One body in Christ

Canadian Catholic Campus Ministry and the Canadian Catholic Students’ Assocation …Helping students discover their vocation choices and live out their Catholic fiath

By Lori Neale
September/October 2011

Return to Table of Contents
Print Article

Participnts at the Canadian Catholic Campus Ministry's national roundtable, "One Body in Christ”, attended by 12 different Catholic organizations. (L-R): Genevieve Gallant (Canadian Catholic Organization for Development and Peace); Theresa Gilbert (National Campus Life Network); Sr. Maureen Baldwin, CND (National Association of Vocation and Formation Directors—NAVFD) and Grace Parillas (Youth for Christ).

Growing up, I thought I wanted to be a teacher, a doctor or a lawyer. I certainly didn’t know my current position as National Coordinator of the Canadian Catholic Campus Ministry (CCCM) and the Canadian Catholic Students’ Association (CCSA) existed. Similarly, many students today have limited notions of their vocation choices and the many ways that they can live out their Catholic faith.

Working with campus ministers and university students during my tenure with CCCM and CCSA has been a tremendous joy, exposing students to the depth and breadth of expressions of being faithful people so that they can truly find the unique place where God is calling them. In the words of writer and theologian Frederick Buechner, “the place where your deep gladness and the world’s deep hunger meet.”

The Canadian Catholic Campus Ministry’s recent promotion of comprehensive campus ministry is an essential element of building a vocation culture. (See poster on page 12.) The comprehensive campus ministry model puts Christ at the centre and identifies 12 elements that are pathways to Christ and ways that manifest God’s love in the world. These elements range from faith community and hospitality to justice and service, from pastoral care to evangelization.

To help explain the work of campus ministry to other organizations and movements in the Church, we developed a comprehensive graphic. At our first “One Body in Christ roundtable,” 12 different Catholic organizations and associations, including the Canadian Catholic Organization for Development and Peace, Catholic Christian Outreach, Knights of Columbus, Catholic Women’s League, and religious communities shared their specific charisms and activities. Together, we were able to see how this vision of comprehensive campus ministry enables these unique gifts to be shared in the service of all Catholic students and the entire Catholic campus community.

In ministry, it is easy to fall into the trap of what author and educator Parker Palmer calls “functional atheism”; that is, we confidently profess our belief in God, yet operate in the day-to-day mechanics of life as atheists. When Fr. Daniel Renaud (OMI) included this observation in his keynote address at our national student leadership conference, there was an audible “Oh” of recognition from all the students and campus ministers gathered. A similar response has been felt in settings where we have shared the comprehensive campus ministry model. Whether it be among campus ministers, university administrators, bishops, or student leaders, this model is received with eagerness and hope. Clearly, there is a strong desire for a felt communion among Catholics and a craving to believe we can truly live as believers in one God, all with different charisms.

The growing success of our National Catholic Students’ Week, a joint event of the CCCM and the CCSA, is a sign of this communion. Just three years ago, the week consisted of 45 events on 14 campuses across Canada. This past year, 250 events were held on 35 campuses. The number of groups partnering with campus ministry in this week have multiplied as well. Now, they include local bishops, Development and Peace, Catholic Christian Outreach, religious communities, Knights of Columbus, Catholic Women’s League, L’Arche and local parishes. To continue to expand this model of building one body in Christ on campus, we plan to hold another national roundtable on ministry with university and college students early in 2012, and invite Catholic organizations and associations that wish to connect with campuses.

Lori Neale (far left), National Coordinator of the Canadian Catholic Campus Ministry, with participants of the Canadian Catholic Student Association conference, “Awakening Communion”, held in New Brunswick in October 2010. The national student leadership conference drew 70 students from 20 universities eager to live the Gospel on campus.

Animating a Catholic community where the specific gifts and charisms of students, staff, and faculty are encouraged and celebrated creates a venue where each individual’s vocation can be discerned. We don’t need to become cookie-cutters of the saints who are among us or who have gone before us. Rather, we could draw con-fidence and inspiration from their witness and take bold steps on our own unique path to Christ. We truly make this road by walking, but to do so we need a community that rejoices in the unique fulfillment of the dream God has for each of us. We can then experience the glory of God, reveling in the deep gladness God has called us to as we work to satiate the hunger for meaning, life, and daily bread in the world. This is good news, not only for our campuses, but for the whole church.

Quick facts about Catholic Campus Ministry in Canada

Campus ministers serve 66 university and college campuses across Canada (representing 87% of the student population). Of these, 51% employ full time ministers and 25% are staffed with a campus minister for less than eight hours a week. Of the campus ministers, 74% have a graduate degree in ministry and 17% have a graduate degree in a related field. Visit www.cccm.ca/Stage/2011statusreport

What is CCCM?

The Canadian Catholic Campus Ministry is a national network of professional Catholic campus ministers grounded in the tradition of the church and inspired by the vision of the Second Vatican Council. CCCM exists to bring the Gospel of Christ to the academic world. CCCM is supported by the Canadian Conference of Catholic Bishops through an Episcopal liaison (currently Bishop Fred Colli) and annual funding of the national coordinator position, established in 1948. The Canadian Catholic Bishops officially recognize the CCCM as a private lay asso-ciation.

What is CCSA?

The Canadian Catholic Students’ Association (CCSA) is a national association founded in 1946 to unite Catholic students from campuses across Canada. We are a crucial link for established Catholic campus ministries and emerging Catholic communities. We represent Canada in the International Movement in Catholic Students (IMCS) Pax Romana. Our core purpose is to unite students who witness to the Gospel on campus.

Return to Table of Contents
Print Article