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August 15, 2016As high school graduates and returning college students go off to school, Catholic parents are filled with many emotions: pride, excitement, sadness, and concern for the child’s future faith life.
It’s no secret that after many young adults leave home, they eventually also leave the Catholic faith. They stop going to Mass and confession, listen to atheist ideas without discernment, and make new friends that can lead them astray.
A 2005 study conducted for the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops showed that college students who were active in campus ministry were more likely to attend Mass and to be active in their parishes and consider a religious vocation during and after college.
In an effort to keep our Catholic students grounded in the faith, the U.S. Council of Serra International—an organization dedicated to fostering vocations—has partnered with the Newman Connection, which aims to engage college students in the Catholic faith. Their goal is to get the names of this year’s Catholic high school graduates and the colleges they will be attending in order to connect college freshman with the Catholic presence on or near their Campus.
The students’ names will be given to the Catholic campus center or Church closest to their college. They will each also receive a packet of information about the campus ministry program and the campus ministers will receive their name. The students will be invited to join in on Catholic activities and liturgies. The invitations will arrive even before students leave home and the campus ministers will contact them again once they arrive on campus.
People are influenced by those around them. If our young adult children are nurtured in the truth and beauty of the Catholic faith, it can bring them support during trying times and safeguard them in their new college environment.
You can give your students name and college they will be attending to the Serra Club at campton@newmanconnection.com. Their website is newmanconnection.com.