Donn Piatt Catholic Student Center.. Donn Piatt EDP Catholic Student Center publish two newsletters each school year.. Donn Piatt Catholic Student Center and ACTS is nearly evenly distri
Trang 1JOY — EVANGELIZATION — SACRAMENT — UNITY — SERVICE SPRING 2020
PAGE 1
The Piatt Press
Association of Catholic Tech Students Newsletter
Christ-Centered, Student-Led — Be Yourself
A Great Response!
A huge thank you to all of those who responded to
our Fall 2019 Newsletter Because of your generosity,
ACTS received $14,533 This was the second-highest
amount collected since 2011 surpassing our goal of
$10,000 With such loving support, we were able to
increase the budget for our events and make
improvements around the E Donn Piatt Catholic
Student Center We were able to re-carpet the entire
back office area, update the furniture in the library and
refurbish the cabinets in the kitchen
DOLLARS AND CENTS
ACTS and the E Donn Piatt (EDP) Catholic Student Center publish two newsletters each school year Each mailing needs
to generate $10,000 to meet our budget Here are the results from our Fall 2019 Newsletter
Parents ……… $ 6,590.00 Alumni ……… … $ 5.035.00 Parishioners …….…… $ 1,945.00 Friends ……….…… $ 965.00 Total ……… $ 14,533.00
The $60,000 operating budget for the E Donn Piatt Catholic Student Center and ACTS is nearly evenly distributed among three sources
of income: grants, general support, and our newsletters Our general support fund is at
$8,759.00 These are funds donated separately from the newsletters that include monthly gifts Grants are channeled through the diocese.
Thank Y ou!
With their eyes and hearts fixed on Christ, ACTS
members nominated 33 students to consider being the next
student leaders starting in the spring quarter of 2020 After
a two-hour discernment process, 19 members were
discerned to lead ACTS for the next year
The discernment process for leaders led the team to
choose five executive officers and eleven committee chairs
The executive branch is responsible for the overall function
of the team and its communication The president is the
liaison to Tech, and the VP is a voting member of St
Thomas Aquinas’ pastoral council The executive officers
are Matthew Aguillard, Treasurer; Emily Hahn, Secretary;
Ben Meleton, VP; Matthew Lemoine, Student Chaplain;
and Chris Tullier, President All these members are serving
their first term as an executive officer for ACTS
Not wasting any time, the executive team met at the
friary for a brunch meeting to set the tone for their
leadership style After, Chris suggested a follow-up lunch
meeting At this meeting, they discussed what aspects of
leadership they should work on and improve this upcoming
year They discussed different ways to communicate better
in the leadership team setting, with the members of ACTS,
and through the social media, and emails ACTS sends out
They also created personal and individual goals for their
new roles in ACTS They agreed to hold each other
accountable and support each other in achieving these
goals In addition to individual goals, they formed group goals for the executive team and the Big Leadership Team with all the committee chairs The 2020-2021 team is striving to improve their relationships within the ACTS community, perform their role as good leaders of Christian service, and help ACTS to grow as an organization
President Chris Tullier sums it all up well by saying, “Be yourself, because that is who everyone loves.”
Thanks to Emily Hahn for her contribution to this article
A candlelight “Passing on the Wisdom” ritual was held in the E Donn Piatt Catholic Center to commemorate the transition to the new 2020-21 Leadership Team Each outgoing and incoming officer or committee chair shared a candle and a prayer as ACTS moves forward with a new team
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A MESSAGE FROM FR TONY POSADAS, OFM, PASTOR OF ST THOMAS AQUINAS CHURCH
ACTS MISSION STATEMENT
We, the Association of Catholic Tech Students of Louisiana Tech University, encourage the development of well-rounded Catholics through the sharing of the joy we have found in Christ and the Sacraments, evangelizing our campus and community, and by being examples of Christian fellowship and loving service.
FRESHMEN CROSSING ADDRESSES STUDENTS’ NEEDS
Freshmen Crossing, ACTS’ freshmen peer ministry program, is designed to
offer a welcoming environment to help freshmen transition into successful and
faithful college students Freshmen Crossing achieves its goal by focusing on
faith, food, and fellowship Typically, the upperclassmen offer to be
“companions” to the new students, offering an opportunity to help ease the
stress of college life for our new bulldog Catholics This year, the program
was coordinated by seniors Adam Ramachandran and Tristen Kramer
A spin-off of Freshmen Crossing has been the ACTS Freshmen Council
These students take on leadership roles during the winter quarter to
coordinate activities catering to the current needs of our students Thanks to
freshmen Matthew Lemoine and Emma Montgomery for heading up this
year’s group! They called themselves “F.I.S.H.” (Freshmen Intrigued by Service
and Holiness)
Every year Freshmen Crossing sponsors “Pumpkin Crossing” in October
and “Gingerbread Crossing” in December Both are highly anticipated events
that include prizes and lots of laughter
Fr Tony has been pastor since May of 2018.
ACTS pool sharks enjoy the new pool table made possible by generous donors
“CROSS TALKS”
Thanks to the Faith Formation Chair, Jody Bachus for initiating a new speaker series for ACTS called “Cross Talks.” On a monthly basis, ACTS will invite various speakers from various walks of life to speak about their personal faith experiences as a Catholic Thanks to Br Paul Montero of the Brothers of the Sacred Heart for being our first speaker sharing his experience of being a religious brother for 60 years Br Mike shared his experience of the San Damiano Crucifix as a tool for prayer and pilgrimage Parishioner Dr Tom Bishop offered his take on faith and science working in a secular institution As Dr
Bishop stated, “In the end, it’s all mystery.”
Thanks to Dr Tom Bishop for participating in ACTS “Cross Talks.”
The Seven Sacraments convey to us a life of
grace in Christ They are the jumping-off point to
see the entire world, and us imperfect human
beings as being sacramental, that this world and
our willingness to see and understand creation’s mysterious
invisible knots is to do God’s work Catholic Christians
believe that the wine and bread, water and oil, the very
words we say become for us the real communication of the
Divine, the Mystery of God to us In the Eucharist we share
in the Body and Blood of Christ It is in the waters of
baptism, that we are reborn to a life in Christ and united to
the family of God The words of marriage vows become
holy bonds, not small talk, words of faith depending on, and
of God There are sacraments with a smaller “s” that
transmit the invisible to us all I see this in our student
center on a daily basis Study groups make the invisible
knowledge real, enfleshed in the minds of the students
Laptops hold within them the work of knowledge, science,
and technology Music, singing, and laughter tell me that
our students are not just concerned about studies, but also about the rest of life that is joyful and is concerned about the beautiful
Shared food, impromptu basketball games, preparing meals in the kitchen make higher education not just a means to an end, ‘the magic piece of paper”, but a sacrament for life in the fullest Friendships and acquaintances, fellow cast members, musicians in a church band and, team members in projects are sacramental in that young people learn the lessons of collaboration and
friendship Thank you for donating in response to this newsletter, it is the financial vehicle by which we provide our young people with the tools necessary to be “Catholic
at Tech”
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GUYS/GIRLS RETREAT
Every January, the men and women of ACTS hold a retreat that focuses on gender specific issues so our young people can learn
to be Catholic men and women
WOMEN’S GUILD TEA PARTY
Another great tea party was thrown this year by the Women’s Guild Thank you to the Women’s Guild again and again
OPERATION HELP
In its 9th year, this ACTS original ministry collected food, clothing, and paper goods for needy families in the NELA area
LITURGICAL ACTS
ACTS members are responsible for all the Sunday and Wednesday evening Masses at
St Thomas Church ACTS supplies nearly
50 liturgical ministers
RETREATS
Both the Fall Retreat and the Leadership Retreat were held at the OWL Center Your donations allow us to have 4 retreats a year
MARCHING IN MONROE
ACTS members joined resident parishioners in the Right to Life March held in Monroe This was the second time such a march was held in Monroe
BEING CATHOLIC AT TECH AND BEYOND
HUNGRY ACTS
Whether it’s our quarterly pancake dinners,
potluck dinners, the annual spaghetti dinner,
or the parish’s Dollar Lunch, no one leaves the
Catholic Student Center hungry.
STUDY ACTS
The Catholic Center has been become a great
place to meet great friends and a great place to
work on class projects together
ATHLETIC ACTS
Thanks to Kayla Babin for coordinating our
intramural teams Nearly 40 ACTS members
compete in 7 sports.
SOCIAL ACTS
Because of your support, ACTS can sponsor
safe, healthy, and fun events nearly every
Friday and Saturday.
ACTS HEADS TO “A SIMPLE HOUSE”
Over the very short quarter break this year, fourteen ACTS members drove to Kansas City to minister to the inner-city poor with the staff of “A Simple House” and ACTS alum Brendon Doran This was the tenth trip ACTS has made to be with this evangelizing community that lives the Gospel by living with the poor Miles Maheu ’20 lead the group this year Visit www.asimplehouse.org for more information
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-Paid- Ruston, LA Permit No 191
One of the most enjoyable aspects of being the campus
minister at St Thomas Catholic Church and Student Center
for the past eight years has been the relationships that I have
formed with the young people I serve I am very adamant that
while at Tech I am NOT their friend Rather, I am a mentor,
spiritual director, and pastoral supporter Friendships are
possible after graduation A blessing for me is when these friends return
to Tech and check in on me and the goings-on at the Catholic Student
Center This year, nearly 40 alumni visited us during Homecoming
Weekend and a dozen alumni came to our door on New Year’s Day The
Homecoming crowd donated $250 to help defray the costs of a new pool
table The other friends became the choir for the Holy Day Mass on
January first On both occasions, their presence was very much
appreciated Thank you for your presence and your support in so many
ways! ACTS is counting on you to support us so others can have a great
experience of “Being Catholic at Tech” and beyond
www.stac-acts.com
E Donn Piatt
Catholic Student Center
600 Thornton St
Ruston, LA 71270
“Being Catholic at Tech” and Beyond
Use the enclosed envelope to mail your donation, or donate online at www.stac-acts.com Please consider registering to become a monthly donor!
We need you in order to make our $10,000 goal! Thank you!
Freshmen Emma Montgomery and
Matt Lemoine go to great heights to
hang the ACTS yearly theme poster in
the E Donn Piatt Catholic Student Center.
ACTS alumni visit on New Year’s Day and Homecoming
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Trang 6Non-Profit Org.U.S Postage
-Paid- Ruston, LA Permit No 191
Christ-Centered, Student-Led
With our eyes and heart set on Christ, ACTS members
nominated 40 students to consider being the next student
leaders starting in the spring quarter of 2018 After a two
hour discernment process, 11 members were selected to lead
the organization for the next year
What is unique about ACTS as a campus ministry
organization is that in order to be a viable entity, it must be
led by students At the present time, St Thomas Church
and the Diocese of Shreveport do not have the necessary
resources to fund a program that is staffed with a program
director and interns who plan events for the students
Our present model gives our students the opportunity to
lead themselves in a manner that is centered on Gospel
values and exemplified by the life of Jesus Hence, given
their gifts and talents now, ACTS members themselves
determine how best to serve one another, the church, and
the local community What is quite remarkable is that our
students are just that, students
The discernment process for leaders led the team to
choose four executive officers and seven committee chairs
The executive brach is responsible for the overall function
the liaison to Tech and the VP will be a voting member of
St Thomas Aquinas’ pastoral council The four
“ACTSxcutive” officers are Allie Hill, Treasurer; Abby Morgan, Secretary; Elizabeth Talbot, VP; and Andre Aguillard, President Continue reading the newsletter to lean more about what “Being at Catholic at Tech” involves
E Donn Piatt
Catholic Student Center
600 Thornton St
Ruston, LA 71270
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