Campus ministry programs seen as way to help build future of church

Published: 2004-04-19

CHARLESTON, S.C. (CNS) -- Nearly 20 years after the U.S. bishops issued their pastoral on how far campus ministry had come since its origins in 1883, how far it had to go and what it would take to get there, campus ministry has changed only minimally. Dee Bernhardt, who chairs the executive board of the Catholic Campus Ministry Association, said the ministry has "taken steps nationally, but it's been a very slow road." She praised the bishops' 1985 pastoral, "Empowered by the Spirit: Campus Ministry Faces the Future." "Usually the pastorals are more theoretical, but this had more practical applications," she said. Campus ministry programs strive to keep Catholics active in their faith during the formative college years and beyond. In their pastoral, the bishops offered six aspects for campus ministry: forming the faith community, appropriating the faith, forming the Christian conscience, educating for justice, facilitating personal development and developing leaders for the future.

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