DEPARTMENT OF CAMPUS MINISTRY ANNUAL REPORT

Transcription

1 DEPARTMENT OF CAMPUS MINISTRY ANNUAL REPORT Respectfully submitted by: John B. Scarano, director of Campus Ministry

2 Campus Ministry Philosophy The Department of Campus Ministry encourages students, faculty, and staff of JCU to integrate personal faith into the academic and social environment of the university. We value the university s commitment to academic pursuits, and welcome the opportunities we have to bring a Catholic and Ignatian faith perspective to bear on issues and trends that may surface in various disciplines and in a variety of social milieus. We have identified the following statements as our purpose: We embrace the Jesuit, Catholic intellectual tradition as an indispensable partner in the search for truth and wisdom. We promote the service of faith and the promotion of justice through education, advocacy, service and reflection; We foster the development of whole persons who become servant leaders in their local and global faith communities. We provide an open, caring, hospitable and collaborative atmosphere that supports the mission of the University. We establish a sense of community through vibrant worship, retreats, small faith communities, and immersion experiences. We recognize Eucharist as our primary liturgical experience, while also celebrating a diversity of faith and spiritual perspectives that seeks both wisdom and a fuller spiritual life. Departmental Goals: In solidarity with the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops, we aspire to instill a basic knowledge and understanding of the six aspects of Campus Ministry outlined in the 1985 US Bishop s Pastoral Letter Empowered By the Spirit: Campus Ministry Faces the Future. The six aspects are: Forming the Faith Community Appropriating the Faith Forming the Christian Conscience Facilitating Personal Development Educating for Justice Developing Leaders for the Future In light of these aspects, our departmental goals are as follows: 1. To form the faith community in the Catholic and Ignatian tradition, as well as provide our non-catholic population with opportunities to gather with others of their faith traditions. 2. To aid the JCU community in the appropriation and appreciation of their faith. 3. To provide opportunities that form the conscience and character in light of Catholic Social Teaching. 4. To facilitate the personal development of our students. 5. To educate the community in a faith that does justice. 6. To develop students as discerning leaders who will excel in learning, leadership, and service in the region and in the world. 1

3 Campus Ministry Highlights for Confirmation and reception into the Catholic Church This year, we accompanied four students through the process of sacramental initiation. Three of these received sacramental initiation at the Easter vigil at Gesu. There were two who received the sacrament of baptism, and one who was received into the Catholic Church. One student received initiation at her home parish in Pittsburgh. Interfaith Initiatives We continued to support Hillel, an organization for our Jewish students and the Muslim Student Society for Muslim students, as well as the ad hoc Lutheran group. We helped arrange events and provided a prayer space for the Muslim and a space to hold numerous Shabbat events for the Jewish students. The primary interfaith program was Living the Mission a collaborative effort with the Student Diversity and Inclusion Office. These were informal panel discussions about the day to day reality of students of various religious traditions. There was a panel in the fall (about 120 students attended) and a panel during Ignatian Heritage Week which focused on Care for the Earth, facilitated by Archbishop Michael Fitzgerald (also approximately 120 in attendance). Campus Ministry collaborated with the library to establish an interfaith prayer space there. The opening of this prayer space occurred during Ignatian Heritage Week. Additional Interfaith initiatives: Explore a program designed to reach out to non-catholic Christians. About 15 students attended one of 11 visits to area places of worship, which included the following: St. John the Baptist Byzantine Cathedral, St. Elias Melkite Catholic Church, Gateway Heights Christian Church, St. Mark Coptic Orthodox Church (Coptic Christian), Greater Cleveland Shiva Vishnu Temple (Hindu Temple), St. Theodosius Russian Orthodox Cathedral, St Peter's Lutheran Church (Lutheran Church Missouri Synod), Royal Redeemer Lutheran Church (ELCA), and Green Road Synagogue. Following the visits, resident minister, Gillian Halusker led a reflection over lunch. Icons of Faith There were three parts to this presentation each meant to expose students in different ways to the idea of saints across traditions. We purchased a lighted display board and 13 icons. These were displayed at the beginning of Lent in the Student Center atrium. Each icon included a short description/explanation of the symbols contained therein. We also included brochures of iconography. In addition there was a program presented on Thursday, February 26 th at 5 pm in the atrium (adjacent to the icon display). John Carroll student, Svetlana Knezevic discussed icons in (her) Orthodox tradition. She spoke for about 15 minutes, followed by discussion and a question and answer period. About 30 people (mostly students) attended this presentation. There was very good feedback from those who attended they learned a lot and felt comfortable asking questions in the informal setting. Campus Ministry also included a Pray from the heart program on March 10th at 8 pm in the CMCR in which students were invited to make an icon. Interfaith Student Advisory Board Campus Ministry formed an Interfaith Advisory Board, which met twice in the spring semester. Representatives included, Roman Catholic, Main-line Protestant, Evangelical/Non-denominational Christian, Jewish and Muslim students. The Board made recommendations to staff about how we can be more welcoming to a diversity of students. Liturgical Ministers Among our John Carroll students, we had 12 students trained as sacristans, 67 trained as Lectors, and 92 as Extraordinary Ministers of the Eucharistic. We had a total of 128 individual students involved in a variety of ministries with many trained for several areas. All Eucharistic ministers are trained both at John Carroll and through the Diocese of Cleveland. Liturgy Interns one student was chosen to participate in a pilot liturgy intern program for the spring semester; this student had responsibility for attending various after-hours liturgical events and providing support; taking videos and pictures. As a result of the success of this project, three students were chosen to participate in an ongoing intern project for

4 Retreats: This year we had two new retreat offerings led by Resident Ministers as well as a notable increase in our Senior Retreat (record number of 71). Connections and Roots were two new overnight retreat programs that were very wellreceived by students. In particular, the outdoor overnight retreat was a student initiative that was supported by Resident Minister, Russell Lum. These programs added variety in terms of style, length, and focus for the overall retreat program. Manresa Retreat remains a vibrant part of the retreat program. We continue to set records for student applications for leadership positions. For the nine team positions we had 28 (fall) and 21 (spring) applicants. Additionally, the demand for the 40 participant slots is so high that we have transitioned to an online lottery registration system. Finally, we prepared 34 students for the 8-Day Silent Retreat, with 19 continuing on to participate in the retreat. This year we created a new retreat called Crossroads which was tailored to the needs and issues that arise mid-way through students college career. We had 19 sophomore and junior students and six junior and senior leaders. About half of our attendees had never before gone on a retreat at John Carroll. Additionally, we piloted Becoming, a series of evenings of reflections in the Ignatian tradition for juniors and seniors focusing on such questions as Does everything happen for a reason? and Why are good decisions so hard to make? are looking forward to this series continuing. Resident Ministry In addition to the Outdoor overnight retreat, The Resident Ministers also collaborated on a new spring retreat for first year students called Journey, which was led by first year students who attended the first year retreat in the fall. Resident Ministers continued to focus on programming with RA s in the Residence Halls, co-presenting programs with RA s, typically two a month, but sometimes as many as 5 a month. One resident minister, Gillian Halusker, continued her weekly program, Pray from the heart, which averaged 12 students a week. Russell Lum continued weekly meetings with his spiritual, but not religious group of students. Erin Valencia continued to work with the Respect for Life and Alpha Omega groups. Alpha Omega sponsored 24 hour Eucharistic Adoration, monthly Festival of Praise events and two retreats. Erin also coordinated and accompanied 56 students to the March for Life in Washington DC this past January. Murphy Hall masses began again in Murphy chapel with increased attendance and a group of 4-5 students who led music and helped with the Mass. There was also good attendance at the socials held after Mass in the Murphy common area. Immersions A total of 141 members of our JCU community (118 students, 21 faculty/staff members, 1 board member, and 1 guest physician/alum) participated in our Immersion this year to locations including: New Orleans, Immokalee, FL, Louisville, KY, Appalachia, Ecuador, Guatemala, Nicaragua, El Salvador, and Honduras. Additionally, 15 others (13 students and 2 staff members) prepared for an immersion experience to Nepal which was postponed until January 2016 due to the tragic earthquakes. There continues to be a high number of student applicants for immersion experiences. We had 44 more student participant applications than we were able to place. Regarding student leaders, there were more than 2 times as many applicants for student coordinator positions than there were positions available. 3

5 Financial aid offerings continue to facilitate student participation in immersion experiences. We were able to provide $37,500 from the Student Activity Fee to all of our student participants who were in need. Approximately 65% of our students requested financial aid. This year we implemented a one-credit option for immersion students (AR 160). We had a total of 23 students take advantage of this offering (6 in the fall and 17 in the Spring). The one-credit option requires that students read a book, attend 8 Thursday night meetings, write two papers (one before and one after the immersion experience), and have two conversations with the professor, Anne McGinness (one before and one after travel). The Annual Post-Graduate Volunteer Fair hosted in the fall brought 33 organizations offering domestic and international, full-time and summer volunteer service opportunities to campus. Approximately 73 members of the JCU student community attended the fair. Small Faith Communities ( Carroll Faith Communities formerly known as Christian Life Communities ) We had 175 students actively involved in a CFC group, including our 29 leaders, for a total of 15 groups. In meetings with Anne McGinness, the CFC student leaders reported high to very high satisfaction with their groups during the spring semester. We had two CFC Leader retreats, which served as additional training and community building. The discussions focused on our spiritual journeys and resources and practices our leaders could use to aid in faith formation. Evaluations indicate that they were both very successful. Again this year we had 22 new applicants for leadership positions. Only one current leader did not re-apply. Social Justice Initiatives A group of 18 students and two Resident Ministers participated in the Ignatian Family Teach in for Justice in November. Three students and one RM (Russell Lum) traveled with Julie Myers to Fort Benning, GA for the annual protest and vigil outside the gates of the School of the Americas in November. We traveled with the local human rights organization, the Interreligious Task Force on Central America & Colombia (IRTF). With support from the Mandel grant, we partnered with other campus departments to host a debate on the ethics of violence in February. Campus Ministry also hosted two guest facilitators for a day long workshop on nonviolence. The feedback was very positive. A core group of students regularly go to the Catholic Worker drop-in center on the second and fourth Fridays of every month. Aramark supports us by providing soup and salad. Some thoughts about the year: The academic year has again been both life-giving and challenging for Campus Ministry. We welcomed two new Campus Ministers to our staff, and bid farewell to a long-time Associate Director. Our department was blessed to upgrade to all full time, 12 month professional staff members. We successfully completed our second year of having the responsibility for all of the JCU immersions. We continue to offer an abundance of programs and opportunities for students, show our humanness in, and our ability to learn from our mistakes, and look forward to a vibrant and lifegiving

6 APPENDICES 5

7 Campus Ministry Staff for John Scarano Director Gail Roussey Associate Director/Coordinator of Liturgy Julie Myers Campus Minister, Coordinator of Social Justice Initiatives Andy Costigan Campus Minister/Coordinator of Immersion Anne McGinness Coordinator of Carroll Faith Communities/ Assistant Dir of Immersion Sue Grazia FT 10 month Administrative Assistant Rev. Bill Bichl, S.J. Part time Campus Minister Resident Ministers: Gillian Halusker Pacelli Hall Erin Valencia Dolan Hall Russell Lum Sutowski Hall Committee Work: Gail: Andy: Julie Homecoming/Parent s Weekend Celebrate the Spirit Alumni Reunion Christmas at Carroll Beaudry Award Vocation Committee CSSA Advisory Campion Award Cultural Awareness Series Anne: John World Food Program Committee Ignatian Heritage Week Planning Committee Humanity Happenings NetVue Team Arrupe Scholars Academic Planning Task Force Beaudry HLC Writing Team for Criterion 3 FYS Student Affairs Liaison Graduate Student Life Committee Teaching Excellence Committee 6

8 Student Profile Before coming to John Carroll, I did not realize how much in need I was for emotional, intellectual, and spiritual growth. Now, four years later, I have grown more than I could have ever imagined, specifically because of my experience with Campus Ministry. I am thankful for each campus minister who has influenced my life through providing me opportunities, encouraging me to get involved, and supporting me in my emotional and spiritual needs. My involvement began my first semester freshman year with Murphy Mass and the Manresa retreat. I was opened up to an incredible group of people and instilled with the Jesuit values that were new to me. The Jesuit values of finding God in all things and being men and women for others stuck with me. I brought it onto my immersion trip freshman year to Jamaica. Freshman year changed me in who I was and who I wanted to become. I was inspired to experience more. So I decided to lead immersion trips to Louisville and Ecuador, continue returning to Jamaica, lead and co-lead Manresa, become a fair trade intern, create a new outdoor overnight retreat, and attend more retreats like the 8-day silent retreat. What drew me to all of these experiences was love. I experienced the love of God and the love of good friends and new friends. I realized that this is where I am most happy and what gives me life. I am now pretty sure in my decision to pursue a career in campus ministry so I can change the lives of other young people like the campus ministers at John Carroll changed mine. Before fulfilling this goal, I will accomplish my other dream that Campus Ministry inspired of doing a year of service in Mandeville, Jamaica through Passionist Volunteers International. I cannot wait to go into the world and spread the immense love of God and sense of community I have gained from John Carroll. Courtney Radtkin 15 is from Willoughby Hills, OH and graduated with a degree in Communication with minors in Theology and Religious Studies and Catholic Studies. 7

9 RETREATS Manresa Manresa Team Day Silent First Year Day/Evening of Silent Prayer & Reflection Senior Evening of Reflection 18 Becoming Junior Night of Reflection 18 Senior Night of Reflection 21 Roots 27 Journey 22 Guidance Alpha/Omega Devotional CLC Leader Retreat CLC Living Simply Senior Retreat Live InTense in Tents Retreat 22 Living the Mission - Orientation Time Out Discernment 15 0 Faculty/Staff Day of Reflection (March) Faculty/Staff Day of Reflection (May) 11 Crossroads 26 Immersion Leaders Immersion Group Retreats Other (RM Connections ) 16 TOTAL

10 MAJOR CAMPUS LITURGIES Mass of the Holy Spirit (at Gesu since 2007) Parents Weekend Mass (at Gesu ) Christmas Carroll Eve (at Gesu) Ignatian Heritage Week Mass (at Gesu) Baccalaureate Mass (at Gesu from ) Graduating Seniors Undergraduate Enrollment WEDDINGS (St. Francis Chapel) Weddings in St. Francis Chapel CHRISTIAN LIFE COMMUNITIES Participants Leaders Board Members N/A POST-GRADUATE VOLUNTEER FAIR JCU Student Attendees Registered Organizations

11 POST-GRADUATE VOLUNTEERS Post-Graduate Volunteers Graduating Class Size Percentage of Class 3.47% 2.86% 2.42% 1.90% 3% 1.66% 2.9% 3.7% IMMERSION EXPERIENCE STUDENT PARTICIPATION - Domestic DOMESTIC EXPERIENCES (1st year w/out CSSA) Appalachia, WV Baltimore, MD Bethlehem Farm, WV Camden, NJ Chicago, IL (CSSA until FY14) Cleveland, OH (CSSA until FY14) 8 1 Immokalee, FL Joplin, MO (CSSA until FY14) 12 1 Louisville, KY Mt. Vernon, KY 6 1 Nazareth Farm, WV (04-05, 05-06) New Orleans, LA (CSSA until FY14) DOMESTIC TOTALS

12 IMMERSION EXPERIENCE STUDENT PARTICIPATION - International INTERNATIONAL EXPERIENCES (1 st year w/out CSSA) Dominican Republic 24 2 Ecuador El Salvador (CSSA until FY14) Guatemala (CSSA until FY14) Honduras (CSSA until FY14) Jamaica Juarez, Mexico (CSSA) 7 1 Nicaragua Reynosa, Mexico (CSSA) Rwanda (CSSA) 8 1 Uganda (CSSA) 11 1 INTERNATIONAL TOTALS Total Immersion Experience Participation for Number of experiences: 9 Student Participants: 118 Faculty/Staff Participants: board member + 1 physician/alum for Honduras 11

13 OVERALL ENGAGEMENT 07/08 08/09 09/10 10/11 11/12 12/13 13/14 14/15 Immersion Retreats CLC (CFC) Leaders & Members Liturgical Ministers Overall Engagement JCU Undergraduate Enrollment