Andrew Craig

by Andrew Craig

“I’m done. I don’t want to deal with this anymore. I want to just walk away from this work, stress, person, class, situation…” It goes on and on. There seem to be so many things that everyone I know, including myself, want to walk away from. There are countless stresses and anxieties that, after years of being in school, we do not want to put up with any more. It seems to be a cyclical rut that, when we realize all of the stressors, we become even more stressed and feel paralyzed. “What should I do about this paper, exam, friend, etc? What can I do? Why is this all so terrible?” These are just a few of the questions that run through our minds. When I saw a poster for a lecture on “Resiliency and Relaxation: Managing Stress as Students,” I pounced at the opportunity to discuss such issues.

by Andrew Craig

“I have never been to the funeral of someone I do not know,” said one of my friends as we gathered in St. Ignatius Church. It had been awhile since I went to a funeral of someone I did not know. However, this service was different. Even though I never had the blessing to meet Reverend J. Donald Monan, S.J., I had read and heard about him enough to understand how important he was to BC and to everyone he came in contact with.

by Andrew Craig

How is it that we deal with our own fears and fallbacks? In a world that is often volatile, it is so easy to give in to self-doubt, to think that we are utterly inadequate to face the challenges in front of us. We may sometimes even think that we are too small to work through our problems. 

by Andrew Craig

Cold air gathers in my lungs. It feels like it is too much to handle, and yet not enough. My feet are sore from running for so long, and my hands ache and burn from the frigid air. I look out at the water and see the white crests of the waves crashing into one another. Fitting. It seems nature can relate to people pretty well.

by Andrew Craig

Serenity sweeps through the open window like a breath of fresh air. Assignments, tests, financial aid, work. What feel like a thousand items to take care of slowly pass away with the whisk of the wind. Instead of a crashing wave of stress, a soothing stream of peace flows into my heart and mind.

But why do I feel this way? How do I feel this way?

If you were to ask me that question at any other time, I would have told you I have no idea how that is even possible.

by Andrew Craig

The kids run up, smiling ear to ear, and give you the biggest hug imaginable. “How can a child so small show so much love to people that they only know for about a day?”

These were the thoughts 20 other BC students and I had when we went to Natchez, Mississippi for spring break to help at the Holy Family School, a Catholic early learning center for kids ages two to five. BC has been fundraising and sending students down to Holy Family for what is now 20 years. And after volunteering for three of those years, I can say it is one of the most enlightening and life-changing things a person can do. We fundraise throughout the year in order to afford to go down to Mississippi and to support the school with both supplies for the teachers and tuition for the students. While at Holy Family, we help fix up parts of the school, teach lessons, do tasks for the teachers and Sisters of the Holy Spirit, and spend time with the kids.

by Andrew Craig

Mother Teresa told us that “holiness is not a luxury for the few; it is not just for some people. It is meant for you and for me and for all of us…If we learn to love, we learn to be holy.” She also said, “Our mission is to convey God’s love – not a dead God but a living God, a God of love.”

These words from Mother Teresa give me hope and comfort as I look back on the past three weeks.

by Andrew Craig

What is prayer? That is quite a loaded question, but one that I can answer in a few ways based on everything I have read and experienced. One of my favorite responses is that prayer is a conversation with God. Fr. James Martin, S.J. talks extensively about God as being like a friend you can talk with. The more you talk with a friend, the more you come to know, appreciate, and love your friend. Fr. Martin writes that this is similar with God. The more one talks with God, the more one can come to know God and recognize Him outside of prayer.

by Andrew Craig

We are all here, the Liturgy Arts Group, back in December 2014, celebrating the BC Christmas Mass. The Mass has been as calm and serene as it always has been, and as we sing, that unique part of the Christmas Mass begins. I do my best to remember the words to the hymn so that I can look up and out to the congregation as they light one another’s candles. The lights dim ever so softly and, before long, St. Ignatius is illumined with hundreds of candles held by students, teachers, faculty, and families. This is it. This moment I saved within myself to remember. Standing with my friends, my family, celebrating Mass before Christmas and looking out to see the rest of our BC family sharing with one another the light of their candles.

by Andrew Craig

As I sit here and write, I am actually home visiting my family for the weekend. And something that I cannot stop thinking about is family, especially with the events and tragedies occurring in the world. There is nothing I am more thankful to God for than my family, both here in New York and from BC.

by Andrew Craig

The crickets are singing, and the tree next to me decides to join in. Its branches whisper with the wind, as they wave through the breeze and tap my shoulder, as if to say hello. The evening sky is approaching too. An orange-lit horizon softly melds into a bright yellow, then a soft blue floating about my head. Some trees are so happy; their faces turn red, even orange. The breeze welcomes us all to the evening and wishes us the best as we walk through sleeping leaves, whispering trees, and singing crickets.

by Andrew Craig

“Excuse me, where is Campion?” “Do you know which direction Bapst is in?” “How can I find McElroy?”

A new school year brings with it a brand new freshman class. Yes, these questions do seem to raise a big, maroon and gold flag to upperclassmen, telling us that the person we are talking with is most likely a first year student. However, these are also completely understandable questions.  There is always that desire to never seem like a freshman, even when one is a freshman!