STM Magazine, co-edited by Robin McShane and Sarah Woodford ꞌ10 M.Div., offers readers a window into the world of Yale’s Catholic students as they navigate a life of study and faith. What started out to be a typical spring semester took a dramatic turn a week after Ash Wednesday (Feb. 26, 2020) as the threat of COVID-19 forced spring break trips to be canceled, and students were not allowed to return to campus–not even for graduation.
The Spring 2020 issue depicts this painful transition. It begins by chronicling a typical second semester, with stories about lectures and photos of group trips, but quickly changes tone as Fr. Ryan Lerner introduces the second part of the magazine–the lockdown days. What follows is a glimpse into the lives of our students who, while taking classes online at desks in their childhood bedrooms, called on their faith in God to help them cope with their new normal. Our choice to tell the story of an Easter Vigil like no other in the dramatic form of a photo essay invited readers behind the scenes and into the empty Chapel where Fr. Ryan summoned the courage to celebrate the resurrection of Jesus Christ through a camera lens.
The narrative of this issue allowed the STM community, despite the distance, to connect and grieve. It also provided a first-hand account of how one college campus ministry continued its work during the early days of the Connecticut lockdown.
From the Judges
Great example of working on a budget! The community aspect of the magazine came through, and we liked how the publication invites the reader to experience and be part of the community.
