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In elegant purple, black, and gold priestly vestments, Rev. John Rossi of St. Bridget’s University Parish, which is associated with the Rowan Catholic Campus Ministry (CCM), started his sermon with, “from dust you came, and to dust you will return.”
This recollective message was pronounced before a crowd of 340 people on March 5 to celebrate the Catholic holiday known as Ash Wednesday, where all in attendance were asked to reflect on their own lives, to think of the things that separate them from what matters, and to remember the finality of life.
The Rowan Catholic Campus Ministry club replaced its regular ‘Newman Night’ meeting with this ceremony in order to call its students to profound meditation and to turn away from bad habits, distractions, and toxic thinking, and instead asked them to reflect inwardly, to help others, and to make the world a better place.
Rossi concluded the service by providing an analogy to the congregation.
“Many people miss Heaven by 18 inches. That is the distance from our heads to our hearts,” Rossi said.
Rossi called upon everyone to be more loving and mindful. The night finished with a collection for those struggling in Eastern Europe and Ukraine.
After the service was finished, Rowan student James Messina shared his main takeaway.
“This service made me reflect on the shortness of life and doing what truly matters,” Messina said.
Another student, Leah Robinson, shared her thoughts and reactions.
“The Rowan Catholic Campus Ministry club has helped me connect with a diverse group of people that share my values, live out their faith in different ways, support each other, and has given me people to look up to,” Robinson said.
Back at the Newman House where the CCM meets, the club’s youth minister Kari Janisse, a Rowan alumni, talked about what the Newman House means to her.
“The Newman House made me who I am today; it’s where I met my husband, where I work, and my goal is to offer students somewhere to belong,” Janisse said.
The night concluded with an opportunity for students to socialize over a complimentary soup and salad dinner.
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