By Gionna Bean, Opinion Editor
Anna Feldpausch, Natalie Goodwin and Jaden Goodwin at the event together – Photo by Trista Cridler
On Sunday, Sept. 20, Campus Ministry put on an after-Mass social that was particularly fall-themed: a make your own caramel apple event. The Moose was packed with people preparing their apples, eating and conversing with one another.
At the event, students made their own caramel apples at a caramel apple bar. The bar had various add-ons to choose from, including cookie crumbles, pretzels, chocolate chips, marshmallows and sprinkles. The variety of toppings allowed students to make their apple however they’d like, which freshman Alicia Offer said she enjoyed.
“This is so cute,” Offer said. “I would definitely love to attend another social.”
Offer attended the event with her friend, freshman Mia Bosscher. Both students had never attended an After-mass social before, but the prospect of such a festive event that would allow them to hang out together and meet others in the community encouraged them to attend.
“This is actually our first after-Mass social,” Bosscher said. “It’s so much fun, and I love being here with everyone. I got marshmallows and sprinkles on my apple.”
Other students had been to previous after-Mass socials, and they thought that this one was comparable. “I think these are always a great chance to hang out with people after mass,” senior Anna Feldpausch said. “This one was especially nice as a Fall-themed one. It felt very festive.”
Emily Klein and Coreena Mae eat apples together – Photo by Trista Cridler
Junior Trista Cridler, the Campus Ministry Social Media Coordinator, set up the event. Cridler puts on all of the after Mass socials, and some of the most frequented ones feature activities ultimate frisbee, board games and crafts. These socials take place every Sunday after the 7 p.m. Mass.
Trista Cridler cutting apples for the event – Photo by Gionna Bean
“In order to come up with an idea for a social event, I’ll either think of them on my own or take someone else’s suggestion,” Cridler said. “For this one, it was actually a suggestion from someone else, and I really liked their idea. I thought it would be a good one because it’s the first week of fall.”
Then, Cridler meets with Director of Campus Ministry Michael Ingram once a week to discuss her plans. Ingram gives her advice, letting her know what works and how she should proceed.
Once an event is approved, the next steps include gathering materials, paid for by Campus Ministry, and advertising the event on social media.
“Then I have to advertise the event on Instagram,” Cridler said. “For the flyers that I put out, it takes me anywhere from 20 minutes to an hour to make them, because they’re pretty simple but usually I have an idea of what I want to look like. I spend a while playing around with different looks, colors, fonts and pictures. I especially try to not have them look the same every week so I intentionally like to spend a little bit more time on them.”
Cridler has to plan for around 40-50 attendees each Sunday. With this many people attending, it’s important to plan an activity that is attractive to a variety of people with different interests. The caramel apple social is an example of this.
Apples are very allergen-friendly, and the variety of toppings provides the chance for personalization. Most importantly, food is an easy way to bring the community together, which is ultimately what the after-Mass socials are all about.
