Christian Witness Commons
Christian Witness Commons (CWC) houses 400+ residential sophomore students. It consists of three buildings: Jean Donovan Hall, Oscar Romero Hall and Dorothy Day Hall. CWC is home to a fitness center located in Donovan Hall. Christian Witness Commons offers suite-style living and is staffed by nine student Resident Success Assistants and one Residence Hall Director.
Building Amenities
- 12 suites per building
- 24-hour security presence at the front desk
- Card swipe entry at the main entrance
- Vending machines located throughout the building
- Laundry machines throughout the building
- The CWC fitness center is located in Jean Donovan Hall
- A coffee shop, study and event space is located in Jean Donovan Hall
Suite Amenities
- Each suite houses 10-12 same gender students
- Spacious study lounge
- Living/Dining room area with kitchen
- Room amenities
- Double occupancy
- Window coverings
- Card swipe entry to the room
- Desks (one per resident)
- Chairs (one per resident)
- Adjustable bed (one per resident)
- Dresser drawer (one per resident)
- Closet armoire (one per resident)
- Cable television jack (one per room)
- Air conditioning/heating unit
- Wireless internet access
Meet the Staff
Kathleen (Kate) Naron
Residence Hall Director
203-416-3735
naronk@sacredheart.edu
Resident Success Assistant
- Kervens Buisson (SRSA)
- Cayna Mangine
- Sam Pirruccio
- Nick Bosticco
- Callie Bellwoar
- Bella D'Andrea
- Nicole Pastula
- Tim Via
- Sofia Mazzella
Who is Archbishop Oscar Romero?
Oscar Romero
1917-1980
Oscar Arnulfo Romero was born in San Miguel, El Salvador. He became a priest in 1942 and was consecrated as a bishop in 1974. In 1977, Romero was chosen as archbishop with the hope that his moderate views might ease tensions between the Church and state in El Salvador at that time. The archbishop became radicalized, however, when a paramilitary death squad assassinated his close friend, Fr. Rutilio Grande, SJ. Archbishop Romero began to preach strongly against the death squads. Adopting the emerging liberation theology, he became a vocal advocate on behalf of the poor and the oppressed, calling for peace based on justice that could only be found in human rights and assurances of basic dignities. His nomination for the Nobel Peace Prize in 1979 put an international spotlight on his human rights efforts, but on March 24, 1980, as he presided at Mass, he was shot by an assassin. The archbishop’s death drew world-wide attention to the Church in El Salvador. His courageous and unyielding determination to bring about justice cost him his life, but his integrity has inspired thousands to continue his work.
Who is Jean Donovan?
Jean Donovan
1953-1980
Jean Donovan was born in 1953, the younger of two children raised in Westport. Jean earned an MBA from Case Western Reserve University and then took a job as management consultant for an accounting firm in Cleveland. While volunteering with the Cleveland Diocese Youth Ministry, she heard about the diocesan mission project in El Salvador and intuitively knew she should be involved. After participating in a missionary training course at Maryknoll, Jean arrived in El Salvador in July 1979, a time when repression was intensifying and the Church had become a major target. She became a coordinator for the diocesan mission program in El Salvador and helped by distributing food for the poor and the refugees and by carrying out family education programs. The people of La Libertad loved Jean and dubbed her, “St. Jean the Playful.” She was devoted to supporting the efforts of Archbishop Romero, and after his assassination, she wrote to a friend in Connecticut: “Several times I have decided to leave El Salvador. I almost could, except for the children, the poor, bruised victims of this insanity. Who would care for them?” On Dec. 2, 1980, National Guardsmen in El Salvador murdered Jean Donovan and Sisters Maura Clarke, Ita Ford and Dorothy Kazel. Upon their deaths, the women became martyrs for a church of the poor in El Salvador and inspiration for thousands of Christians in the United States.
Who is Dorothy Day?
Dorothy Day
1897-1980
Dorothy Day was born in Brooklyn in 1897 and raised mostly in Chicago. She attended the University of Illinois and then moved with her family to New York in 1916 to pursue a career as a revolutionary journalist. She became a regular correspondent for publications such as the Call and the New Masses. She involved herself in controversial issues of the day, especially women’s rights. In 1917, she joined picketers in front of the White House who were protesting the brutal treatment of women suffragists in jail. They were all arrested and served 30 days in a workhouse. After Dorothy’s conversion to Catholicism, she co-founded The Catholic Worker in 1933, with a first issue of 2,500 copies. Three years later, the paper reached a circulation of 150,000. Dorothy used The Catholic Worker to promote her position of neutral pacifism, which she held for all the wars that took place during her lifetime. In addition to the newspaper, she opened a house of hospitality in the slums of New York to provide housing for the homeless and food for the hungry. By the 1960s, Dorothy was an inspiration to hundreds of thousands of people and was acclaimed as the “grand old lady of pacifism.” She died in 1980 after a lifetime of voluntary poverty, leaving no money for her funeral. The Archdiocese of New York paid for it.