On the morning of September 3, the senior class gathered at Mount Claret for its first Senior Prayer Day of the year. This long-held tradition has enabled senior classes to come together and reflect on their lives through prayer. 

When the pandemic first occurred, the class of 2022 was sophomores and now, two years later, it finds themselves as seniors in a blink of an eye. With the stress of applying to colleges and graduating, class members needed Senior Prayer Day.

Brianne Sanford, the Assistant to Campus Ministry said, “Senior Prayer Day is a day to kind of step back from the stress from school, and to take time to rest and to receive and to reflect on where you are right now.” 

Graduating and registering for college is demanding, so this was a perfect way of showing the seniors much-needed love. The goal the faculty wants its seniors to have after leaving Senior Prayer Day is the remembrance to live an abundant life (John 10:10) but live life now. 

Seniors have two prayer days, one in the fall and one in the spring. “With this, I really wanted to pay attention to what the seniors need right now, and right now I feel like there is a lot of fear, anxiety – a lot that is weighing on people,” Sanford said. 

Senior Madelyn Kunis said, “I just really wanted to let other girls know that someone else is here for them if they needed someone, and also to remind them that God is also there and that God wants to be present in their lives.”

 Kunis gave a speech to the seniors about the theme “Abundant Life,” and how it impacted her. After the service Kunis’s hope was that this speech would  impact them spiritually, and it did as many girls came up to her after the service to thank her. 

Afterward, girls were directed to small group activities where they met and talked with other class members to whom they don’t normally talk. This activity enabled the class to  meet and talk with people they saw in the halls but never had the chance to talk to.  

Senior Rianne Tamayo said, “It’s a place where you can get to know people you haven’t met before or that you thought you were never able to talk to.”

With “Abundant Life,” meeting new people was one of the goals for this event and it was successfully accomplished by the faculty. Although talking with new people might have been a gamble, ultimately, seniors were able to make new friends. 

Senior Prayer Day is one of many traditions that Xavier holds and it has become a favorite for many young women. While most schools have small gatherings, Xavier prides itself on giving seniors the opportunity to connect with everyone they will see at graduation. 

This unique experience will happen again on March 4, 2022, where the class of 2022 will gather once again for prayer and memories. Many seniors made memories with new people, grew their friendships and had a peaceful time.