On Thursday, Feb. 20th, the Peer Ministry Team (PMT) hosted the first Agape Latte session of the spring semester. Held by Linda’s Fireplace, this session featured Senior Vice President for Mission & Culture, Francis Origanti, Ph.D as the primary speaker.
Agape Latte is a coffee house series where faculty members share an aspect of their faith journey with the Sacred Heart University community. Students are invited to engage in shared stories and discussions, trivia, music and, lattes.
Sacred Harmonix, a new addition to Sacred Heart’s choir program, opened the event with an A Cappella performance of “Skyfall” by Adele and “Pure Imagination” from Willy Wonka & The Chocolate Factory.
“Agape” means the highest unconditional form of love. These sessions originated at Boston College and began at Sacred Heart in 2015.
Origanti joined Sacred Heart in 2021 as the associate dean of the school of social work, and, in July 2023, was appointed his current title of senior vice president for mission & culture. He received his master’s degree in Social Work from Loyola College India and his Doctor of Philosophy from Catholic University.
Origanti’s speech centered around several pivotal moments in his life where faith guided him through life and all its challenges. The first of these was before he was even born. His parents faced complications when he was in the womb, causing doctors to inform them it would take a miracle for their son to have a healthy birth.
His parents found strength in faith and prayed frequently to Saint Francis Xavier for a safe and healthy delivery. Origanti was born healthy, albeit kicking and screaming, and was named after the saint who guided him into life. This origin earned him the nickname “FX” from SHU President Dr. John Petillo.
The second moment where faith changed his life occurred when Origanti was in eighth grade. He wasn’t a model student and didn’t care for the natural sciences, as his passion was in social sciences.
However, his parents were pushing him towards being an engineer or a doctor, in which he had no interest. Everything that he did at the time was to please them, and he struggled to meet their expectations.
Searching for an escape from the pressures, he ran away from home and hopped on a train arriving five hours away from home in a city he had never heard of, with no idea what to do next.
Origanti felt a variety of emotions ranging from bravery to panic and fear. Then more lost than he had ever been previously, he said a Hail Mary and was met with an elderly woman who asked, “What are you doing here? Where are you going?”
Origanti hesitated before responding, “Home.”
“There’s a train outside that will take you home,” she said.
Origanti hopped on the train without a ticket and found himself back at home with his worried parents. This encounter, Origanti believes, was a divine intervention. It proved to him how faith can lead you even when you are lost, showing you the way when you least expect it.
Origanti’s faith journey would come full circle with the birth of his first child. She had stopped growing in the womb, and an emergency cesarean section was needed to save the life of his daughter. Overwhelmed, he went to the chapel and prayed.
Daphne was born at two pounds and had to stay in an incubator for a month. Origanti’s daughter was a miracle baby, just like him.
Following Origanti’s speech, the Peer Ministry team conducted trivia with questions based on Origanti’s speech. One student won a karaoke microphone for remembering the name of Origanti’s beloved dog, Wally.
Freshman Kayleigh Lauten said that she felt inspired by the Agape Latte session.
“It’s really powerful how faith can show us the right way through life,” said Lauten.
Agape Latte sessions count for colloquium credits, and more are planned for later in the spring semester.
Source: Will Morgan, Staff Writer and Photographer
Source: Will Morgan, Staff Writer and Photographer
