On May 15th, Titus Brandsma was canonised, in 2022, making him the first professor-rector of a Dutch university to receive this Roman honor. Brandsma had been a professor of mysticism since the university's founding and served as rector for one year in the 1930s. He further cemented his place in history through his resistance activities leading up to World War II. His life ended in the Dachau concentration camp, where he died in July 1942.
The new annual celebration at the university, this first year, revolves around the question "What do you do for others?" Dominique van Kan effortlessly connects this question to the student church's dining table, which has been bringing together around fifty students every Wednesday for eleven years. Dominique: "Meet & Eat itself is an answer to that question. It brings together people who didn't know each other before and often leads to lifelong friendships."
Conversations at the table
The value of being together is very recognizable for Dominique herself. Having grown up in Aruba, she settled in Nijmegen in 2020 to study psychology at Radboud University and immediately became enthusiastic about cooking and participating in the organisation of Meet & Eat. The connections made at the table resulted in five friendships for her. "It's very easy at the table, especially because we change tables during the evenings and incorporate a few extra activities."
The organisation comes up with a central question for initial conversations at the table each evening. There's also a standard introduction round and sometimes an additional activity at the end of the evening. On May 15th, during Titus Day, the question at the table will, of course, be: what do you do for others? As an additional activity, there will be a lecture about Titus, and Rector Magnificus José Sanders will also speak. Additionally, all participants are encouraged to write a card to someone they've lost touch with for too long. The Student Church will handle the mailing.
What do you do for others?
What does Dominique do for others? More than just organising dinner tables. She's always giving a smile to people she passes by. Once, even though she was in a hurry, she got off her bike to encourage a friend she ran into. She was busy and had to go quickly, but the brief moment with her smile and hug made an impact. "The friend texted back later that I had helped her a lot on that awful day."
Dominique has tuned her antennas to others' loneliness and sadness: if she sees someone standing aside and looking sad, she'll ask them how they're doing, and if a student bursts into tears in the University Library, she'll approach them.
That's why she's committed to Titus Day. "I read about his loneliness in his final weeks in the concentration camp. It deeply moved me." In this vein, she also plans to shape her studies further, with a master's in GZ psychology. "There's a taboo on loneliness in Aruba. I want to do something about that. Being lonely isn't considered normal in Aruba."
Registration
For years, Meet & Eat has been a successful initiative of the Student Church. During this event you can meet meet fellow students and have a nice meal. On Titus Day, Meet & Eat will focus on the day's theme 'What are you doing for another?' This special Titus edition is organised together with Christian Student Associations Nijmegen (CSN).
A contribution of €4 is asked for the three-course dinner.