Seton Hall students said they are exploring their Christian faith and identity by joining together for discussion groups called Omega.
Brian Sumereau, a sophomore IT and finance major, is serving as one of the group student leaders. He described how the group serves to have students explore their faith through collaboration and develop a deeper understanding of it.
He added that these discussion groups are a branch of last semester’s Alpha discussion groups, a similar but separate program.
“Alpha essentially allowed us to get to know each other in a directed manner,” Sumereau said. “Omega allows us to dig deep with one another, truly open our hearts to the Good News and make friends that last a lifetime.”
He also explained how student leaders for Omega designed the content of the group, create questions for the group and set the pace for discussions.
The discussion groups are provided with support from the Brothers of St. John, a Catholic religious order.
Brother John Paul, a campus minister, described how the Omega discussion groups began as a way to combat division and isolation. He said that Omega strives to bind students together under the truth they share and to facilitate members to become “Brothers Without Borders.”
“We all are searching for true happiness and meaning and want to experience communion with one another,” Brother John Paul said. “It does so much good to be able to share your thoughts and experiences about things that really matter and to know that you are heard and respected.”
On emphasizing the need for students to come together, Brother John Paul detailed how students can explore topics beyond the surface. “We saw a thirst to go deeper in relevant questions that every student on campus is asking, and to search for the truth together, regardless of where you’re coming from,” he said.
Since the groups are smaller in comparison to Alpha, it can lead for students to take away important moments of wisdom, Sumereau said.
“There’s usually one takeaway that I get from each session, the most memorable being, ‘if we knew how much God loved us, we would die of joy,’” Sumereau said.
Bridgette Favale, a freshman English major, is another student leader who helps facilitate group discussions. She said that the purpose of the program is for students to discover truth at the center of crucial human questions and for students to walk away with new lessons for life.
“I hope that students who participate in Omega take away a new sense of knowledge and truth found in answers to questions essential to human life,” Favale said.
Brother John Paul also highlighted that Omega will hopefully create a culture of dialogue on campus and that it inspires students to find wisdom wherever they go in life.
He said, “But most of all we hope that the students experience that the search for wisdom is a lifelong journey and that they are not alone.”
Adam Varoqua can be reached at adam.varoqua@student.shu.edu.
