Faith & Service Events

It was 11:00 am on a weekday, a few days before Thanksgiving, and three Mayfield students—Jackie Sanchez ’24, Fran Villarruel ’24 and Neci Dunn ’25–were hard at work off-campus. They would return to school in the early afternoon for classes but they all had the same free period, so they joined Mayfield’s Service Coordinator and loaded a van full of food and delivered it to South Central Los Angeles Ministry Project–South Central LAMP for short. Off the Vernon exit from the 110 freeway, South Central LAMP sits on the grounds of a former Baptist school. It is a gated one-story building situated between houses, two parking lots, and the ruins of a burnt church. Upon arrival, the Mayfield students coordinated with South Central LAMP staff and volunteers, as they expertly sorted food donations into categories, to create an efficient assembly line for the “Thanksgiving box,” which would be given to families before the holiday. In past years, South Central LAMP often provided these boxes to roughly 45 families. But by day’s end—and between donations from Mayfield, Cantwell Sacred Heart of Mary High School, Notre Dame Academy and USC—there were boxes to feed 100 families.

This September morning, Father Dorian Llywelyn S.J. stands before the entire student body in their formal uniforms, alongside the Mayfield faculty and staff all sitting attentively inside the Sister Mary Wilfrid Gymnasium for the first liturgical celebration of the 2022-23 school year—the Mass of the Holy Spirit. This is not Fr. Dorian’s first time on campus, nor his first time presiding over a liturgy at Mayfield, but he recently joined the Mayfield Board of Trustees, as well. He is not a guest speaker, offering general bromides to our community at arms-length, he is offering insight as a deeply committed member of this community. 

Adjusting his wire-rim spectacles, Fr. Dorian begins his homily with a bit of context, “For over 500 years, Catholic schools and colleges have begun the school year with the Mass of the Holy Spirit. So today we are taking part in a long tradition, which unites us with people in Lima, Malawi, Philippines, in Sweden, and all over the world.” He adjusts his glasses and gently asks, “Why do this?” He then answers his own question with a warm smile. “Well, one of the struggles when you get a bunch of smart people together…students, faculty, staff, parents and trustees…one of the problems is that everybody has their own opinion and their own ways of doing things and the way that things should be. And we can easily fragment a community. Like a marriage or a family—or indeed a school—a community is hard work, and we need help to be united.”

Someone exploring the recently renovated 3rd floor of Strub Hall might have a double-take when passing the Campus Ministry office for the first time. Not only has the location changed slightly, the staff inside has changed as well. When Carol Fitzsimmons retired from Mayfield last year, there was an opportunity to explore the ways this office would be able to better serve the needs of our community. And once Kristina Ortega was hired as Service Coordinator—working with Campus Ministry Director Teri Gonzales— in addition to being Coordinator of Justice, Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (JDEI)—working with JDEI Director Amber Gravely—Ms. Gonzales felt her prayers were being answered. Ms. Gonzales often reflects on how justice work is intrinsically part of faith and service, and seeks to always highlight “Catholic social teaching and the scriptural life of Jesus” in the work of Campus Ministry. So any opportunities to make those connections more explicit at Mayfield was a great thing for her. Ms. Gonzales loved the idea of working with someone who had a foot in both departments, and sharing an office with them was a total perk because she firmly believes that, “JDEI needs to inform Campus Ministry and our faith also grounds our JDEI.”

The idea was a simple one, small in scope. At least in the beginning. Virginia Schlueter Jones '64, was thinking about her sister who is a physician at a Kaiser clinic. It was over the winter holidays, during a devastating COVID-19 surge. Virginia recalled reading about how everyone in the medical profession was “so overworked and understaffed.” The Kaiser clinic had about 35 people and she wondered what kind of small gesture she might be able to offer them. “Cookies,” was her very first thought. “It was just a nice idea,” says Virginia. “A way of saying thank you that seemed easy."

 

The depth and richness of Holy Child spirituality is something that Mayfield Theology courses and Campus Ministry programs spend a lot of time developing in the four year curriculum for students. But how to share that spiritual richness with adults in our community—to parents, alums and faculty/staff—that was another question entirely. Director of Campus Ministry, Teri Gonzales, reflected on a topic which came up time and again for her: “Our parents kept saying that they were so inspired by their daughters and the ways they discuss their spirituality, and parents would say they wish they could be in our classes themselves!” So for the last few years, Ms. Gonzales has been exploring the best ways to serve this group. 

For families new to Mayfield, the morning drop-off line this Friday, Sept. 10 was probably a surprising sight. Suddenly trunks were being popped open en masse by students and faculty members. Scores of brown paper bags were being quickly ferried away in effort to mitigate any disturbances to the traffic flow. Parents who were unfamiliar with the procedure may not have realized it in the moment, but this strangely choreographed routine was actually the return of Campus Ministry’s wildly successful lunch donation program, Loaves and Fishes.

How can teenage girls become “saints in the making?” At Mayfield’s All Saints Day Mass, Fr. Alan Phillip offered four guiding beatitudes for teenagers: