Moreau Capstone Integration Mahoney 1 Alison Thigpen Moreau First Year Experience 15 April 2022 A Mission of Faith to Orient Life My personal mission statement will guide me on the path to pursue a life well-lived. I appreciate the little things in life, as I recognize that life is a gift and we are only on Earth for a short time. I challenge others around me to embrace humanity and all aspects of life, which includes both successes and failures. I believe that we are not given a good life or a bad life, and it is up to us to make life good or bad. To be successful and positively impact the world and those around us, we must recognize that we have power over our own actions, not outside events, and this realization will spark change and initiate action. My faith is at the core of my being, as my spiritual journey is the path that permits all other roads of personal development. I strive to discover the face of Christ in all those around me, and I work to ensure that I act as Christ did when I engage with others that are both similar and different to myself. As I strive to grow in wisdom, my focus lies not only on my education, but also on my spiritual, personal, and social development as I grow more knowledgeable in my worldview. My responsibilities to others and the world are immense, as I must treat those around me with dignity and respect at all times, regardless of one’s identity or beliefs. This often requires great courage, as it is significantly easier to engage with those similar to ourselves rather than expanding beyond one’s comfort zone. While at Notre Dame, my comfort zone has been challenged as I engage with numerous people of distinct backgrounds and experiences. As I engage with those around me and embrace Mahoney 2 what it means to be human, I discover the face of God in those around me as I strive to further His word in my role as a woman of faith (Personal Mission Statement - Moreau FYE Week 13). As I continue through my academic and spiritual journey at Notre Dame, my mission statement will animate my life over the next three years so that I can pursue a life well-lived. The bonds that I have forged at Notre Dame have been particularly powerful in shaping my experiences, as the people around me strengthen my faith and provide a strong sense of community. However, I must ensure that I keep a reflective balance between my strong connections with others and my own thoughts. A life well-lived is pursued as I strengthen not only my relationship with others, but also my relationship with myself and my internal relationship with God. It is true that “the more we can contact others, the more, it sometimes seems, we lose contact with ourselves” (“Why We Need to Slow Down our Lives” by Pico Iyer - Moreau FYE Week 1). Not only is it dangerous to lose contact with ourselves, but one can stray from a life-well lived when one is trapped in an echo chamber of voices. Shankar Vedantam states, “If you're a Red Sox fan, of course, you are deriving satisfaction precisely from the camaraderie you have with like-minded people as opposed to reaching out to people who might actually be outside the echo chamber” (“Passion Isn’t Enough” by Hidden Brain - Moreau FYE Week 11). In order to pursue a life-well lived and abide by my mission statement, I must ensure that I have Christ present in all my interactions with people both similar and different from myself. The Congregation of the Holy Cross guides audiences as they outline, “As disciples of Jesus we stand side by side with all people. Like them we are burdened by the same struggles and beset by the same weaknesses; like them we are made new by the same Lord’s love; like them we hope for a world where justice and love prevail” (“Constitutions of the Congregation of the Holy Cross” by Congregation of the Holy Cross - Moreau FYE Week 12). This quote deeply https://ideas.ted.com/why-we-need-a-secular-sabbath/ https://hiddenbrain.org/podcast/passion-isnt-enough/https://hiddenbrain.org/podcast/passion-isnt-enough/ https://holycrosscongregation.org/holy-cross-resources/constitutions/2-mission/ https://holycrosscongregation.org/holy-cross-resources/constitutions/2-mission/ Mahoney 3 reflects my mission statement and the foundation of a life well-lived, as I must view the world through a lens of faith and see that all humans are created in the image and likeness of God. A life well-lived is one guided by God, and my mission statement outlines my desire to lead by example and find gratitude when responding with God to suffering. When I utilize my faith to find joy within great suffering, I can begin to appreciate all that I can do, rather than what I do not have. However, a life well-lived does not indicate that life will be free of hardships, sufferings, or failures. In the film Hesburgh, audiences are reminded that “it’s impossible to have a complete and honest human story if one doesn’t speak of human failings as well as human successes” (“Hesburgh” by Father Hesburgh - Moreau FYE Week 2). In my pursuit of a life well-lived, I will abide by my mission statement to live in the moment and enjoy the beauty of life at all times. Dr. Kim encourages us “to just focus on what we can do for others or what we can do already instead of what we cannot do and what we do not have yet” (“5 Minutes: A Grotto Short Film” by Dr. Kim, Grotto - Moreau FYE Week 6). Although a life well-lived can be characterized by adaptability to unexpected changes on new paths, there will be times when it is difficult to abide by my mission statement. To that point, I often dwell on past decisions and imagine alternative future outcomes rather than appreciating the little moments in life. When I had my discernment reflection with my dad, he told me something that was difficult to say but important to hear: you will always have small regrets as you go through your career path, but you must always continue on your path and not dwell on these regrets, as things always happen for a reason (Discernment Reflection - Moreau FYE Week 5). My mission statement will be challenged in my remaining time at Notre Dame, as there will continually be moments that I regret or that may lead me astray from my path. However, I must remain steadfast and keep my faith in my vision to strengthen my pursuit of a life well-lived. Notre Dame’s Center for Career https://notredame.hosted.panopto.com/Panopto/Pages/Viewer.aspx?id=10159379-7eca-4549-8581-ab9500c9ecd9 https://grottonetwork.com/make-an-impact/transform/why-does-god-allow-suffering/?utm_source=moreau&utm_medium=class&utm_campaign=spring_2022 https://grottonetwork.com/make-an-impact/transform/why-does-god-allow-suffering/?utm_source=moreau&utm_medium=class&utm_campaign=spring_2022 Mahoney 4 Development reminds students that “it is imperative to take time after an experience or conversation to think intentionally about how it impacted you” since “every experience shapes you in some way, whether you realize it at the time or not” (“Navigating Your Career Journey” by the Center for Career Development - Moreau FYE Week 4). My mission statement describes how I want to orient my life, and I can assess my experiences at Notre Dame to determine how an experience shapes my personal mission statement. As my experiences influence my mission statement and my perception of the world around me, my mission may change over my time at Notre Dame as I learn more about myself and how I want to live my life in the face of challenges and unforeseen opportunities. While at Notre Dame, my personal mission will be strengthened, challenged, and changed by my conversations and interactions with others both similar and different from myself. Pope Francis opens his powerful speech by stating that “life is not merely time passing by, life is about interactions” (“Why the Only Future Worth Building Includes Everyone” by Pope Francis - Moreau FYE Week 7). As I interact with other students and form a strong sense of community, I will ensure that others see my mission in action as I use a lens of faith to view all as children of Christ. Furthermore, I will sustain my faith as the core of my being so that my interactions with others can be based upon faith and form a strong sense of community inspired by God. Notre Dame’s rich community enables my mission statement of faith to be visible to others, and Notre Dame’s guide to student life states, “The social teachings of the Catholic Church promote a society founded on justice and love, in which all persons possess inherent dignity as children of God” (“The Spirit of Inclusion at Notre Dame” by du Lac: A Guide to Student Life, University of Notre Dame - Moreau FYE Week 10). This quote reflects the foundation of my mission statement, and therefore my personal mission will be able to thrive and https://undergradcareers.nd.edu/navigating-your-career-journey---moreau/ https://www.ted.com/talks/his_holiness_pope_francis_why_the_only_future_worth_building_includes_everyone/transcript https://dulac.nd.edu/university-mission-and-vision/spirit-of-inclusion/ Mahoney 5 be present in all my actions during my time at Notre Dame. As I pursue a life well-lived, I strive for my personal mission statement to be seen in action as I keep God at the center of my being and strive to discover the face of Christ in all people that I encounter. Steve Reifenberg writes that “they did not see their caring for me as a grand gesture of generosity; they simply did, in the moment, what needed to be done” (“Teaching Accompaniment: A Learning Journey Together” by Steve Reifenberg - Moreau FYE Week 9). My mission statement will be strengthened in my time at Notre Dame as my internal and personal relationship with God will be transformed into a life of faith in which my actions reveal God to all those around me through accompaniment. Furthermore, my pursuit of a life well-lived will be marked by embracing humanity in all aspects of life, including successes and failures as well as life and death. Although thinking about death and the future can be frightening, Sister Alethia reminds us that “We try to suppress the thought of death, or escape it, or run away from it because we think that’s where we’ll find happiness. But it’s actually in the darkest realities of life that we find light in them” (“Meet the Nun that Wants You to Remember You Will Die” by Sister Aletheia - Moreau FYE Week 3). My mission statement to seek the good in life at all times has been challenged this year as I experienced the death of family members, and I know I will experience further challenges in my time at Notre Dame. However, these challenges will result in my mission statement being further strengthened as I keep my faith as the primary focus of my life and discover happiness in both the darkness of death and light of life. My personal mission statement reflects my desire to live a faith-filled life and discover the face of God in all those that I encounter around me. In my time at Notre Dame, it has been so much easier to grow closer to God, and I know that this relationship will only be strengthened as my relationships with others in our academic community are simultaneously strengthened. My https://docs.google.com/document/d/1hZbSdVImfn2hZDqMrdL96dZCNOtHuf6C-lg3sH-Rs30/edit https://www.nytimes.com/2021/05/14/us/memento-mori-nun.html https://www.nytimes.com/2021/05/14/us/memento-mori-nun.html Mahoney 6 mission statement will animate my life over the next few years as I join those around me in accompaniment, spiritual journeys, academic experiences, and in appreciation of the little moments in life. There will be times when it is difficult to live this mission, such as moments when I encounter death, suffering, and struggles. However, I will keep my personal mission statement as a guiding force in my life so that others can see my mission statement in action as I engage with them in faith.