Movie screening ‘A Place at the Table’
The University of Mary Washington Catholic Campus Ministry partnered with the diocesan Office of Multicultural Ministries for a movie night Feb. 13 in celebration of Black History Month, screening “A Place at the Table,” a documentary about six African Americans on the path to canonization.
This initially started as an effort to let UMW students know that the church is a home for all cultures, including theirs. Moreover, as a campus ministry, we’re always on the lookout for new ways to engage with the university to share our faith, especially if it helps us contact students who aren’t familiar with Jesus or the Catholic faith.
We decided to make use of the cultural calendar already in place at the university and then try to create Catholic events that we could offer as a part of that. February is Black History Month, so that provided the first real opportunity to try our plan. It gave us a wonderful chance to highlight the deep faith and long suffering of the Black Catholic Community, both historically and in our diocese. But how to get that onto campus?
We realized that a movie would work better than a lecture, and providentially, the film, “A Place at the Table,” about six African Americans advancing toward canonization was made available through the diocesan multicultural ministries office.
Shavonne Shorter, UMW’s vice president for diversity, equity, and inclusivity, welcomed the idea with open arms and helped book the campus theater, get the permissions, and make the whole thing happen.
Thus, we hosted our first movie night on campus in one of the main halls, featuring “A Place at the Table.” Not only did it allow us to celebrate Black History Month, but it gave us the opportunity to tell the stories of six (hopeful) saints who lived beautiful lives of faith.
Along the way, it also let us talk about questions such as “What is a saint?”, “What are virtues?”, “How do we deal with sins historically committed by fellow Catholics, such as racism?”, “Is the Catholic faith just a European thing?” and much more.
Catholic leadership series
The University of Mary Washington’s Catholic Leadership Series is filled with star-studded speakers this semester.
Some of the speakers include Stephen Carattini, president and CEO of diocesan Catholic Charities; Col. Alex Miravite, retired pilot and commanding officer of Air Force One; Annie Ray, local Grammy-winning music educator; and Father Brian Barrons, a priest who has served as a missionary in China for the last three decades.
Each guest brings their story and gift to the table, and each highlights a different aspect of the faith and leadership. Moreover, each guest also attracts different students involved with various departments or activities on campus.
The goal is to reach all UMW students in some deliberate way, to pique their interest, and to give them an invitation that says, “Come darken our door, even if you’re not Catholic. Worst case scenario, you meet a cool person who is a leader in your field and get to sharpen your sword. Best case scenario, you come to meet Almighty God and realize he loves you.”
UMW and Shenandoah represent diocese at SUMMIT
Each year, the Diocese of Richmond puts on a conference for all Catholic college students in Virginia, called SUMMIT.
Most colleges and universities send a group of students, who, when all are gathered, number several thousand.
The conference has top-shelf speakers, adoration, confessions, Mass, vendors, community time, games, a chance to meet religious orders and more.
This year, the Arlington diocese was represented by two university Catholic Campus Ministries — Shenandoah University and the University of Mary Washington.
UMW has gone for many years and a large group from Shenandoah attended. It was a great sign of diocesan unity.
