Queen’s University Belfast Catholic Chaplaincy pastoral manager Shannon
Campbell and chaplain Fr Dominic McGrattan outside the Lanyon Building. 2,000 Queen’s University Belfast students unable to return home for Christmas because of the pandemic are set to receive a care package, thanks to the university’s Catholic chaplaincy and the efforts of local businesses and charities.
The operation to distribute the packs launched into action last week, prepared by a team of 20 student volunteers in the chaplaincy and distributed to students of all faiths and none in their university residences.
Lonely
The care packs included a voucher for a Domino’s pizza of choice, chocolate bars from Henderson Retail, information from Papyrus, a mental health charity, and QUB Nightline, a resource for lonely or stressed students.
The Catholic chaplain to QUB, Fr Dominic McGrattan, said: “This initiative is a concrete way of reaching out to students to let them know we care for them and remain here providing pastoral supports.”
He remarked that the Catholic chaplaincy “is by no means unique in offering help during the pandemic”, and highlighted the work the Presbyterian chaplaincy recently carried out, including providing Thanksgiving dinner for international students.
Fr McGrattan commended the student community at the QUB chaplaincy, whose concern for fellow students made the initiative possible.
The chaplaincy’s Pastoral Manager, Shannon Campbell thanked local businesses and charities, including the Knights of St Columbanus, who have supported the effort.
She welcomed donations from Domino’s Pizza, Henderson’s Retail and MCA Design & Print: “I appreciate many demands are made on their generosity and that they’re already doing great work to support local communities and worthwhile causes and yet they made their charity budgets stretch to include us. It really is so encouraging.”
The chaplaincy has expressed its awareness of students’ recent experience of university being marked by social distance and isolation, with increased levels of anxiety, disruption, and uncertainty.
Although many have returned home to study online, according to QUB around 2000 students remain living on campus and dependent on university facilities and services.