Home/Stay Informed/All Diocesan Articles

All Diocesan Articles

Campus Ministries: Accompanying Our Young Adults on the Journey

Posted on May 20, 2020 in: News

Campus Ministries: Accompanying Our Young Adults on the Journey

The Office of Campus Ministry was established to make Christ present to the academic communities in the Diocese of Norwich. The ministry serves students, faculty and staff at Connecticut College, Eastern Connecticut State University, UConn at Storrs, and Wesleyan University. 

The Coronavirus pandemic has altered the way we serve our students. For instance, the TLC (Tom's Leadership Council) student leaders group and FOCUS (Fellowship of Catholic University Students) missionaries continue to keep in touch with students through group chats, and having an online presence to all. 

St. Thomas Aquinas Church, now Our Lady Queen of Peace parish after having been merged with St. Mary Church in Coventry, also offers Mass, Stations of the Cross, Holy Hour and Benediction to the students and parishioners via Livestream on their website, OLQOP.com. 

Whether we are on campus or not, we encourage the formation of a faith community, regular opportunities for reception of the sacraments and provide spiritual and moral guidance to individuals and groups. 

Here are but a few of the programs students can engage in once they are able to resume on-campus activities: Training for Extraordinary ministers of Holy Communion, Confirmation instruction, vocational discernment days, social outreach and social gatherings, community engagement, days of reflection, retreats, alternative spring breaks and Bible studies. Below is an overview of campus ministry at one of our locations.
 

Case Study-Campus Ministry at UConn

The Campus Ministry at St. Thomas Aquinas on the UConn campus begins with the orientation program for parents and new students. The parents and students are happy to hear that there is a Catholic church right on campus. On the first day of the semester, there is a 4 p.m. Mass followed by a barbecue where students are introduced to the FOCUS missionaries, the TLC (Tom's Leadership Council) student leaders, Fr. John and the staff. Not only are the students invited to get involved with Focus and TLC but also invited to help teach Faith Formation to the children of the parish preparing them for their sacraments, joining our Student Choir, becoming a lector and/or an extraordinary minister of Holy Communion, as well as a student-run Knight of Columbus to name just a few.  

During the first month of school the students are given various opportunities to get to know their fellow students. TLC offers movie nights, after-Mass pasta suppers or snacks, game nights, apple picking, pumpkin picking, and putting on a Halloween party.

Students visit soup kitchens to serve the needy, and the local nursing home. Each year there is a trip to Appalachia to help build and repair houses for the poor in Kentucky. They join with a pro-life group on campus to sponsor a van that provides ultrasounds to women who are pregnant. There is a pro-life holy hour each week.
 

FOCUS

The FOCUS missionaries offer bible studies several times a week in addition to a rosary walk every week, rain or shine.  Their presence on campus has caused an increase in students wanting to come back to the church or to finish receiving their sacraments. That is followed by our wonderful RCIA program, where each Easter we welcome numerous students into or back into the church.  

Focus annually plans and hosts an event called Men Serve Women where the male students prepare and cook a full course dinner and serve the female students. It’s a formal evening and wonderful to see everyone dressed in their finest. 

Return on Investment

Working together with TLC and Focus, we’ve been blessed to have inspired a number of young men and women to become Focus Missionaries and continue the work of evangelization on other college and university campuses. 

God bless and reward you for your support, it is making a big difference in the lives of our young adults and the future of our Church. There are six men who have entered seminary upon graduation, one being ordained to the priesthood for our diocese this summer and a number of young women who have entered religious and consecrated life. It is wonderful to celebrate our Sunday 7 p.m. Student Mass seeing the church filled and, on some evenings, standing room only. 

We are very grateful to Bishop Cote and all those whose generous support makes it possible for us in Campus Ministry to continue our work of evangelizing and sharing God's love with all of the students.

By Nancy Brennan & Fr. John Antonell


Most Viewed Articles of the Last 30 Days

Calendar of Events

Posted on May 30, 2025 in: Events, Around the Diocese

30657

The Diocese of Norwich Emerges from Chapter 11 Bankruptcy with Confirmation of Reorganization Plan
Hartford, CT—On Wednesday, the United States Bankruptcy Court in Hartford confirmed the Diocese of Norwich’s Joint Plan of Reorganization, marking the official emergence of The Norwich Roman Catholic Diocesan Corporation from chapter 11 bankruptcy. The Honorable Judge James J. Tancredi presided over the confirmation hearing, held on Wednesday, May 21, 2025, at 10:00 a.m., and approved the plan on the record at the hearing, subject to entry of an order confirming the plan to be submitted by the parties. The confirmed Joint Plan was proposed by the Norwich Roma...

Read More

Bishop Reidy Thanks the Faithful and Invites All to Pray a Pentecost Novena
My dear friends in Christ, Thank you all very much for your very warm welcome of me as your new Bishop.  As I meet with priests, deacons, and parishioners and make my way around the Diocese to parish Masses, Confirmations, school visits, Holy Hours, and dinner events, I am reminded how fortunate I am to be with you in our diocese.  Thank you for all you do. I am also acutely aware that all the good I hope to do together with you for God and His people depends utterly on God's grace. To that end, I am endeavoring to keep in mind the necessity of prayer...

Read More

Bishop Reidy Shares Thoughts on the Image of God, Religious Art
This week on Hope and Faith series, Bishop Richard Reidy of the Diocese of Norwich shares his thoughts on the image of God and discusses his favorite pieces of religious art.   View previous videos or more articles on Faith by visiting NorwichDiocese.org/FaithSparks            

Read More

St. Rita of Cascia: Patroness of the Impossible- Feast Day May 22
St. Rita of Cascia: Patroness of the Impossible Feast Day: May 22 In the quiet hills of 14th-century Italy, a woman named Rita lived a life marked by hardship, heartbreak, and, ultimately, holiness. Born in the town of Roccaporena, Rita longed from an early age to enter religious life. But in obedience to her parents, she married a man known for his temper and violent tendencies. Her life as a wife and mother was not easy, but through prayer and patience, Rita brought peace to her home, even softening her husband’s heart before his tragic death. After losing bo...

Read More

The Promise of the Ascension

Posted on May 21, 2025 in: Reflections

1071

The Promise of the Ascension
    Forty days after Easter Sunday, we celebrate the Solemnity of the Ascension of the Lord. While often seen as a quiet moment between the joy of the Resurrection and the fire of Pentecost, Ascension Thursday is much more than a transition. It is a cornerstone of our Christian hope. As recorded in the Acts of the Apostles, Jesus, after appearing to His disciples and speaking to them about the Kingdom of God, is “lifted up, and a cloud took Him from their sight” (Acts 1:9). His Ascension does not mark the end of His presence but the beginn...

Read More

Annual Catholic Appeal

ACA DONATE

English

Español

 

Latest Articles
Recently Added Galleries
Click to view album: Episcopal Ordination of Bishop Richard F. Reidy
Click to view album: Students Called to Feed the Hungry
Click to view album: 40 Days for Life 2024
Click to view album: Blessing of the Fleet 2024
Signup for Weekly Newsletter

     

    Roman Catholic Diocese of Norwich
    201 Broadway
    Norwich, CT 06360-4328
    Phone: 860-887-9294