Going to a Catholic high school has many great benefits (too many to name!), one of which is the Office of Campus Ministry. Campus Ministry at Calvert Hall is responsible for Masses and prayer services, community service, service immersion trips, retreats, and managing the student peer ministers. Along with these responsibilities, each campus minister also teaches classes.
I’ve been a graduate of Calvert Hall for a few weeks now and I find myself reflecting on my time at the Hall on a daily basis. My greatest memories at Calvert Hall were all brought about because of the Office of Campus Ministry. In fact, if it weren’t for the three campus ministers at the Hall, Mr. Parisi, Ms. Tracey, and Mr. Nagib, I wouldn’t be who or where I am today.
Evan pictured with Ms. Tracey
Ms. Tracey originally introduced me to service. I had the pleasure of going to Virginia with her and some of my classmates along with a group from Notre Dame Prep the summer leading in to my junior year. We spent a week working on a Habitat for Humanity home build and learning about migrant workers. My experience on the trip was so great that it lead me to explore the other service opportunities available at Calvert Hall. Ms. Tracey also acted as a counselor to anyone who walked in to the office. She was available to help anyone with things ranging from social life to schoolwork. If it wasn’t for her, I probably wouldn’t have been so passionate and involved in service at Calvert Hall.
Evan with Mr. Nagib to his right
Mr. Nagib took me and a handful of classmates on an immersion trip in Baltimore called “Baltimmersion.” We spent the weekend learning about hunger and homelessness in Baltimore City and we even had the opportunity to serve those less fortunate in the city. Mr. Nagib is the type of person that anyone, and I mean everyone, could connect with. His energy and love for students brought tons of students in to the Campus Ministry office. If you needed help with a tough homework assignment or term paper, he would be there to offer you great advice and assistance. If you needed a little push to get you going on the athletic field, he would be there to help you out.
Evan with Mr. Parisi after graduation
Mr. Parisi is the one who helped break me out of my “shy shell” as well as become a better photographer…even though he has no photographic experience. He acted as a mentor for me at the Hall and really pushed me through my later years of high school. Mr. Parisi took me on service trips to Montana and Haiti along with some smaller service opportunities and he also got me involved in the peer ministry program. My trip to Montana not only left me with greater knowledge of the Blackfeet Indian’s and poverty on their reservation, but it introduced me to the state where I will be attending college for the next four years of my life. When I went to Haiti with him and some classmates this past spring break, my eyes were opened to the issue of global poverty and the true beauty of Haiti.
Without the Office of Campus Ministry at Calvert Hall, I wouldn’t be so strong in my Catholic faith, I wouldn’t be more outgoing, and I wouldn’t be as passionate about service. Without the guidance and support given to me by Mr. Parisi, Ms. Tracey, and Mr. Nagib, I wouldn’t be who or where I am today.