USD Magazine Summer 2009

AROUND  THE PARK

Children from the orphanage Hogar Infantil were the focus of a recent trip to Tijuana. USD stu- dents cleared weeds from a play- ground and interacted with the children, including taking time out for lunch and an Easter egg hunt. MICHAEL LOVETTE-COLYER

F INDING COMFORT F o r s ome , e c o n om i c c r i s i s p r omp t s s p i r i t u a l r e awa k e n i n g [ s i l v e r l i n i n g ]

by Liz Harman

P

cate in us a trust, even in dark moments,” says University Ministry Director Michael Lovette-Colyer. In recent months, he’s met with students whose families are facing a job loss or other financial difficul- ties. “It’s about trusting — even when we don’t know what’s on the other side.” But tough times can also chal- lenge one’s faith and lead to hard questions like, “Where is God in all of this?”

But while some are worried and anxious, others keep a sense of perspective. While they may have lost money or property, they understand that “it’s not a life that was taken from us.” If there is a silver lining, it’s that during times of prosperity, people often lose sight of the importance of community and trust in God and one’s fellow man, says Lovette-Colyer. He sees a “cultural myth” that has been built up in recent

lummeting stock prices and shrinking 401(k) accounts. Rising layoffs

Sister Barbara Quinn, RSCJ and director of the Center for Christian Spirituality, recently gave a speech at St. Mary’s College in Indiana titled, “The Hidden Face of Hope.” She says crises are an opportunity to re- examine one’s faith and come to a “deeper understanding of what life and God are all about.” Quinn senses “a sobriety and a heaviness” among people these days as they reflect on their economic circumstances.

and home foreclosures. These days, just keeping up with news about the economy can make people feel worried and stressed. But USD spiritual leaders say faith can be a great comfort during troubled times and that there may even be some hidden gifts in them as well. “A healthy spirituality and a robust faith life should incul-

10 USD MAGAZINE