Greetings! Welcome to the first official post of what I hope to be an exciting, entertaining and informative blog! My name is Marie Meisner and I am a freshman about to wrap up my first semester at Holy Cross (!!!) that is eager to share all of my favorite memories on Mount St. James with you! I thought I’d take the time this week in the midst of all the chaos of finals to focus on one of the more positive parts of the month: the liturgical season of Advent!! For those of you unaware, Advent is the liturgical season celebrated by most Christians in preparation for the birth of Jesus Christ on Christmas Day. As someone who is incredibly devoted to her Catholic faith (and someone who chose Holy Cross primarily for their strong faith and Jesuit values, too!), to say I was excited for Advent at Holy Cross was an understatement. Last week following Daily Mass (which I am a frequent attender- Holy Cross offers it at both 12:05pm and 9pm almost every day), I was able to see the decorations put up inside St. Joseph’s Chapel, which included a massive Advent wreath that hung above the congregation.
I think I squealed in delight at how stunning the decorations looked, amazed by how something as simple as the purple and pink ribbon can hold so much meaning. Outside of Mass, I have been able to grow in my faith here through weekly adoration and rosary through the Society of Saints Peter and Paul, and of course, spending as much time in the chapel as my schedule allows. I’ve met some of the most wonderful and kind-hearted people through the many faith opportunities at Holy Cross, and I am so blessed to have them in my life today.
Additionally, this past Thursday was the annual Christmas Tree Lighting that took place in front of O’Kane Hall, organized by the Purple Key Society and the Campus Activities Board. Prior to the event we had seen glimpses of lights, wreaths and Christmas trees scattered around campus, but this felt like the culmination of all these pieces put together into one big celebration of the holiday season. Cookies and hot chocolate were served, and student performers included members of the Goodtime Marching Band, The Chamber Singers, Fools on the Hill, The Delilahs, and Off The Record (the latter of which are the female-only singing groups on campus). Of course, this isn’t counting my friends and I caroling with members of the Chapel Choir all around campus before the actual event, which was genuinely some of the most fun I’ve had here so far. I guess it’s just something about singing the beloved Christmas carols of your childhood with some of your favorite people, making Holy Cross feel like a ‘home away from home’ even more than it already does. 🙂
The grand finale, the lighting of two Christmas trees on either side of a simply stunning Nativity scene (photo below!), filled the whole campus with so much holiday cheer that kickstarted what looks to be a joyful holiday season. Moments like these remind me of how special the Holy Cross community is, and how thankful I am to be surrounded by such a loving and supportive group of people. Though I am anxious to be done with all my papers, projects and the dread of final exams, I am definitely going to miss the magic of Holy Cross over break that is truly unlike no other.
