Just last Friday, I attended Shabbat dinner here on campus alongside five Holy Cross faculty members, and seven Holy Cross students. Rabbi Norman Cohen ’72 , led the service, and two students prepared a traditional Jewish meal, including a fantastic matzah ball soup, and a beautiful loaf of Challah. It was a wonderful night of reflecting on our respective Holy Cross experiences, and getting to know each other. The night further solidified my love for Holy Cross, and its open-minded appreciation for diversity.
Growing up in Worcester’s Jewish community, I never thought that I could feel comfortable at Holy Cross. Now, having worked here for a little over two years, I can tell you that at no point have I ever been made to feel excluded, judged, or like an “other,” for not being Catholic. On the contrary, working here has helped me to more fully recognize how much we all have in common. The Jesuit sentiment of being “men and women for others” is very similar to the Jewish tradition of giving Tzedakah, or charitable donations. The words Tzedakah comes from the Hebrew root Tzadei-Dalet-Qof, meaning righteousness, justice or fairness, (all words we rely on heavily at Holy Cross).
Though the majority of students at Holy Cross are Catholic, our community is enriched by Muslim, Jewish, Buddhist, Protestant, Orthodox, Coptic, Hindu and non-practicing faculty and students. While we do have a religion requirement among our common area requirements, it can be fulfilled with classes like Comparative World Religions, Ancient and Medieval Hinduism, and Zen Buddhism.
Shabbat dinner is just one example of the opportunities Holy Cross provides its non-Catholic students. Earlier this year, our Center for Religion, Ethics, and Culture hosted a Zen Meditation and Social Justice Forum, and every Sunday, an interdenominational Christian service is held on campus. Finally, the Chaplain’s office will drive any student to any of the wide array of worshipping communities in the city of Worcester.
Come for a visit, and hopefully you’ll find that Holy Cross is a comfortable place for you to explore your own faith, and the faiths of others.
Julia Sanders
Admissions Counselor
You’ve filled in all the empty spaces; you’ve identified siblings, parents, CEEB code, guidance counselor fax number and now you’re hovering above the “SUBMIT” button. You’ve checked it two, three, four different times but you still get the sense that it’s not quite ready. Like a cake without frosting, your Common Application is still not ready for consumption. So for the nth time, you go back to check your essay – one last time, you promise yourself.
During my travels last week I received a number of questions about Early Decision…who should apply, what is the process, are there benefits to applying ED? If you have had similar questions, please read on!
By now, if you’ve made it this far in the search process, and this deep into the Holy Cross website, you’ve “done your homework” in a manner of speaking. You’ve researched various schools and you know you like Holy Cross, but may still be wondering about a few things, and need some additional information. So, how else might you connect with us to gather those final pieces of information you need? No worries, there’s still time, and lots of ways for you to accomplish this.
Well what are you waiting for?! There are still lots of opportunities to have a personal interview through the admissions office. Holy Cross offers interviews until December 30th. Early decision candidates- your interview deadline is November 25th. So get on the phone and give us a call! On-campus interviews are offered every weekday 9-4 p.m.
I’m a driver. I commute over an hour to and from work each day, and spend the better part of the fall months driving around various U.S. cities. I like to drive, and I think I’m pretty good at it. I’m not the type of driver who gets flustered or nervous about navigating around new cities. I’m proud of my ability to quickly figure out the lights/wipers/radio/seat adjustor/cruise control on any rental car, and actually find it kind of exhilarating to drive in a new place.
Thank you to all of you who attended our Open House on Sunday, October 4, 2009. After almost three weeks of work travel, it was my first time back on campus and it was a great opportunity to meet with prospective students.
It is already October and I am sure a day off from school sounds like a good idea right about now. What could be better than skipping some classes and coming up to Holy Cross for a day and living the life of a current Crusader? You might have to make-up some AP course work upon your return but I promise you it will be worth it. Day Visits are offered to seniors in high school and take place Monday through Friday. All you have to do is call our office, share your interests, and we will take care of the rest. At Holy Cross we work hard to try and pair you up with one of our volunteers that match either your academic or extracurricular interests. We ask that prospective students arrive to Admissions at 8:30 a.m. where they meet up with their host. During the day most students will have the opportunity to attend a few classes, have a meal at Kimball, hang out in their host’s dorm, and you can even have an interview in Admissions. There is no better way to get a true feel of what life is like on Mt. Saint James.
It’s that time of year again; Linden Lane is changing colors, the purple sweatshirts are starting to appear…and the Admissions Office is hosting its first Fall Open House of the year! Attending an Open House at Holy Cross is different from your typical campus visit. Not only will you have the opportunity to take a tour of our beautiful campus, but you will also be able to explore different areas of academic and athletic interest during our Browsing Session in an entirely informal setting. After climbing all of the stairs here on Mount St. James, you can attend one of our many panel presentations on such aspects of Holy Cross such as: liberal arts, student life or one of our pre-professional programs. Finally, you can enjoy a lunch where you can speak with current Holy Cross students, as well as Admissions staff members. What better way to spend a beautiful fall Sunday than at Holy Cross?
Hi! My name is Nicole Zervos and I am the newest Admissions Counselor at Holy Cross! I graduated from Holy Cross this past May where I majored in Sociology. I’m from Narragansett, Rhode Island and love the New England area. On a nice summer day, you can probably find me on the beach reading a good book, but I also enjoy heading up to the mountains in the winter to ski and snowboard. I’m a huge Red Sox fan, love to watch the medical mysteries unfold on the TV show House and enjoy spending time with my family, friends and chocolate lab. At Holy Cross, I was involved in the SPUD community service program and the Appalachia service trips, peer-education, the Sociology department Student Advisory Committee, and working in the Office of Orientation, Transition and Leadership.