If you are interested in learning about different faiths and identities around the world, then you should come to the upcoming event, “The Interfaith Human Library: Where Books Talk and We All Learn About Life in a Multi-Faith World,” which will take place on Thursday, March 23 from 4-5:30 p.m. in Falvey Library’s Speaker Corner. At this event, attendees will have the opportunity to celebrate diverse backgrounds and religious traditions by meeting with speakers of various religious traditions and have an intriguing dialogue about faith and identity. 

Register here: https://bit.ly/3lBWFL1

If you are looking for an ACS-approved event you should register. This event is co-sponsored by Campus Ministry, the Department of Theology and Religious Studies, and Falvey Library. Curiosity is the only prerequisite for this unique conversation opportunity! 

This event is open to all Villanova students, faculty, and staff. Light refreshments will be served. You can click on the image or link above to pre-register!

Additional Resources:

Campus Ministry embraces all identities and faith backgrounds. Learn more here.

Don’t miss the Falvey Library’s Theology and Religious Studies Subject Guide.

In need of extra research support on a related topic? Be sure to make an appointment with Darren Poley, Associate Director for Research Services and Scholarly Engagement, who specializes in Theology and Religious Studies as well as Humanities and Classical Studies. He can help you get the resources you need!

The Villanova community is cordially invited to join us for a taste of mindfulness meditation on Mondays from 1-1:30 p.m. this fall. This virtual series began with the first meditation on Monday, Aug. 29, and will run on Monday afternoons throughout the semester until the last session on Monday, Dec. 19.

Mindfulness Mondays will offer a comfortable space where you are guided and encouraged to stop and focus on the “here and now.” Mindfulness is proven to reduce stress and enhance well being, which can be beneficial to all faculty, staff, and students.

Sessions will take place each week via Zoom. Please follow this link to join each week: https://villanova.zoom.us/j/99049034689

Mindfulness Mondays are presented by Campus Ministry and co-sponsored by Falvey Memorial Library. Registration is not required. All are welcome to attend these ACS-approved events! Please join us!

Dig Deeper
To learn more about the practice and benefits of mindfulness meditation, we invite you to read some of the following e-books which are part of Falvey Library’s collection:

• Mindfulness for Students: Embracing Now, Looking to the Future
• Mindfulness and Meditation: Handling Life with a Calm and Focused Mind
• Psychology of Mindfulness
• Mindfulness at Work: The Practice and Science of Mindfulness for Leaders, Coaches and Facilitators
• Mindfulness Made Simple: An Introduction to Finding Calm Through Mindfulness and Meditation
• Mindfulness for Every Day
• The Mindfulness Solution
• Mindfulness Made Easy: Teach Yourself

These e-books are available to any student, faculty, or staff with a valid Villanova email address.

Please also check out these helpful resources being offered by Campus Ministry:

• Campus Resources for Spirituality
• VU Campus Ministry on Facebook and Instagram
• Campus Ministry Staff Contact Information

For FREE guided meditations, please see UCLA’s Mindful Awareness Research Center website.

Regina Duffy is a Communication and Marketing Program Manager at Falvey Memorial Library.

Fr. Art Purcaro (Roman Catholic/Augustinian) talks with Villanova students.

On Wednesday, Nov. 3, more than 60 Villanova University students, staff, and faculty gathered in Falvey Memorial Library’s Speakers’ Corner to check out “books” from the Interfaith Human Library. Engaging in dialogue about various religious traditions, attendees met with “books”—Villanova faculty, staff, graduate students of diverse backgrounds—for three 20-minute sessions.

Below is the list of “books” that hosted conversations on their faith background:

• Dr. Gity Etemad (Baha’i)
• Jaskirat Singh (Sikh)
• Dr. Ruth Anolik (Jewish)
• Rev. Carolyn Cavaness (African Methodist Episcopal)
• Dr. Moeness Amin (Muslim)
• Asheq Fazlullah (Muslim)
• Rebecca Mays (Society of Friends—Quaker)
• Fr. Art Purcaro (Roman Catholic/Augustinian)
• Fr. Kevin DePrinzio (Roman Catholic/Augustinian)

Thank you to all of the “books” for sharing their traditions, and thank you to all of the Villanova community members who attended this discussion. This event was co-sponsored by Campus Ministry, the Department of Theology and Religious Studies, and Falvey Memorial Library. Stay tuned for updates on the next Interfaith Human Library event.

Dr. Moeness Amin (Muslim) shares some religious traditions with attendees.

Rebecca Mays (Society of Friends-Quaker) engages with the Villanova community.

Jaskirat Singh (Sikh) answers questions from Villanova students.

Kallie Stahl ’17 MA is Communication and Marketing Specialist at Falvey Memorial Library.

Please join us on Wednesday, Nov. 3, from 4-5:30 p.m. in Falvey Memorial Library’s Speakers’ Corner for the Interfaith Human Library event.

At the Interfaith Human Library you can “check out” human “books”—VU faculty, staff, graduate students of diverse backgrounds—for an interactive conversation about their religious traditions. This may include those from Muslim, Jewish, Sikh, Catholic, Protestant, Unitarian Universalist, or other faith backgrounds.

Please register here.

This ACS-approved event is co-sponsored by Campus Ministry, the Department of Theology and Religious Studies, and Falvey Memorial Library. It is open to Villanova faculty, staff, and students. Light refreshments will be served.

For more information about this event or religious diversity at Villanova, please contact the Rev. Julie Sheetz.

Regina Duffy is a Communication and Marketing Program Manager at Falvey Memorial Library.

This fall, we invite the Villanova community to join us for a taste of mindfulness meditation on Mondays from 1:00- 1:30 p.m. This virtual series will begin with the first meditation on Monday, Aug. 23 and run on Monday afternoons throughout the semester.

Mindfulness Mondays will offer a comfortable space where you are guided and encouraged to stop and focus on the “here and now.” Mindfulness is proven to reduce stress and enhance well being, which can be beneficial to all faculty, staff, and students.

Sessions will take place each week via Zoom. Please follow this link to join each week:

https://villanova.zoom.us/j/98337578849

Mindfulness Mondays are presented by Campus Ministry and co-sponsored by Falvey Memorial Library. Registration is not required. All are welcome to attend these ACS-approved events!

Please join us!

Dig Deeper

To learn more about the practice and benefits of mindfulness meditation, we invite you to read some of the following e-books which are part of Falvey Library’s collection:

• Mindfulness for Students: Embracing Now, Looking to the Future
• Mindfulness and Meditation: Handling Life with a Calm and Focused Mind
• Psychology of Mindfulness
• Mindfulness at Work: The Practice and Science of Mindfulness for Leaders, Coaches and Facilitators

These e-books are available to any student, faculty, or staff with a valid Villanova email address.

Please also check out these helpful resources being offered by Campus Ministry:

• Campus Ministry’s E-Blast
• Campus Resources for Spirituality– Linda Jaczynski, MA, MS ’88, Director, Center for Worship & Spirituality
• VU Campus Ministry on Facebook and Instagram
• Campus Ministry Staff Contact Information

Regina Duffy is a Communication and Marketing Program Manager at Falvey Memorial Library.

Thank you, Nova Nation, for joining Campus Ministry and Falvey Library for Mindfulness Mondays this academic year. Linda Jaczynski, MA, MS ’88, Director, Center for Worship and Spirituality, who led the virtual meditation sessions has compiled a list of resources to aid your mindfulness practice this summer.

• Due Quach On How Brain Hacking Brings Out Your Best Self
• In Challenging Times, Deepen Presence (Eckhart Tolle and Kim Eng)
• Guided Meditations (Tara Branch)
• Dan Harris shares his meditation journey and talks ‘Meditation for Fidgety Skeptics’ (ABC News)
• The Art of Mindful Living (Thich Nhat Hanh)
• Everyday Mindfulness with Jon Kabat-Zinn

Looking for more mindfulness? Check out these Falvey Library resources!

• Mindfulness and Meditation: Your Questions Answered (Aguirre, 2018) *e-book
• Mindfulness and Meditation: Handling Life with a Calm and Focused Mind (Stewart, 2019) *e-book
• Relaxation, Meditation, and Mindfulness a Practical Guide (Smith, 2005) *e-book
• Mindfulness Made Simple: An Introduction to Finding Calm Through Mindfulness & Meditation (Calistoga Press, 2014) *e-book
• Mindfulness Goes Mainstream (Academic Video Online)
• Mindfulness Meditation with Jon Kabat-Zinn (Academic Video Online)
• Short Mindfulness Meditation with Jack Kornfield (Academic Video Online)
• Silent Meditation at UMass Center for Mindfulness (Academic Video Online)
• Short Mindfulness Exercise with Chade-Meng Tan (Academic Video Online)
• Guided Meditation with Saki Santorelli (Academic Video Online)
• Mindful Monday Morning Exercise at Aetna (Academic Video Online)
• Guided meditation at the University of Wisconsin-Madison (Academic Video Online)
• The Heart of Buddhist Meditation: The Buddha’s Way of Mindfulness (Thera, 2014) *e-book
• The Art and Skill of Buddhist Meditation: Mindfulness, Concentration, and Insight (Shankman, 2015) *e-book
• Presence: How Mindfulness and Meditation Shape Your Brain, Mind, and Life (Verhaeghen, 2017) *e-book

Have a great (and safe) summer, Wildcats! Be sure to join us for mindfulness meditation this fall.

Kallie Stahl ’17 MA is Communication and Marketing Specialist at Falvey Memorial Library.

The Villanova campus community is invited to join Campus Ministry for an evening of prayer and reflection, April 27, 7-8:15 p.m., with the song and spirit of Sr. Thea Bowman, FSPA. Presenters Rev. Naomi Washington-Leapheart and Michelle Sherman will guide participants through the story of Sr. Thea using examples of song, service, and struggle as she called the Church to address its institutionalized racism.

This event is co-sponsored with Falvey Memorial Library and is open to faculty, staff, and students.

Register at the Campus Ministry Retreats website or at this direct link. A Zoom link will be sent to you the day of the event.

Dig Deeper:

To learn about Thea Bowman, African American spirituality, biblical interpretation, and more, please check out the list of Falvey resources below.

• Stony the Road We Trod: African American Biblical Interpretation edited by Cain Hope Felder
• Daniel Rudd: Calling a Church to Justice  by Gary B. Agee * Online Version
• Let it Shine: The Emergence of African American Catholic Worship by Mary E. McGann RSCJ with Eva Marie Lumas SSS
• Taking Down our Harps: Black Catholics in the United States by Diana L. Hayes & Cyprian Davis
• Enfleshing Freedom: Body, Race, and Being by Shawn M. Copeland
• The Subversive Power of Love : The Vision of Henriette Delille by Shawn M. Copeland
• Knowing Christ Crucified: The Witness of African American Religious Experience by Shawn M. Copeland
• Black and Catholic: The Challenge and Gift of Black Folk: Contributions of African American Experience and Thought to Catholic Theology by Jamie T. Phelps
• Black, White, and Catholic: New Orleans Interracialism, 1947-1956 by R. Bentley Anderson
• Families, Black and Catholic, Catholic and Black: Readings, Resources, and Family Activities by Thea Bowman and the United States Catholic Conference. Commission on Marriage and Family Life
• The Black Church in the African-American Experience by Eric C.Lincoln and Lawrence H. Mamiya
• The Cross and the Lynching Tree by James H. Cone
• Fire in my Bones: Transcendence and the Holy Spirit in African American Gospel by Glenn Hinson
• Prophesying Daughters: Black Women Preachers and the Word, 1823-1913 by Chanta M. Haywood
• Forged in the Fiery Furnace : African American Spirituality by Diana Hayes
• Something Within: Religion in African-American Political Activism by Harris, Fredrick C.
• Dark Salutations: Ritual, God, and Greetings in the African American Community by Riggins Renal Earl
• What’s Faith Got to Do With It?: Black Bodies/Christian Souls by Kelly Brown Douglas
• Thea’s Song: The Life of Thea Bowman by Charlene Smith

For more information about student retreats offered by Campus Ministry, please check their webpage.

Regina Duffy is Communication and Marketing Program Manager at Falvey Memorial Library.

This fall, we invite the Villanova community to join us for a taste of mindfulness meditation on Mondays from 12:30- 1 p.m. This virtual series will begin with the first meditation on Monday, Aug.17 and run on Monday afternoons throughout the semester.

Mindfulness Mondays will offer a comfortable space where you are guided and encouraged to stop and focus on the “here and now.” Mindfulness is proven to reduce stress and enhance well being, which can be beneficial to all faculty, staff, and students.

Sessions will take place each week via Zoom. Please follow this link to join each week:

https://villanova.zoom.us/j/99265795994

Mindfulness Mondays are presented by Campus Ministry and co-sponsored by Falvey Memorial Library. Registration is not required. All are welcome to attend these ACS-approved events!

Please join us!

Dig Deeper

To learn more about the practice and benefits of mindfulness meditation, we invite you to read some of the following e-books which are part of Falvey Library’s collection:

• Mindfulness for Students: Embracing Now, Looking to the Future
• Mindfulness and Meditation: Handling Life with a Calm and Focused Mind
• Psychology of Mindfulness
• Mindfulness at Work: The Practice and Science of Mindfulness for Leaders, Coaches and Facilitators

These e-books are available to any student, faculty, or staff with a valid Villanova email address.

Please also check out these helpful resources being offered by Campus Ministry:

• Campus Ministry’s E-Blast
• Campus Resources for Spirituality– Linda Jaczynski, MA, MS ’88, Director, Center for Worship & Spirituality
• VU Campus Ministry on Facebook and Instagram
• Campus Ministry Staff Contact Information

Regina Duffy is a Communication and Marketing Program Manager at Falvey Memorial Library.

Campus Ministry’s Annual Thanksgiving Turkey Dinner Drive is happening on Friday, Nov. 22, at the Connelly Circle, 8 a.m.-12 p.m. Register to donate a holiday dinner for a local family or signup to help pack or deliver meals.

Looking for more ways to help during the holidays? Check out these volunteer opportunities on- and off-campus:

The Joy of Sox (Donation Box) 

• Stop by Garey Hall to drop off new pairs of socks for the homeless.

Nova Nook (Donation Box) 

• Donate personal care items at the Connelly Center info desk or in Dougherty room 202.

St. Francis Inn Soup Kitchen and UCHC Soup Kitchen

• Volunteers are responsible for serving guests, busing tables, cleaning dishes, etc.  

Hub of Hope: Project Home

• Volunteers provide hospitality to participants by assisting with basic services the Hub offers.

Visit Campus Ministry if you are interested in participating with Community Outreach of Villanova. View the full listing of volunteer opportunities here.

Kallie Stahl ’17 MA is Communication and Marketing Specialist at Falvey Memorial Library.

Photo courtesy of Tom Costello Jr.

On Saturday, Sept. 21, volunteers from Falvey Memorial Library, the Law Library, and Peer Ministry participated in the annual St. Thomas of Villanova Day of Service. Teaming with Tom Costello Jr. ’69 COE, founder of The Joy of Sox, the group assisted in cleaning and painting the organization’s warehouse, sorting and taking inventory of socks, and assembling shelving. The Joy of Sox is a nonprofit organization that collects and purchases new socks to distribute to the homeless. The group’s Day of Service work was covered by the Philadelphia Inquirer! In all, they sorted nearly 4,000 pairs of socks for distribution.

Kallie Stahl ’17 MA is Communication and Marketing Specialist at Falvey Memorial Library.