Donation to Bryant campus ministry provides students with new opportunities to share in the faith
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NEW MINISTRY: George and Mary Agostini, parishioners of Our Lady Queen of Martyrs Parish, Seekonk, pose with student and staff participants of a recent alternative spring break trip.
By Lauren Clem, Staff Reporter
SMITHFIELD — Students at a recent Sunday evening Mass celebrated in Bryant University’s Interfaith Center chapel were eager to share stories about spring break. However, unlike most of their peers, the group of 15 students had spent their spring break not on the beach, but in Washington D.C., where they participated in community service with a number of nonprofit ministries. The students were part of an alternative spring break trip, one of several new opportunities made possible by a recent donation to Catholic and Christian ministry at the university.
“I wanted to do more community service, and not just for a resume,” said sophomore Catherine Bennetti, who spoke about her experiences on the trip at a reception following the Mass. “It made me really appreciate the work that I was doing. It made me feel very small, and that was a good thing.”
Bennetti and other students were able to participate in the trip due to a generous donation to campus ministry by George and Mary Agostini, parishioners of Our Lady Queen of Martyrs Parish, Seekonk. Among other initiatives, the donation will fund the hiring of a part-time Catholic campus minister to coordinate religious programs and community service, including future alternative spring break trips.
