered together and worshipped and became one through the Body of Christ, all together on our campus, in our space. Welcome back, Hope College! The Lord has great plans in store for us.”
Praying in Song
“I enjoy playing for the on-campus Mass as a way to give back to the community that has given me so many of the parts of life that matter, like real friendships, a deeper relationship with the Lord, and my faith as a whole.”
Letting Go
“We must let go of the things on this earth and keep our focus on the things above. This fueled my purpose, and this is what Exodus 365 taught me. I am forever changed.”
Thomistic Circles Conference
Karlie: "Like a lot of students, I came into college thinking the only purpose of being here was to take the classes necessary to get a good job. But God has been gently redirecting me to see this as a unique time to think and learn about what is true, good, beautiful, and leads me to him, regardless of if it will help me get a particular job."
Kamaron: "I met amazing students who all sought to live faithfully and to grow in knowledge of heavenly things, and we had the opportunity to worship and pray with the Dominicans. During the retreat, the Holy Spirit fixed my eyes upon heavenly wisdom and the mysteries that God has given his Church to meditate on. I grew in my desire to know God more and to continually submit myself to him."
#GivingTuesday 2020
Please consider making a gift to support our ministry at Hope College. Throughout the months of October and November we have shared several stories from our students and alumni. They are beautiful accounts of community, sacramental life, and prayer. By giving to the Saint Benedict Institute your generosity can help foster many new stories in the lives of students at Hope College in the years to come.
Giving Tuesday Supporting the Saint Benedict Institute
Today is #GivingTuesday! Please consider making a gift to support our ministry at Hope College. Throughout the months of October and November we have shared several stories from our students and alumni. They are beautiful accounts of community, sacramental life, and prayer. By giving to the Saint Benedict Institute your generosity can help foster many new stories in the lives of students at Hope College in the years to come.
Check out our featured students below!
Alicia, Hope College ‘20
"This is a particularly turbulent year to be entering post-Hope College life… Being in a new place has re-emphasized how profoundly this community has impacted me, and continues to do so."
Read Alicia's story
"This time, even though uncertain, has demonstrated that the environment can change, but Jesus’ presence and help is constant… I have always related the sun’s warmth to Jesus’ warmth and sitting outside during Mass, I can feel Him shining upon me."
Read Kimberly's story
Kimberly, Hope College Senior
Members of Ignis enjoy a hike
"God has been working in the Ignis community to bring students closer to Him and to each other. These relationships are needed now more than ever, and the fruit from these relationships has been carrying the members of Ignis through both the hills and valleys of the semester."
Read the Ignis Update
Katherine, Hope College Freshman
"I have found a true community with people who challenge me to look on the bright side and focus my attention on those things greater than evil… No matter the struggles, I know relationships will always remain."
Read Katherine’s Story
#GivingTuesday Supporting the Saint Benedict Institute
This year the Saint Benedict Institute is participating in a nationwide movement called #GivingTuesday. This is a global day of giving that harnesses the collective power of individuals, communities, and organizations to encourage philanthropy and to celebrate generosity worldwide.
Hear from Saint Benedict Society Members
Cory and Kenzie are members of the Saint Benedict Society and recent Hope graduates. When asked why they contribute monthly they said, "We wish the Saint Benedict Institute had been around when we were students at Hope! We are thankful that it is proclaiming Catholic truth in a way that is leading students into a stronger and more intimate relationship with Christ and his Church. We also appreciate its intellectual robustness and ecumenical engagement.
Giving automatically helps us to be consistent in our support and keeps us from forgetting or procrastinating. As Saint Benedict Society members, we've also been invited to several events that gave us an opportunity to interact more closely with the speakers.
Most recently, we have been immensely blessed by Fr. Nick's ministry, particularly daily Mass on campus. We always enjoy the speaking events, especially recent ones about Christian art and the role of exorcism in the Church's ministry. We served as chaperones on last year's Advent retreat for students, which was wonderful."
DAILY MASS
For the first time in history Hope College has daily Mass on campus. Monday through Saturday Mass is celebrated at noon in the heart of campus in the newly built Harvey Chapel. Sunday Mass is celebrated at 5pm across the pine grove in Winants Auditorium.
Sydney is a junior from Holland, MI. She is studying Spanish and hopes to work as a health care provider. Sydney shared a bit about why she attends daily Mass.
She said, “I attend daily Mass because it provides a foundation for my day. That touch-point in the middle of my busy class days helps keep me grounded in my faith, and reminds me to take a step back from the stress and sink into God's loving embrace. It also keeps me accountable to "pray without ceasing," even in the midst of college life. Attending daily Mass has been monumental in the growth of my faith this year, and has given me a beautiful sense of community as Catholics on campus come together to worship in a way that this college hasn't seen before.”
Donate on #GivingTuesday, November 28th, to support daily Mass and a variety of other programs offered by the Saint Benedict Institute.
STUDENTS GIVING FOR STUDENTS
Emily Downs, a senior at Hope College, is a Saint Benedict Institute donor. Emily is an International Studies and German double major from Canton, MI. She participates in campus Mass by singing in the choir, she is a regular attendee at Saint Benedict lectures, she goes to the Women's prayer group hosted by Fr. Nick on Wednesday nights, and loves the opportunity to attend daily Mass.
When asked why she donates Emily said she wants to, "keep Fr. Nick around." She decided to give to the Saint Benedict Institute in order to practice tithing and feels that giving financially is a way she can, "take part in the mission" of the Institute more fully.
When asked why students should give Emily said, "being a part of the Catholic community means supporting it in any way that you can." Emily feels that by donating to the Saint Benedict Institute she has contributed to her own spiritual well-being as well as the spiritual well-being of her fellow students, creating a better campus environment overall.
WHAT IS #GIVINGTUESDAY?
This year the Saint Benedict Institute is participating in a nationwide movement called #GivingTuesday. This is a global day of giving that harnesses the collective power of individuals, communities, and organizations to encourage philanthropy and to celebrate generosity worldwide.
Occurring on November 28, #GivingTuesday is held annually on the Tuesday after Thanksgiving and the widely recognized shopping events Black Friday and Cyber Monday to kick off the holiday giving season and inspire people to collaborate in improving their local communities and to give back in impactful ways to the charities and causes they support. #GivingTuesday demonstrates how every act of generosity counts, and that they mean even more when we give together.
#GIVINGTUESDAY Supporting THE SAINT BENEDICT INSTITUTE
Every Tuesday leading up to #GivingTuesday we will feature a donor or program on this blog and on our Facebook page. This year we want to encourage you not only to make a donation on November 28th, but to keep the giving going and make every last Tuesday of the month #GivingTuesday by joining the Saint Benedict Society, our monthly giving program. To learn more about becoming a monthly giver check out our Saint Benedict Society by clicking on the image above.