Health & Fitness
Some strive for the Good life
Religious faith aside, some local college students are seeking inspiration from the saints when coping with life's problems.
Morality is a fighting word for some - a touchstone dividing people into good and evil. But for some students at Holy Family University, morality is more a personal call to action.
A campus ministry program open to all faiths has gained in popularity recently at the University.
It's an informal group held every other week where Campus Minister Father James MacNew, OSFS, shares a story from the life of a saint, then students discuss whether or not they could live as that saint lived.
Find out what's happening in Bensalemwith free, real-time updates from Patch.
In hearing how saints dealt with issues of their day, students find ways of coping with annoying roommates, conflicts with friends, and other day-to-day issues.
"Every other week, on average, there'll be 30 students," Jonathan Dick, 20, of the Scranton area said. He marveled at how many students showed up recently to hear how Oblates of St. Francis deSales live a spiritual life.
Find out what's happening in Bensalemwith free, real-time updates from Patch.
Students call it the Buddies Group because Father MacNew stresses that everyone in the group is a buddy regardless of faith.
A report published by the Pew Forum on Religion and Public Life suggests an explanation for lingering student interest in the Buddies Group.
The report, "Religion Among Millenials" found last year that an overwhelming majority of Millenials -76 percent- believe that there are absolute standards of right and wrong. The study defined Millenials as those born after 1981.
Millenials are far less religious than Generation Xers (born 1965-1980), Baby-Boomers (born 1946-1964), or members of the Silent Generation (born 1928-1945), according to the report.
Less than half of them say religion is very important in their lives, and few Millenials actively practice a religion, the study showed. But the percentage of them who believe in moral absolutes was comparable to that of adults age 65 and older (http://pewforum.org/Age/Religion-Among-the-Millennials.aspx).
Not all students who attend the Buddies Group have a religion, but they feel there's a right and wrong way to respond to life's issues, and they're looking for a few tips from the pros.
Jonathan, a regular at the Buddies Group, said he's made it his goal to live well, in the moral sense. A psychology major and practicing Catholic, he described his personal mission as this:
The human being, no matter what may be troubling him or possessing him, is still human. He's human just like you, and just like me. We have to treat each other with the same respect, kindness and love that we would want to receive.
Spoken like a true Millenial.
About this blog
Naomi Hall works in the Marketing and Communications Department at Holy Family University in Bensalem. Her Patch.com blog reflects on news events and issues of general interest, while offering insight from students and scholars at Holy Family University.
