In the past 10 years alone, Catholic Extension Society has supported 130 Catholic campus ministries in 68 dioceses. There are reasons for this.
Catholic Extension Society and the dioceses we partner with have been adamantly committed to campus ministry as an investment in the future.
In an era when we often decry the aging of church-going Catholics, and mourn the rise in young people leaving the Church, Catholic campus ministries are a refreshing source of hope.
Most people associate college towns with images of enthusiastic crowds of young people forming in football or basketball stadiums, standing and cheering on their favorite team.
However, thanks to the creativity of Catholic leaders on many college campuses, one can often find throngs of young people also congregating at Catholic Mass in large numbers in secular universities across the country.
Such is the case at the University of Louisiana at Lafayette, where students pack the pews of Our Lady of Wisdom Church during weekend Masses—kneeling, praying, singing and rejoicing together in a popular and energetic campus parish.
Students here are as devout and passionate as any team’s number one fan. They’re called the “Ragin’ Cajun Catholics,” and are a vibrant, friendly and deeply faithful presence on the UL Lafayette campus. In this southern Louisiana university, Catholic students do not have to look far in their dormitories, classrooms or clubs to find someone who shares their faith.
Catholic Extension Society’s support of this campus ministry occurred in the early-to-mid-1990s. During this time, Extension helped repair and restore Our Lady of Wisdom Church and Catholic Student Center and provided funding to support the operations of the ministry to students on campus.
A generation later, the investment has clearly paid off. The number of students engaged in Mass, mission trips and prayer groups has increased eight times as much compared to the ’90s. The number of highly involved student leaders has shot up from about 15 to 250.
The ministry, like so many others supported by Catholic Extension Society, has become an exceptionally strong Catholic campus community.
Engaging students in Catholic campus ministry
New students find a welcoming, joyful and deeply faithful community on campus. “If a college student wants to maintain their faith, you need to have a good community,” said Father Bryce Sibley, who served as pastor of Our Lady of Wisdom for 11 years.
Students become involved in discipleship, retreats, Bible study groups and mission trips.
Word-of-mouth endorsements from fellow students are key to the ministry’s success. Students welcome their friends and classmates to Mass or their many community events.
Beyond the faith-filled social life, students are encouraged to pray, reflect on themselves and their relationship with God, and celebrate the sacraments. Father Sibley said he spent a great amount of time hearing confessions and is always finding students praying in the church.
Father Sibley said,
It’s a place where they can find refuge, where they can find peace and quiet. They can embrace the love of the Lord.”
In an age of constant notifications, social media and increased time spent online, it is easy for today’s students to become distracted from their relationship with God. They often feel stressed out and alone.
The pandemic surely did not help this situation last year, as it temporarily shut down the church and student center. The center has thankfully reopened.
“Being online creates a lot of isolation,” said Father Sibley. “There is a desire for real connectivity.”
The church and student center provides these young people with a safe, intimate space to focus on their Catholic faith.
They can join youth and Bible study groups and discuss among their peers their convictions, values and the important decisions they are making at this pivotal time in their lives.
Today’s students are tomorrow’s clergy
The campus ministry produces more than a new class of devoted Catholics each year.
In the past 10 years, more than 80 young men and women have discerned their vocations while enveloped in the faith-filled, enthusiastically Catholic life at Our Lady of Wisdom. In fact, the incoming pastor and chaplain of Our Lady of Wisdom, Father Patrick Broussard, is a UL alumnus who was ordained in 2014.
In the 2020-21 academic year, an astounding 29 seminarians are on their way to the priesthood in the Diocese of Lafayette—the highest number in any Extension diocese. Catholic Extension Society supports their education.
“We create an environment that is conducive to discernment,” said Father Sibley. He will see some familiar student faces in his new role as professor of moral theology and spiritual director at Notre Dame Seminary in New Orleans. “It’s about learning to pray. They begin to encounter Christ through a deeper prayer life.”
Here, the Lord moves their hearts and helps them hear their calling.”
Father Bryce Sibley
One young man, Nick Ware, is a seminarian in the Diocese of Lafayette. Although he was raised Catholic, he rebelled when he left home.
But it wasn’t long before he returned through the campus ministry.
I came back to the faith while at UL Lafayette through Our Lady of Wisdom and some great friendships.”
Nick Ware, seminarian in the Diocese of Lafayette
Another seminarian, John Dugas, also attended UL Lafayette and became immersed in the campus ministry at Our Lady of Wisdom.
It was there, being in a community of men and women who were serious about living out their faith in a sacred world that really inspired me to ask God for my vocation, to follow it.”
John Dugas, seminarian in the Diocese of Lafayette
Both young men are expected to be ordained to the priesthood in 2022.
Through the generosity of our donors, Catholic Extension Society helps more than 50,000 Catholic students embrace their faith through campus ministry support in colleges in poor regions across the country.
Just like the students at Our Lady of Wisdom, these enthusiastic young adults are passionately sharing the love of God on campus and building the foundation for the future of the Church.
The seeds of faith sown today in college campuses sprout into the future Catholic leaders, parents, clergy and vowed religious of tomorrow.
