Campus Ministry and Healthy Monday came together on Monday, Feb. 13 in the Mansion dining room for an hour of relaxation and becoming one with God. The event, called “Spirituality and You,” aimed to help lower stress through God.
Various people came together to discover ways they can reveal and connect to God in their daily lives. The event was hosted by Cabrini’s Campus Ministry staff. According to their mission statement, the Office of Health and Wellness Education fosters a healthy living and learning environment for all members of the campus community by promoting an optimal and holistic well-being. This well-being can be achieved by emphasizing positive lifestyle choices and by balancing and taking responsibility for one’s health. This event was the first “Live and Learn” series this semester.
The atmosphere at the event was extremely welcoming and relaxing. The whole hour was focused on building relationships with self and then others. It began by listening to the song “Look At The World” by John Rutter. This changed the mood in the room to calm and comfortable. Father Carl Janicki, director of Campus Ministry, talked first about the book of Genesis in the Bible and how one’s relationship with self is really important.
“How is worrying affecting my soul and how is God bringing me stillness?” Sister Christine Marie Baltas, a Campus Ministry associate, said. It was focused on forgetting your worries and letting God take control.
“Think about today, not tomorrow,” Baltas said.
Stephanie Salinis, campus minister, gave everyone an activity to reflect on after the atmosphere was shifted to a relaxed state. The activity required participants to cut out quotes and pictures in magazines that they find inspiring and then making a collage out of them.
“Gratitude, peace and joy are the way God communicates with us,” Salinis said. Salinis went on to say that it was about finding the quietness of your own heart. The participants took time to close their eyes and become aware of God’s presence.
“I am thrilled to have our first Live and Learn Series,” Chris Hyson, director of health and wellness education, said. “The Ministry offers great information about less stress and connecting with God.”
Everyone in the room gathered together to recite prayers that would inspire others to make a difference in this world and allow their voices to be heard.
“Gracious God, I ask you to plant a seed of stillness in my soul,” Janicki said, guiding the attendees in prayer at the conclusion of the meeting. “When worry and anxiety scurry around my soul stealing my joy and dampening my faith, remind me to stop for just a moment so I can be brought into the space of quiet. Give me, each day, the desire and capacity to breathe in the wonder of air, to envision a still lake on a sinless dawn, to drop deep into the well of my own being and find there the peace of your presence. I ask this for the sake of your love.”
