Dear Marquette family and friends,
As we celebrate this Advent season of hope and waiting, you can see signs of preparation for the birth of our savior, Jesus Christ, around campus. Westowne Square came alive on a crisp December evening as Marquette students, faculty, staff and alumni gathered for the annual Christmas tree blessing and lighting celebration. A Thanksgiving weekend snowstorm provided a seasonal backdrop for the festivities, and the All-Campus Choir and Pep Band led beautiful renditions of Christmas hymns and carols.
Demonstrating our commitment to the Society of Jesus’ Universal Apostolic Preference of Caring for Our Common Home, we have planted a fir tree outside the Alumni Memorial Union that will serve as the site for Christmas tree lighting celebrations for years to come. Watch this year’s Christmas video to see this annual tradition come to life.
On Christmas Day, this season of waiting and preparation will conclude, and we will hear this passage from Luke’s Gospel: “When they saw this, they made known the message that had been told them about this child. All who heard it were amazed by what had been told them by the shepherds.” (Luke 2:17–18) These verses describe how the shepherds found the infant Jesus lying in a manger in Bethlehem, just as the angel had told them, and they, in turn, shared the good news with all throughout the land.
The amazement at being the first to learn that the Lord had been born for them must have been overwhelming for the humble shepherds and the people of Bethlehem. I hope you are able to keep the feeling of amazement about Jesus Christ’s birth alive throughout the upcoming year.
At Marquette, we have much to be grateful for as we look ahead to the New Year. We will continue to celebrate and share the good news of the countless ways our students, faculty, staff, alumni and friends are living out our Catholic, Jesuit mission in service to others.
On behalf of the Marquette University community and my family, I wish you and your loved ones a blessed Christmas!
Dr. Kimo Ah Yun
President
