SXU to name new administrative center after Sr. Mary Denis O’Grady, R.S.M., Ph.D.

Sister of Mercy helped found Chicagoland’s first criminal justice program

Chicago (June 30, 2009) Saint Xavier University has announced it will name a new administrative center in honor of former faculty member Sister Mary Denis O’Grady, R.S.M., Ph.D.

Sister Denis served as a Saint Xavier faculty member for nearly 50 years in the Department of History and Political Science. She was a founder and director of the first Criminal Justice program in the Chicago area.

“This is a fitting tribute to Sister Denis, who exemplified our Catholic identity, mission and core values in dedicating her life to higher education,” said Saint Xavier President Judith A. Dwyer, Ph.D.

Formerly a United Methodist Church building located at 11000 S. St. Louis Ave., the Sister Mary Denis O’Grady Center will house Saint Xavier’s offices of advising, records and registration, student accounts and financial aid and the admission communication center.

Sister Denis was known for her untiring dedication to students and academic success, and prepared hundreds of students for careers in law, law enforcement and related careers. The late Dr. Hassan Haddad, a colleague of Sister Denis, wrote the following commendation in 1984: “for her love of service to the college, for her dedication to the welfare of the students, for her concern with the graduates for years after they leave the college, for cementing emotional ties between graduates and their alma mater, and for selfless hard work on behalf of all…”

Born on March 21, 1915, Sister Denis entered the Sisters of Mercy on Sept. 8, 1937. Sister Denis was a 1937 graduate of Saint Xavier College. She earned her masters degree at Loyola University in 1946 and her Ph.D. at the University of Notre Dame in 1950. She died March 29, 2008 at the age of 93.

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SXU to offer additional eco-friendly retail dining options

Ben & Jerry’s Scoop Shop and Scarlet & Gray’s Café will open in August

Chicago (June 29, 2009) Saint Xavier University will offer two new eco-friendly retail dining options featuring soups, wraps, coffee, pastries and ice cream near its Chicago campus, 3700 W. 103rd St.

Ben & Jerry’s Scoop Shop and Scarlet & Gray’s Café will be located at 3660 W. 111th St., at the corner of 111th Street and S. Lawndale Avenue. The stores will open in August.

“We are pleased to expand Saint Xavier’s dining options for our students, faculty and staff, especially with these environmentally friendly stores,” said President Judith A. Dwyer, Ph.D.

Ben & Jerry’s Scoop Shop will offer outdoor patio seating and a wide variety of frozen treats and desserts, including:

• Ben & Jerry’s ice cream, low-fat ice cream, sorbet and no-sugar-added options in cups and cones, including homemade waffle cones.
• Sundaes, shakes and smoothies.
• Ben & Jerry’s chocolates and ice cream cakes

The store will use eco-friendly construction and materials, following the Energy Conservation Code.

Scarlet & Gray’s will feature free Wi-Fi and use eco-friendly cups and paper goods. Menu offerings will include:

• Seattle’s Best coffee, with a full menu of lattes, mochas, cappuccinos, espressos and a selection of drip coffees sourced through socially responsible buying guidelines. Tazo teas, a member of the Ethical Tea Partnership, also will be available.
• Au Bon Pain soups.
• Muffins, bagels and sweet pastries from Labriola Bakery in Alsip.
• Chopped and Wrapped, offering crisp, made-to-order salads and wraps with fresh vegetables, antibiotic-free chicken and local and organic selections whenever possible.

Online ordering will be available, with delivery to all locations affiliated with the 103rd Street campus.

Student employment opportunities will be available.

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SXU service trip builds homes for the needy in Belize

Students, faculty, staff and alumni attended trip

Chicago (June 17, 2009) A Saint Xavier University service trip recently helped build homes for needy people in Belize as part of the Second International Mercy Service Trip.

In accord with the University’s mission and core values of providing service to those in need, 12 students and seven faculty, staff and alumni built two houses during the seven-day service trip. Belize’s Hand in Hand Ministries coordinated the group’s activities and provided them with lodging.

“The most rewarding part of the trip was getting to know the house recipients; hearing their stories, finding out what their lives are like and playing with their beautiful children,” said senior Bridget Mitchell of Oak Lawn.

Additionally, the group toured Mayan ruins and met the Sisters of Mercy at Saint Catherine Academy in Belize City. They also saw a special performance by the Garifuna Dancers, an indigenous group primarily located in Honduras and Belize.

Sister Joy Clough, R.S.M., attended the trip and said it was “a wonderful opportunity for the students.”

“They experienced a new culture with all its gifts and challenges, and they had a unique experience of some of our core values such as service, integrity and learning for life,” said Clough, who is special assistant at Saint Xavier’s Office for University Mission and Heritage.

The following students attended the trip: Christina Arroyo, sophomore, Chicago; Regina Byrnes, senior, Streamwood; Lauren Dentzman, senior, Lemont; Dana Eppley, senior, Palos Heights; Lori Key, sophomore, Dowagiac, Mich.; Cincerlyn Lewis, junior, Chicago; Bridget Mitchell, senior, Oak Lawn; Krista Olenek, sophomore, Algonquin; Kelly Ospina, senior, Oak Lawn; Amanda Phillips, junior, Matteson; Stephanie Rodriguez, senior, Chicago; and Patricia Ann Smith, senior, Markham.

Saint Xavier’s Office for University Mission and Heritage sponsored the trip, which was partially subsidized by the Mercy Challenge Endowment and several corporate and individual donors.

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Join former Chicago Bears for SXU’s 13th Annual Golf Classic on Aug. 4

Fundraiser at Silver Lake Country Club benefits student scholarship program

Chicago (June 17, 2009) Saint Xavier University invites you to support student scholarships by teeing off with former Chicago Bears players at the 13th annual Golf Classic at 9 a.m. on Tuesday, Aug. 4 at Silver Lake Country Club in Orland Park.

Several retired NFL players will be in attendance, including Chicago Bears Dan Hampton, Bruce Herron, Otis Wilson and Wendell Davis. Registration for individual golfers is $300, which includes greens fee, cart, continental breakfast, lunch, reception, dinner and prizes.
Two different raffles are being offered this year: Pick Your Prize Raffle and Cougar Classic Raffle. Raffle winners need not be present.

PYP tickets are $50 each and purchasers can choose from a Chicago North Side Package, a Chicago South Side Package and a Chicago Downtown Package. Each features five activities or items ranging from White Sox and Cubs tickets, golf at private country clubs, fishing charters, an overnight stay at the Trump International Tower, dinners at fine restaurants, Callaway and Wilson golf clubs and much more.

Cougar Classic tickets are $25 each, or five for $100. Prizes include Southwest Airlines tickets, Nintendo Wii, iPod Nano, Canon Digital Camera, Nike Golf Bag and cart and more. All proceeds from the event support student scholarships.

To make a reservation, learn about sponsorship opportunities or purchase raffle tickets, please contact the Office of Special Events at (773) 298-3311 or specialevents@sxu.edu, or click here.

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SXU participates in Yellow Ribbon Program

Program lets qualified veterans attend SXU tuition-free

Chicago (June 16, 2009) Saint Xavier University is proud to announce its participation in the Yellow Ribbon GI Education Enhancement Program, which allows qualified veterans to attend the University tuition-free starting in the fall 2009 semester.

The program, a provision of the Post-9/11 Veterans Educational Assistance Act of 2008, allows private colleges and universities to collaborate with the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs to cover the difference between the GI Benefit and Saint Xavier’s tuition.

“We are proud to offer this opportunity for our military men and women to pursue their educations as they have served our nation,” said Saint Xavier President Judith A. Dwyer, Ph.D.
The program also provides for other expenses, such as stipends for housing, books and supplies. Saint Xavier will provide scholarships during participants’ entire academic career as long as students maintain satisfactory progress, conduct and attendance.

For more information about the Yellow Ribbon Program at Saint Xavier, please click here or contact Assistant Director of Media Relations Rick Ducat at (773) 298-3325.

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Former UN Secretary General Kofi Annan speaks at SXU Thursday, Sept. 17

Voices & Visions Speaker Series

Chicago (June 16, 2009) Tickets are on sale to see Former United Nations Secretary General Kofi Annan as the fourth speaker in the highly successful SXU Voices & Visions Speaker Series at Saint Xavier University in Chicago. Annan will speak at 7 p.m., Thursday, Sept. 17.

Annan will present “The Five Rules of International Diplomacy,” a call for multilateralism and a renewed faith in a global approach to tackling the world’s problems.

General admission tickets are $20 each plus service charge. A limited number of $200 priority tickets are available which include priority seating and admission to an exclusive post-lecture wine and cheese reception with Annan. To purchase tickets, click here or call (866) 468-3401.

Saint Xavier students, faculty and staff may attend for free but must reserve a ticket online. A valid Cougar Card must be presented the night of the lecture with the ticket.

Prior to his lecture, Annan will conduct a special classroom discussion with Saint Xavier students.“We are very pleased that Former Secretary General Annan continues our tradition of bringing the best of international figures to the Chicago area,” said Robert Tenczar, vice president for University Relations. “Mr. Annan is an ideal interpreter for our times and will undoubtedly provide a uniquely informed perspective as America works with other countries to meet the world’s challenges.”

Annan served as United Nations Secretary-General from 1997 to 2006. During his tenure, he made his mark as an advocate for human rights, the rule of law and the revitalization of the United Nations. He has been a key figure in the fight against HIV/AIDS and a leader of the multilateral response to the global terrorist threat.

When elected to the Secretary-Generalship in 1997, Annan became the first Secretary-General to come directly from the United Nations staff, and the first from a black African nation to hold the position.

As Secretary-General, Annan worked to bolster the United Nation’s relationship with businesses and civil society groups, sponsoring a Global Compact initiative to promote corporate social responsibility. He was instrumental in laying out the Millennium Development Goals, a strategy to meet the needs of the world’s poorest by 2015. In 2005, Annan succeeded in persuading the United Nations to establish the Peacebuilding Commission and the Human Rights Council, new intergovernmental bodies dedicated to global peace and welfare. Annan was also a chief proponent of the creation of the Global Fund to fight AIDS, Tuberculosis, and Malaria. On Dec. 10, 2001, Annan and the United Nations received the Nobel Peace Prize.

Since leaving the United Nations, Annan has continued to press for better policies to meet the needs of the poorest and most vulnerable, particularly in Africa. He has also continued to use his experience to mediate and resolve conflict. In Kenya in early 2008, Annan led the AU Panel of Eminent African Personalities to help find a peaceful resolution to the post-election violence. The event is sponsored by the Office for University Relations and in part by the Student Government Association.

For more information about the event, please contact the Office of Special Events at (773) 298-3311 or specialevents@sxu.edu, or visit www.sxu.edu, keyword: voices.

Reporters interested in covering Annan’s lecture or taking advantage of a special media opportunity the day of the lecture should contact Assistant Director of Media Relations Rick Ducat at (773) 298-3325.

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SXU offers non-credit Irish Studies at Chicago and Orland Park campuses for 2009 fall semester

Students will receive $70 discount if they register for more than one class

Chicago (June 15, 2009) Registration is open for Saint Xavier University’s highly successful non-credit Irish Studies certificate program this fall at the Chicago and Orland Park campuses.
Students explore Ireland’s heritage through an interdisciplinary program of history, the Gaelic language, literature, art, film and music.

Saint Xavier, which traces its roots to the Sisters of Mercy in Dublin, Ireland, offers the program at both campuses through the School of Continuing and Professional Studies. Registration for a single class is $185, and students will receive a $70 discount if registering for more than one class per semester.

Classes begin in September and will include “Irish Women Writers: Contemporary Short Stories by Women from Ireland,” “Ireland Since WWII (Ireland’s War for Independence),” ”Bill Clinton, Irish Soccer and River dance: Ireland’s Coming of Age,” “Gaelic Language” and “Ireland’s Culture.”

For more information or to register for Saint Xavier’s Irish Studies program, please call (708) 633-4711 or e-mail casillas@sxu.edu. For a complete course description, please click here.

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SXU fraud experts hold financial crimes presentations

“The Cop and the Prof” speak on June 17 and June 30

Chicago (June 12, 2009) Saint Xavier University’s Graham School of Management presents two informational sessions about financial fraud at 5:30 p.m. on Wednesday, June 17 and Tuesday, June 30 at the Chicago Bar Association Building, 321 S. Plymouth Court, Chicago.

Presented by Saint Xavier’s financial fraud experts Detective Sergeant John Lucki and Professor William Kresse, “the Cop and the Prof” will share their experiences in fraud examination. Sessions are free and open to the public.

Additionally, participants will learn about Saint Xavier’s Financial Fraud Examination and Management graduate program, currently the only classroom-based MBA program in financial fraud examination and identity theft in the country. Financial crimes are on the rise and fraud examination is one of the world’s fastest growing professions.

Kresse (a.k.a. Professor Fraud) is the director and chief architect of Saint Xavier’s financial fraud examination and management graduate program. The 40,000-member Association of Certified Fraud Examiners, the world’s leading organization for anti-fraud professionals, recently named Kresse its Educator of the Year.

Lucki is a financial crimes detective sergeant with the Chicago Police Department. He also is an adjunct professor at the Graham School of Management.

Saint Xavier offers the financial fraud examination and management graduate program, which combines law enforcement, law, accounting and general business education. The U.S. Air Force and Chicago Police Department have both chosen the program to better train their agents and officers in identity theft and financial and procurement fraud.

For more information about Saint Xavier’s Graham School of Management, please contact the Office of Graduate Admission at (773) 298-3053 or here.

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$598,000 grant will aid minorities in SXU computer programs

Program will use National Science Foundation grant to improve student retention

Chicago (June 12, 2009) Saint Xavier University recently received a $598,000 grant to assist students majoring in computer science and computer studies. The money will target students traditionally underrepresented in the computing field, such as women, African-Americans, Hispanics and disabled people.

The National Science Foundation’s Scholarships in Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics program grant will provide financial, academic and career-planning assistance to a diverse group of twenty-five economically disadvantaged, academically promising students each year for four years.

“Millions of qualified and creative individuals are missing out on opportunities for intellectually and financially rewarding careers,” said Saint Xavier Computer Science Professor Florence Appel, D.A. “Furthermore, if the computing industry lacks diversity in gender and culture, it lacks the perspective necessary to develop products that serve diverse populations.”

Appel, who wrote the grant with assistance from Computer Science Professor Jean Mehta, D.A., and Director of Career Services Jean Riordan, has received more than $1 million in NSF grant money since 2004. Appel will direct the program with Mehta and Riordan serving as co-directors.

Appel said the program aims to encourage academic success, increase retention through graduation and employment or graduate school placement in the computing field.

Additionally, the program will create a strong, viable learning community known as CS@SXU to support the students. CS@SXU offers mentoring, seminars, comprehensive career-planning, tutoring, internships, service learning, research, conference attendance and social gatherings.

For more information about the program, please contact Asst. Director of Media Relations Rick Ducat at (773) 298-3325.

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SXU professor to attend National Endowment for Humanities Summer Seminar in Italy

Jason Aleksander, Ph.D., will study Dante’s Divine Comedy during four-week seminar

Chicago (June 11, 2009) Saint Xavier University Assistant Professor of Philosophy Jason Aleksander, Ph.D, has been invited to participate in a National Endowment for Humanities Summer Seminar in Prato, Italy.

The four-week seminar, “Dante’s Divine Comedy and the Medieval World: Literature, History, Art,” will be held at Monash University Centre. The seminar will use interdisciplinary approaches to study and interpret Dante’s work. Aleksander and the 14 other scholars in attendance will read the Divine Comedy in both English and Italian.

Additionally, the group will visit nearby cities to take advantage of the area’s remarkable literary, historical and artistic resources, including Florence, Pisa and Ravenna.

Aleksander will teach two pilot courses about the Divine Comedy for the General Education program’s Level III interdisciplinary studies requirement during the next two years at Saint Xavier.

“The more I’m able reach out to colleagues both here and at other universities, especially in the fields of literature, religious studies, history and art history, the more successful Saint Xavier’s course will be and the better it will be as a model for future interdisciplinary courses,” Aleksander said.

The NEH Summer Seminar is offered by the National Endowment for the Humanities to provide college and university faculty members and independent scholars with an opportunity to enrich their understanding of significant humanities ideas, texts and topics.

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SXU Health Center to host Open House on June 24

Attendees can tour clinic, learn about services

Chicago (June 9, 2009) Saint Xavier University’s Health Center will host an Open House from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Wednesday, June 24 at the University’s Chicago campus, 3700 W. 103rd St.

Area residents are welcome to tour the Health Center and enjoy refreshments while learning about its services, which are open to the community. Local clinics, schools, churches and other sites with which the Health Center has developed a collaborative relationship also are expected to attend.

The Health Center is staffed by Family Nurse Practitioners. Services, which are offered by appointment at a nominal fee, include: general physical exams, school and sports physicals, well-woman examinations, minor illness care, chronic illness management, immunizations and laboratory services.

The Open House is part of the Health Center’s initiative to better connect uninsured and underinsured community members with health care resources, funded in part by a grant from the Agatha O’Brien Ministry Fund of the Sisters of Mercy.

For more information about the Health Center, please call (773) 298-3712 or click here.

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SXU wins Small feet/large FEAT award from U.S. Green Building Council

Award recognizes SXU’s Greenhouse Gas Audit and green buildings



(From left to right) USGBC - Chicago Chapter Executive Director Doug Widener, SXU Assistant Vice President for Facilities Management Paul Matthews, SXU Graduate Assistant David Hasty, SXU Project Manager Sara Patzkowsky and USGBC – Chicago Chapter Chair of the Board Joseph Clair at the Fourth Annual Emerald Gala.

Chicago (June 8, 2009) The U.S. Green Building Council recently recognized Saint Xavier University’s efforts toward environmental sustainability with the 2009 SMALL feet/large FEAT - Excellence in Organizational Change award at the Fourth Annual Emerald Gala.

The annual award recognizes organizations that have made changes to reduce their environmental footprint.

Saint Xavier recently completed a Greenhouse Gas Audit, which evaluated the University’s carbon footprint and focused on reductions in areas such as student and employee travel.

Additionally, Saint Xavier’s environmentally friendly Arthur Rubloff Residence Hall participated in a study on the economics of going green, sponsored by the USGBC – Chicago Chapter and U.S. EPA. The study found Rubloff Hall will not only sustain energy efficiency, but also will increase economic savings for the future. Rubloff’s green features include high-efficiency lighting, heating, ventilation, air conditioning and insulation systems and a "green roof," which features small plants that filter and purify rainwater before it seeps into the ground.

Saint Xavier’s next step is creating a Climate Action Plan to take advantage of energy reduction opportunities in the future and continue toward climate neutrality.

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SXU Disaster Preparation Expert discusses NORAD/USNORTHCOM Tour

James C. Hagen, Ph.D, attends Civic Leaders Tour

Chicago (June 5, 2009) James C. Hagen, Ph.D., coordinator of the Disaster Preparedness and Management Program at the Graham School of Management, returned from a trip with 20 other civilians from around the nation from a Civic Leaders Tour. The tour is held once a year and is organized by the North American Air Defense Command and U.S. Northern Command.



Four-star General Gene Renuart, Jr., United States Air Force, hosted and led the tour. Renuart is the highly decorated commander of NORAD and USNORTHCOM. Numbered among his many assignments were director of U.S. Central Command (overseeing the planning and execution of all joint and allied combat, humanitarian assistance and reconstruction operations for Operations Enduring Freedom and Iraqi Freedom) and senior military assistant to the Secretary of Defense.
The event was held to foster a better understanding of how we must all work together in the areas of homeland security and civil support, especially in the areas of Disaster Management and Response.

This hands-on, personal experience took Hagen to six states and several military installations involved in Homeland Defense. Of special focus were efforts on Chemical, Biological, Radioactive, Nuclear and High-Yield Explosive events. The tour began in Cheyenne Mountain, now home to NORADs and NORTHCOMs alternate Command Center. Other locations visited were Peterson Air Force Base, Naval Station Mayport in Jacksonville, Fla., Andrews Air Force Base, Langley Air Force Base and the Command Center for the Northeast Air Defense Sector in New York.

The experiences were many and varied in several very full days and evenings. One notable event was having the tour aircraft simulate a commercial craft going off course with unknown intentions. Fighter jets were scrambled to intercept and attempt to divert the tour aircraft before other more serious actions were needed. The tour also was involved as part of a simulated drug interdiction by the Coast Guard off the Florida Coast. Another stop gave them a firsthand view of the Marine Corps Chemical-Biological Incident Response Force.

Perhaps of greatest impact, Hagen said, was the opportunity to interact with and speak to the enlisted young men and women who demonstrated passion and pride in protecting the homeland against disaster, both domestic and foreign.

“They were defending their families and friends,” said Hagen. “It is our intention to directly educate the private and public sectors as to the capabilities, resources and willingness of the military, and to work more closely with the military, as we strive to better manage disasters of all types. It was my privilege and honor to be part of this event and interact with patriots and soldiers of all branches of military service.”

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Sister of Mercy Wins Award for Outstanding Service

Sister Cathleen Cahill Receives 2009 Archdiocese of Chicago Award

Chicago (June 5, 2009) Sister Cathleen Cahill, R.S.M., administrative director of the Pastoral Ministry Institute of Saint Xavier University, recently received an Archdiocese of Chicago award for her outstanding service in support of lay ministry education and formation in the local Church of Chicago.

The “Now Only Dawn” award is given annually by the Archdiocesan Office for Lay Ministry Formation. It honors those who have distinguished themselves by carrying forth the vision of human efforts toward the fulfillment of God’s superior and inscrutable designs announced by Pope John XXIII as he opened the Second Vatican Council in 1962.

Among other qualities cited in the award presentation, Cahill was identified for “her keen intellect, wisdom, invaluable ministerial experience, gentleness, compassion and passion for empowering laity, which has characterized and distinguished her service over the decades within the Archdiocese of Chicago and through her position in the Pastoral Ministry Institute of Saint Xavier.

Cahill assisted in creating the Vicariate V Ministry Commission, a vital organization that fosters the preparation and ongoing formation for lay ministers in the Catholic faith communities surrounding Saint Xavier. She has been directly and consistently involved in advancing the ecclesial mission of the University through her work on the ministry certification committees of various Archdiocesan offices that certify and commission parish-based Catechists, Directors of Religious Education, Youth Ministers, Ministers of Care and Pastoral Associates.

“As a Sister of Mercy and Archdiocesan religious leader, Sister Cathleen Cahill has demonstrated extraordinary gifts and heroic commitment to those laity who would render service to Christ and his Church,” said Graziano Marcheschi, director of the Archdiocesan Lay Ministry Programs.

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SXU students tour State Capitol for Abraham Lincoln course

Course instructor recently discovered lost Lincoln-Douglas debate accounts

SXU students at the Abraham Lincoln Museum in Springfield, Ill.

Chicago (June 4, 2009) Sixteen Saint Xavier University students recently visited Springfield, Ill. and toured its historical sites as part of a three-week course on Abraham Lincoln.

The course met for four three-hour sessions to learn more about Lincoln’s life and career, and culminated with a two-day visit to the State Capitol. While in Springfield, the group toured the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum, the Lincoln Tomb, the Lincoln Home National Historic Site, the Lincoln-Herndon law office, the Old State Capitol and Lincoln’s New Salem.

Additionally, State Sen. Edward Maloney (D-Chicago) gave the group a surprise tour of the State Capitol.

Saint Xavier Associate Professor Graham Peck, who has published previous scholarships on Lincoln, taught the course and attended the trip. Peck recently discovered forgotten records that illuminate Lincoln’s historic rivalry with Senator Stephen A. Douglas. The written accounts, produced by two competing St. Louis, Mo. newspapers, chronicle a debate between Lincoln and Douglas at the 1854 Illinois State Fair.

Peck’s findings will be released in the Journal of the Abraham Lincoln Association, the country’s premiere academic journal in the field of Lincoln studies. To learn more about Peck’s findings, please click here.

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SXU students attend Mercy Meets the United Nations Conference

SXU students attend Mercy Meets the United Nations ConferenceStudents toured UN, learned about Catholic social values




(From left to right) Saint Xavier students Regina Byrnes, Mark Piper, Lindsey Herzog, Kendall Steinle, Olivia Rossi and Darryl Brown at the Mercy Meets the United Nations Conference in New York City.


Chicago (June 3, 2009) Six Saint Xavier University students recently joined representatives from seven other Mercy colleges and universities across the country for the Mercy Meets the United Nations Conference at the Millennium UN Plaza in New York City.

Senior Mark Piper of Stoughton, Wis., sophomore Darryl Brown of Chicago, senior Olivia Rossi of Orland Park, senior Regina Byrnes of Streamwood, senior Lindsey Herzog of Eden Prairie, Minn. and senior Kendall Steinle of Akron, Ohio attended the four-day trip.

Students toured the United Nations and learned about its Eight Millennium Development goals, which include reducing poverty and fighting epidemics such as AIDS.

Additionally, they learned about Mercy charism and Catholic values. Head of Mercy Global Concern Sister Deirdre Mullan, RSM, focused her presentation on the connection between historical Mercy values and contemporary global issues, and students met with representatives from some of the 44 countries in which Sisters of Mercy serve.

“It was intriguing to see how the Sisters of Mercy can play a vital role in bringing the ethos of mercy to all cultures, and play government watchdog to people all over the world,” Piper said.
The students also attended an Indigenous Peoples Conference at the UN and visited the Brooklyn Bridge, Central Park, Ground Zero and Times Square.

The event was sponsored by the Conference for Mercy Higher Education, the entity which exercises sponsorship responsibilities for Mercy colleges and universities in the United States.

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SXU alumnus ordained Catholic priest after being raised a Sikh

Read the Catholic News Service article about Stephen Taluja

Please click here to read the Catholic News Service article about Saint Xavier alumnus Stephen Taluja, who was recently ordained as a Catholic priest. Taluja was raised a Sikh in Punjab state, India before deciding to convert to Catholicism.

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