New Yorker faces challenges in leading Catholic students worldwide

Published: 2004-09-27

WASHINGTON (CNS) -- If a serious bout with Lyme disease had not kept him out of school for five years, Kevin J. Ahern might not be living in Paris now and meeting Catholic students from around the world. The path that led to Ahern's election as president of the International Movement of Catholic Students and his move to France last November started in 1998 at a Westchester, N.Y., community college with no organized group for Catholic students. If not for his illness, he said, he would have probably gone to a four-year college farther from home -- a school more likely to have a Newman center or other campus ministry program. Looking for a connection with other Catholic students, Ahern joined the National Catholic Student Coalition, the international movement's U.S. affiliate. He eventually became part of the coalition's national team, transferred to Fordham University in New York and represented the international group at the United Nations for five years.

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