TNCD and MYRACLE hosts picnic

Ashley Barletta, Staff writer

The Campus Ministry groups Tuesday Night Catholic Devotions (TNCD) and Mercyhurst Youth Retreats and Catholic Leadership Education (MYRA-CLE) are collaborating to host a Spring picnic on Saturday, April 17. Due to COVID, Campus Ministry was not able to hold as many of the events that they typically would have in a normal year.

Campus minister Michelle Scully was partly responsible for organizing this event. “The MYRACLE team usually travels throughout the diocese to put on retreats for high school and middle school groups. This year has obviously been a bit limited, and while they’ve still been involved at St. Luke’s parish next door, they haven’t been able to have a full year as usual. MYRACLE is partnering with the Tuesday Night Catholic Devotions leadership team this Saturday to host a picnic for all members of both the MYRACLE and TNCD teams so that all those involved (or wanting to get involved) can spend time with one another,” Scully said.

The picnic is an event that has never been done before, so it will be easy for new people who want to get involved in Campus Ministry to do just that. All of the clubs within Campus Ministry are inclusive and try to make everyone feel comfortable, but this will be the first time that two clubs have gotten together for an event this year.“

A big part of these groups is the work that we do and services that we offer, but an even bigger part is the community aspect the groups create. This year, it has not been as natural for these community bonds to form, and so we wanted to provide a relaxed space where we can pull together all the people involved so they can spend more time with one another,” Scully said. Tuesday Night Catholic Devotions is a group within Campus Ministry that is more geared toward Catholicism.

Hannah Szalay, a sophomore Early Childhood and Special Education major, as well as a TNCD Leader, described the group’s mission. “Once a month we do Adoration which includes the exposition and worship of the Eucharist. We also do other Catholic devotions such as Lectio Devina where we read and reflect on scripture, and we also often will pray the rosary, which is a form of repetitive prayer. About once or twice a semester will we bring in a guest speaker such as Fr. Jim or Sister Natalie Rossi. We also have more social events such as paint night, game night, holiday-themed celebrations, or gatherings such as this picnic. This group is just really great if you want to explore and deepen your faith, meet like-minded people, and have some fun along the way,” Szalay said.

Another TNCD leader, Mor-gan Dinsmore, a junior English major, will also be helping to organize the event. “The spring picnic was an idea we put together in order to get our groups more connected. With the pandemic, there has been a major lack of socialization and connecting in general. Getting the members of MYRACLE and TNCD together helped us to get to know each other more and have a ‘normal fun day that we haven’t had in over a year,” Dinsmore said.

Campus Ministry does its best to make sure there is something for everyone, but there is no commitment if you attend the Spring Picnic. It should be a stress-free time to relax and meet new people. Be sure to be on the lookout for any upcoming events from Cam-pus Ministry, as the groups are always hosting unique events.