Dear Marquette students,

It's hard to believe that we are starting the last week of the fall semester. As you prepare for and begin to take your final exams, I wish each of you the best of luck for a successful conclusion to the semester. I know that finals can be very difficult, so I wanted to provide you with a few opportunities to relieve stress:

• On Tuesday evening, I will host a study break in the bridge between Raynor and Memorial Libraries from 9 p.m. to midnight. We will serve snacks and your favorite caffeinated beverages, so please stop by to say hello and get recharged. For those interested, I will also head to St. Joan of Arc Chapel at 10 p.m. for the last Tuesday night Mass of the semester.


• The President's Running Group will have its last two runs of the semester on Tuesday at 11:45 a.m. and Friday at 8 a.m. As always, we will be meeting at the Père Marquette statue and would love your company.

Finally, I want to thank you all for making my first semester at Marquette special — you have given me memories that will last a lifetime. You are what makes our university great, and I'm proud to be your president. For those I do not get to tell personally, I wish you a merry Christmas and a joyous holiday season. And for those graduating, I offer my sincere congratulations and expect you to both stay in touch and change the world.

You all will be in my prayers this week, and as a suggestion to further help you through finals, I offer this prayer from our online spirituality resource:

Prayer for students during finals

God of Wisdom,
I thank you for the knowledge gained
and the learning experiences of the semester.
I come to you and ask you to illuminate my mind and heart.

Let your Holy Spirit be with me as I prepare for exams,
guiding my studies and giving me insight
so that I can perform to the best of my ability.

Grant me the strength to handle the pressure of these days,
the confidence to feel secure in my knowledge
and the ability to keep a proper perspective through it all.

Help me to keep in mind what is truly important,
even as I focus my time and energy on these exams.

Finally, may I sense your peace
in knowing that I applied myself to the challenges of this day.

I ask this through Christ, our Lord.

Amen.

St. Thomas Aquinas, patron of students, pray for us.
St. Joseph of Cupertino, patron of test takers, pray for us.

Best,

Dr. Michael R. Lovell