Written by Fr. Connor Danstrom, Chaplain/Director
Last year, Cardinal John Henry Newman was canonized a saint of the Roman Catholic Church. This was an occasion of great joy for us here at the Newman Center, as well as throughout the country for all the Catholic campus ministries that bear his name. When he was made a Cardinal, Newman took as his motto the Latin phrase, “Cor ad cor loquitur.” His coat of arms had three hearts, representing the Trinity. This idea of God speaking to the heart of man from his own Triune heart was central to Newman’s understanding of revelation.
Therefore, we chose “Cor Coffee” as the official name for our coffee shop not only because of the connection to our namesake, but because the purpose of the coffee shop is to create an atmosphere and occasion for God’s heart to speak to the heart of our students.
Cor Coffee’s logo is centered on a heart, which almost looks like a fancy latte pour you might have seen a barista carefully craft at a specialty coffee shop. But the heart has a cavity in it in the shape of three leaves, signifying the infinite longing in the human heart for God. The three complementary leaves above the heart evoke the Trinity as well, but also the descending dove that signifies the Holy Spirit filling the heart of every baptized person. The whole symbol itself resembles the Sacred Heart of Jesus – the human heart of God – which communes with us in the Eucharist as well as the communal life of the Church. Finally, the “O” in Cor is left open at the top, which reflects the world that is open to the revelation of God, in contradistinction to the secular worldview that is closed off to God and to transcendence of any kind.
Our hope is that Cor Coffee is a place of encounter, beginning with a good cup of coffee served by students who care, and that is open to anyone and everyone who hungers for love. It is a way for Newman and its students to serve the wider community, and to make the Newman Center a place of hospitality and Christian charity. It is also our hope that through these encounters, the innate desire for the Triune God that animates every human heart is brought to light and guided to its proper end.