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November 6, 2023

Explore. Connect. Celebrate.

It’s time to celebrate with La Salle students past and present at Homecoming and Family Weekend this Nov. 10-12. Check out the full schedule.  

Honoring Explorers’ achievements 

The La Salle University Alumni Association will honor two recipients with achievement awards during the annual awards reception on Friday, Nov. 10, kicking off Homecoming and Family Weekend 2023. Learn more about the honorees and how to attend the dinner.

Democracy in action

President Daniel J. Allen, Ph.D., was named to Philadelphia’s Committee of Seventy, a nonpartisan civic leadership organization that promotes citizen engagement and public policy advocacy. Learn more.

Head to the polls

Pennsylvania's 2023 General Election will take place tomorrow, on Tuesday, Nov. 7. Find your polling place at Vote.PA.gov/PollingPlace. If you're voting in person, La Salle's shuttle bus will stop at Widener’s driveway on Election Day. You can board the shuttle as usual at Broad and Olney. 

Featured events

Documentary screening: Sound of the Police  

Tuesday, 5:30 p.m.  

This screening held in Founders’ Hall Auditorium is sponsored by the Department of Urban Public Health and Nutrition bXg, along with La Salle’s African American Student League, Multicultural and International Center, and the Office of Mission, Diversity, and Inclusion. The film begins at 6 p.m. with a discussion led by Assistant Professor of Public Health John Taylor, Ph.D., M.Ed., MACC, LPC, and MIC Director Cherylyn Rush.  

Men’s Basketball home opener  

Tuesday, 6:30 p.m.  

Watch the Explorers take on the Drexel Dragons in their first regular season game at TruMark Financial Center.  

Digital Mural Unveiling
Wednesday, 4 p.m.

Gather on the Union Patio for the unveiling of the digital mural. Learn more about the mural. 

Explorer Café Speaker Series 

Thursday, 12:30 p.m. 

Watch a screening of Hope That Lights The Way, a documentary discussing the progress and transformation against gun violence. Octavius L. Blount, coordinator of Black male engagement in the Philadelphia Mayor’s Office and Jude Husein, ’20, director of state advocacy, for the State of Pennsylvania in the Office of Senator Art Haywood will facilitate a discussion. The event will be held in the Holroyd Lobby.

Women’s Basketball home opener  

Thursday, 4:30 p.m.  

The University of Maine Black Bears visit TruMark Financial Center to face the Explorers.  

Beer Garden and Bonfire
Thursday, 6:30-9 p.m. 

Enjoy a kick-off to Homecoming and Family Weekend with drinks, snacks, and a DJ. Attend the women’s basketball game earlier in the afternoon for a chance to win free drink tickets.

Homecoming and Family Weekend 

Friday through Sunday 

Celebrate with your fellow Explorers with a weekend packed with activities. Check out the full schedule. 

Family Mass  

Sunday, 11 a.m.  

Close out Homecoming and Family Weekend, and celebrate the 31st Sunday of Ordinary Time with Mass at De La Salle Chapel.  

November is Black Catholic History Month

In 1990, the National Black Catholic Clergy Caucus of the United States designated November as Black Catholic History Month to celebrate the long history and proud heritage of Black Catholics. This month is a time to celebrate the contributions of Black Catholics to the Roman Catholic tradition. With the feasts of All Saints and All Souls during the month, it is also an occasion to recall in a special way the saints and souls of Africa and the African Diaspora. Important dates to Catholics of African descent that fall within November are:

• Nov. 3 – The feast of Saint Martin de Porres. He became the first Black Saint of the Americas. He was canonized by Pope John XXIII on May 16, 1962. He exemplified God’s love for all people, regardless of their level in society.
• Nov. 20 – The death of Zumbi of Palmares in Brazil, the South American founder of the free state of Blacks.

Celebrating Diwali

Diwali or Deepavali is also known as the Festival of Lights and is a significant festival for Hindus, Jains, and Sikhs. This year it will be celebrated on Sunday, Nov. 12, the new moon day, of the month of Kartik in the lunar calendar, with festivities lasting five days (Nov. 10 – 15). One of the most popular festivals of Hinduism, it symbolizes the spiritual "victory of light over darkness, good over evil, and knowledge over ignorance." Nov. 12 is also specially dedicated to the worship of Lakshmi, the Hindu goddess of prosperity and good fortune.

Honoring Veterans’ Day

Nov. 11, 1918, is generally regarded as the end of “the war to end all wars.” World War I officially ended when the Treaty of Versailles was signed on June 28, 1919, however fighting ceased seven months earlier when an armistice between Allied nations and Germany went into effect on the eleventh hour of the eleventh day of the eleventh month. For this reason, Nov. 11 continues to be observed as Veterans’ Day to honor American veterans for their service and sacrifice.

National Vocation Awareness Week

Catholic schools and parishes will celebrate National Vocation Awareness Week from Nov. 5-13. This is an annual week-long celebration of the Catholic Church in the United States dedicated to promoting vocations to the priesthood, diaconate, and consecrated life. To learn more about the De La Salle Christian Brothers Vocation, click here. To learn more about National Vocation Awareness Week and to read a short prayer for vocations click here.