Page 4
The Pendulum
Thursday, October 22, 1981
features
Sister Laura helps counsel ElonColl^ge students
A * . j oram.
by Loukia Looks
“I have experienced a
desire from the students to
know themselves more. They
are searching to find God
in life,” says Sister Laura
Hardage, the Catholic Dio
cese representative at Elon.
She has tried along with
campus chaplain Bill Sharpe
for the last three years to
meet the needs of all stu
dents, Catholic or non-Cath-
olic. This five-year-old youth
fellowship program is sup
ported by the Catholic Dio
cese of Raleigh and the
Blessed Sacrament parish of
Burlington, and it provides
counseling of any kind to
students.
Laura Hardage has been a
sister for nearly 29 years.
She is from Michigan and
has a master’s of education
degree from Wayne State
University. She was an ele
mentary school teacher and
principal before deciding to
become a sister.
“Often people confuse the
terms nun and sister. A nun
lives in a contemplative
community whereas a sister
works among the people. I
felt called by God to serve
him by working among the
people,” says Hardage.
Sister Hardage is also a
member of a religious com
munity called the Sisters Ser
vants of the Immaculate
Heart of Mary, better
known as IHM.
This community of sisters
is based in Monroe, Mich,
and serves the needs of
I>eople, with concentration
in poor areas, in 39 states.
“People need to
realize they bring
of themselves;
everybody has
something beautiful
to offer and share
with others.’’
— Sister Laura
Africa, Central America,
Brazil, and Puerto Rico.
The sisters are not paid
for their services, but are
often supported by money
from the Diocese of Raleigh
and the Blessed Sacrament
parish of Burlington.
Blessed Sacrament parish
covers Alamance and Cas
well counties. Since Elon
College is part of this area,
the ministry is available to
the students in collaboration
with Bill Sharpe and the
Elon College Religious Life
Committee.
Sister Hardage emphasizes
that her ministry is not to
pull students toward Catho
licism, but to be a canng
presence to anyone who
needs help.
“There is a lot of caring
here, and I’ve received it
through administrators, fac
ulty, staff, and students.
People need to realize they
bring of themselves; every
body has something beauti
ful to offer and share with
others.
“If ever there was a time
when people need to pull
together, it’s now. With
nuclear weapon build-up,
budget cuts, poverty and
oppression in the world,
people need to pull together
and that begins with our
own selves. The message of
Jesus is love and acceptance
of one another,” points out
Sister Hardage.
Besides weekend retreats,
many activities are being
planned for the many Elon
students who participate in
this youth fellowship pro
gram.
An Encounter with Christ
Retreat has been planned for
Nov. 5-8, but these plans are'
not yet definite. This activity
will be sponsored by the
Diocese of Raleigh for
adults 18-35 years of age.
College students from all
over eastern North Carolina
are expected to participate.
Anyone who would like to
obtain information from
Sister Hardage at 227-2389
or Dori Dobbins at 584-
4284.
Sharing sessions are held
in the smaller West dorm
parlor at 7:30 p.m. every
other Tuesday. The next one
will be on Oct. 27 with guest
speaker Dr. Carole Chase,
who will discuss values in
society today.
A supper will be served
after the Catholic Service
Mass on Nov. 15. The mass
begins at 6 p.m. in Mooney
Theater. This will provide an
opportunity for fellowship
and prayer together. Inter
ested students should contact
Sister Laura Hardage or
Chaplain Bill Sharpe.
German exchange student
Multilingual pianist ‘glad to be here’
Detlcv PetencB
by Joy Hamilton
“I like to see new things
and experience new environ
ments,” said German ex
change student Detlev Peter
sen. Petersen is on a Rotary
scholarship and said he is
“glad they dropped me here
at Elon College.”
“I was surprised I won
the Rotary scholarship be
cause I wasn’t good at
English,” Petersen said.
“Scholarships are not so
common in Germany as
they are here.”
The pre-med student has
an aptitude for languages;
besides German, he studied
French, Latin, and English
in his high school or “gym
nasium,” as the Germans
call it. He explained his
ability for languages by
saying, “We have to take
two foreign languages in
high school. I feel sorry for
Americans having to learn
German, though.”
A student of Elon Pro
fessor Walter Westafer,
Petersen enjoys playing jazz,
rock, classic^ and modem
music on the piano.
Petersen has been playing
the piano more than 10
years but he said, “I learned
to play simply because my
parents forced me. When I
was 14, I realized it was a
good thing that my parents
Pops theme: ^Festival of Life
The Seventh Annual Pops Concert will be
presented by the Elon College Orchestra
and the MENC of Elon College on Oct. 26
and 27 at the Alumni Gym.
The theme this year is “Festival of Life”
Participating this year will be the Emanons,
the Chamber Singers, Terrell Cofield and
Bill Griggs. The entire program is under the
direction of Dr. Malvin N. Artley.
An “all you can eat” buffet will begin at
6:45 p.m., followed by the concert at 8
p.m.
Tickets for the public are now on sale for
$11 or two for $21. Tickets for the concert
only are also available for $4. Elon College
students will be admitted for $7 for meal
and concert and $2 for concert only. For
tickets call 584-2256.
Circulation Manager
wanted for Pendulum.
Apply in room 205
Long Student Center
or call 584-2331.
forced me to play. If I have
children later. I’ll do the
same.”
Petersen was greeted by
former German exchange
student Ralph Mueller and
friend Gabia Auler when he
first arrived on campus in
September. He stayed with a
local couple his first few
days in the states.
Petersen said he is not
homesick but added, “The
first week when I learned I
would really have to work
here, I reaUzed it wouldn’t
be holidays.”
In his spare time, Petersen
said he likes to sail, take
pictures, and play volleyball.
He teaches s^ng at home
and said, “My town is an
excellent sailing city.”
As for Elon, the exchange
student said, “The people
are friendly.” He add^ that
a lady and her daughter that
he met on the plane in New
York cordially invited him
to sack out on their couch
while he was in New York.
Since his Sept. 5 arrival,
Detlev said people couldn’t
have been kinder.
Back in Flensburg, West
Germany, Petersen’s father
is a doctor of internal med
icine and has a large, mod
ern practice. Detlev plans to
attend a large university in
Germany, depending on
where he is accepted, when
he returns to Germany in
late May.
Concerning the climate,
Petersen said, “I thought it
was hot and moist when I
got here but it couldn’t be
better. At home, it’s more
windy.
Concerning the relations
between East and West
Germany, Petersen said, “It
is a depressing situation.
Nothing good will happen
soon. The East German
govenmient is the closest to
the Soviet Union and
follows that country’s
orders. In East Germany,
the government is really
behind. The electric fences
between East and West
Germany are a perfect
killing Une.”
Petersen has an aimt and
imcle in East Germany; one
of his cousins, a dentist,
managed to escape by hiding
in a manufactured car so she
could not be seen.
At any rate, seven years
of English have proved to
come in handy for the
exchange student who now
caUs Elon “home.”
“I’m looking forward to
the moment when I dream in
English,” he said. “Some
times I think in English. But
my notebooks are a mixture
of German and English. If 1
read an essay and make an
outhne, I may have trouble
expressing it in English.”