A Good Day for Service and Reflection

Saints always show up for Saints—but on Good Friday, they showed up for everyone!

During this meaningful day of service and reflection, our entire community mobilized to support local organizations that assist people in need. Many also took quiet moments to reflect on their own lives, values, and faith.

We are ever proud of our Saints family for such an undying devotion to helping neighbors in New Milford and beyond. Students, faculty, and staff pitched in to:

• Prepare lunches for Loaves and Fishes Hospitality House of New Milford and Dorothy Day Hospitality House of Danbury and dinners for Pacific House in Danbury.

• Assemble Easter baskets for clients of The Center for Empowerment and Education as well as for children of Canterbury faculty and staff.

• Tie and package Kennedy's Rosary Project chaplets.

• Prepare food for distribution at nearby Camella’s Cupboard Food Pantry for Children.

• Perform outdoor chores for local senior citizens and Canterbury’s own chicken coop—building an extended run for the chickens and planting berry bushes near the coop.

As always, the students were eager to help. “I made dinner for the clients at Pacific House. I thought it was a great experience cooking—something I love doing—to benefit others,” Arthur DeVillers ’24 shared. “It was especially meaningful to cook for them at Easter. I also appreciated that there were so many opportunities offered by the School to serve our community.”

Reflection pursuits included:

• Yoga sessions at EVOLVE Yoga Wellness Nutrition in New Milford

• Contemplative hikes off campus

• Guided meditation

• Art projects and mindful coloring

• An Ecumenical Faith Walk on the New Milford Green, hosted by the First Congregational Church

• Painting meditation stones and placing them around the town green

• Reflection and self-guided Stations of the Cross in the Chapel of Our Lady

These activities were ideal for students to step away from their busy schedules. “Going to yoga on Good Friday, I was grateful to be able to meditate and be in a reflective space for the afternoon,” said Michael Zarif ’23. “The experience brought those of us who went closer together.”

Tracy Garcia-LaVigne P ʼ14, ʼ16, ʼ17, ʼ20, ʼ23, Director of the D’Amour Center for Faith, Service & Justice, was delighted by the enthusiastic participation. “In this holy season, our community is able to engage at many levels that speak to the diversity of the campus and our commitment to creating space for reflection and service,” she said.

The campus always feels that much warmer when we bring our Canterbury family together in service to others. Way to go, Saints!

Special thanks to student photographer Alexander Avedisian ’25 for the Camella’s Cupboard photos.

VIEW SERVICE & REFLECTION PHOTOS
VIEW CAMELLA’S CUPBOARD PHOTOS