Do I go home, or do I stay at Fordham for Easter Break? This is my eternal, internal conundrum.
Well, that might be a bit of an exaggeration. But I do seriously think about it. Every year, I weigh the pros and cons of returning to Northern Virginia and celebrating with my family or staying in New York and commemorating with friends.
The obvious answer to this conundrum is that it does not matter. Easter Break is an excellent source of rejuvenation and rest, no matter what you do during the time off. Running on the Mount Vernon Trail in D.C. or running to catch the subway are both excellent sources of exercise. Eating my Wegmans lox and cream cheese bagel is nearly as delicious as my Simon’s bacon, egg and cheese. I’ll still be reading the same books, surrounded by people I love and relishing in the stillness and the glory of these precious days.
However, as a perfectionist, I am constantly seeking the best answer. In order to justify my own constant self-reflection, I can ask, what is the telos of my Easter Break? To explore how my experience of Easter Break could uplift or hinder this pursuit of my formal and final causes, I must dive deeply into what this break means. This meaning is not just for me, but as the greatest feast of Christianity, I naturally had to ask others: What does Easter mean for you? This ought to provide some sort of guideline for how to answer my own question of where to go for Easter Break.
Easter is the celebration of the Resurrection of Jesus Christ. In my reflections on Easter, I must ask: What is in need of resurrection in my life? Is it my international economic policy grade that is currently suffering, as I don’t quite understand tariffs as well as I ought? Could it be my credit card score, which took a hit after a few too many drinks over spring break? Jokes aside, what within myself and in relationships with others is in need of this resurrecting light?
I think this framework of resurrecting relationships is pertinent when considering what to do over Easter Break. I tussle between the joys of the Fordham community here, or going home to my Mom, Dad, Nonna and sister, Amelia, to celebrate Easter. As college students, we are entering this space of life in which our notions of home are continuously transforming. And Easter Break makes that abundantly clear.
Lauryn Sweeney, FCRH ’25, has spent several Easter Breaks at Fordham. As a California native, it’s more practical for her to stay in New York for Easter. But she also chooses to remain at Fordham for the community here. Easter meals with friends have helped her find a “home away from home.” For Sweeney, the Triduum celebrations are also “particularly beautiful at Fordham.” She described the feeling of seeing “people from so many different parts of the university at these masses.” To celebrate the Resurrection with everyone from her “professor from sophomore year,” to “a speaker from a conference she attended at Fordham” is incredibly “grounding.” Sweeney said, “even though it’s hard not to be with my whole family, creating new family here is really good.”
Fordham is more than just a place where classes are held. It is a place where strong relationships are formed and values are fostered. Staying at Fordham over Easter Break allows this side of Fordham to become abundantly clear. There is much value in taking this time for leisure while still being in the same routine and context. For me, being at Fordham during this stillness always makes me appreciate it even more. It allows me to recognize what this education is really all about.
Going home for Easter Break also provides opportunities for deep reflection and reconnection. Zoe Najmy, FCRH ’26, loves going home “for the quality time she gets to spend with her family.” Easter is full of many traditions for the Najmys, including “morning Easter brunch with [her] mom’s Cuban family and then evening Easter dinner with [her] dad’s Syrian family.” As she cannot go home to Florida often, these moments are always particularly special. Zoe described, with a smile, how going “home for Easter always reminds [her] of how blessed she is.”
And so, this question of where to go for Easter Break is itself resurrecting. It encourages intentionality as we discern our lives. We can recognize the joy and hope in our experiences wherever we go. So, while in the grand scheme of things, our physical location during Easter Break may seem trivial, these experiences form us into who we are and who we are becoming.
Abigail Adams, FCRH ’26, is a philosophy major from Alexandria, Virginia.
