BRADEN FELLINGER
LIBERAL COLUMNIST
On Oct. 12, the Grad Non-Trad Community hosted a holy hour for graduate and non-traditional students in a filled Christ the King Chapel. The holy hour consisted of praise and worship music in front of the Blessed Sacrament and was led by the Rev. John Shanahan, TOR, LSW.
After a session of praise and worship, Shanahan read from the Gospel according to Luke and gave a short homily on the Gospel, saying: “God gives abundantly, and his mercy adores forever.” He explained how the disciples saw Jesus praying and asked Jesus to teach them how to pray.
Shanahan then explained how Jesus taught us to pray. He spoke about how it’s not “God make me a good person” or “Give me aid.” The emphasis is on how to pray. To sit in silence, be still and wait for prayers to be answered is the solution, said Shanahan. The deepest desires of the heart are what one desires from God, and this is accomplished by being silent and still.
After Shanahan’s homily, there was a moment of silence in prayer. The holy hour closed with praise and worship. Students left joyful, with a great deal of information to reflect on.
Students who attended enjoyed it as well. Neomy Banuelos, a non-traditional English writing major said: “The fact that it is midterms and we still had so many students who came really shows that the Lord will take care of us for academics because we could be studying.” She said that she really “enjoyed the message of interior silence and being still.”
Patrick Hohenshilt, a graduate student in the Clinical Mental Health Counseling Program, said he enjoyed the participation from everyone present. “I felt the responses from the lay people really helped the effect of the praise and worship in a positive way. It was nice to have strong and confident voices in a small group of people,” he said.
There are many other holy hour events on campus throughout the fall and spring semesters, sponsored by various groups such as Men’s and Women’s Ministry and the GNT Community. All are welcome to attend these events.