Household Life celebrates 50th anniversary

Peyton Voorheis
Staff Writer

Franciscan University celebrates its 50 year anniversary of households life. Households introduced in 1974 were originally established by the Rev. President Michael Scanlan, TOR to help foster Catholic fraternity amongst its students.

Household life has become one of the most fundamental and unique parts of our campus. Several individuals involved with households shared their reflections on the changes as the 50th anniversary came around.

Margaret McKee, Director of Household Life, shared how the 50th anniversary was being celebrated: “Two major ways the Office of Evangelization has commemorated the 50th Anniversary of Household Life so far this year are through the Legacy Retreat and the Household Commons.”

When households began, all students at the university were assigned to the household on their wing, and membership was compulsory. However, this system only lasted about three years, sparking other changes to take place.

Former coordinator of household life, the Rev. Gregory Plow, T.O.R. shared his thoughts on the matter, both in an interview and in his book co-authored for the 40th anniversary with Regina Doman. “No Longer Strangers” was written “to really present a history of household life,” said Plow.

Plow explained in his novel, “Households do evolve, and the way that households looked going into the 40th year was very different than the way that they looked when Father Michael started them.”

This is still the case ten years later. McKee said, “The Legacy Retreat set the tone for revival within Household Life by encouraging households to revisit their formation processes and traditions and recenter on prayer and fellowship.” She added, “Household Life has certainly changed over the years to adapt to a growing and changing student body.”

I interviewed Joseph Vasquez—a junior and the coordinator of the recently resurrected household, Prince of Peace—and Shanice Kirabo—a senior and coordinator of Jesters of YHWH—asking what their thoughts are on the changes household life endures.

“Something that I’ve seen a lot is the rise and death of certain households,” says Kirabo. “The charisms that the student body has hoped to grow in have been addressed in some way, shape, or form, by the households present on campus.” She added that, “it’s beautiful to see how household life’s atmosphere shifts to accommodate the spiritual needs of the people.”

Vasquez reached out to many former members of Prince of Peace while going through the process of bringing the household back. Through these conversations, he got a feel for how his household, and household life in general, had changed over the years.

“They would just hang out together for the sake of hanging out, and I would say the community was a lot closer back then,” said Vasquez. Kirabo added, “Household has always been a place for people to grow in holiness together.”

Some of the former brothers of Prince of Peace he’d talked to had been involved in household life before intent formation was a common practice. Vasquez suggests this might have played a role in the community, saying, “when you are constantly immersed in the formation process, it’s hard to focus on building relationships.”

“The intent and formation process that POP had when they were disbanded and then not having one are two extremes,” says Vasquez. The current brothers of Prince of Peace are working towards “finding a nice middle ground, where we are able to get the benefit of having an intent process while also not being over the top.”

“Over the last 25 years, intent processes and induction ceremonies have gotten more complex and involved … it’s healthy for households to reexamine what they do every so often, and perhaps simplify,” said Plow, later adding that, “the flip side to households having these elaborate intent processes is that you find students very well versed in their charisms.”

Two of the oldest traditions in household life are covenants and Lord’s Days. “If you want to talk about tradition in household life, those things are the most traditional,” said Plow.

“What is essential to Household Life mirrors the Greatest Commandment given by Jesus in Mark 12: love of God and neighbor,” said McKee. “At the root of Household Life is prayer and fellowship, marked by growth in relationship with Jesus and one’s household brothers or sisters.”

McKee also spoke on another way the school has been celebrating the anniversary as well as fostering community. “The Household Commons has replaced the International Lounge as a space conducive for both meeting and hanging out. Plaques commemorating many households and shadow boxes of the previous years’ Steel Cross Award winners aim to celebrate the uniqueness of Household Life here at Franciscan.”

As the 50th anniversary celebrations continue, households will continue to grow and change, but they will also strive to remain true to why they were founded.