O most mighty and merciful God, in this time of grievous sickness, we flee unto thee for succor. Deliver us, we beseech thee, from our peril; give strength and skill to all those who minister to the sick; prosper the means made use of for their cure; and grant that, perceiving how frail and uncertain our life is, we may apply our hearts unto that heavenly wisdom which leadeth to eternal life; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen. (1928 BCP, 45).
This prayer aptly captures much of what Episcopal Campus Ministry (ECM) continues to try to do during this Covid-19 season. As grace would have it, the students who are members of ECM are largely unaffected by some of the struggles other students have had to confront. As a result, we are not trying to support our students as they confront difficulties with food, housing or other challenges occasioned by the pandemic. Instead, we are supporting our students as they deal with the stresses of completing classes that rapidly went online, develop their own spiritual practices all while trying to navigate a rapidly changing environment from the familiarity of their childhood bedrooms.
To that end, we have continued to meet via, zoom where we check-in with each student and discuss what is going on in their lives and with their studies, the ways they are coping with the pandemic and working with Father Howie’s, St Thomas’s Virtual Lent Retreat text, Into the Desert.
Blue Hen Bounty (BHB) food pantry continues to serve the community and Cana, our Parish Administrator, (again!) helped BHB and the University of Religious Leaders Organization (URLO) by printing the labels for the organized Insomnia cookie drop to the International House.
We have one graduation coming up, Susan Zaccaria, who has served in leadership and on the E-board with ECM and is a key team member of BHB. Susan will be graduating from the UD School of Nursing (yea!!!). Susan will be sorely missed during weekly meetings and in indefatigable service with BHB.
Please do keep the members of ECM in your prayers as students move into Finals week with exams, papers and projects. This is an unsettled time for students and the necessity to continue to produce and meet expectations during this period of global instability is challenging.
God’s peace,
Denise Burgher
ECM Graduate Convening Adviser