My father is 83 years old and he still comes back for Homecoming every year. Homecoming brings back that coming home feeling. It's great to see old friends and professors, too. Homecoming ties in that time of life during college when you go through so many changes and so much growth, with the family life we have now. And that, according to Satka, is really what Homecoming is all about.
Homecoming keeps people from having to let go of one of the most memorable times of their life.
It's a time for reminiscing about living in the dorms, barely making curfew, cramming all night for exams, and that 'terrible' cafeteria food. It's the stories of how we learned to live in close quarters with people we liked and people we didn't, being there for our friends, having our hearts broken and having them soar, being exposed to new ideas and old ones we had never heard of. This is the place where most of us became independent and gained self-confidence, where faculty and staff consistently reinforced our Christian values and ethics. Saint Mary's was and is that safe haven where for one short weekend our spirits are young and nothing is impossible. The summer months may be quiet and relaxing for some people, but for Darlene Paulson, the conference center director, the summer months are the busiest of the year.