Students invited for free food and a break from studying

Laura Teegarden
Daily Egyptian Head: Newman Center hosts midnight breakfast

Heaping stacks of homemade pancakes, fluffy scrambled eggs, steaming sausage, JC's bagels and tutoring will be available for free at the Newman Center's annual Midnight Breakfast on Sunday from 10 p.m. to 2 a.m.

"It's an annual event," said Greg Padesky, the campus ministry intern for the Newman Center. "We do it the Sunday before finals every semester." Members of the church and community will prepare the breakfast. They prepare this meal as a gesture of their appreciation, Padesky said. It is available for any student who wants some nighttime nourishment, a break from studying or help from the tutors.

"This is a chance for us to serve the students," Padesky said. "It's starting to be a tradition."

Julie Weber, a senior from Teutopolis studying visual communications, has attended every Midnight Breakfast for the past four years. "The food keeps getting better each year," Weber said. "I liked it when they added the biscuits and gravy."

The Midnight Breakfast follows a 9 p.m. mass led by the Rev. Joseph Brown, where he will perform a blessing of the brains ceremony. "It's a blessing to help you focus and remember all the material you need to know for your tests," Weber said. "Every little bit helps."

About 250 students showed up for the free food and fellowship last semester. However, there have been as many as 600 students who have attended a single breakfast in the past, Padesky said.

"Hopefully everyone shows," Padesky said. The event is a good chance to invite people to the Newman Center without strings attached, and it's a chance for students to meet and enjoy each other's company, Padesky said.

"People don't have to worry about being evangelized," Padesky said. "This is just something we're doing for the community." Weber said she attends each semester because she has fun and enjoys the company of the other students who attend. She also takes advantage of the food and tutors.

"It's a nice atmosphere for studying and to let loose before finals," Weber said.

The Newman Center is located at 715 S. Washington by the Recreation Center and Washington Square. Everyone is welcome and encouraged to attend, Padesky said. "For me, I really appreciated it because it helped integrate me into a community that I otherwise would not have found," Padesky said. "But on a base level, you get free food out of it."