Easter @ USC
By Grace Carballo ‘17
If you are still around campus this weekend and feel a little homesick or miss your family, don’t worry- there are lots of opportunities to celebrate Easter with your Trojan Family and maybe make some new memories.
In the interest of full disclosure, I should mention that I am in fact home for Easter, but remember- no holiday is perfect no matter where you are. For example, Grandma just ate a handful of jellybeans from the guessing jar we had already counted for tomorrow and now the whole contest is a sham! (This is not a joke to us).
But, in the name of Easter, we all are just going to have to make the best of whatever situation we may be in. If you do not celebrate Easter, it still might be worth checking out these services to expand your horizons. Whatever your beliefs, the Office for Religious Studies has all the info you might need for all the upcoming events on campus: (http://orl.usc.edu/)
It has come to my attention that there are over 60 religious congregations located inside the the USC Defined Neighborhood Outreach Boundary, so again check out the Office for Religious Studies if you want the comprehensive list. http://orl.usc.edu/religiouslife/places/local.html
CARUSO CATHOLIC CENTER
Our Savior Parish, the church next to the Caruso Center (844 West 32nd Street), has an Easter Sunday service at 10:30 am. Stick around afterwards for Feaster at 12:00, a free lunch to celebrate this joyous day!
Also there is an Easter Egg hunt as part of Feaster! (This might technically be for children but that’s probably agism and you can participate if you’d like).
SEAL BEACH PIER (LUTHERAN TROJANS)
If you are an early riser, there is a Sonrise Service (it’s clever because Jesus is the Son, and he rose, and it’s an early service- does explaining a joke ruin it?) hosted by the Surfer’s Chapel. There will be a pancake breakfast after the service, which will include a special message, “Open Water”, by Pastor Dan Gibson.
The event recommends attendees bring a hoodie, blanket, and beach chair. There is free parking by Seal Beach Pier (north). The Facebook page
https://www.facebook.com/groups/278963982129132/
says all are welcome and has more details!
UNITED UNIVERSITY CHURCH
This is probably your most convenient option if you live in the dorms because it’s literally on campus (and I take great pride in not using literally incorrectly). You’ve probably walked past it a number of times but if you like plugging addresses in it’s located at 817 West 34th Street.
So there are three solid options and there are plenty more to choose from. For those of you who don’t know much about Easter but would like to- it is the best attended Sunday service of the year for most Christian churches (right up there with Christmas), where Christians celebrate the resurrection of Jesus. We believe Jesus rose again three days after his death on the cross, which is commemorated on Good Friday (yesterday). There’s a lot more to it, of course, but this is a good working knowledge and what with the internet, you can basically become an expert on any subject if you want to these days.
Hope you all have an eggcellent Easter Sunday! And even more so I hope you appreciate my dad-like sense of humor.
Try not to throw elbows in any Easter egg hunts because that is distasteful and “sets a bad example”. (Do what I say, not what I do).
- Grace
