As college freshmen struggle to balance faith and other priorities, some consider opting out of their Catholic faith altogether. Campus ministries and other Catholic organizations are working to bridge the faith gap between high school and college by inviting more students than ever to live their faith through the sacraments, relationships, activities and prayer groups.
The Catholic Church Extension Society has provided financial support for Campus Ministry programs for some time now. Frank Santoni of the Catholic Church Extension Society said: “Campus ministry programs create substantive opportunities to train the next generation of Catholic leaders and develop student’s gifts and talents to positively impact them as young adults, as well as the entire Church.”
The need for strong ministries is clear. A recent study by the Center for Applied Research in the Apostolate at Georgetown University indicates that college freshmen are most likely to make their best friends during their first few weeks on campus, and during that time they join the organizations they will be part of for their whole college career. If a young person has Catholic friends, they will have a friend to go to Mass with and take part in activities with. If they can find an active Catholic friend, they’re more likely to participate in Church functions. It is a widely accepted fact that freshmen experience a new kind of freedom for the first time and many of them stop practicing their faith. Statistics indicate that 15% of the 18-25 year old group attends Mass every Sunday. If freshmen don’t get connected with a strong set of relationships and strong Catholic involvement after a year, chances are pretty high that they’ll be abandoning the practice of their faith in adult life.
In addition to helping students grow in their faith by involvement in a Christian community, a goal of campus ministry is to offer a better alternative to negative activities. Many things pull at students on campus, including the party scene with drinking, sex and drugs. Some young people compromise their values to fit in. Being connected to practicing, faith filled young adult Catholics makes it easier for them to continue growing in their faith.
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+ Newman Catholic Center +
1472 Foothill Blvd.
San Luis Obispo, Ca 93405
805-543-4105
www.slonewman.org
