serviCe, PArTnershiP & fAiTh The friars “connect to students that we might not,” Dr. Sulli- “There is a comprehensiveness to campus ministry now that van says. “We wouldn’t have Hindu students, necessarily, if there wasn’t there years ago,” says Fr. Clyde Crews, Bellarmine’s uni- hadn’t been an Indian connection. And that has been really fun. versity historian, who spent five years volunteering with campus There has been a lot of wonderful interchange.” ministry in the 1970s. “It is more pro-active now, helping to build The campus ministry office grew further with the hiring of awareness about social justice and ecumenical issues – learning Dr. Karen Shadle as assistant director of Catholic worship and tolerance and learning from those other faith traditions. Also the campus ministry, a full-time position made possible by a recent focus on the environment; that it is part of social justice, that the generous gift. Earth is God’s gift to us. There is a deep awareness of that that In addition to providing worship services and counseling, the we didn’t have a generation ago.” Office of Campus Ministry fosters ecumenical experiences such as an annual Interfaith Seder; leads regular retreats to Gethsemani and St. Meinrad; and coordinates community service and social ‘Who am I?’ justice initiatives such as Alternative Spring Break trips. Those Campus ministry draws students for different reasons, Dr. Sul- service trips have become so popular that this year two new sites livan says. The ones who get involved right away have usually been were added to Appalachia and Louisiana - Kiptopeke State Park active in church or youth groups in high school. “The second group in Virginia, where students worked to restore boardwalks and are people who suddenly encounter a roommate or somebody in plant trees, and Washington, D.C., where the Brown Scholars a class who has strong convictions and they realize they are not explored the implications of urban poverty. sure what theirs are,” she says. “They are coming to get more infor- mation: ‘I know I’m Catholic, but I’m not sure why. What do I say when people say we worship statues? How do I respond to that?’” “By HELPING OTHER Some students arrive in the office after a rough first semester STuDENTS ExPLORE AND or year at college. “They are looking for an anchor. You know – ‘Ineed to get back into prayer, I need to get back into worship, going LEARN ABOuT THEIR to Mass’ or whatever.” Or they are having a crisis of identity. “They RESPECTIvE FAITHS, I want to major in art, and their parents say, ‘You’re going to Bel-larmine; you’re going to major in pre-med.’ And so they will ask ALSO GROW IN My OWN for advice – how do you tell your parents you are changing your FAITH; FAITH IS NEvER major? Or, how do you talk to your parents when you’re datingsomeone you think they won’t approve of? And some students come STAGNANT, IN My OPINION, out to me, too. It’s pretty much a broad counseling perspective.” AND I BELIEvE FIRMLy ministry has to offer, others are seeking a particular experience.While some students immerse themselves in all that campus IN HELPING PEOPLE TO “They may go to every retreat. Or every time we go to Gethsemani, GROW IN THEIR OWN go. They have very specific needs and they use campus ministry forthey go. Or every time we do an alternative spring break trip, they FAITH JOuRNEyS.” that, but they will use another church or parish for other needs.” One characteristic that is common for this generation of stu- Jonathan Smith, a senior finance major and Catholic from dents, she says, is that “their big question is, ‘Who am I?’ That is Louisville, who is a peer minister in the Siena residence hall complex the Merton question.” Campus ministry can help them discover the answer. “We invite all students to consider that on a Catholic campus you have a unique opportunity to develop your spirit and to not be stuck as a child in a faith that you have inherited but “We plan to add more trips each year to enable as many stu- you don’t really know and don’t really embrace. And that part of dents as possible to attend,” says Patrick Englert, assistant dean discovering your true self, the Merton invitation, is the formation of students. “Each trip builds in intentional reflection each day, piece. You get information in the classroom; you get formation in and each year students come back to campus energized and filled campus ministry – help to be the best mature person in your faith with a passion to service and impact change.” tradition that you can be.” In 2011, Campus Ministry partnered with Residence Life to Anna Peterson, a Roman Catholic senior from Lexington, Ky., begin a new peer ministry program, placing three trained student credits campus ministry with helping her figure out what she minsters in residence halls to lead scripture study, answer ques- wants to do next. “When I came to college I thought that I would tions of faith and be available for one-on-one counseling with have some clear sign that I was doing what God wanted me to do. students facing distressing personal matters. “Some Catholic I was discontent because I was not sure what I was supposed to campuses like Notre Dame have hall chaplains for each residence do with my life and that really bothered me.” hall,” Dr. Sullivan says. “This initiative gives campus ministry a Then she went on a retreat to St. Meinrad. “Melanie and the more visible presence.” monk that we met with that day told us that discernment is not spring 2013 31
Bellarmine Magazine_Spring2013
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