DeSales Unites Against Hunger During Mission Convocation
Our mission in action. That was the theme of this year’s Mission Convocation.
A well-loved University tradition, Mission Convocation typically includes song and prayer as well as humble reflections by members of the University community. This year marked a departure from convention, by consisting of a University-wide service project.
“Our core value of hospitality implores us to take care of people,” said Father Kevin Nadolski, OSFS, Ph.D., vice president for mission, who was just one of many volunteers representing Campus Ministry. “Just as it says in the Gospel of Matthew, we have to feed people.”
For this special event, DeSales partnered with Rise Against Hunger, a nonprofit organization that aids food crises in Africa.
“Seven hundred and fifty million people are considered hungry. Our organizations’ missions to serve the less fortunate go hand in hand. It’s great to see so many people giving back.”
Sporting T-shirts reminding them of His Holiness Pope Francis’ message that “Everything pertains to love,” students, faculty, and staff worked side by side to package 20,000 meals in less than an hour.
Fr. James Greenfield, OSFS ’84, Ed.D., president of DeSales, was spotted shuttling rice and taking selfies with the crowd to commemorate the occasion, while other leaders such as Jamillia Bell M’24, a speech-language pathology graduate student and graduate assistant for the Center for Faith and Justice, helped keep the event flowing smoothly.
“This service project gives different majors and departments the chance to come together as a whole,” said Bell. “This is the first year we’ve had a service project for faculty, and it gives them a better understanding of the service completed by first-year students as part of their Orientation.”
Once the packages were assembled, the program concluded with a reception on the patio.
“We couldn’t do the work we do without volunteers,” said Powell-McDavitt, expressing gratitude to everyone who served at this year’s Mission Convocation. “You are making a difference in the world today.”
