 Be people who are consistently reviving their hearts, wearing shabby garments, lights that eliminate the darkness. Be unknown to those on earth, yet known to the inhabitants of the heavens. I'm more than a 1,000 year old staying by Ibn Masarud, a religious scholar that I try to live by every day. And today we gather here from wherever you are to celebrate light. More specifically, we gather to celebrate the lights in our lives. In a time where darkness seemed to invade every aspect of our lives, it's very important to seek out lights and also the blessings in front of us. We are blessed to see the same qualities that Saint Lucia had, including service, strength, courage, leadership, compassion, shine throughout the Kistavis community. With the help of many strong young women. Traditionally, the festival of Saint Lucia, sometimes referred to as the Festival of Light, is celebrated during December 13th, which is considered to be one of the longest nights in winter. However, we're a little bit early, but I'm still super, super happy that we get to celebrate this festival in some manner under this circumstances. The story of Saint Lucia is quite something all right. So Saint Lucia was born in the 14th century to a wealthy family in Sicily, Italy, and life was great. However, her dad passed away and life was never the same. Her mom was taking care of her, however, her mom fell ill. So Saint Lucia prayed very, very hard and she vowed that if her mom was to be healed, she will devote her life to serve God and she will remain unmarried. This beautiful young woman decided to not marry, remaining faithful to her promise. Now you may have guessed where the story is going. Lucia's suitor at the time was not happy with this change in plan. He was going to be losing Lucia and all the money that comes along with her. He thought that because she did not wanna marry him, then she must be a witch. So he reported her to the government and she ended up standing in front of a judge where she ended up dying horribly because she stood up for what she believed in and because a man just couldn't handle a rejection. According to the Swedish legend, a ship carrying a maiden clothed in white and crowned with light appeared on the shore in the Swedish province of Femblend during a great famine. It is believed that Saint Lucia was that maiden and she was distributing cloth and food for the needy. Even though Saint Lucia died horribly, her legend and teachings still lives on and it's celebrated as a symbol of service and light, not just in Sweden, but all around the world, including care, inspiring young women from everywhere to serve and lead, be strong, courageous, compassionate, and radiate light. In fact, today we celebrate six wonderful, strong women that touch the Gustavus community. Hi, I'm Zoe Schuck. My major is vocal music education and I am from McMillville, Oregon. I'm involved in the Gustavus Choir on campus, which means everything to me. Music, I think, is what makes me who I am and so having the opportunity to do that every day with such amazing people just, it's something really special and it's a special bond that we all share, I think. I'm trying to be a leader that's very compassionate and open-minded, I would say. One of my leadership involvements on campus is with the Sunday worship team and in that, I'm just, I'm very passionate about making that open to all folks, every gender identity, ability, race, ethnicity, whatever it may be. And so I wanna be a leader that leads four others primarily. I love the community at Gustavus. Something that's so beautiful is that what I've realized through coming here is that everyone just wants to find that community. Everyone is willing to give a smile or a wave and we all truly want the same things and that same thing is good community. My name is Abby Doran. I am a math and computer science double major and I'm from Rose Mountain, Minnesota. I am a part of the Gustavus Dance Company and that's important to me because it's a group of individuals who work together to create art that is presented to the Gustavus community and beyond. I strive to be a leader that is a holistic version of myself, drawing on all the different aspects of my identity. So both my determination and drive, while also valuing compassion and care for others. And so I think that's really powerful as we work to make sure everyone feels like they have a place at the table and so that everyone feels not only that they have a place but also are welcomed and loved for every part of who they are as a person. That's also kind of something that I love about Gustavus is Gustavus is a place that encourages you to be the most whole version of yourself that you can be. So really making sure that students feel like they can pursue every part of who they are as a person because we need the arts and the humanities and the sciences in order to do good and make change in this world. My name is Leah Nelson. I am an elementary education major and I'm from Carver, Minnesota. An involvement on campus that is important to me is being the co-president of the pediatric cancer outreach crew. Over the summer, we created this organization because we wanted to create an awareness for childhood cancer because a lot of times in the media, childhood cancer is portrayed in a way that is significantly different from the reality. And so we thought it was really important that we did that while also encouraging these cancer fighters to keep fighting their battles. And it's really important to me because when I was a junior in high school, I was a cancerous brain tumor. And so it's helped me find a purpose in my diagnosis and it's just been really important for me. The leader that I'm trying to be is someone who is supportive and also encouraging of our crew members to create their own ideas but also support them in a direction of where we want the organization to go. One thing that I really love about Gustavus is just the community. I love just walking down the sidewalk and saying hi to someone that I've never even talked to before and I just love how it's such a close community of people. My name is Belando Aizu. I am a business management major and I'm from Burundi. One of my involvement here on campus is serving as one of the leaders that prepare ministries and being one of, like being involved in a Christian organization has had me grow in my faith and share my faith with others. I'm trying to be a servant leader. I'm trying to be a leader who puts others first, a leader who listens before speaking, trying to be a leader who respect others, who is optimistic and motivational. The Gustavus community. I'm very grateful for the Gustavus community. I have built valuable friendships that I can see lasting for a lifetime and I'm very grateful for that. Okay, I'm Amy Haney. I'm from Wilmer, Minnesota and I am a psych major and a GWS minor. Yeah, so right now I'm a collegiate fellow and just being that advising person for my residence is really important to me. I love creating the community in my section. Leadership to me is about being an advocate. The type of leader that I wanna be, I want to advocate for those that maybe don't have the position or the voice to and for those that do have the voice giving them a platform and order to advocate for themselves. I love the community here. I think, you know, obviously right now there's a lot of difficulties and everyone's having a hard time but here at Gustavus you can find someone to support you pretty much everywhere you go. My name is Renee Troutman. I'm from Hopkins, Minnesota and I'm majoring in elementary education and minoring in Spanish. I'm involved in Proclaim which is a Christian worship organization on campus and I sing on the worship band and that is a way that I really connect with God and I'm also on the leadership team and I've just been so blessed to make these connections because they always have the utmost support for me and love me and I know I've made some great connections that will last for the rest of my life. I'm trying to be a leader that is inclusive and that helps people recognize our differences and embrace those and just show love and compassion and kindness to everyone and I just try and be a light on campus by portraying all of these values. One thing that I love about Gustavus is definitely the community. It sounds cliche but like it's very important to have that community feel and I love getting, making connections with new people on campus and just walking around and being able to say hi and knowing a bunch of people and it just makes it feel like home. I want you to take a minute and think of a woman who is a light in your life. It can be your mother, your sister, your friend or your teacher and the list can go on. Those women who mean so much to us and we're so grateful for them just to exist. I know I have many lights that I am so grateful for including my host mom Talia, my friends, my advisor Laura and most importantly, my mother. My mother who lives thousands and thousands of miles away. My mother is the most strong, compassionate, caring woman and it's not a surprising. I was not an easy child to handle. So much tantrums, but at least I acknowledge it. Sorry mom, but she showed me how to be a strong woman and how to follow my dreams, whatever and be whatever the heck I wanna be and push people around me to do the same. And for that, I am grateful. Saint Lucia is celebrated for her good character and faith but this was only after she died horribly. For the people in our lives, it's very important to express our gratefulness for them and appreciation. So call your mom, call your best friend, call your teacher, say hey, I appreciate you. Thank you for being in my life. As humans, we have the power to radiate light and the lives of people around us. In acts of service and compassion, if we choose to interact with one another in love and acceptance and empathy, we are capable of transforming hatred into beauty and darkness into light. This is especially important during a time where there is so much conflicts and so much tension and unknowns. Anyone is capable of spreading light and love. I know that I emphasize being the light in other's people life, but it's also important and maybe even more important to be the light in your life. Lastly, know that you are loved and you are amazing. So embrace the light within you and go out and show it to the world. Peace and blessings to you all during this holiday season. Take care and stay safe, beautiful people. Welcome to Christchapel at Gustavus Adolphus College in St. Peter, Minnesota. Today, we are celebrating the Festival of St. Lucia. Even in this pandemic, we know that Lucia's message of hope and light, of compassion, service, and leadership is needed in our world today. So thank you for joining us for today's festival.