Mission

The purpose of campus ministry at Bishop Chatard is to provide a holistic ministry that empowers the school community, especially students, to grow as disciples of Christ. Under the direction of the director of campus ministry, with assistance from the chaplain and the campus ministry board, the campus ministry program concentrates on the areas of faith formation, Christian leadership and service.

Faith Life

Campus ministry focuses on aiding individual faith formation through providing liturgical and para-liturgical events, optional retreats, and individual pastoral guidance for students and faculty. The liturgical seasons of the Catholic Church year are incorporated into all school liturgy planning. The importance of individual participation and Christian unity among school community members is promoted. In order to encourage a connection with the wider Catholic community, there is an effort made to welcome north deanery pastoral leaders to liturgical events.

Christian Leadership

Campus ministry is designed to encourage students to embrace a role as a leader from the perspective of being a Christian role model. Students are an integral part of school liturgical events. A core team of juniors and seniors are trained to serve as team members for the underclass retreats. Campus Ministry is responsible for recruiting adults and students who have a desire to share their faith and gifts in order to create a sense of Christian community at Bishop Chatard.

Service

In conjunction with the religion classes, campus ministry assists the students in fulfilling the mandatory service hours by providing information regarding opportunities for service. The director of campus ministry maintains contact with deanery and archdiocesan leaders to promote student involvement in their parish and the community as a whole.

Retreats

Campus ministry provides a structured retreat program designed to enable students at every grade level to reflect on God’s presence in their everyday lives and how they might bring His presence to others through discipleship. The retreat experiences allow the students an opportunity to make a connection between their knowledge of faith and Christian values with actual life situations.

Freshmen will attend two class days of reflection, one in each semester to be held during the school day. Sophomores can choose one of five retreat dates to spend a full school day away at a retreat center. Juniors have the opportunity to attend an overnight retreat held off campus, and the retreat program ends with the Christian Awakening Program, an extended retreat experience that occurs during the senior year.

Campus Ministry Personnel