Father Dale Mallory, chaplain at St. Ambrose University in Davenport, blesses new students and their parents on the students’ first day at campus Aug. 14.
By Anne Marie Amacher
The Catholic Messenger
DAVENPORT — St. Ambrose University freshmen and their parents walked into Christ the King Chapel for the annual convocation and blessing that concluded the students’ first day on campus Aug. 14. Christopher Waugh, the university’s vice president, student engagement and dean of students, told the gathering he had tiptoed down the staircase at his home that morning to pray as he did every day. However, that day he also prayed for the students beginning their journey at St. Ambrose. He assured the students that the university’s faculty, staff and administration would be there for them every step of the way. “We look forward to being of service to you.”
“It is an honor to celebrate your beginning time at St. Ambrose. We appreciate your presence. Please note that we are here always to support you,” Father Dale Mallory, the university’s new chaplain, told the gathering. In his opening prayer, he asked God “for your blessings and guidance as we celebrate the beginning of this new journey for our incoming students. We give thanks to all the friends, families and mentors who have formed these students along the way and made them who they are today.”
“As these, your children, transition to a new way of life here on campus, please help us all to have open hearts and minds, ready to learn and grow according to your divine plan. May we be inspired by new places, new people and new opportunities … guided by the traditions of the Catholic faith and the wisdom of blessed St. Ambrose of Milan. As we gather at your altar, Lord, grant us the graces of faith, wisdom and courage, that we may be ready to face the challenges of life and discern your plan for us here at St. Ambrose and the world at large.”
“Welcome to our hive. We celebrate being a bee,” St. Ambrose University President Amy Novak greeted the gathering, referring to the university’s mascot and a symbol of St. Ambrose of Milan, the university’s namesake. She shared the story of how a swarm of bees was said to have appeared around the fourth-century saint’s face when he was an infant. “The story goes that they did not sting him.”
Bees produce honey, a nourishing quality, Novak said. Honey also has healing qualities. “Here, a St. Ambrose education can bring healing to the world by listening, commitment, dignity and respect.” She continued the “bee” connection, referring to the lighting of the Easter candle (made of beeswax) at the Easter Vigil. “The chapel is dark but then lit to bring Christ’s light into the world,” Novak said. “Welcome to our home.” Her welcoming began earlier when she helped new students move some of their belongings into their residence at Cosgrove Hall.
After the welcoming ceremony’s prayer intentions, Father Mallory blessed the students, asking God to “send your Holy Spirit down upon our new students. May they know of your loving presence in their lives, most especially through the care and guidance of their fellow students and our faculty and staff. May their time here help them discover their talents and use those talents in service to you and the world. May these students face any anxieties, fears and challenges in the coming months with courage and tranquility, knowing that they carry with them the love of their families and the support of their new campus community.”
He blessed the students’ parents and then the St. Ambrose bracelets, a gift to the new students. “May they be a symbol of your continuing presence and reminder that we are all on a journey to become who we are meant to be.” Campus Minister Tammy Norcross-Rietzler and Waugh distributed the bracelets to the students.
As the students walked out of the chapel for a picnic outside the Rogalski Center, faculty and staff lined the gathering space to “clap in” the students. When they graduate, they will leave the commencement ceremony to a “clap out,” Novak said.
