Recently, the Newman University Troubadours traveled across the Midwest doing what they do best: Singing.
The trip started on Thursday, Sept. 17, 2015. The Troubadours’ first stop was Blue Springs, Mo., a suburb outside the Kansas City area where senior Troubadour Mary O’Neal attended high school. The Troubadours performed for the Blue Springs choir class to entertain and possibly recruit students to Newman. Many students seemed interested in Newman after seeing the Troubadours perform and speaking with members of the group following the concert.
The Midwestern tour proceeded with the Troubadours traveling from Missouri to Ruma, Ill. There, the Troubadours stayed in the Adorers of the Blood of Christ convent located in the ASC Ruma Center, home of the ASC U.S. Region Mission. The Troubadours arrived on Saturday and spent time getting to know the sisters and sharing fellowship with them.
On Sunday, Sept. 20, the Troubadours performed a small concert for the sisters after attending Mass at the convent. The performance for the sisters was the culmination and the primary reason for the trip.
O’Neal organized a majority of the trip, as part of her ASC Scholarship requirements. All senior scholarship recipients must organize a service project, and O’Neal felt strongly about trying to give back to the sisters.
“I chose the trip to Ruma for part of my ASC Capstone project because, as a community leadership scholar, it felt right,” O’Neal said. “We were able to give back to the women who built Newman University and also learn from them and all their wisdom.”
Below is a picture of the Newman University Troubadours at the Ruma Center around the memorial statue of the “Martyrs of Charity” – five ASC sisters who lost their lives during the civil war in Liberia.
“We are taught from day one of our classes of the five sisters who died in Liberia,” O’Neal recalled after seeing the memorial and being at the gravesite. “It was an overwhelming experience to be able to see the memorial made in their honor, see their gravesites, and share their story with my Troubadour family.”
See highlights from the Newman University Troubadours performances at the Ruma Center below.
