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Every fall, Ave Maria University comes alive with the joyful rhythm of Move-In Day and the start of Orientation, as students settle into residence halls, explore campus, and form new friendships. At the heart of this joy was the Orientation Mass at Ave Maria Catholic Church, where students, their families, faculty, and staff began the year in prayer.
The standing-room-only Mass was celebrated by Fr. Leandro Fernandez, one of AMU's Campus Ministry priests, with the homily preached by Deacon Dr. Mark Miravalle, the Constance Schifflin Blum Chair of Mariology. He posed a question central to the Christian life: Are we truly detached from material things?
Drawing from the Old Testament, Deacon Miravalle reflected on Isaiah and Ezekiel, whose personal sufferings prefigured the purification of Israel. He turned to the Book of Job, where God answers Job's suffering not with explanation but with a revelation of His own infinite power and love: "Were you there when I laid the foundations of the earth?" In moments of profound loss, he reminded the community, God's will is often beyond our understanding, but it is never beyond His infinite mercy and love.
Deacon Miravalle then shared a story of a young man reluctant to attend Mass, drawn in by a friend. That young man's life was later transformed by a devastating accident that left him paralyzed. In the depths of that suffering, he found himself entrusting his life to Our Lady, surrendering with the words, "God's will is perfect. Okay, God. Let's do this." From that moment of surrender came a new mission, beginning with his own family.
The homily left the Class of 2030 with a challenge: to examine what still holds their hearts bound to passing things, and to entrust themselves, like that young man, fully to Christ through Mary.
This Orientation Mass set the tone for the Class of 2030's journey, and because of your generosity, every new student has the opportunity to be formed under the mantle of Our Lady at Ave Maria University. Thank you for helping to shape future leaders for the Church and the world.
