by Andy Rebollar, Director of Campus Community Life
When I first moved to Michigan, and people found out I was from California, one of the more common questions I would get was: “Do you surf?”
I do not claim to be a surfer, but I have surfed. It’s a lot of work paddling out while crashing waves continuously push you back to the shore. The goal was to find a place where I could wait until just the right wave came along. When one did, I would paddle furiously to catch it. Sometimes I caught it, more times not.
Despite the difficulty, there came a point when all the work, timing, energy, and momentum came together, and the wave took me. It was such an amazing feeling standing on the board as the wave’s energy moved me, and the only things left to do were to ride and enjoy it.
That’s where I found myself last Thursday, on a beautiful sunny spring Michigan morning, not among the chilly waters of the Pacific but amid a sea of colorful hats, energetic cheerleaders, decorated walker ponies (and their costumed jockeys), and a general buzz for the Dominican Derby.
Momentum and energy had been building over the last few weeks as the Sisters and staff formed teams, came up with fun Dominican & congregational-themed names (i.e., Catherine’s Flame, Truth Prevails, Megan Marvelous), decorated horses, developed “horse” tories, recruited jockeys, and rallied around this original event.
What began as a celebration of the Kentucky Derby had rightly morphed into something much greater, overcoming the injustices surrounding that race and becoming an event that brought together not only local Sisters but also staff, Associates, and even some of our neighbors.
It was a celebration of community that can only be attributed to the Holy Spirit. How else could you explain our CFO dressed as the press, not only jockeying but also grabbing quotes from the crowd mid-race, or another prominent Sister sharing the pre-race odds?
The race itself was its own spectacle. Derby Announcer, Mike Newell, who took a break from his regular announcing job with the Whitecaps, had his hands full as horses took off in every direction and their own paces from the beginning. It became clear early on that this wasn’t a race to be won, but one to be experienced. And if jockeys forgot this, Sr. Mary Ann Barrett, as the Race Official, was there to call them back for a “Holy Pause”.
In the end, the Dominican Derby wasn’t about individuals racing to a finish line; it was about the fun and creativity that can arise when we come together as a community, helping each other towards the finish line, racing towards virtues like peace & justice, compassion, mercy, healing, equity, forgiveness, and love.
There’s no telling whether the next ride will be another activity, a communal decision, an invitation to rest, or something entirely different. The keys will be whether we’re open, in the right place, and willing to respond to the waves building on the horizon. Because when we do, God can give us a heck of a ride.
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