The Mount community gathered to celebrate Easter while socially distancing and maintaining COVID-19 protocols. The Immaculate Conception Chapel hosted many services during the week leading up to Easter. On Holy Thursday, a mass was held at 7 p.m. and was live-streamed for those who could not attend in person. Two services were held on Good Friday, one at noon and one at 3 p.m. The Easter Vigil mass was hosted at 8 p.m. on Saturday night, and on Easter Sunday, an 11 a.m. mass was held; both were live-streamed. All live streams were accessible via the Mount’s Facebook page.
The Easter Vigil, held on Saturday, was particularly special because 10 Mount students were welcomed into the Catholic Church. Brendan Johnson, the Assistant Director For Campus Ministry and Social Justice, is the Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults director and aided the students in their journey of faith. Johnson prepared everyone for the mass, answered questions and stood with the students in the sanctuary to make sure they were comfortable and knew what was coming next.
Dylan LaNoue (C’22) and Makala Harrison (C’24) were baptized first. Following them were Kate Wade (C’20), Andrew Eastman (C’23), Branden Taylor (C’23) and Elizabeth Murray (C’22), who have all been baptized before in other Christian denominations but were welcomed into the Catholic Church during the ceremony. After that group, Noah DeZwart (C’23), Emma Ward (C’22), Michael Guzman (C’23) and Briana Gallagher (C’21), who were already Catholic but had not been confirmed yet, received the sacrament of Confirmation, one that Johnson describes as, “the sacrament that imparts strength to evangelize and serve others.”
The hours of operation for dining locations over Easter Break were also altered due to the expected lower campus population over the holiday break. Emmit’s Street Eats was open on Holy Thursday between 11:30 a.m. and 2 p.m. They remained closed between Good Friday and Easter Monday and reopened on Tuesday, April 6. The Mount Café opened at their regular time of 7:30 a.m. on Good Friday but closed earlier than normal at 5 p.m. Mount Café remained closed on Holy Saturday and on Easter Sunday. They reopened at 4 p.m. on Easter Monday and have resumed their regular hours ever since. Patriot Hall did not alter its dining hours much other than offering dinner on Easter Sunday until 7 p.m. rather than the typical 8 p.m. closing time on Sundays. The manager of dining services, Howard Williams, mentioned that reservations will still be required for Patriot Hall since social distancing requirements are still being enforced.
The Student Activities Center also hosted numerous activities with the Easter spirit in mind. There was an Easter egg hunt on Tuesday, March 29 that offered a 65” TV to the person who found the golden egg. A clue was revealed on the outdoor screens at 7 a.m. at the Palmieri Activities Center. The Student Activities Center held another Easter egg hunt on Tuesday, March 30, but instead offered an iPad Mini and an Apple pencil as the reward to the person who found the golden egg.
Sophia Culmone (C’23) is a member of the women’s lacrosse team and was one of the few students who remained on campus Easter weekend. “Although it was sad not to be with my family on Easter, I ate dinner with my team outside and we had a lot of fun. Our coach got us a piñata and we ate breakfast for dinner with pancakes, eggs, bacon and hash browns,” she remarked. Culmone added that she attended the 11 a.m. Easter mass and enjoyed the beautiful weather.