Advice For New Campus Ministers?
Think back to your first day on the job. Did you feel overwhelmed? Were you unsure of what to do first? Did you wish that you had someone to offer you great advice on how to get started? We’ve all been there at one time or another! The New Campus Minister Support Network wants to know what you wish you had known when you were a new campus minister. And if you received helpful advice from anyone when you were new to campus ministry?

Please visit the CCMA Campus Minister group on Facebook (http://www.facebook.com/#!/group.php?gid=56260812268&ref=ts) to post your response to the above questions on the discussion thread. If you would like more information about the New Campus Minister Support Network or to get involved, visit the Members section of CCMA’s webpage, www.ccmanet.org.

Update Your Website Link Today!
In an effort to keep our campus ministry links working, please check your website link at http://www.cbservices.org/ccma.nsf/CampusSites?OpenForm and email any corrections to Chrysta Bolinger at the national office, bolinger@ccmanet.org. Thank you for your efforts to keep students, families and members connected to Catholic campus ministry!

Book Review Program
CCMA receives many books and publications available for your review! We will mail you your choice of book in exchange for your book review to be published in an issue of Crossroads. Email Michelle Gundrum at Gundrum@ccmanet.org or call 888.714.6631, ext. 17, for more information and for a listing of available publications. Read a book today!

Chrysta Bolinger is CCMA’s Director of Member Services and Communication.

Father Martin is probably best known to our students as the “Colbert Report Chaplain,” but is also a celebrated author, culture editor of America, and (obviously) a Jesuit priest.  Below is a little humor and joy found in a joke told by Father Martin about a Dominican, Franciscan, and Jesuit and their encounters with some sharks…

Sarah Heiman is Campus Minister for Education and Spiritual Life at Sacred Heart University in Fairfield, CT.

In pondering this problem, we considered that students may like the idea of Exposition, and want to pray with the Blessed Sacrament… they just may not know what to do with all of that silence and sacred space!

We’ve begun offering short “Prayer Starters”- guided meditations to help students begin a dialogue with the Lord.  Here is our first offering:

Prayer Starters… for Exposition of the Blessed Sacrament

~In Thanksgiving for Summer~

Greet the Lord as you enter the sacred space of the Church…

Tell the Lord that you are happy to take this time to sit with Him, to share your heart with Him…

Think about the months of summer that brought you here- did you work? Study? Travel? Spend time with family? Recount for the Lord a couple of summer experiences for which you are thankful…

Think about the people with whom you spent the summer months… your parents, siblings, roommates… boyfriends or girlfriends… best friends from home… Who shared in your joy this summer? Who needed your presence this summer? Tell the Lord about a couple of people who were important parts of your summer. Ask the Lord to bless them, in specific ways if possible… Thank the Lord for these people…

Think about something this summer that you regret. It could be a failed relationship, an angry moment with family, or even not making the most of the beautiful weather. Tell the Lord why you regret this… ask the Lord to help you not make these mistakes again. Sit in silence for a moment, and wait for the Lord to give you a gameplan for overcoming these pitfalls in the future. Thank Jesus, truly present in the Blessed Sacrament, for showering you with mercy in the times that you fail.

Think about the beginning of your school year. Thank the Lord for your blessings- your education, your health, work, opportunities, friends… what else are you thankful for this fall? Tell the Lord…

Tell the Lord about problems that usually trip you up during the semester… Sit in silence after you share these problems with the Lord… ask the Lord how you might avoid these problems this fall. Make a gameplan, and share it with the Lord. Ask the Lord to bless your gameplan.

Pray a moment for the other people in the Church- your friends and fellow students, those going to confession, those hearing confessions, those who work at St. John’s to serve your spiritual needs.

Take a moment to sit in silence, waiting for the Lord to speak to you. He may, He may not. He may just rejoice in your presence with Him.

Thank the Lord for your time together before you leave His presence.

Amen!

What does your campus ministry site do to encourage prayer during Exposition of the Blessed Sacrament?  Readings?  Music?  Rosary?  Please share your ideas!

Katie Diller is the Campus Minister at St. John Catholic Student Center serving Michigan State University.

We stand before you, Holy Spirit,
conscious of our sinfulness,
but aware that we gather in your name.

Come to us, remain with us,
and enlighten our hearts.

Give us light and strength
to know your will,
to make it our own,
and to live it in our lives.

Guide us by your wisdom,
support us by your power,
for you are God,
sharing the glory of Father and Son.

You desire justice for all:
enable us to uphold the rights of others;
do not allow us to be misled by ignorance
or corrupted by fear or favor.

Unite us to yourself in the bond of love
and keep us faithful to all that is true.

As we gather in your name
may we temper justice with love,
so that all our decisions
may be pleasing to you,
and earn the reward
promised to good and faithful servants.

You live and reign with the Father and the Son,
one God, for ever and ever.

Sarah Heiman is Campus Minister for Education and Spiritual Life at Sacred Heart University in Fairfield, CT.

This year, St. John Catholic Church & Student Center at Michigan State University will present a Bible Study built around some of the most important historical events of the Judeo-Christian tradition.  Fr. Joe, our Director of Campus Ministry and Bible-aficionado will offer a lesson in Biblical History every other week throughout the school year to all of the Bible Study participants (the “A” weeks).  By the end of the year, our goal is for students to be capable of situating Scriptural passages in their appropriate historical & literary context.

During the opposing weeks (the “B” weeks), the participants will meet in small groups in dorms or off campus in apartments or coffee shops to do some faithsharing based on Scriptural texts discussed during the previous week’s lesson.  By participating in a guided Bible Study, we hope that our students will be well equipped to start their own faithsharing groups after graduating college and moving on to regular parish life.

Our Bible Study Curriculum:

Week A1: A Guide to your Bible & Small Groups

• Where did the Bible come from?
• Which books made it into the Bible, and which were rejected?
• Different literary forms of the Bible
• Do translations matter?  Which Bible should I buy?
• Dealing with issues in your small faithsharing group (skits by upperclassmen)

Week B1: Getting to Know Your Small Group

• Introductions
• Called & Gifted in Diverse Ways

Week A2: Genesis & Creation Stories of the Ancient Near East

Week B2: Created in the Image & Likeness of God

• Genesis 1:27, Psalm 139

Week A3: Abraham

Week B3: Meditations TBA for remaining “B” weeks…

Week A4: Moses, Passover & the Exodus

Week A5: Rise of the Davidic Dynasty: Judges to Kings

Week A6: The Babylonian Exile

Week A7: The Maccabean Revolt

Week A8: Wisdom Literature of the Second Temple Period

Week A9: Christ & the Gospels

Week A10: Acts of the Apostles & Paul

Week A11: The Epistles

Week A12: Revelation

Katie Diller is the Campus Minister at St. John Catholic Student Center serving Michigan State University.

One challenge for us is to move beyond the aggressive word “hate” and the particulars of family relations and get to the demand for radical detachment Jesus is making on those who want to be disciples. As the Gospel of Luke continues, it is this detachment from all other claims on our time and affections that will distinguish disciples from the “great crowds” that make up Jesus’ entourage. And for first century Christians, losing fathers, mothers and siblings were not unrealistic demands but often the result of baptism. One question that should nag us as we prepare for Sunday is “what are the attachments that compete with our unconditional love of Christ?”. From what do we need to be detached if we are to be a disciple and not just part of the throng?

Last week, CNN published an article on their website that made the rounds of emails and the blogosphere. Princeton Theological Seminary professor and ordained minister, Kendra Dean writes in her new book Almost Christian that American teens are embracing a watered-down version of Christianity she calls “moralistic therapeutic deism” which stresses being nice and boosting self-esteem. They have been imbibing this “almost Christian” point of view from well meaning parents and pastors and has resulted in general incoherence and indifference. The findings are based on the National Study of Youth and Religion and warn that because “many teenagers thought that God simply wanted them to feel good and do good,” they are not passionate about their faith and are likely to abandon it when life throws them a curve ball. You can read the CNN article here.

Both the article and the study have generated plenty of controversy. I wonder about how applicable some of the categories are to Catholics (though we tend to be cool on the passions we are not indifferent!). But in light of this Sunday’s Gospel on the cost of discipleship, it does raise the uncomfortable question whether we are reducing the values of the gospel to simply “being nice.” One hopeful observation of Dean’s is that young adults are more than capable of being inspired by a demanding message-in fact, they are asking for it.

Fr. Peter Walsh, CSC is an Assistant Chaplain at Saint Thomas More, the Catholic Chapel and Center at Yale.

Media Monday seeks to propose ways in which campus ministry professionals might use technology in their ministry and to start discussions about the challenges these technologies pose. My name is Katie Byrnes and I am in my seventh year as an Assistant Chaplain at Saint Thomas More Catholic Chapel & Center at Yale University (GO BULLDOGS!).  Please email me if you have suggestions of things I should include or questions!

The beginning of a new semester brings lots of enthusiasm and new ideas. It also brings a whole new crew of frosh who need lots of attention. As we being a new semester I would like to direct your attention to an awesome resource from our friends at Busted Halo! The Freshman Survival Guide – now in its sixth year – is a fantastic resource for just about any campus. It can be downloaded as a one page PDF and is also a great introduction to this Paulist sponsored website that offers students some great resources on life as a Catholic. hhttp://www.bustedhalo.com/freshmansurvivalguide.  Enjoy the new semester with your new (and returning) students!

Katie Byrnes is an Assistant Chaplain at Saint Thomas More Catholic Chapel & Center at Yale University.

ACCU Encourages Attendance at The Idea of a University
The Association of Catholic Colleges and Universities would like you to consider attending The Idea of a University-Revisited, a conference being arranged by Liverpool Hope University in association with The International Federation of Catholic Universities, taking place September 16-19, 2010, at Liverpool Hope University, England. The conference is aimed at a wide audience, including university staff with an academic interest in this area, as well as faculty, theologians, and those who think more generally about values in education and public life. The conference also includes the option to attend the beatification. For more information on the schedule and registration, visit their webpage here: www.hope.ac.uk/newmanconference.

What are your plans to celebrate Cardinal Newman’s beatification????
September 19, 2010, marks the beatification of John Henry Cardinal Newman. The writings and works of Cardinal Newman have made a huge impact on all of us in campus ministry. His life was facinating and he was one of the great intellectual pastoral leaders of the 19th century.
     How will you celebrate the occasion? Will you share the history and writings with your students? Declare September 19 “Newman Day” at your ministry site? Hold Mass and dinner? Maybe make the pilgrimage to England for the beatification ceremony?
     Please share your ideas and plans with CCMA and with each other. This is a significant event for campus ministry and certainly a cause for celebration! Email Chrysta Bolinger at bolinger@ccmanet.org with your ministry’s plans by August 30 to be printed in the October/November issue of Crossroads.  

Phases of Womanhood Announces New Partnership
Phases of Womanhood is pleased to announce our partnership with Catholic News Agency (CNA) to bring all-new Catholic Womanhood pages–with the writers and content you have come to know and love–to CNA. We are thrilled that CNA, with more than 100,000 readers every month, will be carrying Phases writers and columns! The new Catholic Womanhood pages are an excellent opportunity for CNA readers to discover top-notch writers who love the faith and share terrific practical insights on Catholic life! This partnership with CNA helps us to continue our mission of sharing a Catholic view of life with women, offering them encouragement and practical resources from a solidly Catholic perspective. Please visit their website at http://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/cna-launches-catholic-womanhood-site-for-reflections-on-faith-and-living/ for information and resources. Enjoy!

National Catholic Student Coalition
27^th Annual Leadership Conference
Lead: Empowered by the Spirit
December 29, 2010-January 1, 2011
St. Louis, MO
Contact: www.catholicstudent.org/conference

CCMA/NADDCM National Convention
The Campus Minister As Teacher: Storyteller, Prophet, Pilgrim
January 4-7, 2010
Hilton Hotel
Clearwater Beach, Florida
Contact: www.ccmanet.org

Have a great beginning to the school year!

Chrysta Bolinger is CCMA’s Director of Member Services and Communication.

I recently had the opportunity to evaluate different resources that could be used to help assess individuals’ gifts and talents. When talking through these resources with a student leader and deciding which would best fit the needs of our community, I offered an overview of my results with each. The simple response took me aback, but was something I think we all need to hear sometimes, “given your particular gifts, you’re really in the right line of work!”

I think that’s often the heart of our vocation as campus ministers and as Christians: to help those we minister to to understand how their God-given gifts and talents may be used vocationally. We offer a powerful witness to our students when we model that vocational awareness.

1. BBQ Like a Man- This fall, the Men’s Group kickoff event St. John Student Center will be an epic lesson in barbecue technique.  Rumor has it that the Knights of Columbus are bringing a lot of firewood to the rectory…  Guys may bring meats of their choice, and if everyone survives dinner, the guys will discuss ideas for future social & service events.
2. Paintball Battle- Guys will divide into two teams- those discerning a vocation to marriage, and those discerning a vocation to priesthood or religious life.  Running & shooting will follow.
3. Wilderness/Camping Weekend Retreat- The University of Dayton has an excellent retreat format for a Men’s or Women’s Wilderness Retreat.  Guys love camping… find a challenging trail or state park in your area, pack some gorp, sleeping bags, matches, and a Bible, and spend some time wandering in the Wilderness.  (Patrick Cashio & John DeWyze)
4. Outfit the Ideal Man- The leaders put a cutout of a guy on the wall and discussed the traits and equipment that an idea man would have.  Strength- a sword in his belt… wisdom- an owl perched on his shoulder… etc.  After the discussion on masculine spirituality, the guys held a nerf sword tournament. (Patrick Cashio & John DeWyze)
5. First Aid Lesson- Men should be prepared to care for those around them- bring in a Red Cross First Aid/CPR trainer, perhaps read the story of the Good Samaritan. (Patrick Cashio & John DeWyze)
6. Campfire Race- Two ideas: First, divide into teams and race to see who can build a fire the quickest (without lighters, flammable liquids or matches).  Then, have a competition with water balloons to see whose group can put out another group’s fire the quickest. (Patrick Cashio & John DeWyze)
7. Virtues Bracket (March Madness Style)- place the virtues in a bracket and have the guys fill it out to see which virtue would win… use this to begin a discussion on masculinity and Christian virtue. (Patrick Cashio & John DeWyze)
8. IM Sports- if your campus ministry site can participate in campus IM sports, your guys group could field a team!
9. Snow football, leg wrestling… other activities to work into Men’s Group meetings…
10. What do YOU do on campus to reach out to college guys? Leave a comment below & share your ideas!

John DeWyze is the Campus Minister at St. Teresa of Avila Catholic Student Center serving Valparaiso University (jdewyze@saintt.com).

Katie Diller is the Campus Minister at St. John Church and Student Center serving Michigan State University (kdiller@elcatholics.org).