A Few Simple Words...

When I was in college, I began visiting a blog that that the director of Campus Ministry and University Chaplain updated regularly.  It was entitled, "A Few Simple Words..."  It contained a mixture of homilies, thoughts, prayers, anecdotes and stories from his daily routines on and off campus.  Personally knowing the author made reading it very interesting, but in reality, I just enjoyed knowing that someone I looked up to and respected a great deal, was human.  We experienced the same feelings, shared similar worries and believed in common dreams.

When I graduated, he also left the University and was assigned as pastor to a parish in Connecticut.  Even though I don't see or speak to him as often as I once did, I still regularly read his blog.  Nowadays, it mostly contains homilies from the weekend Mass he presides at, with the occasional anecdote.  As of late, I was looking through some older posts and I came across a message he shared during the Easter season.  I think it is still worth the read, especially for college students.  My hope is you will find as much encouragement and truth in it, as I did!  Enjoy!

The 7th Sunday of Easter Year A - 2011
Originally Given: June 4, 2011 @ St. Paul Church in Kensington, CT
By: Fr. Bob Schlageter, OFM Conv.


May the Peace of Christ Reign in our Hearts.
You know I used to live in Rome and Assisi. In fact I lived there for 6 years.

I’ll never forget being so moved the first time I saw St. Peter’s at the end of the “Via della Consolatione.”
Sad to say the utter fascination and awe I experienced when I saw St. Peter for the first time slowly but surely wore off.  So much so that after a while I would glance over toward St. Peter’s as I was running for the bus on “Lungo Tevere” as if to say, "oh yeah there’s St. Peter... I hope I didn’t miss the 97 bus to Trastevere."
I visited Florence so much that it became like going to Rocky Hill for me.

You know it’s part of our human nature that wonder and awe don’t always last as long as we would like.
Each and everyone of us have been given a wonderful gift, an incredible gift.  It is the gift of our faith.

Our faith roots us in God’s love.
Our faith gives us hope when everything and everyone else tells us to give up and throw in the towel.
Our faith helps us understand what is right and what is wrong, how to live and how to love.
Because of our faith we stand on the shoulders and benefit from the life experiences of the countless men and women who have come before us marked with the sign of faith.
Because of our faith every generation does not start from scratch trying to find their way.
There are very few challenges and experiences that humanity hasn’t dealt with before and our faith helps us understand how to deal with them. 

Our faith, our faith in Jesus Christ, handed down to us from the time of the Apostles, through the faithful ministry of the Church, a church both broken and holy at the very same time, is indeed a most precious gift.

Sadly, like I grew to take the warmth of Assisi, the beauty of Florence, and the majesty of St. Peter’s for granted when I lived in Italy, we quite frequently forget, the incredible gift of our faith.

Its beauty, its warmth, its majesty fade and we take our faith for granted.
Frequently we simply get stuck in the everyday worries of life.
Think about it, are we grateful, are we in awe, of the incredible fact that right in that tabernacle, day in and day out is the real presence of Jesus Christ - God almighty, all loving, all merciful, the creator of heaven and earth?  Right there… right there.

Sometimes, actually most of the time, I feel that my heart and mind and my soul aren’t able to take all of that in and appreciate it.

How many times has our faith been a consolation in times of sadness or sorrow?
How many times has our faith been a light in what seemed to be a sea of darkness and confusion?
How many times has our faith pushed us to look beyond our own needs and wants?
How many times has our faith pushed us drawn us to something more something greater?
Someone holy?

Yes our faith is a gift, a privilege, a consolation and a hope which so very many of us take for granted.
Our faith has been entrusted to us by God.

Which brings me to the second point.
Our faith is not ours to create. We cannot rewrite the Gospel in every generation. We don’t adapt the Gospel to fit our culture.
It is our task to bring our culture in communion with the Gospel.
When the Gospel points one way and the world and our culture goes another we have to change the world not the Gospel.
Someone one said to me recently in a very angry and bitter tone:

Fr. Robert -
Our faith is old fashioned, get with it.  Times have changed; the Church has got to change; our faith is got to change.

There was so much emotion when she spoke that something very personal had to be going on in her life.
I pray that God gives me the chance to talk more to that person.
It was as if she felt that somehow we know better than God.  As if somehow we have the wisdom
or maybe the arrogance to think that we can change the very Word of God.

In school we used to play a game when I was a little boy which we called telegraph.
A long line kids would form a circle and the first one would whisper a phrase to the second person and by the time it got to the last person in the line it was all changed.
If every generation felt it could change to Word of God, what would we have left of God’s self revelation?

Would our faith resemble in any way the gift that Jesus died on the cross to share with us?
No. Our faith is not ours to change. Our faith is not ours to adapt. Our faith is ours to preserve.
Our faith is ours to hand on to the next generation.
Just like someone gave it to us.
We must pass it on so that they many may also share it’s wonderful consolation and benefit from its challenge  and understand the warmth, beauty and majesty of God’s love.
We must pass on our faith in season and out of season.
When its popular and when it’s not.
Let us always be faithful to the wonderful gift that God has given us in our faith.

Please repeat after me:
Lord help me believe
Lord Help me seek You
Help me see to love you Lord
Help me be faithful
And help me pass on to the next generation
the Wonderful gift you have shared with me
my Catholic Faith.
Amen.


For more homilies and thoughts by Fr. Bob, consider checking out his blog: http://frbobs.blogspot.com/.  Prayers are promised for all of our faithful readers as we continue through this month of September!

Need Relief from the Heat?

Some might say it is a little too early to begin promoting a program for the Fall.  With the record heat this week, the delivery of our newly designed cups and the release of the Pitt-Johnstown "New Student Orientation" schedule, we figured it made total sense to get the word out!

Join Campus Ministry at the New Student Orientation Ice Cream Social on Saturday, August 27, 2011.   Stop by the Student Union (outside of the Tuck Shop) at 9:00p.m. for some free Ice Cream in a free Catholic Campus Ministry novelty cup!  Not convinced?  Here is a sneak peek at the cup:

 

We know.  We're excited too!  Can't wait to see you there!

Community is Communion

I had the privilege of attending a wedding a couple of weeks ago in Summit, NJ.  Two of my old community members (from different years) got married in an unbelievably beautiful and heartfelt ceremony.  Needless to say, it was a weekend for the books!

What stands out to me the most, however, was the community present.  When I was in school, I lived in three separate communities over the course of three years.  We would pray, laugh, cry, fight and even prank one another on a daily basis.  It was a ministry to our peers, but it was also an opportunity to build authentic communion with one another and bring the love of Christ we experienced, to those we encountered.  Seeing and spending time with so many members of my previous communities was nothing short of amazing.

I share this with you because as I sit in my office on a rather warm Johnstown day, I am excited for the time when some of you - the student leaders, students and friends of our program - reunite with old friends after being away from one other; a time when you look back at your involvement in our Campus Ministry community with fondness and gratitude.

I have no doubt that every student, when reconnecting with former classmates, shares great memories and wonderful experiences of their college days.  I would say, however, that the connection and authentic communion that is established in Campus Ministry is unique.  When you gather regularly to celebrate the Eucharist, you not only celebrate what you believe, but you become a part of that mystery.  Naturally, community develops from communion and even more beautifully, you take an active part in God's authentic love.  How else do you expect to bring people closer to God?

To really drive home this point, I'll share one last story.  During my first year of ministry, during community prayer, one of my community members related each of us to a piece of glass.  He said that we were all cut in different ways and our color was unique to who we are.  Some of us had weak spots in our piece of glass, others were stubborn and refused to break.  He would say that living in our community was what bound all of us together, like the metal ribbing found in a stained glass window.  Together, our weaknesses and our imperfections seemed less noticeable and definitely less critically important when they were linked together.  What really brought about our full potential, however, was the light that showed through and illuminated each piece of glass.  When connected, that warmth and light created a complete and unified reflection.

That light is the presence of God, shining through each of us.  Together, unified and complete, our community was better able to give witness to God's authentic love.  The same is true for all communities, whether they are a parish, a Campus Ministry program, a family or a group of friends.  Together, unified and brought to life by the light of Christ, you become more fully alive.

So, who is your community and how are you letting God shine through it?  Better yet, what are you doing now to harvest community for the future?  Think about it.

Keep relaxing and take some time to enjoy the summer heat!  You and your community are in my prayers.

Communication and Technology

I was at a conference a couple of weeks ago, where the concept of "googling God" and the benefits of social media were discussed.  It was very well done and I appreciated the information and ideas that were shared.  This conversation, plus the recent revival of our Campus Ministry Twitter account and the establishment of a live Mass feed for St. Patrick Church in Moxham, has gotten me to think about how reliant we are on technology today.  Less than 5 years ago, most people scoffed at the idea of a Facebook account and yet, over 500 million active users exist today.  The same can be said for Twitter, blogs and every other type of social media that continues to surface.

The role and importance of technology has changed the way that most people in our, or younger, generations communicate today.  I remember when AIM was big and I would message my brother sitting in the same room, on a different computer.  We laugh or get disgusted at the impersonal nature of such "discussions," but the reality is, a lot of people rely on their text messages or Facebook walls to communicate any more.


I share all of this because as a campus minister, there is a fine line and a necessary balance that should be established between meeting students where they're at through social media and meeting them where they're at in person.  I cannot dream (nor would I ever wish) of the day that we can "fully and actively" participate in the sacrifice of the Mass by individual webcams.  A ministry of presence should exist where the people are at, but I don't think we can discount the reality that people, our community, exists in places other than the internet too.  While social media has grown rapidly, it has not, nor should it ever, replace the living person.

If we think about the sacraments, they are all communal and sensory by nature.  We feel and smell and hear and see how all created reality is capable of manifesting God.  How are we living as Christ and embracing the transcendent if we are limiting ourselves to technological communication?  Don't get me wrong, it is necessary and a beautiful witness to the progress of humanity and society, but it should not be our only great testament.

I would encourage you to e-mail a friend today and then visit a neighbor in person.  By building authentic discussion in chat rooms and in person, I have no doubt we will continue to discover God among us, both at home and on campus.  Amen.

New Evangelization

There has been a lot of talk as of late (within Catholic circles) about the necessity and importance of "New Evangelization."  In fact, Pope Benedict XVI created a new pontifical council that focuses on proclaiming a new evangelization to countries that have become overly secularized since they first heard and accepted the Gospel message.  In essence, the question has become, why are so many Catholics unaware of what the Church actually teaches?

This question has been around for a while (both Blessed John Paul II and the current Pope have written and spoken about this for at least the past 10 years).  With the development of the new council, there seems to be a renewed movement, though, focused on bringing the lost sheep back into the fold.

Naturally this poses an interesting question for college students and the Campus Ministry programs that they are a part of.  How do we join in this effort to reach friends, students and other young adults who are in need of a new evangelization?  I think the best answer comes from Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger, currently Pope Benedict XVI, and his address to Catholic catechists and religion teachers (2000).  He says,


"We ourselves cannot gather men. We must acquire them by God for God. All methods are empty without the foundation of prayer. The word of the announcement must always be drenched in an intense life of prayer."


He very clearly expresses the need, not for new or exciting methods, but for "an intense life of prayer."  My college Campus Minister and Chaplain used to always say, "we must pray for a conversion of heart!"  It's the idea that we must reach people through the constant invitation of prayer; one that invites them to go deeper into a relationship with God and His Church.

All too often, we get caught up in the numbers game.  In our secular world, strength and success are derived from the popularity and growth of a program or event.  The more people you have involved, the more successful and strong your organization or program is.  I am guilty of thinking this all too often and charging my student leaders to reach more people and grow our numbers.  The test, however, is one of patience.  Ratzinger reminds us that:


"Yet another temptation lies hidden beneath this—the temptation of impatience, the temptation of immediately finding the great success, in finding large numbers. But this is not God's way. For the Kingdom of God as well as for evangelization, the instrument and vehicle of the Kingdom of God, the parable of the grain of mustard seed is always valid (see Mark 4:31-32).

The Kingdom of God always starts anew under this sign. New evangelization cannot mean: immediately attracting the large masses that have distanced themselves from the Church by using new and more refined methods. No—this is not what new evangelization promises.

New evangelization means: never being satisfied with the fact that from the grain of mustard seed, the great tree of the Universal Church grew; never thinking that the fact that different birds may find place among its branches can suffice—rather, it means to dare, once again and with the humility of the small grain, to leave up to God the when and how it will grow (Mark 4:26-29)." 


It is important to remember and remind ourselves, that although there is a lot we hope to achieve and build, it is for God alone and His glory that we began the work in the first place.  Rooting our lives in intense prayer will give us the ability to convert hearts, find the patience we need, but most importantly, work for God's glory, not our own.  If this isn't "New Evangelization," I don't know what is!

So, as we continue to build God's kingdom here at Pitt-Johnstown, my prayer is for all of our students, but also for God's will - that I may be patient enough to seek it and ready enough to do it!  Amen?  Amen! 

Solid Rock

There is so much that has happened in these past few months.  We hosted our first off-campus retreat.  We celebrated Lent, the Paschal Triduum and the beginning of Easter.  We fully initiated 2 members of our Pitt-Johnstown community into the Catholic Church.  We celebrated commencement on campus and sent the Class of 2011 on their way.  We welcomed our new bishop to this diocese.  So many wonderful, memorable events took place for our Catholic and University community in these past few weeks.  There is much to be grateful for... something that a lot of people aren't feeling these days.  It is important that we pray in thanksgiving for these gifts, but also for those people who are struggling on a daily basis to understand how God is working in their lives.  Amen?

Not only have these past few months been eventful, but this entire academic year has been one of great memories and wonderful progress.  I am confident that the relationships we are building, not only on campus, but with God, will continue to bear much fruit in the coming days, weeks and years ahead.  Matthew's Gospel reminds us that the house set solidly on rock will be able to buffet the winds, storms and rains.  After this first year, I truly believe that we are building our programs and relationships on solid rock: Jesus Christ.

My hope is, that as we progress through the summer, I will be able to more regularly update this blog for those of you who continue to read it.  Until my next post, I leave you with the video that was made for our New Catholic Student Orientation Day and Family Day this past semester.  It was well attended by our student leader's families and there was a sprinkling of incoming freshmen... so much to be thankful for!

Promised prayers as we continue this wonderful season of Easter!

The Beginning of Lent

I am a little biased, but I think that this message by Bishop David O'Connell of the Diocese of Trenton, New Jersey is wonderful!  Give it a listen and be assured of my prayers for all of you as we near the end of the semester.

Scheduling

Every Sunday before our University Mass, the student and professional staff of Catholic Campus Ministry meet to discuss our plans for the upcoming week.  It provides a great opportunity for us to get organized and spend some time making sure we are offering the very best for our small, but dedicated contingency of Catholics on campus.

As of late, I have been trying to compile different schedules and lists for all the opportunities and programs that we will be offering before the end of the semester.  Between five different student leaders and two professional staff members, though, it can get a little chaotic.

At yesterday's meeting, I felt a little guilty as we went through the schedule for the rest of the semester.  Like most weeks, the student staff and I will be seeing each other every day, but as the end of the semester approaches, our daily encounters will become more frequent.  At one point, I found myself being relieved to discover an entire day in the midst of Lent when we weren't meeting or programming.  It isn't that I don't love spending time with these students or that I am burdened by them.  Quite the opposite.  The success of this year and of our campus ministry program is a direct result of their tireless and selfless effort to give.  Simply put, I wish I could give them more time to themselves and more opportunities to enjoy the fruits of their labor.

With all of this on my mind, I was touched by Fr. Matthew's homily at Mass.  He said that anxiety and anxiousness are not really of God.  If we are constantly worrying about tomorrow or how we are going to accomplish our plans in the future, we miss out on seeing God now; present among us today.  I think that his words are very encouraging, but also very challenging.  As I continue to schedule or as I continue to plan for the rest of the semester, it is hard not to get anxious about the workload ahead.

Throughout the course of this year, I have come to the realization that, quite truthfully, the students are the ones who best understand the need to enjoy the present and seek God throughout each day.  Unplanned visits, concerns, worries, joys, prayers, messages and moments that I share with the students day in and day out are wonderful reminders that there is plenty to thank God for.  My sincere hope is that they too are recognizing God in these moments.

So, my encouragement to anyone and everyone reading this, is simple: live each and every day with God in your mind and on your heart.  Leave the worries and anxieties of the future where they belong: your desk calendar!  I am confident that if we work towards this together, then these next few months will be a joyful and wonderful witness to the life, death and resurrection of Christ. Amen?  Amen!

Ecclesiology

I have been thinking a lot about the Church throughout the world recently.

It astounds me that every time we celebrate the Eucharist, we do so with all types of people from throughout the world.  At times, I think we limit ourselves by believing that our celebration encompasses only like-minded people either within our parish or dare I say, the neighboring diocese.  Rarely, though, do we consider the international and multi-dimensional Church outside of our personal experiences. 

What I have been "wrestling" with as of late, is the idea that the prisoner, the Chinese family attending Mass underground, the Haitian priest, the students of Pitt-Johnstown, the parishioners of thousands of parishes throughout the US, the drug addict, the Pope, the dying and the homeless of our society (just to name a few) are all celebrating the same mystery, the same Eucharistic meal day after day.  In a certain sense, Mass is the great equalizer!  We all come as sinners and offer what we have, but we do so as equals.  It is beautiful to think that no matter our social status, political ideology, net worth or even our physical location, we are able to share in something greater than ourselves. 


St. Elizabeth Ann Seton said, "The accidents of life separate us from our dearest friends, but let us not despair. God is like a looking glass in which souls see each other. The more we are united to Him by love, the nearer we are to those who belong to Him."

I think that this is true not only of friends, but of all humanity.  It isn't always easy, nor is it something we have to think about every day, but our faith calls us to constant conversion.  It is a faith that draws the entirety of humankind to be "one, holy, catholic and apostolic," not just the people we remember or that we are alike.

So, next time we enter into the mystery of the Eucharist, we should consider the connection we have, not only with the Body of Christ present in our hands and on our tongue, but also the Body of Christ that is spread throughout the world.  We are a universal Church; one Body in Christ and we do not stand alone!

Servant Leadership

At the end of Christmas break, some of my student leaders and I traveled to St. Louis, MO for a Catholic leadership conference.  There was a lot of talk about what it means to be a "servant leader," so naturally it has been on my mind lately.

Yesterday, we celebrated the life and accomplishments of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.  His pivotal role in the Civil Rights Movement is one that can not easily be forgotten or ignored.  I got to thinking that his life and his model of leadership was one of true service to God and to his nation.  I find it to be fitting, then, that some of his words from The Drum Major Instinct are reflected upon: 


"Everybody can be great, because everybody can serve.
You don't have to have a college degree to serve.
You don't have to have to make your subject and your verb agree to serve.
You don't have to know about Plato and Aristotle to serve.
You don't have to know Einstein's "Theory of Relativity" to serve.
You don't have to know the Second Theory of Thermal Dynamics in Physics to serve.

You only need a heart full of grace,
     a soul generated by love,
          and you can be that servant."


It is easy, as a leader or as someone who holds a lot of power, to expect the service of others.  I'm sure any king or sultan could attest to the bliss associated with being served.  To be a true leader, however, is to serve and lead by example.  It isn't always easy or perfect, but it is a constant attempt to do as Jesus did and wash the feet of his apostles.  My constant prayer as a Campus Minister is that I follow this model of leadership and realize that true leadership is a result of authentic and self-giving service.  I'm not perfect, nor do I always have all the answers, but please know that I am trying.

And to be honest, I think that this is what Dr. King was getting at in this sermon.  Trying, even if failing, is a better service to your fellow man then doing nothing at all because at least trying shows a genuine love for someone else.  In this respect, everyone can be great because everyone can love.  Very simply, everyone can be great because everyone can know God.

Think about it...

Why March for Life?

On Monday, January 24, 2011, we will be taking a chartered bus to Washington, DC to join in the March for Life.  It is a peaceful, prayerful march that stands up against the injustices of abortion, the death penalty and all other hinderances to a culture of life.  Sign up outside of Catholic Campus Ministry if you are interested in going.  The cost is only $10 and scholarships are available. 

If you can't decide or are hesitant about going, take a few moments to watch this phenomenal message from Bishop David O'Connell.  He is the former President of The Catholic University of America and currently the Bishop of the Diocese of Trenton, one of the 15th largest dioceses in the U.S.  It is something worth considering...

Prayers for all of you today as we begin our first full week of classes! 

A New Year

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year! 

It is hard to believe that Christmas has come and gone.  It is even harder to believe that 2010 - an entire year - is already behind us!  In some regard, I am thankful that it went by so quickly and effortlessly.  At the same time, I don't like to think that I sat idlely by while my life and the gifts God has given me went under used.  If anything, this New Year offers us all a clean slate and an opportunity to really reflect on what God has done and where we can be better disciples of His Gospel message in the future.

2011 holds many unknown challenges and so it is important that we recommit and truly resolve, as Catholics and Christians, to give our faith lives the attention they deserve.  In part for personal gain, but more importantly, out of love for God and love of neighbor.  It is always easier to hear this line, then actually do it, but I think (a) knowing we are not alone in the journey and (b) suffering out of love for others is part and partial to our Catholic identity. 


With these thoughts, I leave you with a video of the student leaders from Catholic Campus Ministry at the National Catholic Student Coalition (NCSC) Conference in St. Louis, MO.  One of the nights they participated in 'Regional Olympics.'  Pitt-Johnstown was well represented and we brought home the gold for the Northeast Region of the U.S.  We dominated this event, which is due, in large part, to the 'duck-duck-goose' game we played at CCC a month and a half prior.  Enjoy!

Prayers during these last few days of Christmas!