Every Monday, students gather at Deacon Sales’s apartment for a dinner together that has quickly become a beloved tradition. Students sign up–single or in a group–to break bread with Sales, his wife Anna and his daughter Aspen, offering them a chance to slow down among the hectic pace of student life.
Before becoming a deacon, Dcn. Sales worked in emergency services. “One of the things that brings me the greatest joy is serving the people. I think that’s why I was a police officer and various other things,” said Dcn. Sales.
Sales, who has been at UD for three years, was inspired by Benedictine spirituality in hosting these dinners, in addition to his love of serving. Dcn. Sales said, “Feeding college kids is definitely a corporeal act of mercy, and it’s a way for us as a family to get to know the student body…in an informal setting where we welcome them into our home.”
Dinner with the Deacon is a way for students to enjoy a home-cooked meal together while also enjoying the company of some of UD’s ministry. However, Dcn. Sales wants students to know these dinners are a mutually beneficial experience. He said, “It’s just as much benefiting us as a family in the joy of sharing a meal, in getting invited into the lives of the students and spending time with them.”
Deacon Sales hopes these dinners have contributed to UD’s sense of community. He warns against treating college as a vacation and would like to help students call UD home. Dcn. Sales said, “We want to remind students that the staff and the professors here, they have lives and…the students are part of those lives. This isn’t just a place where people come to work. This is a place of ministry, it’s a place of family, it’s a place of community.”
Above all, the goal of Dinner with the Deacon is to create memories together and have fun. “One of my favorite memories is a group of students who one of them brought their guitar, and after dinner, we had an impromptu jam session. For a guy who has no musical talent, to hear music being made in my home was beautiful. My daughter is very musically gifted, and so for her to be able to share that joy with other musically gifted people was a real treat,” said Dcn. Sales.
Deacon Sales has a couple things he hopes students take away from these dinners. “Number one, we always say a full belly. Number two, just how much we love them, that they are family to us, every student here, whether they’ve had dinner with us before or not, whether they’ve met us before or not, our door is always open.”
If you’re looking for an evening of good company, good conversation and a warm, home-cooked meal, please check out the link below! Dinner is offered weekly at Deacon Sales’s apartment on Mondays from 6:30-8:30.