Faith-Based

I have been an active member of the Catholic Student Center (CSC) for over five years since starting undergrad at WashU. During undergrad, I received endless support and companionship from other students there, the campus ministers, and Father Gary, the priest who gives the majority of the Masses at the CSC. In addition to the two Sunday Masses (11:00 am and 4:30 pm), there are weekday events almost every night, some of which include: Mass and Soup on Tuesdays and Fridays, Adoration on Wednesdays, and Weekly Rosary on Fridays. The CSC is also very accommodating in that there are multiple Mass times and locations on the Holy Days of Obligation; this makes it very doable to attend Mass on these days, despite a busy school/work schedule.

Even though the CSC is located on the Danforth Campus, the campus ministers and Fr. Gary are very good at making their presence on the Medical Campus; setting up a time to have a 1-on-1 could not be easier. There is also a Graduate Student and Young Adult (GSYA) group at the CSC, which meets regularly for events like movie nights, Happy Hours, and talks on how to incorporate your faith into your professional life. Being a part of GSYA allows you to meet other medical students as well as graduate students, PT and OT students, and young adults who share your faith.

The CSC has been and continues to be a source of never ending support for me. If you were involved in a close-knit faith community at your undergrad and are concerned about finding the same thing if/when you attend medical school at WUSM, I encourage you to pay a visit to the CSC. Many of my classmates who came from other undergrads to attend WashU said the CSC staff welcomed them extremely nicely as new medical students and they were surprised at how much programming the CSC put on, both for undergrads and graduate students. If you are interested in getting involved and have any questions, you can reach out to Fr. Gary at jones@washucsc.org or Jen Quinn, the Medical School Campus Minister at jenniferquinn@washucsc.org.

Christian Medical Association (CMA) is a very welcoming place where I’ve gotten to interact with a wide variety of people as we build community. Every week I look forward to taking a break from studying in order to grab food with friends and talk about faith, school, family, etc. I also get to listen to practicing health professionals discuss various aspects of faith and how it interconnects with their professional lives. Whether you’re a Christian or questioning, this a great community to be a part of.

Jewish Medical Student Association (JMSA) is the go-to group for Jewish life on the WashU Medical Campus. Need help figuring out where to go for services? We’ve got you. Want to play Jewish geography? We’re your people. Miss your bubbe’s cooking? We’ll (try to) make matzo ball soup that would make her proud. Whether you’re secular, reform, conservative, orthodox, “just Jewish”, or any other movement, you’re welcome here. We can’t wait to meet you.

I co-founded the Medical Muslim Students Association because I saw a need for structured support of Muslim students on campus. Since its formation last year, we have held multiple bonding events including ice cream socials and big dinners for Ramadan and Eid. We have also worked to connect Muslim students to resident mentors as well as starting a pre-medical pipeline program with the Danforth Campus Muslim Student Association. We are excited to continue building and cementing a strong Muslim community on the Medical Campus!