Source: Chicago Catholic by Kerry Alys Robinson Close to half a million Catholics in the United States have just graduated from college, and almost as soon as they did their participation in the church plummeted. For decades, leaders of the U.S. church have observed that many young-adult Catholics enjoy a positive experience of the church while they are in college, either because they attend a Catholic university or because they attend a secular university with a vibrant Catholic campus ministry. Catholic students note the exceptional liturgies, relevant homilies, student participation, opportunities for service and attention to helping them develop a mature…
Browsing: College Students
Source: The Christian Century Being religious is not about following rules. It’s more like dancing. by Aristotle Papanikolaou When I was hired at Fordham University in 2000, I was told that I was to teach the core freshman theology course, Faith and Critical Reason. I guessed that many students in the class would resent being forced to take a theology course as a core requirement, for two reasons: (1) many students would be burned out on the theology courses they might have taken in a private Catholic high school; and (2) some students would question how theology could be taught…
Source: Orthodox Christian Laity Countdown to the 6th Meeting of the Assembly of Bishops – Chicago Area High School and College Students will meet with Bishops We are called to move beyond what is “mine” and what is “yours” to what is “ours.” From now on, this is how we should conceive and conduct all of our ministries and resources, all of our departments and initiatives. Otherwise, we do not practice what we preach. It is really up to us to accept the challenge or to refuse the call.” Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew’s Video Address at the Dallas Assembly 2014 During…
Source: The Quinnipiac Chronicle by Julia Perkins The university’s new Catholic Chaplain, Father Jordan Lenaghan, is working to support the Eastern Orthodox community at Quinnipiac. As part of this mission, Father Peter Orfanakos, a Greek Orthodox pastor from Orange, Conn., held a Vespers service on Thursday, Nov. 14. A Vespers is a prayer service done in the Eastern Orthodox Church at sunset to honor a different saint each day. Eastern Orthodox students and members of the Catholic Student Association attended the Vespers service. “We just want to help out our fellow brothers and sisters of faith,” said senior Marina Dugan, public…
Source: Orthodox Church in America ELLWOOD CITY, PA [OCA] For the tenth consecutive year, the nuns of the Orthodox Monastery of the Transfiguration here invite college students, young adults and the young at heart to join them in celebrating the New Year. On New Year’s Eve—Monday, December 31—the Vigil for the Feasts of the Circumcision of Our Lord and Saint Basil the Great will be celebrated at 6:00 p.m., followed by prayers for the new year. Dinner will follow at 9:00 p.m., with the singing of Christmas carols. At midnight, participants will enjoy the festive ringing of the monastery’s bells.…
Source: Orthodox Christian Fellowship Brookline, MA The Orthodox Christian Fellowship (OCF) announced today that applications are being accepted for the position of Student Advisory Board (SAB) Advisor. This volunteer position is for a motivated person interested in serving the Orthodox Church as a coach, mentor, and facilitator of the determined and passionate group of college students who serve on OCF’s Student Advisory Board. Natalie Kapeluck-Nixon, OCF’s current SAB Advisor, shared her thoughts on her years working with college students: “Being given the opportunity to work with college students has been one of the greatest blessings of my ministry…
Source: Orthodoxy Today By Fr. Steven C. Salaris So why do 60% of our college youth leave Orthodoxy? Last year, I attended a clergy gathering where we had several “workshops” discussing the importance of Orthodox Christian Fellowship (OCF), ministry to college students, and what I call “The 60%.” This term derives from a recent study revealing that 60% of college students never return to church after college. This sad data applies to Orthodox Christians, too. When discussing this with others, my scientific brain (I’m a former biology professor) wanted data to back up the claim. I wanted to identify the…