University Ministry: Because You Loved Me

Nov. 1, 2024

The month of November is dedicated to remembering, commemorating, and praying for all those loved ones in our lives who have passed on before us. 

We want to highlight a few events and activities that are happening this month, and how we can continue to honor our ancestors, friends, and other loved ones during this month.

All Saints’ Day on Nov. 1 celebrates all saints, known and unknown, who are believed to be in heaven. We invite you to Mass at St. Ignatius Parish on Oct. 31 at 5:30 p.m. and Nov. 1 at 8 a.m. and 12:05 p.m.

All Souls' Day, on Nov. 2, is a solemn day dedicated to praying for all the faithful departed.

Día de los Muertos, or Day of the Dead, is a Latin American holiday that honors and celebrates the lives of deceased loved ones. Observed on Nov. 1–2, it combines Indigenous Mesoamerican traditions with Catholic influences introduced by Spanish colonizers. Rooted in Aztec, Maya, and Toltec rituals that celebrated ancestors and the cycle of life and death, it was later adapted to correspond with the Catholic All Saints' and All Souls' Days. It is the syncretization of Mesoamerican and Spanish traditions of honoring the dead.

This holiday sees families creating vibrant altars, or "ofrendas", to honor their departed family members. These altars are decorated with marigold flowers (believed to guide spirits back to the living world), candles, incense, photographs, sugar skulls, and personal items that the deceased enjoyed in life. The ofrendas are meant to welcome the spirits, offering them sustenance and comfort during their brief return to the world of the living. Through this tradition, Día de los Muertos serves as a reminder of the cyclical nature of life, allowing families to celebrate memory, continuity, and the enduring bonds between the living and the dead.

We invite you to visit the altars around campus, sponsored by the Cultural Centers, or the one in University Ministry located in Toler 122. Feel free to bring a photo and add it to any of these altars. 

We also invite you to email us the names of your loved ones to include in our altar of intentions for the rest of the month. 

 Confessions are also available Fridays before Mass, from 11:30 a.m.–12 p.m.

Need a break from the election? Join us at an election-free zone at University Ministry! No politics, no polls, no electoral counts. Yes to reflection, games, arts and crafts, poetry writing, and more! Drop-ins welcome! Schedule of events »

University Ministry is hosting spiritual care drop-in hours in the days following the election for our community. If you would like to meet with any of our clergy members for spiritual care or just to talk, please sign up below during drop-in hours. Spiritual care drop-ins with a non-clerical spiritual director are also available.

Wednesday, Nov. 13  |  2 p.m.  |  University Ministry, Toler 122 

Join University Chaplain Dónal Godfrey, S.J., for a walk through history in the Castro District on Wednesday, Nov. 13. Fr. Dónal wrote the book Gays and Grays on the history of the LGBTQIA+ community in the Castro based on his doctoral dissertation. Learn how this community has changed over the years and became the iconic queer neighborhood it is today.

We will meet as a group in front of the University Ministry at 2 p.m. and use public transit to get to and from the Castro District.

Friday, Nov. 22 – Sunday, Nov. 24 
Maryknoll Retreat Center, Los Altos

Join us for this retreat, introducing the Spiritual Exercises of St. Ignatius of Loyola. During the retreat, participants are invited to explore the Ignatian style of prayer by reflecting inward and taking a closer look at their own experiences of God and the sacred through imagination and the Bible. For more information, please contact University Chaplain Donal Godfrey, S.J.

Cost: $100 for faculty and staff / $50 for students (scholarships are available for students attending for the first time)

Mondays  |  12:30 p.m. PST  |  Zoom

Join us for a guided meditation to start the week right. Guided meditation can help reduce stress, increase patience, improve focus, and more! Open to all students, faculty, and staff! Register in advance through Zoom.

Monday Meditations will occur weekly through Nov. 25.

Where in the world is Laura? University Ministry challenges YOU to find our campus minister for music, Laura Flaviani, hidden somewhere on our Hilltop Campus! Every month this year, we will feature Where in the world (of USF) is Laura? in our newsletter with a photo of her possible location. Win a prize if you are the first person to tell us the correct answer!

Game rules: Be the first person to email us with Laura's location, take a photo of yourself in the same spot, and tag us on IG @usf_um. Bonus if you can replicate the photo! 

This week's location: Laura loves flowers! They put her in a prayerful mood. Let us know where you think Laura is by Monday, Nov. 4.

Winners will receive an email on how to collect their prize.

Sundays  |  7 p.m.  |  St. Ignatius Church

Join us every Sunday for our weekly student liturgies! Visit our website or email Laura Díaz-Flaviani to learn more about our student liturgies. Sign up to be in the choir, or participate as an altar server, lector, or Eucharistic minister.

Can't join us in person? Join us by watching our broadcast on the St. Ignatius Parish livestream site!

Thursdays  |  11:30 a.m.  |  University Ministry, Toler 122

Qmmunity and Breaking Bread and the Binary begins this Thursday and continues every Thursday through the fall semester! Nourishment for the body and the soul and a place to celebrate your true fabulous self. Questions? Email Rabbi Camille Angel.

Sign up for the new Arrupe Immersions program to Italy, June 7–14, 2025, where you will have a unique experience in the authentic Italian style. Follow the link for more information or to apply to this amazing cultural experience!

Tuesday, Nov. 11  |  6:30–8 p.m.  |  Fromm Hall, Maraschi Room

In this talk, Swig JSSJ Program Assistant Director Oren Kroll-Zeldin (he/him) will discuss his new book, Unsettled: American Jews and the Movement for Justice in Palestine, which examines the experiences of young Jewish Americans who engage with the Palestine solidarity movement, thereby challenging the staunch pro-Israel stance of mainstream Jewish American institutions. Kroll-Zeldin argues that these young people perceive their commitment to ending the occupation and Israeli apartheid as a Jewish value, deeply rooted in the changing dynamics of Jewish life in the twenty-first century. Kroll-Zeldin will be in conversation with JSSJ member Rabbi Chel Mandell (they/them), who is part of the generation featured in the book and a participant in numerous Bay Area Jewish activist communities.

Tuesdays  |  12 p.m.  |  University Ministry, Romero Room

Orthodox Christian Fellowship is a student-led group dedicated to exploring the Orthodox Christian faith, fostering spiritual growth, and exposing our campus to the faith, cultures, and customs that are authentically Orthodox. We are a small but dynamic group of students from many different backgrounds who share a common desire to learn more about the 2,000-year tradition of the Eastern Orthodox Church. All students, including non-Orthodox, are very welcome! Pizza will be provided for lunch. We're reading Genesis together (Creation! Humans! Fall!). Please drop by or email our spiritual adviser, Fr. Kirill Sokolov, or our student leader, Christianna Yano, for more information.

We look forward to meeting you!

Join Dance Generators, USF’s intergenerational dance company, in collaboration with University Ministry, in the creation of a new performance
piece that uses dance, storytelling, and sound design to investigate Jesuit values and spirituality.

Rehearsals on Wednesdays
6:30–8:30 p.m. in Koret

Want to join? Contact Liv Schaffer 
to get involved! 

Photo Credit: Hillary Goidell

These groups are a space to ask real questions, learn a helpful approach to reading the Bible, and build deeper friendships on campus. They meet weekly, so visit one anytime!

Men of Faith — Led by John and Troy
Tuesdays  |  12–1:30 p.m.  |  UC 414

Ephesians — Led by Megan and Jocelyn
Tuesdays  |  7 p.m.  |  UC 415

Alpha Video Course — Led by Enoch and Angela
Wednesdays  |  6:30 p.m.  |  UC 503

Ephesians — Led by Jackie
Thursdays  |  11:40 a.m.–12:30 p.m.  |  UC 415

Thank you for reading our bi-weekly newsletter. If you would like to submit content for future newsletters, please make sure to fill out the UM Newsletter Intake Form. If you have any questions about submissions and deadlines, please email University Ministry.

Content deadline for upcoming newsletter: Nov. 7