Prayer During Finals Week

By Kevin Rakszawski

I’ve found myself praying extra hard the past few weeks with final exams, projects, and presentations. I’m sure you all feel the same way. In a sense, it’s amazing when I find myself praying, and I wonder why I don’t take advantage of the numerous opportunities for prayer the rest of the year when perhaps I am not as stressed. For example, yesterday morning I was walking through campus to turn in a final project and managed to say an entire rosary. On Tuesday, I was at the Newman Center for the day and went to mass at noon. These are opportunities that are available each and every day, and yet for some reason I had to wait until finals week to take advantage of them.

Eric and I were talking last night about how much our lives depend on the next six months or so. With only a year left as undergraduates and careers and further education looming, it’s easy to get lost in the stress. I think the best prayer is a simple one:

“Jesus, I trust in you.”

Archdiocese of Philadelphia Anniversary

By Eric Snyder

Tonight at Mass, the priest mentioned that this Tuesday is the last day of the Archdiocese of Philadelphia’s 200th Anniversary year. I’d heard that this year was our 200th anniversary, but wasn’t aware that the actual day the diocese was founded is this Tuesday.

200 years out of the 2000+ that the Catholic Church has been around doesn’t really seem like that much; but its still worth thinking about all that has been accomplished in that time. 200 years ago, there was no organized Catholic presense in the Philadelphia area. Today, thousands of people are part of parishes that fall under the umbrella of the Archdiocese.

So, anyone who is a member of the Archdiocese of Philadelphia, Tuesday is your birthday too. Say a prayer, reflect, and (if the mood strikes you) maybe even buy a sheet cake.