The Dignity of Women and Our Role in Society

A word about modesty from our Evangelization Coordinator, Joselina.

Modern day modesty. What the WOW (Woman of Worth) group is about is everyday college women speaking on topics such as the importance of a women in society. The difference that a women make in society and how the way we carry ourselves impacts not only the way we are treated individually, but also the way women are treated as a whole. The purpose of this group is to discuss topics such as modesty, femininity, fashion and professionalism, and relate it to how woman are what give society value in the sense that, however much of a lady we are is however much of a gentleman men will be.

We are the clay and you the potter: We are all the works of your hands. 

- Isaiah 64:8

I Found the Meaning of Real Joy

This past weekend, the Newman Catholic Club joined the Rutgers-New Brunswick Catholic Student Association for their bi-annual retreat. The following is a heart-felt account of the incredible experience that John Lombardi, a student at NJIT, had over those three days. 

I have never had the slightest interest in going on a weekend-long retreat such as the one we attended that weekend, but I was told that the retreat was nothing to be afraid of. It was just going to be three days of not doing schoolwork, not having my cell phone, and just 150 good, faithful, Catholic people all together praising the Lord. So I decided to give this one a shot. On the car ride over, I still wasn’t entirely sure what to expect. When we arrived, we all gathered in the tabernacle [main hall] and heard witnesses and priests briefly talk about different parts of their lives that related to the weekend’s main focus: infinite joy.

As I was sitting next to my friends from the Newman Center, I really listened to what all these people had to say. It was actually uncanny how accurately the stories I was hearing pertained to my life. Almost every witness’s story had the same prologue: “I was raised Catholic. I went to mass every week just because it was kind of something my family just did. I never really connected with my faith at all.” The list goes on. And then each witness began talking about when they found Christ. Some of them, I would really relate to. At that point of the weekend, I knew that this wasn’t something I could idly watch from the sidelines, but I could actually get involved and make the best out of the weekend.

The part of the retreat that made the difference was the incredible music that was provided. Singing has always been my favorite hobby, and it is truly something I can connect to on a spiritual level. Having those songs play in the background while I was praying, either standing up or being down on my knees, was almost surreal, as if things could only be so ideal in the midst of a dream. The words to the songs are more real than any of the pop or rock I'm used hearing on the radio. 

There were times throughout the weekend when I would break from my concentration of prayer, stop, look around, and to my delight, I saw one of the most promising things I had ever seen. I saw over a hundred devout, Catholic people praising the Lord (Like, really praising the Lord.)  I didn't know that there could be a place where I could truly express everything I was feeling because, normally throughout the days of my life, I have to be cautious of how I come across to others that don’t share my faith. It gave me hope that I don’t have to settle for friends that lead me to sin rather than embrace my desire to lead from sin and actually receive help when I am struggling.

The most powerful and revealing part of the retreat was undoubtedly Saturday night’s focus on the gift of the Sacrament of Reconciliation. It was good to hear the real reasons why going to a priest is so much more effective than keeping my sins to myself. The priest is there to guide me and coach me through my weaknesses, teaching me how I can fight temptations and eliminate sin from my life. It revealed to me how important it is to do penance and go to confession as often as possible. God wants me to live eternally by His side, and every time I sin, I’m telling him that I don’t want to take Him up on his offer. And as a logical guy myself, I realized how little sense it makes to sin. Granted, that doesn't mean I won’t ever sin again, (I am only human), but I am going to try my hardest to lead by His example. When I do fall to temptation, I will reconcile, and hopefully I will eventually live with Him eternally because the more often I go to confession, the less and less I am likely to sin and therefore will not have to go to confession as frequently!

In relation to the focus of the retreat which was infinite joy, I can describe it with one final story. I met this boy (who will remain nameless) while waiting on line for confession, and we struck up a conversation. He explained to me how he wanted to believe in Christ so much; logically, he couldn’t just lie to himself and say he believes, when deep down he really didn’t. He asked me why I believe what I do, and I couldn’t put it into words very well. What I could say though was that, without Christ in my life, I wouldn’t be as joyous of a person. The secular world likes to tell us what joy is, but until you are sitting in that main room, looking around, and seeing the smiles on people’s faces as they sing praises to our God, you simply don’t know what real joy is. To a kid like this who was very analytical, I tried to keep it relative. I said to him that when you find $5 on the sidewalk you experience a certain level of joy. When you get a 100% on a seemingly impossibly-difficult exam, you experience a level of joy much greater than that of finding $5 on the sidewalk. But when you find God, and you believe Him, and you experience all of His fulfilled promises, there literally is no higher high. 

Return of the Prodigal son!

How to Throw a Catholic dinner:

1. Buy Bacon     

2. Invite Friends 

3. Cook Bacon   

4. Feast                

Those are the 4 simple steps to throwing a party, and the Newman Center has mastered the technique. Last night our Metropolitan Emeritus hosted a dinner feast for the students of Newark. The fattened swine was slaughtered and the bacon was cooked. Last night's dinner was a collaborative effort by everyone in attendance (yes, even Katie). Steve and Delix executed the main course, a divine Bacon Mac 'N Cheese while Julian, Rhea, and Sherin created a delicious Chicken in spinach and rice. 

Conversations were constant throughout the kitchen, but once the food hit the table and grace was said the room went silent. Not a sound was heard as the crowd devoured the feast we had all worked hard preparing. The silence soon ended, and the steady roar of good friends conversing after a long week continued into the night.

Nights like this remind me of how fortunate we are to be blessed with such a great community here in Newark. Not many people think of Newark as a place where one finds friends, let alone a community to be supported by. But here at the Newman Center, we are single-handedly disproving Newark's reputation of being the least friendliest place in the world. 

God Bless,

Johnpaul 

Metropolitan Emeritus

Pray Hard. Play Hard.

This past Friday, the Newman Catholic Club attended the kick-off for the monthly Catholic Intercollegiate Adoration event. Our Fellowship Coordinator, Julie, recapitulates the wonderful evening.

Hey, Everybody!
What is CIA? It stands for Catholic Intercollegiate Adoration. Basically, the student ministries of the Archdiocese of Newark all come together once a month for a night of Mass, confession, and adoration. Yup, a triple threat of excellent prayer! Each month, one of the schools from the diocese will host this awesome gathering. Kean University was our gracious host on the 26th. We capped the night of with a huge game of "Prop" from the show Whose Line is it Anyway?. 

Pope Francis even made an appearance. #PopeSelfie

It feels good to see that, as a college student trying to live out my faith, I'm not alone. There was plenty of time to mingle with the students from around the diocese: Montclair, Stevens, RU-Newark, NJIT, and the hosts from Kean. I had a blast meeting other students who search  for more out of their college experience and choose to grow closer to God. 

UPDATE: New Archbishop in the Archdiocese of Newark

A message from our executive coordinator:
Dear all,
Today it was announced that the Archdiocese of Newark will be receiving a 'coadjutor' bishop, Bernard A. Hedba. Archbishop Myers is 72 years old and nearing his mandatory retirement age of 75. Hedba will replace Myers upon his death or retirement (and let's pray that it is his retirement). As of now Hedba will be called 'archbishop' but so will Myers until he retires. In the meantime Hedba will learn the inner workings of the diocese from Myers so the transition can be smoother.
Peace,
Nick

Welcome Back!

Summer's almost over! And school has unfortunately been in session for a bit of time already. It's that time of the year again when the transition from freedom and carelessness must slowly (and painfully) evolve into learning and discipline.

The toughest part about it all is just the sudden, overwhelming realization that this bothersome business of staying on top of tasks and actually having to study again will persist for another three months. Yeah. That's right. THREE MONTHS. Say good-bye to staying well-rested because school has crept its way back into your life.

As it annoyingly pokes at your free time, you may actually start to feel your stress levels rising. The horrible knowledge that exams are already beginning to spring out of nowhere is frightening, especially when you're not really paying attention to how much time is passing or are still stuck in that summer mentality.

Well, good news: Don't sweat it.

Maybe that isn't exactly "news" per se, but perhaps what I'm trying to say is that you don't need to sweat it.

"Why?" you may asked. Well, besides for the (hopefully incorrect) assumption that you might not really care too much about the gradually increasing levels of work-load, you've got a couple escape options to get you through this.

1. Breathe.
Though this may seem easy, sometimes we don't actually take the time to do this properly. Just follow these instructions: Inhale. Exhale. 
Got that? Good. Now repeat the process.

2. Relax. 
Those two minutes between the time that you're putting away your Calc homework and starting up your English paper, do a sudoku puzzle. Or close your eyes for a bit. Or waste some time playing word games on sporcle. (That's a fun option.)
Just do ANYTHING to put your thoughts on something other than the unfortunate reality of homework.

3. Spend time with some friends. 
Hanging out is an amazingly simple yet effective method of distracting oneself from the pile of work that's just waiting to be done. Have a great conversation with a classmate or just spend your time doing nothing with a long-time pal.

4. Get Involved.
By staying active in the community or by attending club events, you make connections and get the support needed to make it through the semester. You get that extra boost of encouragement  to get things done when you have people around you to get you pumped and energized.

5. Keep your brain active. 
Think. Ask questions. It's good to look for new things and be curious because you never know what you're going to come across. Maybe your curiosity makes you ask a question that prompts your professor to rant the rest of the lecture as a means of answering you. Or maybe you'll discover a new bacteria that makes food taste better. (Louis Pasteur, anyone?)
Just remember: Use it or lose it! Keep that brain well exercised!

So, question: How about coming to the Newman Center??
We've got you covered on most of the tips above (except for #1 really. We think you can handle that one on your own.) We've got the space to relax and unwind, the awesome people to waste time with, the greatest opportunities for you to get involved, and the best place for you to get some of your questions answered. Thinking about maybe doing something more for the community or maybe wondering what Catholicism is all about? Then come around. Ask some questions. Get involved. We've got a bunch of outreach services, small groups, weekly Mass, and the occasional event that we'll keep you posted about.

So hopefully the Newman Catholic Club could help you to not only survive this semester but also conquer it.
Best of luck :D

Year-End Celebration

On Sunday, we held our annual Mass for Confirmation and sending forth. It was a time to celebrate and gather together, honoring the hard work and faithfulness of a great deal of students. And of course, here at the Newman Center, we show our appreciation through lots and lots of good food.

Bishop Cruz consecrating the bread and wine
into the Body and Blood of Christ

Firstly, we were graced by the presence of Bishop Manuel Cruz, the auxiliary Bishop of the archdiocese of Newark, who came to celebrate Mass for us that fine evening. After Bishop Cruz gave a simultaneously humorous and enlightening homily that left the churchgoers with a profound message of the immeasurable love we should have for God, he asks the confirmandi (those who are candidates for the sacrament of Confirmation) a series of questions to renew their Baptismal Promises. Then, the church was sprinkled with holy water, and the sacrament was given.

The sacrament of Confirmation is the fulfillment of Baptism, where the recipient is now able to fully accept their faith. It is administered when a person is at an age where they are old enough to make their own decisions regarding whether or not they wholeheartedly believe in God and what the Church teaches; this point is called the age of reason. For some people, they choose to receive Confirmation at an earlier age, but for others, like the two who received the sacrament on Sunday, they go through a program called RCIA (Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults), which basically means that they prepare for their sacraments when they're older and feel more prepared. The really cool thing about Confirmation though is the awesome stuff that you get when you become confirmed. Once you say "yes" to your faith - once you confirm your beliefs - the Holy Spirit gives you all of these cool gifts that are totally useful. Now, they're not physical gifts but the spiritual kind, the type that we really need to get through the difficult times. We get some courage and wisdom, understanding and right judgment...just to name a few. So you can get why this sacrament is so awesome.

Bishop Cruz anointing a confirmand with Chrism oil

the graduates awaiting their gifts

After the confirmandi were confirmed, the Mass proceeded and then concluded with the distribution of gifts (physical ones this time) to the students that are graduating this year. Each received a lovely engraved Bible and a nice, personal piece of advice from Bishop Cruz. Special recognition and prayers were said for Joe Furnaguera, who is entering seminary in the fall.

Finally, after all the religious celebrations, it was time to feast. We had a huge buffet that included roast pig and jambalaya. Conversations were abound and laughs were heard everywhere as everyone enjoyed themselves immensely. It was a great evening and an amazing time spent with friends, family, and the entire community.

Newman Night: Cake Creations

This past Tuesday Night, we had our last Newman Night of the semester.
What's a Newman Night, you ask? It's a fun evening where we gather together and develop our spirituality through various social events.

students' representation of  the Visitation, created from
the combination of five cupcakes

On this particular night, we had the joy of decorating cupcakes using as many or as few toppings that we wanted; the delicious choices included sprinkles, marshmallows, m&ms, and basically anything really yummy you could think of. To make things more interesting though, our creations had to meet certain criteria: they had to represent a theme or event from the bible. And boy, did this spark the creativity!




The final designs for the cupcakes were as varied as the temperatures on the moon. Some groups chose to combine their cupcakes to create a scene or to represent multiple persons in a story. Others incorporated utensils into their design or elected to expand it outside of the scope of the cupcake and onto the plate. Some even took a more metaphysical approach when decorating their cupcakes, turning what didn't look like much into a conceptual work of art.

Sr. Monika handing out the award for "Most Methodical"

After everyone completed their masterpieces, their creations were shown off to the group and they had the chance to explain their scene and design choices. Awards were handed out for "The Most Delicious," which went to a beautiful representation of the Visitation, and for "The Most Methodical," which went to a depiction of David and Goliath made from a pair of cupcakes delicately decorated. Finally, "The Most Original" was awarded to an up-and-coming artist whose appetite had gotten the best of him, leaving a vacant cupcake wrapper to represent the empty tomb of Jesus.

All in all, the event was a blast, and everyone had an incredible time expressing their creativity. The cake was also a plus. Cake is always a plus, especially when it's absolutely delicious.

Greetings!

It seems that you've happened upon the blog of the Newman Club to the universities of Newark, NJ. If this was the site you were looking for, then welcome! And if it just so happens that you came across us by sheer dumb luck, then welcome anyway!

Come. Stay for a while.

We're just some pretty awesome people who happen to follow an even awesomer God and want others to know about His awesomeness. Is that too much awesome to handle? Okay, I'll take it down a notch.

Let's keep it simple.

Who are we?

We're the Newman Center.

Our objective?

To love God and help to bring His love to others by being active in our campus communities.

What does this mean to you?

Well, if you're Catholic, that means that the Newman Center can be a place to help you grow in holiness and strengthen your relationship with God. If you're not Catholic, you'll still be welcome and get to hang out with some pretty great people.

Why are we writing all this instead of just saying it to you? 

We feel that this blog will serve as a bridge between the mediums. It's kind of like where faith and culture collide. We hope to communicate as much as we can about the events of our club, homilies of Sunday readings, and awesome tidbits about our faith.

We hope you enjoy it!