The most recent edition of News from Hope College contains an excellent article on the Saint Anne Oratory, our new sacred space of worship and prayer on Hope’s campus. You can read the article here. Many thanks to Josh Bishop and the team at News from Hope College for featuring the oratory!
Ave Maria Law School Information Dinner
We Are All Children of God: Living Alongside Ukrainian Refugees
One of our students, Grace Brown, had an article published in the June 2022 issue of FAITH Grand Rapids, the magazine of the Catholic Diocese of Grand Rapids. In the article, Grace talks about her experience living alongside Ukrainian refugees while studying abroad in Poland.
Click here to see Grace’s article in the full issue of FAITH Grand Rapids.
Year-in-Review: 2021-2022
Left to right: 2022 Hope graduates Alex Bauer, Kam Wilcox, Becca Messiter, Caryn Dannah, and Nick Fornarotto. Also pictured: Fr. Nick Monco and Carly McShane.
The 2021-2022 academic year officially ended on Sunday, May 8, when Hope College seniors received their hard-earned degrees. We had a great year at the Saint Benedict Institute! Here are the highlights:
1. Race, Racism, and Antiracism
What is race? What is racism? How can Christians with different perspectives work together to oppose racism? At the beginning of the academic year, SBI co-sponsored a civil dialogue between Dr. Kevin Kambo and Dr. Matt Jantzen to explore the answers to these questions. The conversation was moderated by Hope College President Matthew Scogin.
2. The Genesis of Gender
SBI did not shy away from controversial issues this year! Shortly after the dialogue on race, we hosted Dr. Abigail Favale for a lecture that compared the Christian and feminist perspectives on sex and gender. There was a lively question and answer session following the talk.
3. Werewolves and Fainting Damsels
Later on in the fall semester, SBI hosted two Catholic authors of fiction to discuss what makes for a satisfying story. Eleanor Bourg Nicholson and Rhonda Ortiz defined the terms “genre” and “trope” and examined the conventions of the mystery, Gothic, and romance genres using examples from classic literature and their own novels.
4. Encounter Conference
In December 2021, several SBI students attended the Encounter Conference in Grand Rapids, Michigan. This three-day event was organized by Encounter Ministries, a charismatic Catholic ministry. It featured praise and worship, Mass, speakers, breakout sessions, Eucharistic Adoration, a healing service, fellowship, and more.
5. Ordination of Deacon Brian Piecuch
On Saturday, January 8, 2022, seven men were ordained to the permanent diaconate in the Diocese of Grand Rapids. Among them was our very own Development Director and Program Coordinator, Brian Piecuch! We interviewed Deacon Brian about his ordination and his ministry.
6. Extraterrestrial Life and catholic theology
What do aliens have to do with Catholic theology? Much more than you might think! In February, Prof. Chris Baglow, the Director of the Science and Religion Initiative at the McGrath Institute for Church Life at the University of Notre Dame, joined us for a fun and though-provoking talk on extraterrestrials, human nature, and the Incarnation.
7. Immersion Trip to Saint Meinrad Archabbey
Over spring break, Fr. Nick and Carly took a group of students to Saint Meinrad Archabbey in Indiana for a week of immersion in monastic religious life. Students joined the monks five times per day for prayer, worked on an outdoor project on the monastery grounds, and spent time with the monks.
8. Courtship, Marriage, and Sex
Society is giving our students very little good advice about how to navigate the world of love and romance. SBI stepped into that gap with a two-part seminar led by our co-founders and their wives. Jared Ortiz (Religion) and his wife Rhonda Ortiz (author) led the first seminar on courtship. Jack Mulder (Philosophy) and his wife Melissa Mulder (Spanish) led the second seminar on marriage and sex.
9. Blessing of the New Saint Anne Oratory
On March 11, the Most Reverend David J. Walkowiak, Bishop of the Catholic Diocese of Grand Rapids, joined the Hope College Catholic community for a Mass of Blessing of the Saint Anne Oratory at the Carol C. Schaap Chapel in Graves Hall. This new sacred space is now the heart of our Catholic community on campus.
10. Mass and Adoration
Throughout the year, students, staff, and members of our community attended Sunday and weekday Masses on Hope’s campus. Eucharistic adoration also brought students, both Catholic and non-Catholic, closer to Christ. In addition to regular periods of Adoration offered each week, students were able to participate in 24-hour adoration several times this year.
Senior Witness: Caryn Dannah
Hope College students are in the midst of exam week and graduation is this Sunday. Please pray for all of our students, but especially our graduating seniors. One of those seniors, Caryn Dannah, shared her testimony at a Hope chapel service a few months ago as part of their “Senior Witness” series. Watch the video beginning at 15:30 to hear Caryn’s story about her relationship with Christ and how he called her to live out the message of Romans 12:2: “Do not conform yourselves to this age but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and pleasing and perfect.”
Courtship, Marriage, and Sex: A Saint Benedict Seminar (Photos)
In today's society, there is very little instruction about how to navigate the world of love and romance. Saint Benedict Institute co-founders Jack Mulder and Jared Ortiz invited current Hope College students to join them back in February for a two-week Saint Benedict Seminar: “Courtship, Marriage, and Sex.” Jared Ortiz (Religion) and his wife Rhonda Ortiz (author) led the first seminar on courtship. Jack Mulder (Philosophy) and his wife Melissa Mulder (Spanish) led the second seminar on marriage and sex.
Duruflé's Messe Cum Jubilo: Lecture, Discussion, and Music
Monday, April 25, 5 p.m.
This event features a live-streamed lecture by Prof. Thomas Forrest Kelly and Andrew Clark of Harvard and a live-streamed musical performance by the Harvard Glee Club. It is sponsored by the Harvard Catholic Forum as part of their Sacred Music series. The event is co-sponsored by the Saint Benedict Institute.
The Harvard Glee Club performs the musical settings for this joyful Mass with soloists, baritone choir, and organ, composed in 1967. Professor Thomas Forrest Kelly and Andrew Clark introduce the music with lecture and discussion about the history, structure, liturgical context, and musical significance of the piece.
Work in the Future: Economic Realities and Insights from Catholic Thought
Thursday, April 21, 7:30 p.m.
This live-streamed lecture by Prof. Mary Hirschfeld of Villanova University is sponsored by the Harvard Catholic Forum as part of their Faith and Work series. It is co-sponsored by the Saint Benedict Institute.
Two trends —globalization and automation—are transforming the experience, organization, and character of work, and our best evidence suggests they will continue to do so over the next generation. Both trends spring from the imperative to maximize profits, and they seem to drive an inexorable increase in income inequality along with instability and fragmentation in the world of work. Some economists have responded by proposing schemes of income redistribution such as a “universal basic income,” but these define the good of both labor and business narrowly, primarily in monetary terms. By contrast, the Catholic intellectual tradition, with its fuller view of the human person and emphasis on the common good, suggests a more complex and rounded vision of work that could guide both policy and practice in the years to come.
Student Stories: 24-Hour Adoration
Eucharistic adoration is bringing students—Catholic and non-Catholic—closer to Jesus Christ!
Three students—Ana Wong, Kirsten Miskowski, and Karlie Platz—shared their reflections on participating in 24-hour adoration on campus. Watch the videos below to hear their thoughts.
This Holy Week, there will once again be 24-hour adoration on the Hope College campus, this time in the new Saint Anne Oratory. Please pray for our students as they spend time with our Lord in the Blessed Sacrament.
Cuba: Homeland and Life!
The Markets & Morality student organization at Hope College and the Saint Benedict Institute are co-hosting the presentation “Cuba: Homeland and Life!” on Monday, April 11, at 7:30 p.m. in Winants Auditorium of Graves Hall. The public is invited. Admission is free. The presentation will also be livestreamed at hope.edu/live and via the Hope College YouTube channel.
The event will feature personal testimonies from Miguel Abrahantes of the Hope College engineering faculty and Holland resident Amaurys Rodriguez-Matos. The title is inspired by the hip-hop song “Patria y Vida” (“Homeland and Life”), which has served as an anthem for protesters against Cuba’s government. The title plays on the slogan “Homeland or Death” (“Patria o Muerte”) from the Cuban revolution of the 1950s. The song, which has garnered more than ten million views on YouTube since being released in February 2021, won the Latin Grammys for Song of the Year and Best Urban Song this past November.
Cuban-native Miguel Abrahantes is a professor of engineering and department chair at Hope College. He received his engineering doctorate in control systems from the Universidad Nacional del Sur in Argentina in 2000 and has been a teaching at Hope since 2003.
Amaurys Rodriguez-Matos, a university professor from Cuba, arrived in the United States in December 2016 with his wife and four children. The Rodriguez-Matos family came into the U.S. just in time to qualify under the Cuban Haitian Entry Program for refugees from these countries. The family was sponsored by St. Francis de Sales Church in Holland, received housing initially from Grace Episcopal Church, and has since been the recipient of a Habitat for Humanity home in Holland.
The Markets & Morality student organization aims to support and celebrate freedom of expression in the context of the liberal arts by hosting speakers and films on topics spanning the economic, political, and cultural aspects of human civilization, with a special concern for human flourishing as understood in Christian perspective.
Audience members who need assistance to fully enjoy any event at Hope are encouraged to contact the college’s Events and Conferences Office by emailing events@hope.edu or calling 616-395-7222 on weekdays between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m. Updates related to events are posted when available in the individual listings at hope.edu/calendar.
Immersion Trip 2022: Saint Meinrad Archabbey (Photos)
Fr. Nick and Carly took students on a trip to St. Meinrad's Archabbey over spring break. The students were immersed in the world of monastic religious life, centered around the ideas of prayer and manual labor. They joined the monks five times per day for prayer, worked on an outdoor project on the monastery grounds, and spent time with the monks.
Bishop of Grand Rapids Blesses the Saint Anne Oratory at Hope College (Photos and Video)
On March 11, the Most Reverend David J. Walkowiak, Bishop of the Catholic Diocese of Grand Rapids, joined the Hope College Catholic community for a Mass of Blessing of the Saint Anne Oratory at the Carol C. Schaap Chapel in Graves Hall. This new sacred space was full of friends and benefactors of the Saint Benedict Institute, as well as Hope students and faculty.
"I am grateful for Bishop Walkowiak for offering a Mass of Blessing, for the Schaap family and our many other generous donors, for our very talented architects, for the team that built it, and for Hope College for being so ecumenically open to this endeavor," wrote Dr. Jared Ortiz, Hope College professor and co-founder and executive director of the Saint Benedict Institute.
Early in the liturgy, Bishop Walkowiak sprinkled the walls of the oratory with holy water to set it apart for the proclamation of the Word of God, the celebration of the Sacraments, and the reservation of the Eucharist. During his homily, Bishop Walkowiak thanked all those who made the recent renovation of the oratory possible, urging everyone to continue their support of the Saint Benedict Institute and its missionary activity. Hope students and faculty prepared the altar prior to the liturgy of the Eucharist. In his concluding remarks, Bishop Walkowiak joked that he had no idea what he was going to find when he came to the new oratory, but that he appreciated the beauty and thoughtfulness of its design. He assured the Hope College Catholic community of his prayers.
The Reverend Nicholas Monco, O.P., chaplain of the Saint Benedict Institute, and the Reverend Charles Brown, pastor of St. Francis de Sales Catholic Church in Holland, concelebrated the Mass of Blessing with Bishop Walkowiak. They were assisted by Deacon Brian Piecuch, the Development Director and Program Coordinator of the Saint Benedict Institute. Students led the congregational singing and chanting in both English and Latin.
The Saint Anne Oratory at the Carol C. Schaap Chapel, located at the heart of campus on the ground level of Graves Hall, was renovated in 2021-22 to serve the needs of Catholics on Hope’s campus. The space previously hosted the Schoon Meditation Chapel, which was completed in 1962. The Hope College TRIO Upward Bound and Children’s After School Achievement (CASA) programs are on the same floor of the three-floor building, which also houses classrooms, Winants Auditorium, and the President’s Room conference room featuring portraits of Hope’s presidents.
Paul and Carol Schaap are the principal donors. Paul is a 1967 Hope graduate. Paul and Carol’s longstanding philanthropic leadership at the college has been transformational and includes a leadership gift on behalf of the A. Paul Schaap Science Center, which opened in 2003, and major funding to provide research fellowships for members of the chemistry faculty; research and innovation opportunities for undergraduates in chemistry; and a major gift in support of the Jim and Martie Bultman Student Center.
The introduction of Roman classical design in the renovated space suits the new oratory’s Catholic mission while complementing the historic character of Graves Hall. Increased seating, improved pew layout, enhanced ventilation capability, and provisions for wheelchair accessibility allow for the Saint Anne Oratory to capably host daily Mass and frequent adoration of the Eucharist. The oratory is also available to students and other members of the campus community for private prayer.
Photo credit: Steven Herppich and Hanniah Kring
