Christian Worship Opportunities at St. Thomas

I wanted to share this post I wrote that was featured this week on St. Thomas' Admissions blog, marketed to prospective students (see the original post here):

"I have had a wonderful experience here at St. Thomas, especially with opportunities to deepen my faith and stay connected with God’s calling. I’m delighted to share with you!
I’m a 3rd year (3L) here at St. Thomas, so I’m almost done with law school, which seems crazy! I was excited coming here after learning about the daily Reflection Period, from 12:00-12:30, where time is set aside for worship, prayer, meditation, even yoga. There are no student group meetings and no professors or staff hold office hours; it is a time set completely aside. Daily Mass is offered in the chapel, and there are also several other opportunities to use that time for centering yourself.
When I first started at St. Thomas, I attended a gathering called Weekly Manna during orientation week, and have stuck with it ever since. The group gathers each Wednesday during the law school’s designated Reflection Period. I always compare it to an adult forum or adult Sunday school. We have lunch, then usually open with a reading, feature a speaker reflection (often a member of the faculty), and close with communal prayer. It’s a great chance to connect with other Christians and get free lunch!
As a 1L, I wanted to have more frequent opportunities for Christian worship, so I worked with a few other students and faculty to set aside a room for quiet prayer and reflection each day, as well as start a weekly Bible study, and a weekly Christian worship. Earlier this year, two 1L students wanted to start a prayer group. I helped them get organized, and they now meet every Thursday morning from 8:15-8:45 for breakfast and communal prayer for our community and the world. It has been wonderful to have the administration and faculty be so supportive of students who want to start new activities for spiritual nourishment.
The Bible study has since grown, and Christian Legal Society is working on launching a daily Discipleship group that would gather every day during the Reflection Period for scripture, prayer and fellowship. So, coming soon, there will be not just a quiet space, but actual activities each weekday during the Reflection Period for Christian faith enrichment.
And there’s even more: Prof. Susan Stabile leads several series throughout each semester called “Retreats in Daily Living” that gather weekly, and provide prayer material for each day of the week during the 4-8 week sessions. There are also several Mid-Day Reflections. While she comes from a Catholic perspective, I find it easy as a Protestant to connect with the material. It’s another great community to plug into. She and other faculty also lead Vocation Retreats at the beginning of every semester that help students to focus on God’s calling in their vocation as law students and future lawyers. I have benefited greatly from both the Vocation Retreats (I’ve attended 4) and the Retreats in Daily Living. Her blog contains most of the info on these, http://susanjoan.wordpress.com/, including podcasts of recent sessions.
As I said, St. Thomas has been more than a wonderful place to attend law school; it’s been a nurturing environment for my faith and focus on God’s calling for me."

In Christ,
Kelli