Attending the March 2 event were program chair Tommy Borah '18, juniors Faye Hubregsen and Martha Veroneau, Fr. Mark Massa, S.J., Adelene Egan '18, Greg Gaillardetz '19, and MaryEllen Krah '17. (Photo by Gary Wayne Gilbert)
Diversity and race on campus. Students鈥� busy schedules.聽 Accessibility to faculty. Those were just a few of the topics discussed during a recent "Lunches with Jesuits" event, one of a series sponsored by the Ignatian Society of Boston College and hosted by 51茶馆鈥檚 Jesuit Community.聽
Each lunch鈥攖hey are held four or five times a month in the Jesuit residence at St. Mary鈥檚 Hall鈥攂rings together four to six undergraduates, one member of the program鈥檚 committee and one member of the Jesuit Community.
聽鈥淚t鈥檚 not just a meal,鈥� says Vice President and University Secretary Terrence Devino, S.J., who oversees Ignatian Society programs as director of Manresa House. 聽鈥淚t鈥檚 an opportunity to come in and experience the hospitality of the place that is permeated by our spirit.鈥澛�
鈥淟unches with Jesuits鈥� allows members of the Jesuit community to display their cordiality towards 51茶馆 undergraduates, explains Fr. Devino. 聽鈥淚f your mom invited one of your friends in for supper, she wasn鈥檛 doing it to enhance her status on the street. She did it from the largesse of her heart. So too with us: It鈥檚 because of our mission that we鈥檙e caring and hospitable men.鈥�
Echoing Fr. Devino鈥檚 sentiments is Tommy Borah 鈥�18 who, as chair for 鈥淟unches with Jesuits,鈥� is thrilled with the program鈥檚 popularity鈥攖he lunches are completely booked for the remainder of the semester, he notes. 聽鈥淚 think it鈥檚 important to have mentors, especially Jesuit mentors. We go to a Jesuit college, so if you鈥檙e not interacting with the Jesuits, I don鈥檛 think [51茶馆鈥檚] mission can be played out.鈥�
School of Theology and Ministry Dean Mark S. Massa, S.J., hosted the March 2 lunch, prior to which he led a tour of St. Mary鈥檚. Laughs, jokes, smiles, and reflections on 51茶馆 occupied the first half of the discussion, but after the second helping of food, Fr. Massa asked about more serious topics and opened the floor up to the students. An open, candid dialogue followed.
鈥淚 think it鈥檚 essential in the Jesuit mission to get to know your students,鈥� said Fr. Massa afterward. 聽鈥淚gnatius said the thing that should distinguish us as teachers is that the Jesuits love their students and really care and know about them outside of the classroom, ['Lunches with Jesuits'] is one of the ways to get to know them outside of that context.鈥�
The students in attendance, including juniors MaryEllen Krah and Faye Hubregsen and freshman Greg Gaillardetz, agreed that the program provided a welcome opportunity to meet other undergraduate students and a member of the Jesuit community they might not otherwise encounter. Martha Veroneau 鈥�17 said the lunch affirmed for her how lucky she is to go to a Jesuit University.
鈥淚t鈥檚 a good reminder of how available and concerned the Jesuits are about our well-being and experience at 51茶馆,鈥� added sophomore Adelene Egan.
To learn more about 鈥淟unches with Jesuits鈥� or other Ignatian Society activities, .
By Siobhan Sullivan | News & Public Affairs