Living Your Faith on Campus
By Jessica Tomer
Catholic colleges and universities offer plenty of faith-based campus activities. Here are just a few!
Reach out to others
Resident assistants are a college staple. They’re peer leaders and mentors living in the residence halls, and they are a great support system for students. But some schools have peer ministers that serve a similar purpose.
At Carroll College in Helena, Montana, these students are called Kirchen ministers. “Each residence hall floor has one Kirchen minister that lives on it for the purpose of giving students a person to talk with about matters of faith or just about the challenges of life in college,” says Colleen Dunne, Campus Minister at Carroll. “They help one another to stay on track and to be the best of who they can be.”
Most schools have an application process, which may include an interview. Usually, students must commit a set amount of hours to being in their dorm room each week, in case someone needs them. Peer ministers are also expected to be model students, and some colleges even have a minimum GPA requirement.
Program development is another part of peer ministry, whether that means organizing a community service project or just a movie night. At Regis University in Denver, Colorado, peer ministers are responsible for two each month. “Plan on doing peer ministry stuff about 15 hours a week,” says Colleen O’Grady, former Residence Hall Minister at Regis.
One Regis student minister planned an event called “PB and Jam,” where students gathered to make peanut butter and jelly sandwiches for the poor while listening to music. Students also get together for monthly free coffee nights, group meditation, and—of course—anything involving food.
Gabby Valdez, a 2009 graduate of the University of the Incarnate Word in San Antonio, Texas, spent two years working as a communication arts peer minister. “I applied for this position because I thought it fit my personality very well,” she says. “I really enjoy taking pictures, being involved, and using my skills in creativity.”
Like many peer ministers, Valdez decided to join because of great experiences with them as an underclassman. “The interaction among the peer ministers is nothing less than a family,” she says. “We have such a positive energy that it becomes contagious and you just can’t help from smiling.”
Get hands-on experience
Attending Mass on campus is a great way for students to reconnect with their faith, but some people want to do more than just watch. With liturgical ministry, students practically run the show, from ushering to lecturing to controlling the sound system. 
“They know the ups and downs, every single detail of what goes on in Mass,” says Lisandro Pena, Liturgical Coordinator at Fordham University in New York City. “They come with a very open heart and desire to give themselves to service.”
Students usually take turns throughout the semester, working as acolytes, ushers, lectors, musicians, and communication ministers. At Fordham, tech-savvy students can even become media ministers, responsible for live radio and Web broadcasts of the Mass.
At Loyola Marymount University (LMU) in Los Angeles, California, students hold almost all the liturgical leadership positions. Recent graduates Sarah Benoit and Adam Stebbins served as the Coordinator of Music Ministry and Master of Ceremonies, respectively.
With music ministry, Benoit organized choirs for Masses and special events. Backed by years of experience as a singer and pianist, she was glad to be able to express her faith with music. “It’s really life giving. It’s really a gift to be able to do that,” she says. As Master of Ceremonies, Stebbins was responsible for overseeing the volunteers for all on-campus liturgical events. “I’m a firm believer in giving back,” he says. “This is the best way that I can serve.”
Students should expect a weekly time commitment that varies depending on holidays and special events. “A lot of things kind of pop up,” Stebbins says. He averaged about 10–20 hours each week, he says, while Benoit estimated only four hours.
“You take ownership and responsibility,” she says. “As growing people, that’s really fantastic.”
Take a break
The retreats offered by Catholic colleges and universities are not the typical weekend getaway; they’re more like a 24/7 exercise in self-reflection.
Usually at a resort or campground off campus, retreats can last one weekend or several weeks, but the goals tend to be the same. “They are opportunities to step back from a busy college environment in order to reflect upon one’s life, grow in relationship with God, and experience community,” says Jeff Ossinger, Associate Campus Minister for Retreats and Men’s Issues at the Catholic University of America (CUA) in Washington, D.C.
Though every retreat is a little different, and practices vary from school to school, students should expect group discussions and prayer. The retreat may focus on one particular student group, like athletes, or it may be open to an entire class, like sophomores or juniors. For many schools, the freshman retreat is the most popular.
“It occurs so early in students’ college experience and at a time when they are looking to meet people and make friends,” says Ossinger. More than 200 freshmen have attended past CUA retreats, he says, and upperclassmen trips have big turnouts as well. “Students often debate about going until the last minute because of the demands of school work, but few seem to regret the decision to go afterwards.” 
Boston College in Chestnut Hill, Massachusetts, hosts a retreat of the same nature, called Kairos, which runs 10 times each year. “Each of us is called to fullness as a person and to a closer intimacy with God,” says Greg Carpinello, Kairos Campus Minister. “Kairos helps participants to realize this through the witness of others and reflection on their own lived experience.”
Although a Catholic campus ministry leads these retreats, non-Catholic students can participate as well. “We’ve found that students of all different faith backgrounds find Kairos to be meaningful,” Carpinello says. (And not only is it welcoming, it’s popular; there are over 1,800 students on the waiting list!)
By taking students off bustling campuses, retreats allow participants to focus on the task at hand: “Approach life with an enhanced commitment to love, integrity, and faith,” says Carpinello. “Approach each day with an openness to recognize the presence of God in all things.”
Discover your path
People may use the words “job” and “vocation” interchangeably, but they’re not the same. A job is a job, but a vocation is a calling; students involved with vocational discernment know all about the difference.
In a basic sense, vocational discernment helps students reflect on their goals to figure out what they need in work and life. But even though it’s a practice rooted in faith, it’s not just for people who are considering a career in the church. It can be helpful to any student unsure of his or her life’s path.
At Santa Clara University in Santa Clara, California, students have the DISCOVER program (Developing and Inspiring Scholarly Communities Oriented Toward Vocational Engagement and Reflection). Through annual retreats and weekly small group meetings, they focus on three “big questions”: What brings me joy? What are my gifts? Who does the world need me to be? “Student leaders share around those questions and how they have lived those questions,” says Theresa Ladrigan-Whelpley, Director of Resident Ministry and Associate Campus Minister for Vocational Discernment at Santa Clara.
Students may have a concrete goal in mind, like discovering the right career path, but vocational discernment is primarily about considering all the possibilities. “If they are to be ‘called,’ they need to listen to the ‘caller,’” says Dr. Mary Reichardt, Director of the Beyond Career to Calling program at the University of St. Thomas in St. Paul, Minnesota.
Reichardt says St. Thomas students find silent prayer to be the most effective method of discernment, but other students may use group discussions or journaling. “Their path in life will be revealed to students through such means as conversation with others, books they read, observing their natural skills and proclivities, etc.”
Students may also use internships. At Sewanee, The University of the South in Sewanee, Tennessee, students spend six weeks immersed in a potential calling. “They’re asking the big questions of themselves in life at a time when they could be taking it easy,” says Robin Hille Michaels, Coordinator of Discernment Programs at Sewanee.
One Sewanee student started a microlending organization for women in Malawi, Africa. Another worked on an organic farm with a spiritual focus. Some even lived in monasteries and convents, says Hille Michaels. “I see how it has affected the students’ lives, and it’s tremendous.”
2010
