Mission Accomplished: Living the Spiritan Mission

The University mission informs and enlivens every aspect of University life, but when engaged in daily tasks it’s easy to forget how the mission can manifest itself in the most commonplace ways. Resident Director Adam Wasilko reminds the campus community that living the Spiritan mission is not only achieved through grand gestures, but also through the smallest of everyday actions.

As many of us at Duquesne help students wrap up the semester, we may feel anxiety over how the semester has flown by and how quickly the summer session is approaching. This is a stressful time of year, and as we deal with day-to-day tasks, we might wonder how we can still have an impact on students—and co-workers—and still live out the mission when we only see a fraction of the students that we normally see during the academic year. Because of this, it may be easy to stop reflecting on our common mission as a University.

Occasionally when I find myself needing some grounding in the work I do, I look at a series of letters written by Francis Libermann. He wrote to his brother on the importance of family, to his niece on the importance of getting an education for the mind and the heart, and even to his friends on how to celebrate Christmas.

One of the best things I got from this was the chance to see what Libermann had to say about practical union. I have no degree in theology nor am I a campus minister, but what I interpreted this to be was a special way of having a relationship with God. To me, it means that I don’t have to necessarily take time away from my day to speak with God. I can do this while driving to the store or while washing dishes.

But, as employees, what can we all take away from this on a practical level? One way is to be in a similar practical union with the mission statement. You don’t have to take time out of your day and think about doing something special because our mission calls us to serve students. It doesn’t have to be like that at all.

Even though the Spiritan and University missions are so important to me, I have never gone on a mission trip. Going to another country or to remote area to serve is not how I feel called to live out the mission. To me, you don’t have to go out of your way or out of the country, to live the mission here at Duquesne.

It can easily be a part of your daily activities. It may be answering the same question 30 times in a day, but then remembering it was the first time that particular student asked it and putting yourself in their shoes as a freshman new to campus. Or it is in noticing that a student is having a bad day and taking the time to ask him what is wrong and just being there for him. These are the things that make us so intrinsically “Duquesne.”

Repeatedly, as employees, we strive to offer an experience that not only educates the students and prepares them for a career, but also educates their hearts and spirits. Everyone on campus is a part of this endeavor, which is an outgrowth of our mission statement. So, this summer, try to take some time and recognize how you live out our University mission. More importantly, keep in mind that even though we are in summer session, our “Mission Matters!”