Harvard Catholic Student Association

Dear CSA,

After our previous statement, we want to reiterate that the Catholic Student Association is dedicated to praying for & supporting members of the Black community. However, our words alone do not suffice -- we must put our faith into action.

To that end, SteerCom has compiled a list of resources to help us pray, donate, and educate ourselves in support of an end to racial injustice. That compilation of resources can be found at bit.ly/CSAresource, which we will update as we learn about more.

Additionally the CSA will be matching up to $500 in donations to long-term organizations that seek to support our brothers and sisters who are most vulnerable to structures of racism. Venmo or send us a picture of your donation to one of these organizations by June 19 and we’ll split the funds + their match among these resources:
- Catholic Charities of St. Paul and Minneapolis
- Equal Justice Initiative
- Center for Policing Equity

We continue to pray for each of you and with each of you. Please do not hesitate to reach out to us.

With love,
SteerCom

Dear CSA,

The killing of George Floyd, and all instances of police brutality -- especially those motivated by race -- represent an affront to justice, centuries of Catholic social teaching, and the message of love proclaimed by Jesus himself. In these times, we cannot be silent. As the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) said in their document Open Wide our Hearts, "too often racism comes in the form of the sin of omission." We encourage all of you to discern the best ways for you to get involved and to take action.

Furthermore, recognizing prayer as a "cry of recognition and of love" (Catechism of the Catholic Church 2558), let us come together as a CSA and pray for George Floyd and his family, all those suffering during this time, each other, and for an increase in justice and unification in our world.

Finally, we would like to share two resources with you. The first is Open Wide Our Hearts (referenced earlier and linked below), a pastoral letter against racism by the USCCB. The second, an excellent homily by Bishop Robert Barron (also linked below). From that homily: "The Spirit is always a unifying force. Divisions in the body of Christ are always scandalous. If we are divided against ourselves, we cannot perform the task we are meant to perform: to be a vehicle of the unification of the world."

Especially in these difficult times, let us stand together as one body in Christ. Please do not hesitate to reach out to any one of us. We are praying for you and with you.

With love,
SteerCom

Open Wide Our Hearts:http://www.usccb.org/issues-and-action/human-life-and-dignity/racism/upload/open-wide-our-hearts.pdf
Bishop Barron Homily: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zFUomMUfoME

Happening in just over an hour! Hope to see you there :)

Hey class of 2024! Join us TOMORROW for a meet & greet with CSA leadership! Join us on admeeted under the organization “Harvard Catholic Student Association”.
Hope to see you there!

Hey class of 2024! Join us TOMORROW for a meet & greet with CSA leadership! Join us on admeeted under the organization “Harvard Catholic Student Association”.
Hope to see you there!

43 years ago today, Fr. George became a priest! Today is also the Feast of St. George. For those who don’t know, Fr. George is the graduate chaplain at the Harvard Catholic Center. Thanks for everything, Father George!

Fun fact, did you know that Fr. George married Dean of Harvard College Rakesh Khurana and his wife, Stephanie? Read the story below from the Harvard Catholic Magazine:

“Having a Catholic and Hindu wedding was no easy feat,” recalls Stephanie (Ralston) Khurana. “Looking into Father George’s back- ground, we thought he was someone who could bridge complicated worlds, a good person to talk to. He does not let obstacles get in the way of the deeper meaning of things.”

Stephanie and Rakesh Khurana met Father Salzmann as graduate students at Harvard. She was Catholic — he was Hindu. Deeper meanings aside, there were also the logistical issues, such as getting dispensations from the Church, and incorporating a fire that was required for a Hindu rite. And “Father George figured it out,” with back-to-back ceremonies at Swedenborg Chapel and in Annenberg Hall on campus, first with Father Salzmann, and then a second ceremony with a Hindu priest.

“Today, it’s more common, but at the time, it was daunting and complicated to bring our two faith traditions and cultural traditions together with a vision that Stephanie and
I had,” says Rakesh. “Father George told
us that our strength would come from our diversity. We embraced that, and it enabled us to realize the kind of start spiritually that we wanted.”

“He elevates your spirit...he’s joyous, happy. He draws everyone to him, and invites you to seek deeper meaning. That’s why he connects so well with the Harvard students,” adds Stephanie.
..
(Read the rest of the story starting on page 13 of the Winter 2018 edition of the Harvard Catholic Magazine: https://d2y1pz2y630308.cloudfront.net/16500/documents/2018/1/Harvard%20Catholic%20Center%20Magazine%20Winter%202018.pdf)

Hey newly admitted Harvard students! Want to meet your classmates and the amazing people of the CSA? Want to earn cool prizes? We will be having a Catholic Trivia Challenge tomorrow (April 19th) at 3pm Eastern. You can DM the page for the Zoom link or look for the event on the Visitas Hub. Hope to see you there!

Hey class of 2024! Got questions about the Catholic Student Association? Want to meet your fellow classmates and the lovely people of the Harvard CSA? We will be having a Q&A + Meet and Greet Zoom call Saturday, April 18th at 8pm Eastern where you can do exactly that! DM the page for the Zoom link!

Hey class of 2024! We would love to see you around once you arrive on campus. Here’s some info about some of the activities we offer. Feel free to DM us if you have any questions. We are praying for you!!

Here is our schedule for Mass and undergraduate events this Holy Week! All masses can be found on the St. Paul’s YouTube account, which can be accessed by searching on YouTube for “St. Paul’s Harvard Square.” For the social events, we will post the link in the CSA GroupMe. If you are a Harvard undergraduate and you’re not in the GroupMe, dm the page and we will add you!

Our weekly Super Tuesday social may not be able to happen IRL, but the show must go on! Swipe to see our failed experiment 🧪 with virtual backgrounds. Don’t forget to join in on the fun tomorrow at 9pm Eastern! Last week featured Pictionary and random breakout rooms; what surprises may come tomorrow?