Mission Committee strives to improve faith and spirituality among Belles

The Saint Mary’s Student Government Association (SGA) is composed of seven committees, each with its own respective responsibilities and areas of expertise. 

The Mission Committee strives to improve faith and spirituality among Belles, while maintaining a connection with the Sisters of the Holy Cross, sophomore committee chair Angela Martinez Camacho said in an email. 

In addition the committee is responsible for maintaining a relationship with Campus Ministry, vice president for mission Judy Fean and SGA as a whole, she said. As committee chair, one of Martinez Camacho’s largest responsibilities is to collaborate with SGA’s alumnae relations chair to plan and execute an annual Heritage Week. 

According to Martinez Camacho the Mission Committee differentiates itself from other committees by types of events it hosts. 

“This year we were motivated to collaborate with Campus Ministry for Bible study and offer meditation sessions,” she said. “We try to correlate with the main focus of the committee but generally strive to foster the sisterhood bond. Regardless, we want to give back to the students in recognition of their hard work and dedication to the school and their academics.”

Kathleen Hannon, a first-year committee member, said the intimacy of the group is a blessing in disguise. 

“The Mission Committee is actually only three people, so we have all bonded since the committee is so small,” she said. “This has been really neat as we have created friendships that have allowed us to work better as a group.”

Last month the Mission Committee sponsored the “Letters for Sisters” event during which students wrote a letter to a Sister of the Holy Cross. Martinez Camacho said the event had a high turnout rate from students. 

The committee is also responsible for hosting weekly meditation sessions in Regina North Lounge on Wednesday nights.

“We encourage you to take a mid-week break to focus on yourself and wind down from stress,” Martinez Camacho said. 

Hannon added that it is rewarding to see people attend and enjoy the events.

 “The mission committee does a great job of bringing a source of light to campus,” she said. 

Despite the high reward of the events the committee’s largest challenge has been determining what they can and cannot do in light of the pandemic, Hannon said. 

When asked about the importance of the Mission Committee to the greater Saint Mary’s community, Martinez Camacho said, “We believe students should take the time to focus on their faith and spirituality.” 

Martinez Camacho also spoke to the Mission Committee’s objective to support both students and Sisters of the Holy Cross.

“Mission is perfect for that because we offer opportunities to explore those aspects of life. It is one of our school’s core values,” she said. “And the Sisters play a huge role in our school; we have to show that we appreciate them and are thinking about them, especially in these difficult times.”

The Mission Committee’s next event will take place in November.

“We are so excited about the first of the month event: [a] sticker handout,” Martinez Camacho said. “We designed these cute stickers with a motivational quote to inspire Belles for November, as we enter the homestretch of the semester.”