UPbeat

News for and about University of Portland faculty and staff.

Garaventa Center

ReadUP & Schoenfeldt Book Discussions, Feb. 4-6

Fr. Charlie Gordon, C.S.C., will lead discussions of this year’s ReadUP selection, The Leavers by Lisa Ko, on Tuesday, February 4; Wednesday, February 5; and Thursday, February 6 from noon to 1 p.m., in the Clark Library conference room. Light refreshments will be provided and all are welcome to bring their lunch, questions, and insights as we sink our teeth into Ko’s wonderful novel.

Ko will be speaking on February 10 as part of this year’s annual Schoenfeldt Distinguished Writers Series. The Leavers was a 2017 National Book Award Finalist and winner of the 2016 PEN/Bellwether Prize for Socially Engaged Fiction.

For more information about this year’s ReadUP selection, including a reading guide and video highlighting compelling themes, visit up.edu/readup. For questions about discussion groups, contact the Garaventa Center at x7702 or garaventa@up.edu. These events are sponsored by the Schoenfeldt Distinguished Writers Series, the Office of the Provost, Garaventa Center for Catholic Intellectual Life & American Culture, Clark Library, Office of Residence Life, the Office of University Relations, and the Office of Marketing and Communications.

Thirst Friday: Celebrate Our Neighbors to the North, Feb. 7

Celebrate all things Canadian at the next Thirst Friday, February 7, from 4-6 p.m., in the Garaventa Center (Franz 330). All faculty and staff are invited to enjoy Canadian-themed treats along with a generous selection of additional appetizers and goodies as you mingle with campus neighbors. Bonus: the first 18 people will qualify for an authentic Canadian beverage! For more information, contact Karen Eifler, Garaventa Center, at eifler@up.edu, eh?

Free Showing of New Hesburgh Documentary, Jan. 29

On Wednesday, January 29, all are invited to a free showing of Hesburgh at 7:15 p.m. in the Brian Doyle Auditorium. Fr. Ted Hesburgh, C.S.C., a Holy Cross priest and long-time president of the University of Notre Dame, was one of the most important religious figures of his time. This highly regarded new documentary affords insight into his extraordinarily effective leadership in the causes of peace and equal rights for all people. Co-sponsored by the Garaventa Center and the Notre Dame Club of Portland.

For ADA accommodations or more information contact the Garaventa Center at x7702 or garaventa@up.edu.

“The Undertaking,” Pomerleau Concert Series, Feb. 5

“The Undertaking,” part of the Rev. Claude Pomerleau Memorial Concert Series, will take place on Wednesday, February 5, at 7 p.m., in Hunt Center Recital Hall. A reception will follow.

An aging mother’s health teeters on the brink. Her adult daughter scrambles to find footing as her role shifts from child to authority figure. Death pounds at the door and they both wonder, “Could someone this ticked off actually be dying?” Through an interdisciplinary blend of music, movement, and theatrical storytelling, “The Undertaking” uses actor/dancers to portray the end-of-life care of an elder using Dmitri Shostakovich’s Piano Trio No. 2, played live by local music ensemble Northwest Piano Trio.

Featuring UP alumna Hannah Hillebrand ’05 and music faculty member Susan McDaniel, and directed by UP faculty/alumna Jessica Wallenfels, this performance is free to the UP community. Co-sponsored by the Garaventa Center, the Beckman Humor Project, the Fr. Claude Pomerleau Memorial Concert Series, the School of Nursing, and the Performing and Fine Arts Department. For ADA accommodations or more information contact Wallenfels at wallenfe@up.edu.

Advent Visio Divina: A Time of Peaceful Quiet

All members of the community are invited to step aside from holiday madness for 25 minutes of a silent prayer form known as Visio Divina, “sacred seeing,” in the Chapel of Christ the Teacher following the noon Mass, about 12:35-1 p.m., on Thursday, December 12. This ancient contemplative form of prayer asks only our quiet presence as we are guided through an experience of a sacred image from our illuminated Saint John’s Bible. Sponsored by the Office of Campus Ministry and the Garaventa Center. Contact Karen Eifler (eifler@up.edu) with any questions.

Anticipation of Christmas: Did You Know?

Did you know about the role of anticipation in preparing for Christmas?

“On that day…” is a phrase that features in many of the first readings through the beginning of the Season of Advent. The Season starts with a sense of anticipation. Those using the readings are taken into the Book of Isaiah and the longings of the people of Israel for the coming of the day of the Lord – the day when many of the anxieties and struggles of life are brought to a peaceful resolution. The readings point to a longing that Christians understand as finding fulfillment in the birth of Jesus, celebrated on Christmas. They also point to a longing that remains in our hearts to this day.

Jesus did come into the world in a manger one day in Bethlehem. Yet a return is awaited, a return in glory when the fullness of the kingdom of God is to be made manifest in its fullness. It is a return that will bring about the justice and peace and life that our hearts long for. The Season of Advent then seeks to draw our longing to the foreground and awaken a greater awareness of the anticipation that we hold in our hearts for the fullness of life that God seeks to draw us into. Consider the many aspects of this season leading up to Christmas – even the aspects that may seem to some as getting into Christmas before it is even Christmas. Throughout are images, songs, and emotions that point ahead with a bit of nostalgia for a something that we long for.  Throughout is a sense of anticipation for something that we might not even be able to name. Throughout is an anticipation for the fullness that is yet to come, a fullness we long for and eagerly await its arrival.

Did You Know? is a mostly weekly feature in upbeat that pokes around the many interesting features of UP as a Catholic and Holy Cross university. If you have a question or topic of interest that you would like covered in this feature, please send it to Fr. Jim Gallagher, C.S.C., Campus Ministry, or Karen Eifler, Garaventa Center.

 

Thirst Friday: Christmas Edition, Dec. 6

All staff and faculty are invited to celebrate Thirst Friday in the Garaventa Center on December 6 from 4 to 6 p.m. Along with the usual convivial mingling with colleagues from all over campus, enjoy a live jazz ensemble and a tasting menu of “Only At Christmas” noshes, crafted by several members of the campus community. Come for 10 minutes are stay till the lights are turned off, but do come! 17 extra credit points for anyone who brings a first-timer. Questions? Contact Karen Eifler, eifler@up.edu.

 

Did You Know? The Meaning of the Advent Season

Many people may know that the Advent season focuses on expectation and think that it serves as an anticipation of Christ’s birth in the season leading up to Christmas. This is part of the story, but there’s more to Advent.

The word “Advent” is derived from the Latin word adventus, meaning “coming,” which is a translation of the Greek word parousia. Scholars believe that during the 4th and 5th centuries in Spain and Gaul, Advent was a season of preparation for the baptism of new Christians at the January feast of Epiphany, the celebration of God’s incarnation represented by the visit of the Magi to the baby Jesus, his baptism in the Jordan River by John the Baptist, and his first miracle at Cana. During this season of preparation, early Christians would spend 40 days in penance, prayer, and fasting to prepare for this celebration; originally, there was little connection between Advent and Christmas.

By the 6th century, however, Roman Christians had tied Advent to the coming of Christ. But the “coming” they had in mind was not Christ’s first coming in the manger in Bethlehem, but his second coming in the clouds as the judge of the world. It was not until the Middle Ages that the Advent season was explicitly linked to Christ’s first coming at Christmas. More on the “anticipation” part of modern Advent practices in a future Did You Know segment.

“Did You Know?” is a mostly regular feature in upbeat in which dimensions of Catholic practices of faith are unpacked. If you have a question, please contact Fr. Jim Gallagher (gallaghe@up.edu) or Karen Eifler (eifler@up.edu).

Candle Grotto in the Marian Garden: Did You Know?

Did you know about the new candle grotto in the Marian Garden?

It is a long standing tradition in Catholic, as well as other religious traditions, to light a candle as a physical representation of one’s prayers. For many years though, the UP campus did not have a regular place to practice this tradition. That is until just recently when a new candle grotto was installed, dedicated, and blessed in the Marian Garden next to the Chapel of Christ the Teacher. The new space was crafted out of cedar, brass, and copper by two local sculptors and will now provide a space for members of the campus community to go at any time of the day or year to light a candle.  A purple candle will always be lit and in place, representing our prayers for the whole of the University of Portland community.

For Christians, the tradition of lighting a candle is closely linked to the idea that Jesus Christ is the light of the world. At the Easter Vigil, a large candle is lit in the darkness of the opening of the Mass. It is a representation of the wonder of the light of Christ entering into our world. From that candle, all of the baptized light their own candles noting that the light of Christ has come to dwell in them. Situating our candle grotto in close proximity to the statue of Mary in the garden next to the Chapel is a reminder that the light of Christ came into the world through Mary. That light continues to break forth upon the world through each of us and our prayers. We draw close to the Blessed Mother, Mary, as we offer our prayers knowing that through her intercession and witness that light grows in the world this day.  

“Did You Know?” is a mostly weekly feature in upbeat that pokes around among the many interesting features of UP as a Catholic and Holy Cross university. If you have a question or topic of interest that you would like covered in this feature, please send it to Fr. Jim Gallagher, C.S.C., Campus Ministry, or Karen Eifler, Garaventa Center.

Prayers for Peace, Nov. 11

All are invited to come together on Monday, November 11, at 2 p.m., at the International Peace Garden by Buckley Auditorium as students, faculty, staff, and religious from our UP community offer prayers for peace in multiple languages and faith traditions. The event is co-sponsored by the Garaventa Center and international student services. For ADA accommodations or more information: garaventa@up.edu or x7702.