Catholic Newman Club hosts annual Christmas tree lighting event

By Salimah McCullough | Published by Dec. 6, 2018

With the holidays right around the corner, Kean students and faculty are preparing for the joyous season with multiple festive events.  

On Nov. 29th, the Catholic Newman Club hosted their annual Christmas tree lighting that came along with food and fellowship just in time for the season.   

Jessica Onorati a junior studying psychology and also the vice president of the Catholic Newman Club said the tradition helps everyone prepare for the holiday season.

“While also letting people know that advent is coming up,” said Onorati.

Advent is a season often observed in Catholic churches as a time of waiting and preparation for the celebration of the Nativity of Jesus at Christmas as well as the return of Jesus at the second coming.

“We like to get everyone in the holiday mood,” said Onorati. “Also to show the diversity of the different religions on campus.”

The Catholic Newman Club is a club that caters to the Catholic community at Kean. They provide a positive and supportive environment. It also opens a space where Catholic students can learn more about Catholic traditions and values.

“Here’s the Catholic religion. This is what advent is and this is why we celebrate it.” Onorati said when explaining why they host the Christmas tree lighting.  

The holiday season is a time when everyone gets excited about spending more time with family.

Jennifer Garza, a junior studying psychology who is also the president of the Catholic Newman Club, looks forward to returning home for the holidays.

“Spending more time with family is my favorite part of the holidays because I’m out of state so I enjoy the time I spend with them,” Garza said. “Also taking notice that it’s the time Jesus was born and the time for reflection.”  

Kean students that weren’t apart of the club had the chance to be apart of the Catholic way of celebrating while Father Bill blessed the tree and student Justin Carrasco read the nativity scene.  

Everyone gathered together to get excited for the holidays and enjoy hot chocolate and snacks while talking about what they love about the holidays.

Kean junior and Communication/media and film major, Devin Wilson expressed his favorite way to spend the holidays.  

“My favorite part of the holidays is spending time with family,” Wilson said. “Also the music, food, and aesthetic is the best part of the holidays.”

Lilibeth Sam, junior and communication/media and film major, also talked about her favorite part of the holidays while enjoying some hot chocolate from the christmas tree lightning.

“My favorite part about the holidays is what it means,” Sam said. “Christmas is a celebration. Everybody gets together to celebrate every year and i love the meaning behind it.”

Many other Kean clubs and organizations are hosting events to get into the holiday mood. The Early Childhood Education club will be hosting a holiday toy drive where they will be collecting different toys to donate to the Valerie fund including legos, Barbies, and Hatchimals.

There are clubs that are hosting holiday themed bake sales to raise money for their organization along with giving students some holiday treats.Some of those organizations include the African Student Association and the sorority Chi Upsilon Sigma.  

With all of the many holiday themed events happening on campus, all of the students that are stressed about finals will have many chances to take a breather and enjoy some fun activities on campus.

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