Magis Moment: March 2026

 A Message from the Vice President of University Advancement 

As we bid goodbye to the revelry and camaraderie of Mardi Gras, we look inward. We look for ways to improve ourselves, to sacrifice for others, and to find comfort and strength as we fortify our faith. I have a deep appreciation for this season of Lent, for the simplicity it can bring and for the reminder to spend more time in discernment and prayer. 

Lent often serves as a reminder to slow down, to look at the world around me, and to actively appreciate the beauty that can be found in those moments of reflection. Perhaps then, it is an apt time for Loyola to celebrate Bloom Fest. Bloom Fest is a College of Music and Media-sponsored event that invites the community to come together to connect, share, and celebrate creativity and mental health awareness in memory of Kendall Daigle, a former English major at Loyola. Much of this beautiful event takes place near the metal tree sculpture located behind the Chapel of St. Ignatius and Gayle and Tom Benson Jesuit Center. The tree is a memorial donated by Dan and Michelle Daigle, Kendall's parents.

Design students of the “Kendall Collective” designed the sculpture and developed the activities that take place at Bloom Fest, which include music, spoken word, screen printing, and crafting - all in the spirit of Kendall - meant to honor, heal, and inspire through art while encouraging the Loyola community to bloom together.

Through their generosity Dan and Michelle have not only honored and memorialized Kendall at Loyola, they have created a legacy that will endure as members of the Wolf Pack take moments of reflection near the sculpture and connect with their community at Bloom Fest.

As you observe Lent in the ways that are meaningful to you, I hope you will experience moments that remind you of the beauty that exists in the thoughtfulness of others, in the impact they have made in the world, and in the impact you can and have made for others. 

Sincerely,

Stephanie Hotard '04, M.B.A. '10
Vice President of University Advancement