Monica Middlebrook spent many hours in volunteer service
with Campus Ministry during her four years at Saint Mary's.
She organized student outreach efforts and retreats,
persuaded students to serve breakfast to the homeless in Berkeley, and
to cook meals at the Catholic Worker kitchen or the AIDS center in
Oakland. An Easter drive provided 178 baskets for Central American
refugee children this spring.
"Young people are not called to service," she
said. "Our society does not support religious vocations." Her
goal is to teach at a Catholic institution and to marry and have
children. She also plans to volunteer, possibly in the Jesuit Volunteer
Corps or the Peace Corps.
Why? Her faith impels her. She chose Saint Mary's
because she is Catholic --- that is, baptized and searching. "I did
not attend church," she recalled. "I did not have a parish at
home." She was confirmed during her freshman year and found her
niche in service. She is now earning a teaching credential from the
School of Education.
Her favorite outreach activity is providing food for the
homeless. "These people have nothing," she said, "but we
received thanks and smiles. They asked us about school, they would say
'God bless you.' They are extremely polite."
_____
_____. "Meeting the Challenge."
1992 - 1993 President's Annual Report.
Saint Mary's College of California - excerpts. (1993),
p. 17.
