Date Published: Jan. 3, 2017
Last semester, nearly 100 UD students, faculty and staff embarked on a 12-mile trek,
starting from the Eugene Constantin Campus, along the Appian Way, to Rome. The "Refugee
Walk to Rome" lasted more than five hours and raised more than $3,000 for the Catholic
Relief Service to support refugees fleeing war-ravaged Syria.
Pope Francis commended the students’ walk-a-thon, praising their efforts and solidarity with the people of Syria.
“He is most grateful for this expression of sharing in the sufferings of our Syrian brothers and sisters, and especially for your prayers for a just and lasting peace in the region,” said Msgr. Paolo Borgia on behalf of Pope Francis.
“Initiatives like this confirm the value of UD’s efforts to educate the whole person for the benefit of themselves and others,” said Dean of the Rome Campus and Associate Professor of History Peter Hatlie. “Thank you once again to all the people who supported this effort.”
Following the walk on Nov. 15, Rome Senior Chaplain Msgr. Thomas Fucinaro celebrated Mass at the Church of San Giorgio in Velabro, one of Rome’s oldest churches. A young Syrian couple, who fled from the tormented city of Homs in 2015 and walked with our UD Romers during the “Refugee Walk to Rome,” were moved to tears by the end of Mass.
Former Affiliate Assistant Professor of Spanish Nicole (Hammerschmidt) Lasswell, BA '03, and her husband, Martin, have two sons, Will and Stevie, both of whom have autism. For World Autism Awareness Day, the family was interviewed on Telemundo; because the boys are thriving, it seemed particularly important to the Lasswells to share their story and their hope with others.
+ Read MoreThe first time Monica Ashour, MTS '95 MH '04, read St. John Paul II's "Man and Woman He Created Them: A Theology of the Body" was in 2000 with a small, grassroots group of parents and teachers, including DeAnn (Barta) Stuart, Ph.D., BA '98 MH '04, and Annie (Duffin) Vining, MTh '03. This group went on to found The Theology of the Body Evangelization Team Inc. (TOBET) on the Feast of the Immaculate Conception, Dec. 8, 2001.
+ Read MoreUD is pleased to announce the appointment of Jason Wu Trujillo as its new vice president for university advancement. Trujillo currently serves as chief development officer and director of the Honor the Future campaign at the University of Virginia (UVA) Law School Foundation, which conducts alumni relations, external affairs, fundraising and endowment management for the benefit of the UVA School of Law. He begins his new role at the end of June.
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