Haiti Immersion Trip 2016

Mindful of the manifold gifts of God dispersed throughout the world, ten Hope College students and two Catholic leaders from the local parish traveled to Haiti over spring break to learn more about the beauty and wonder of God’s Spirit at work through the people we encountered.

We did not travel as tourists but as guests having been invited to “Come and See.” We understood we were on mission in so far as we love those whom we come in contact with. However, we did not travel as missionaries coming to bring a truth that the persons of Haiti do not know.

We went as students to listen and to learn from the experiences of our brothers and sisters in Christ in Haiti, about how they experience Christ in their life and how Christ gives them hope.

Throughout the week, we met with orphans and sick children at the Missionaries of Charity nutrition center, the severely disabled at the Missionaries of the Poor home, the hungry at the Food for the Poor distribution center, the tireless workers at the orphanage, the talented doctors and nurses at two local hospitals, and entrepreneurs at local businesses.  We also had the privilege to worship with Mother Teresa's sisters every day, to walk through Port-au-Prince in the Palm Sunday procession, and to celebrate the Triduum with our Haitian brothers and sisters.

The students who went offered a series of reflections on their experiences and the profound impact the trip had in their lives.

The Trip in Three Words

Eye-opening, Growth, Moving

Beautiful, heart-breaking, soul-filling

Eye-opening, heart-breaking, humbling

Humbling, eye-opening, pivotal

Illuminating, transforming, vulnerable

Unforgettable, thought-provoking, joyful

Humbling, divine, and inspiring

Humbling, introspective, challenging

The Impact in One Sentence

This trip showed me that if you have Jesus you are richer than you could ever imagine and if you have Jesus you have everything you need.

This trip was a slap in the face of the blessings I take for granted, as well as the enormity of God’s love that I haven’t appreciated.

The Haiti trip encapsulates the essence of faith, friends, learning, and serving by meeting with the most unbelievable and inspiring people, and having some of the most humbling experiences that at the end of the day brought us all closer to one another and Christ.

This trip not only broadened my vision of the Church, letting me experience the universality of the Church in a way that will remain with me forever, but it also opened my heart to the most vulnerable among us, helping me to better understand the inviolable dignity of the human person.

Thanks to Haiti, I’ve become more at peace with myself and hold more good thoughts for not myself but for others as well.

This trip had a profound impact on the way that I view the world from the standpoint that these incredibly beautiful people who have almost nothing are still able to work as a community and lend a helping hand when someone is in need.

I have a greater appreciation for the many blessings/struggles in my life and I have gained knowledge about more effective aid to countries in need.

My time in Haiti was entirely eye-opening for me as to the incredible privileges that I have in my own life, the great needs of the world that echo Christ's thirst on the cross and call of each one of us to service, and the universal community that we have through fellowship in one Catholic faith.

Highlights and Stories

One highlight for me on the trip was having Monsignor Pierre Andre Pierre washing Dr. Page and my feet. Not only was the washing of our feet truly a humbling experience, but after he washed them he came back to us. He looked me in the eye and said “God Bless” and finished with a big hug. It was at this moment when I realized that this man is filled with Christ.It felt as if I was in the presence of a Saint. It was a beautiful sight and words cannot describe it. I will always remember that hug and that moment.

When we visited the Missionaries of the Poor, I had the privilege of helping to bathe some of the severely disabled children while others in our group played with other, less disabled, kids. Despite my plans of pursuing a career in medicine, I have very limited experience physically caring for anyone other than myself, and at first I felt very intimidated by the intimacy of helping wash, dry, and clothe a dozen children, whose names I was never even told. After the nurse bathed a child in a tub of soap and water, she would place the shivering, often whimpering child on a table in front of me, where I would dry them with a towel, put a diaper on them, and dress them in the outfits that another nurse laid out for me. As I did this and attempted to playfully talk to the children to cheer them up, I was overwhelmed by the joy that they exuded as they were clothed, comforted, and their fear and feelings of vulnerability faded away. Many of them laughed as I picked them up after having dressed them and moved them to their crib or wheelchair. By the time I was placing the final child in their crib, I was moved to tears remembering Matthew 25:40 "whatever you do to the least of these, you do to me." I had literally clothed the naked and held a vulnerable child, a child made in God's own image who by our world's standards is the least among the people, and my understanding of my dependence on the Lord suddenly made so much more sense than ever before. I will truly never forget the experience I had and the lesson I learned about the simplicity of human dignity that afternoon with the Missionaries of the Poor.

The Apparent Project was a beautiful workshop, store and cafe that displayed many forms of entrepreneurship. It was so inspiring to see people come together for a blood drive hosted by the Apparent Project.

Going to the Missionaries of the Poor on Thursday was one of my highlights of the trip. It was awesome praying with the bothers there and helping them clean and make beds. However, the best part was being able to hang out with a little boy who was blind and in a wheelchair. He was so joyful! And every time I would spin him around in his wheelchair or tickle his neck he would lean back and burst out in laughter. It was so fun and inspiring to see his joy! It was also a very humbling experience feeding the children there.

 I had a very difficult experience when we went to an orphanage for disabled children. When we were given a tour, we were led to a room where two little boys with cerebral palsy were lying in a bed together. One of the little boys was moaning and didn’t notice it at first, but at a closer glance I realized that they were covered in flies. I walked over and brushed the flies off and later returned to sit on the bed with them. I didn’t hold either of them because I was scared to hurt them because they both looked so frail. I just sat there and stroked their arms and brushed away the flies. Neither of them said a word, but one looked at me and smiled. It wasn’t the full healthy smile that I’d been so accustomed to seeing on the kids in Haiti, it was more of an attempt at a smile like he was trying it out for the first time. In that moment I was unbelievably frustrated and I wanted to do all I could to make these kids comfortable and happy. I wanted to be able to feed them and give them all the love they deserved but all I was capable of doing at that moment was stroking their arms. The little boy smiled at me a second time, a more self-assured smile and I realized that where I can’t, God can. In that moment I didn’t have the power to fix the brokenness in front of me, but I could show love and trust in God to help where I can’t. 

On one of our last days we went to the Missionaries of the Poor where there is home for the mentally and physically disabled. The home had mostly children, but the brothers explained that when people are there, they are there for life. One of the things we did there was help feed the children lunch. A woman gave me a big bowl of some kind of rice porridge and motioned to a boy lying in a crib nearby. One of the brothers came by and told me that the boy’s name was Mario. I wasn’t quite sure how to feed Mario at first. He looked like he was maybe six or seven, and didn’t seem to really be able to use his arms and legs. Eventually he opened his mouth wide enough for me to just put the spoon in and see what he did with the food. He ate it, and I gave him more. For probably half an hour I stood there with a big bowl of porridge, watching Mario slowly chew each spoonful. I talked to him even though he couldn’t understand me or communicate back. But I kept talking and waiting for him to finish each mouthful, smiling at him and wiping up when food fell out. I couldn’t get over how happy he was. I know I was the one giving him physical food, but he was the one with the real gifts. He gave me an understanding of vulnerability that I’ve never known before, the purest example of faith, and best of all a look into the face of Christ hidden in his crippled bones.

The Orphanage of the Missionaries of Charity was the first of many events that cracked my harden shell and left me feeling vulnerable and exposed. Every detail within the orphanage stirred up feelings with a new degree of intensity that in that moment I was unsure how to comprehend them. The moment I looked into the eyes of the first child, I felt my body clench up. It pained me to see a child no more than two years old already carrying such a heaviness of sadness in their eyes. At that moment, I finally understood what it meant when people said that the eyes were the windows to the soul. Immediately I wanted to hold the child, and hoped that within my arms he could feel all the love I had for him. I noticed that many of the children showed no desire to be held when I stuck my arms out. They felt distant and withdrawn, however when I did pick them up, they clung onto to me like their life depended on it. I can only guess how many times they have been picked up to be put down by people who end up leaving them. The turmoil I felt caused by this simple small room of children gave me light as to how important it is to always show love and how wasteful it was to ever show anything but it. These children show me how to never be ungrateful for the love I receive from my family, friends and even strangers.  It doesn’t matter if you know the person or not; the importance lies in acknowledging the other person as human and as a child of God that deserves love regardless of any other titles he or she holds. Love, at least to me, is what holds the most value in this world.

Aside from all of the silliness that ensued within the group thought the week one of the most profound moments for me was while playing with some of the toddlers at the orphanage and how incredibly kind and giving they were with everything they had from toys to the snacks that they were given. My heart instantly broke when in the midst of playing with some of the little boys I looked over to see a girl, no older than 3 or 4 years old, rocking and consoling a little boy who was upset. The magnitude of this moment extended far beyond her kind gesture but the fact that in having nothing she was still able to give of herself to comfort someone else.

Jack Mulder on the Journey Home (VIDEO)

Jack Mulder, co-founder of the Saint Benedict Forum and chair of Hope College's Philosophy Department, discusses his journey from the Reformed Church of America to the Catholic Church on EWTN's Journey Home with Marcus Grodi.

Sr. Miriam Inspires Hope College

Sr. Miriam James Heidland, SOLT, inspired Hope College this week with a series of talks.  On Tuesday night, Sr. Miriam led a workshop entitled, "Called to Love: A Heart Fully Alive," where she discussed John Paul II's Theology of the Body with Hope College women.  One of the participants, Rebecca Pavlock, said, "This was easily in the top five best things I've ever done at Hope."  Another student shared, "This is exactly what I needed right now in my life."The following day, Sr. Miriam spoke to a thousand students in Hope College's chapel.  Her theme was "God's Masterpiece" and she brought the house down.  You can listen to her inspiring talk here.  Even President Knapp thought she was great.

Later that evening, Sr. Miriam led the annual Saint Benedict Forum Lent Retreat where she spoke on "Merciful Like the Father: Living in Forgiveness and Freedom."  Over a hundred people crammed into Western Seminary's Mulder Chapel to listen to Sr. Miriam's beautiful words.  Her talk was followed by adoration of the Blessed Sacrament, confession, and Mass. On the walk back to the car after the retreat, two students stopped us and said what everyone was feeling: "Sr. Miriam!  You were so awesome today.  You have no idea how much you touched people.  Everyone has been talking about you all day.  Seriously, you have message that people really need to hear and reached a lot of people with it today.  Thank you."

SR. MIRIAM JAMES HEIDLAND, S.O.L.T. is a popular speaker on the Theology of the Body, authentic love and conversion, the healing power of Christ, and the dignity and beauty of woman.  She is the author of Loved As I Am: An Invitation to Conversion,  Healing, and Freedom through Jesus (Ave Maria Press, 2014).

Gay and Christian: Exploring Vocation, Friendship, and Celibacy

The Saint Benedict Forum was pleased to host Eve Tushnet, Joshua Gonnerman, and Ron Belgau for a powerful symposium on Gay and Christian: Exploring Vocation, Friendship, and Celibacyon Monday, February 22, 2016 at Hope College.  All three speakers gave powerful testimonies and inspired a diverse crowd of 300 students, faculty, administration, parishioners, and others.

The three talks were:

“The Radical Challenge of Gay Celibacy”Eve Tushnet

“A Different Conversation: Changing How We Think about Gay Politics” Joshua Gonnerman

“Understanding the Bible's Teaching on Homosexuality”Ron Belgau

See below for the video of the talks.

Ron Belgau is the cofounder of Spiritual Friendship, an ecumenical group blog dedicated to recovering the Church's traditional teachings on friendship and applying them to contemporary debates about homosexuality. He has studied philosophy at the graduate level at St. Louis University and Notre Dame, and has taught ethics, medical ethics, and philosophy of the Human Person at St. Louis University. He is a nationally known speaker, and in 2015 became the first openly gay Catholic to speak at the World Meeting of Families, in conjunction with Pope Francis's visit to Philadelphia

Joshua Gonnerman is a writer and doctoral student in theology at The Catholic University of America, writing his dissertation on Augustine's theology of grace and predestination. His articles have appeared in First Things, Spiritual Friendship, and PRISM Magazine.

Eve Tushnet is the author Gay and Catholic: Accepting My Sexuality, Finding Community, Living My Faith and Amends: A Novel. She lives in Washington, DC. Hobbies include sin, confession, and ecstasy.  She blogs at Patheos and has covered topics ranging from pro-life horror movies to the US National Figure Skating Championships. She was received into the Catholic Church in 1998.

This event is co-sponsored by Hope College's Religion Department, Women's and Gender Studies, Campus Ministries, Center for Ministry Studies, GRACES, and the Our Sunday Visitor Institute.

Dr. Ortiz on the Journey Home (VIDEO)

Cradle Catholic and director of the Saint Benedict Forum, Jared Ortiz, tells the harrowing tale of how he drifted away from God in his youth and how God slowly drew him back through providential encounters with Muslims, Jews, a few Catholics, and reading a lot of books.  Watch it here: 

Dawn Eden Gives Hope to the Hurting (VIDEO)

By Anna Jones, Religion and Philosophy Major, Class of 2018

It was almost three o’clock, and the afternoon’s talk by speaker and author Dawn Eden was about to begin. Coffee-shop conversation bubbled around me in the Fried Hemenway Auditorium as we waited for her to start. I had heard Eden speak that morning during the Wednesday chapel service and was excited to hear more of her story. The chapel talk had given a brief introduction to the topic Eden was about to discuss at length: “How Jesus' Sacred Heart Healed My Memories.” The talk was linked to her book, My Peace I Give You: Healing Sexual Wounds with the Help of the Saints, which discusses the whole story of her trauma and healing.

Strangely enough, joy was tangible in her presence. Eden had experienced severe suffering and was now in a sense reliving that pain with all of us by retelling her story. She spoke of how she still suffers from PTSD, yet her presence was one of such peace and joy that I couldn’t help but marvel at the work God has done in her.

Raised in a semi-devout Reformed Jewish home, Eden eventually lost her faith in God, seeking love and fulfillment by living a promiscuous life as a rock-and-roll journalist. In the afternoon talk, Eden spoke of how she had blocked out many painful memories, and in so doing brought an even greater pain to herself. Through the mercy of Our Lord and devotion to His Sacred Heart, Eden found the transforming love of Jesus, which turned the suffering of her memory into a pathway that brought her into union with Himself.

That evening in Winants Auditorium, Eden gave another talk entitled, “Thrill of the Chaste: Finding Fulfillment While Keeping Your Clothes On.” This talk touched on the story found in her book of the same name. Eden gave a testimony that recalled the abuse she suffered as a child, her search for fulfillment and value, and her eventual conversion and healing in Christ. Before her conversion, the wounds Eden suffered as a child told her that her value rested not in who she was but in what she would do. She suffered from guilt, made even worse by being told that the abuse perpetrated on her was her own fault.

In spite of this, Eden related that as a child she knew the necessity of love and came to the realization that if we loved one another, there would be peace. Eden related how she pursued an ever allusive “love” by chasing relationships and pushing the physical boundaries of each one. In essence, she was attempting to prove her worth. Her lifestyle was enabled by the rock-n-roll world she chose to be a part of which asked no questions of her about moral rightness. Ironically, it was this very life of wandering that eventually brought Eden to the fulfillment and healing she longed for.

During a phone interview with a member of a popular band at the time, Eden was introduced to a book entitled, “The Man who was Thursday” by G.K. Chesterton. Her interest was piqued and she picked a copy of the book. She was struck by the book’s statement, “The most poetical thing in the world was not being sick.” This struck a chord in Eden’s heart. Eden read more work by Chesterton, which eventually led her to Chesterton’s inspiration, the Bible, particularly the Psalms and the Gospels. Scripture became real and three-dimensional for Eden, not just “flat words on a page.” Through the working of the Holy Spirit she was led become a Christian, eventually discovering the richness and truth of the Catholic Church.

Finding the teachings of the Catholic Church “profoundly liberating,” Eden began to see that Chastity is an active virtue and not a mere restriction. This new found teaching defied the accusations of her wounds and confirmed her identity as a beloved daughter of the living God. Dawn Eden’s story was truly inspiring, filled with joy and grace and the message of Jesus’s redemptive healing which is so needed in this world’s broken culture. Her testimony offers hope not only to those who have suffered as she has, but also to all those seeking a life of abundance in Christ.

Dawn Eden is the author of Thrill of the Chaste (Catholic Edition): Finding Fulfillment While Keeping Your Clothes On (Ave Maria Press, 2015, revised and updated from 2006 edition) and My Peace I Give You: Healing Sexual Wounds with the Help of the Saints (Ave Maria Press, 2012).

All photos by Joy Rhine.

How I Fell Away from and Reverted to My Childhood Faith (AUDIO)

On July 8, Dr. Jared Ortiz was interviewed by Gus Lloyd on his show Seize the Day. He spoke on how he fell away from Catholicism and how God drew him back through books and people. The segment was broadcast on Sirius XM Radio's channel 129, the Catholic Channel. Listen to the interview here.

In Their Own Words: Immersion Trip 2015

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For Spring Break 2015, eleven Hope College students worked alongside, prayed with, and learned from the Franciscans of the Eucharist in Chicago's Humboldt Park neighborhood.  Below are some of their beautiful reflections on the week.

The Trip in Three Words

“I've been trying to think of a "quick and easy" way to respond to your questions... But my heart is so full after the trip that I don't really know if that's possible. Well, here goes: "Taste and see." (As in, "Taste and see the goodness of the Lord." Andrew brought a few hymnals, and this was one hymn we sang that really hit home.)”

“I had such a hard time putting my growth from this trip into words. My heart is truly overflowing . . . Three words to describe the trip: discovery, perspective, inspiration.”

“Relationship-driven, reflective, peaceful (in that we were removed from the clutters and stimulation of life centered on material things while living with the nuns)”

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“Awe-striking, Heartbreaking, Inspiring”

“Thought-provoking, refreshing, simple”

“Challenging, thought-provoking, stirring”

“Intense, edifying and hopeful"

“Community-based, prayerful, loving”

“Frustrating, heartbreaking, joyful”

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One Memorable Highlight or Story

“Any day spent in the after school program with the little kids was awesome (I was with the 6-8 boys). Tutoring William who has autism was incredible and having Darrian try to teach me how to "slow dance" was a great slice of happiness I will carry with me.”

“The best part of the trip was seeing how the sisters interact with the community that they are now a part of. They are truly respected by the people they are helping and they are not seen as outsiders.”

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“The sisters are possibly some of the greatest people I have ever met. I was blessed with opportunities to have serious one-on-one conversations with almost every one of them over the course of the week, and each time I felt completely inspired.”

“Sister Kate tried to convince us that we were having blended liver for dinner one night, but we caught her in the joke because it was a Friday in Lent, and we knew there was no way they would serve us meat.”

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“It all just seemed so hopeless, like there was nothing that anyone could do. But at the same time, seeing the dedication of the people who run the afterschool program, talking to some of the kids at the high school who really do have hopes and dreams and plans for college and were so willing to work to make those real, witnessing the good work the Franciscans are doing in the neighborhood... All of that was so full of hope. It blew me away how there can be so much good and so much beauty in such a broken, difficult place.”

“My favorite moment of the trip was when one student opened up to us during the reflection shortly after he learned of his grandfather’s passing away, and how everyone rallied around him and the whole group came together to support him and each other.”

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“I'd like to share two highlights, the first being Daniel's witness story, and how it so effectively touched me and made me notice what might also being missing in my faith journey as well, and then the other highlight would have to be when I talked about my father, and grandfather on the trip, which was very hard but at the same time very humbling.”

“While the entire trip was one huge highlight in itself, I especially loved how the trip helped me see past stereotypes and make connections with so many people despite vast differences. Watching the sisters’ willingness to reach out to the community, I was inspired to abandon my own preconceptions or criticisms and open my heart to discover the power of sharing Christ’s love through service. It was extremely uncomfortable at first, but it allowed me to discover the freedom that lies in selflessly giving to others in big and small ways. I built such powerful relationships through service with the community, with the nuns, and with my peers.

I also was able to discover the value that lies in a life of simplicity, humility, quiet, and all-encompassing service. The sisters have created such a calming, faith-focused environment despite the chaos and despair in the neighborhood. It is truly a little piece of heaven.”

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“Near the end of the trip, Sister Stephanie told our group that their boiler had just broken. So the sisters were without heat in their home.  Sister Stephanie seemed surprised but not worried. Her attitude wasn't "We don't have the means for this. What is God thinking?" but rather, "Well, that happened. Here's another chance to lean on God." It was at this moment that I realized just how much the sisters place their trust in God. The sisters had said multiple times before how everything they have is donated, but it didn't really sink in until Sister Stephanie told us about their boiler. This realization of how much God will provide if we let Him, and of how much He wants to provide, has helped me tremendously in trying to say "Jesus, I trust in You" for all aspects of my life.”

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The Impact of the Trip in One Sentence

“After this trip life does not make any sense without God.”

“This trip taught me that God’s mercy is present even in the darkest, most seemingly hopeless of situations.”

“This trip not only helped become conscious of where joyful self-giving and reckless abandonment to God are called for in my life, but also intensified my appreciation for genuine friendship and community that is rooted in Jesus Christ and His Church.”

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“This trip gave me some hope for the world by showing me some of the unseen work being done to help those living in poverty and violence both spiritually and physically.”

“A relationship with God is necessary for complete fulfillment and joy.”

“This trip challenged me to re-examine a faith I had grown all too familiar with, helping me rediscover my appreciation for Catholicism and the way it is being lived out in humble service today.”

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“In one sentence, man this will be fun... Ok so here it is:  My spiritual life was in a way shattered, and the trip led me to re-evaluate what my journey has been, and try to piece together what my life means.”

“Staying with the Franciscans really made me realize how important it is to rely on God's provision, in terms of material things, of course, but also in terms of spiritual and emotional stability. I don't think the sisters could do what they do where they do it without relying on Him for sustenance through prayer, through His Word, and through His body and blood. We had a difficult enough time, and we were only there for a week.”

“Much of this week was challenging to witness, even in the context of all the amazing work that the sisters are doing in the neighborhood. At several points during the week I found myself very discouraged in regard to God's plan for His people in the area as well as in regard to my helplessness. In a time of reflective prayer and reading, it was brought to my attention that like St. Veronica, sometimes the Lord calls us to wipe the sweat from the brows of those who are suffering. It was a beautiful revelation for me, and probably the main message that I'm taking out of the immersion trip. I felt blessed by the compassion that I felt for the people that I met and stirred by the freedom I found in the calling to suffer with others. I tend to want to fix all the problems in the world, and this week really showed me that it is not my will to change the world that I must chase but rather the will of my Heavenly Father, who is often simply calling me to love others and walk with them through their journey instead of try to fix them.”

Immersion Trip 2015: Franciscans of the Eucharist

By Daniel Karlovich, Hope College '15, Engineering Major

During Spring Break this year I was blessed to go on the Hope College Immersion trip sponsored by the Saint Benedict Forum to Chicago. With 10 other Hope students and two adult mentors from St. Francis de Sales Parish in Holland, Michigan I lived and worked at the Mission of Our Lady of the Angels alongside members of the religious order Franciscans of the Eucharist of Chicago. It was a powerful and blessed experience for us all.

A View of the Hope Students from Chicago's Famous "Bean"

During the course of the week we learned to live simply like the Franciscans. A significant part of the trip was spent doing simple tasks such as cooking and cleaning. We quickly learned from the sisters that even such “boring” chores take on great meaning when done with joy and love for Christ.

We also ventured into the community in which we were living. Inside one of the poorest and most violent neighborhoods in Chicago, we spent a few hours every day at the local YMCA with the children in their after school programs. Helping teach a junior class at the local high school, a school with a 67% dropout rate, was particularly powerful for many of us. We also visited a Catholic school, Cristo Rey, and learned about all the wonderful work they are doing to help underprivileged children get a good high school and college education.

All these great things were secondary to what the trip was mainly about. The trip was about self-reflection, learning what it means to live as a Christian in a broken world. It was here that the trip made a lasting impression on me.

I don’t think this trip was easy for anyone. We all were blessed by our experiences, but it wasn’t comfortable. It was a week of both great joy and great sorrow. Joy seemed to just flow from the sisters and it influenced our whole week in our work and in our relationships with each other and the people we met. What a contrast to the pervasive sorrow caused by the poverty and violence that was so prevalent and normal in the neighborhood and in the lives of those we met. Living for a week in an area of so much violence and poverty made all of us ask questions of ourselves and of God that we perhaps had never asked before.

What were these questions? We questioned what purpose was there to come into these people’s lives for a week and then leave. How could we change anything in so short a time against such overwhelming odds? We also questioned ourselves, where are we in our own spiritual journeys? Where is God in our lives?

Some of these questions are easy to answer. Immersion trips are aptly named because we really do not go to help others. We cannot change anything in a week. We go to learn about ourselves and to deepen our own understanding and love of God. In this aspect, this trip succeeded. Some of us left hopeful despite all the struggles. Others left frustrated. It wasn’t the frustration that comes from failure, but the frustration of struggling with a hard question that taxes us spiritually and mentally, but which always leaves us better for the struggle.

For me, being in the midst of so much violence and poverty left me feeling more hopeful than I have in a while. Despite the conditions of the neighborhood, I found so much good there. All the residents we met were loving and welcoming. The kids were a constant joy to be around. The YMCA employees worked tirelessly to get the kids off the streets, to do their homework and have a hot meal. And, of course, there are the sisters who are respected and loved within the community, doing everything with so much abundant joy and love for God. I realized that despite the evil in the world there are so many people who go about their lives humbly and lovingly in the midst of suffering, helping those in poverty both spiritually and physically.

It is always good when facing hard questions to draw on the wisdom of other godly people. In the car ride home one of the girls, like the rest of us still struggling to come to terms with all we had experienced, read a reflection on St. Veronica. The message was clear, “sometimes all we can do is wipe the sweat from someone’s brow as they suffer” (Kerry Weber, Mercy in the City).

Before the trip we may have said we went to help the poor, but we are wiser now. Like St. Veronica, the best we could do was to wipe the sweat from those in pain as an act of love. The real change came in our own hearts.

Two Talks on Prayer

Three times a week, one thousand Hope College students gather to praise God and listen to a meditation on Scripture. Recently, co-founders, Dr. Jared Ortiz and Dr. Jack Mulder, were invited to speak on prayer.

Dr. Ortiz spoke on "The Meaning of Prayer," October 24, 2014.

Dr. Mulder spoke on "The Name of Jesus," October 29, 2014.

Director Jared Ortiz Featured in FAITH Magazine

FAITH Magazine recently ran an article on Jared Ortiz, Director and Co-founder of the Saint Benedict Forum.  The article discusses the gory details of Ortiz's conversion story as well as how the Saint Benedict Forum came into being.  Well worth a read, though not for the faint of heart. Read the whole story here.

Being Transformed by the True, the Good, and the Beautiful: Joseph Pearce Speaks to Hope

by Rebecca Fox, Hope College Junior, English Major

When Joseph Pearce took the stage of Dimnent chapel last Wednesday, I’ll admit, he wasn’t who I was expecting.   I’d been terribly excited all week that an Englishman was coming to Hope to give a talk on C.S. Lewis and J.R.R. Tolkien (my favorite novelists, Christian thinkers, and scholars). I suppose I’d been expecting a stuffy Oxford-type academic--perhaps wearing tweed and lecturing in a posh accent.

pearce at rotunda

As Mr. Pearce delved into his passionate discussion of the Trinitarian nature of reality, I was immediately struck by three things. The first was that this man had a surprising and captivating London accent. He could have been attempting to impress upon me the importance of further regulation on the exportation of cheese curds and I would have been fascinated. More important, though, was the realization that the subject of God’s Truth, Goodness, and Beauty was intensely personal to Mr. Pearce. As I would find out later, he was not simply discussing an abstract idea, but was revealing the nature of his own intimate experiences with the Triune God.

Over lunch--hosted by the English Department’s Dr. Curtis Gruenler--Mr. Pearce conversed with several Hope students about the merits of having students use creative writing to explore and process great works of literature (in lieu of more traditional academic papers). In person, he was just as courteous and insightful as he had seemed on stage.

students pondering

His afternoon lecture on the “Christian Imagination of C.S. Lewis and J.R.R. Tolkien” in the Martha-Miller Rotunda was full of eager students, faculty, and community members. Mr. Pearce’s insights inspired nearly half an hour of intense questions after his presentation. His talk ranged from the conversion of C.S. Lewis to the sanctification of the story and the richness of Christian allegory and symbolism in Lewis and Tolkien’s works. As he finished his lecture in a passionate analysis of Gollum as an instrument of divine grace, I was once again struck by his ardency: this was not the speech of a man who is merely academically interested in literary analysis, but was that of someone who has personally experienced divine grace firsthand.

professors pondering

Joseph Pearce’s final talk revealed the depth of this truth. At 7:00 pm in Winants Auditorium, he gave his testimony to a rapt (and large) audience. As detailed in his recently published autobiography, Race With the Devil: My Journey from Racial Hatred to Rational Love, Mr. Pearce told his story: how God had rescued him from his life as a hate-filled skinhead.   Punctuated with roughly sung snatches of anti-Catholic war songs, he told of his prison sentences and violent ideologies. The providential discovery of the writings of G.K. Chesterton (who was, subsequently, the subject of Pearce’s first book) and C.S. Lewis later were used as instruments of grace in Mr. Pearce’s own life. As such, Mr. Pearce’s conclusion was identification with John Newton’s famous hymn, Amazing Grace.

pearce at winants

Having essentially spent the day with Joseph Pearce, I was left with the conviction that story (as Mr. Pearce said in his afternoon lecture) has indeed been sanctified by Christ and can be used by God to awaken the hearts of humankind. Even the heart of a man whose identity is in hatred can be transformed by such Amazing Grace.

These events were sponsored by the Saint Benedict Forum and co-sponsored by Hope College’s Campus Ministries, Dean of International and Multicultural Education, English Department, Political Science Department, Philosophy Department, and Religion Department.

The audio of Mr. Pearce's Chapel talk can be found here.

The video of "The Christian Imagination of C.S. Lewis and J.R.R. Tolkien" can be found here.

The video of "Race with the Devil: My Journey from Racial Hatred to Rational Love" can be found here.

All photos by Aaron Estelle