On Registering

Throughout the fall, our community will be doing REGISTRATION. Now, before you roll your eyes and crumple the forms into cute little origami shapes—let me explain.

There are a few good reasons for this request. First, people move around. We all know that undergrads are good for four, maybe five years here, but the grad students also (usually) get to leave at some point. And we have visiting faculty, new faces just moving into the area for work, or folks who visit us once a month between travels. So, we have a beautiful, fluid community. At the present moment we have LOTS of lists with some names—they are not all connected and they are not all correct. We're trying mightily to fix that.

Second reason we'd appreciate your registration is that it helps the community provide support for you. Say, for example, you'd like to know if we're having the 10:30 A.M. Mass, or when confessions are offered. Or you may have reached the point in your life when you are celebrating the birth of a child and would like to bring the child for baptism. Because of university and diocesan policies, you would either need to be a current student, faculty/ staff member, post doc OR a registered member of the parish for one year. It is important to note that when you graduate, you need to re-register as a "permanent" community member. We don't keep students' information beyond graduation. Your parish registration affects weddings and other sacraments, also. SO, before you set “the date”—REGISTER!

Third reason, there are times when the community needs help and then it's quite nice to be able to reach you. Church works best when it's a common effort. Sometimes we need liturgical ministers, sometimes we need prayers or hospital visits, sometimes the interns need a car, sometimes we need speakers for student groups. And sometimes we need funding. In spite of popular myth, we receive no funding from the diocese or the university—so we need help paying salaries and things like the PG&E bill.

Fourth reason, we would like to be diligent about including everyone and giving you a real picture into events, liturgies, and issues of importance. We have an excellent speaker series on faithful citizenship upcoming this fall. There will be an exciting Liturgical Arts concert bringing back Fr. John Paul Forte, formerly from Stanford, in February. There are small groups, a young adult network, potlucks, student service trips, adoration, rosary prayer, social outreach opportunities, AND Fr. Nathan's installation. BUT—you might not find out about these things unless we can send you an e-mail, so REGISTER!

Nancy has been spearheading an effort to create a newsletter and build an alumni base this summer. If you've registered, we'll make sure you receive the newsletter. I think you'll like what you see. And we'll be asking for photos and input for upcoming editions, so give some thought to that. It is exciting to work on building the alumni base. Currently, we're just re-connecting with alumni from old staff e-mail lists. Even from these modest beginnings there has been success. I've heard from people literally all over the world, all very happy to hear a word from us. In the space of two days, I was able to connect an '08 grad trying to find an apartment in Boston with an '02 grad who was well-established and happy to serve as a friend and welcoming presence.

If you are an alum, or know of alums who would like to hear from us, please send me info (names, e-mails, or mailing addresses). What a blessing it would be to be able to welcome our sisters and brothers as they go out from the Catholic Community into the next phase of their lives. Mercy and grace are most often multiplied when shared with one another. Let's keep the spirit of the Catholic Community at Stanford going around the globe.

Teresa Pleins, Chaplain

To register as a current member of the Catholic Community at Stanford University, please download the appropriate form, fill it out and send it to:

The Catholic Community at Stanford University
P.O. Box 20301
Stanford, CA 94309.

• Student Registration Form
• Non-Student (Permanent Community) Registration Form