Calling all Collegiates: A Study of Liturgical Engagement on College Campuses

Sometimes it takes the radical intrusion of silence to truly listen. This genuine kind of listening is not simply an engagement in the repetitive transfer of sound waves. Instead, this listening demands an immersion into a deeper act of presence, one that requires both the giving and accepting of self. This sort of listening is rarely easy because it forces us to rescind some control. When we listen with our hearts, we are no longer the sole authors of our thoughts. For in the heart, it is the Spirit who penetrates our musings. The impending insights can be uncomfortable. They can be jarring. They can be challenging and enlightening and so incredibly beautiful. This is an essay about what I heard in my heart. It is an essay about forming the future leaders of the Church, a challenge that is certainly uncomfortable and jarring and so incredibly beautiful. How do we invite college students to be excited about the liturgy, the life-giving celebration of all that is good, in today’s demanding world? Though difficult, I believe it can be done. It needs to be done. Despite a stimulus-driven college culture that makes community-building challenging, college campus ministries can strengthen their local liturgical communities by consistently promoting Masses, offering regular liturgical formation opportunities, and emphasizing hospitality

Illuminating Christ

The book, Illuminating Christ, features prayers and reflections centered on Christ\u27s life for each of the different liturgical seasons

Massingale\u27s Prescriptive for Racism in the U.S. Catholic Church

Nearly every social issue plaguing the United States is impacted by racial bias, most often, against black Americans. Rev. Bryan Massingale, an internationally-recognized black Catholic theologian, has committed much of his ministerial work to advocating for racial justice and educating others about the urgent need for racial reconciliation within the Church. This paper uses Massingale’s holistic approach to explain how the USCCB could strengthen its understanding of racism, its support of black leadership, and its passion for opposing racisim both inside and outside the Church

CSB and SJU Convocation 2023

The CSB and SJU All College Convocation was on Friday, August 25 at 11 a.m. in Escher Auditorium, Benedicta Arts Center at the College of Saint Benedict. We gather to celebrate the beginning of the 2023-2024 academic year at the College of Saint Benedict and Saint John’s University. Convocation welcomes all new students, returning students, faculty and staff back to campus. A community lunch will be served following the convocation ceremony. This lunch is for faculty/staff/support staff/students and members of the Monastic community. This is the first official academic event for the 2023-2024 academic year

Vessel of Voices: The Call of a Spiritual Writer

Who forms a spiritual writer? What is the writer\u27s responsibility to the common good? How can writing be a tool for visioning? This presentation reflects on the spiritual practice of writing as a way to explore God\u27s callings both individually and communally

Marketing the Mass: Engaging Marquette University Students in the Liturgy Introduction

Working in Campus Ministry and as a student Mass attendee myself, I have noticed a lack of observable participation in general at Sunday campus liturgies in recent years. Documented attendance has also been declining, which is a concern because the liturgy is an absolutely vital component of religious and spiritual growth. Are there specific aspects of Marquette liturgies that are turning students away or not engaging them in the most productive ways? If so, what steps can Campus Ministry take to improve the liturgies and consequently raise attendance? Higher attendance and greater participation are necessary initial steps towards higher campus engagement in the liturgy—a viable marker of a Catholic, Jesuit education. This project is a mixed-method qualitative study that involves observations and interviews. The data collected is broken into four main findings sections: general importance of the liturgy, defining liturgical engagement, past student liturgical engagement at Marquette University and present student liturgical engagement at Marquette University.https://epublications.marquette.edu/english_3210ur/1012/thumbnail.jp

Collegeville Connections: Metaphor as a Tool for Discernment

How do individuals and churches collectively discern what choices to make? And how can metaphors, such as pottery, help with the process? In Fall 2020, the Collegeville Institute’s Communities of Calling Initiative gathered leaders from the 13 participating congregations for the virtual Treasure in Clay Jars retreat. Designed by project director Rev. Dr. Jane Patterson and program associate Jessie Bazan, the retreat invited participants to play with the metaphor of pottery as a way of reflecting on their individual and congregational callings. In this Collegeville Connections presentation, Jane and Jessie will explore the value of metaphor as a tool for discernment and use the metaphor of pottery to reflect with some Communities of Calling Initiative participants about their recent experiences in congregational life

Collegeville Connections: A Pilgrim’s Calling Through Advent

Last year, when the pandemic disrupted all of our usual practices of gathering, First Congregational UCC, Boulder, created practices of “pilgrimage worship.” For Advent and Epiphany, a church family mowed a labyrinthian path through a field on their farm and the church’s Arts Ministry installed prayer stations along the way, inviting pilgrims to walk while reflecting on their callings in relation to Mary and Joseph’s journey. Join Chris Braudaway-Bauman with Jessie Bazan and Jane Patterson to begin your Advent with an online version of this pilgrimage and a conversation about celebrating callings during different liturgical seasons