Sharing the Gospel: Catholic Campus Ministry in the UP

Sharing the Gospel: Catholic Campus Ministry in the UP

College students are returning to campuses in the UP this month amid the Covid-19 pandemic. We talked with our three Catholic campus ministries to find out how they are greeting students this fall.

The UP is home to three Catholic campus ministries: Catholic Campus Ministry at Northern Michigan University in Marquette, St. Albert the Great University Parish in Houghton and Lake Superior State University Catholic Campus Ministry in Sault Sainte Marie.

Fr. Dustin Larson began serving the Catholic Campus Ministry at NMU in July, after serving two years at St. Al’s as an associate pastor. He replaces Fr. Brandon Oman who served NMU previously.

He says he is looking forward to working with the students and helping them grow deeper in their prayer life.

“We want to teach the students how to dive deeper in prayer,” Fr. Dustin said. “We want to create opportunities for people to encounter a relationship with Jesus and with each other.”
Four peer ministers will help Fr. Dustin to lead Bible studies and be present to the students. 
A project he is inheriting is to create a Chapel that would be available to students 24/7 for prayer. 

“The Lord prepared me in so many ways to take on this new assignment after serving at St. Al’s for two years.” 

Fr. Ben Hasse, pastor at St. Albert the Great University Parish, has been working with student leaders to determine how to navigate the school year. 

“We are grateful to have adequate space to offer access to the Liturgy and the Eucharist and we will be adding extra Mass times for the students returning to campus,” he said. “It is exciting to see our student leaders working hard to be creative in coming up with solutions to overcome the limitations we are facing this year.”

Canoeing, giant croquet and bean bag tournaments are just a few ideas as well as establishing a tent city in the lower parking lot for socially distanced gatherings.

The ministry is excited to have nine FOCUS missionaries this year to serve the students. Two of those are Tech students who will graduate in December and are serving as missionary interns. FOCUS missionaries will conduct Bible studies in-person and online as well as individual mentoring. 

One of the changes students will see this year is the after Mass social will no longer serve donuts. Instead, pre-packaged ice cream treats will be available after every Mass! 

Fr. Tom Merkel joins St. Al’s this year as their associate pastor. A Northern Michigan University graduate, Fr. Tom was active at NMU’s campus ministry. “We trust that God has a plan in sending a Husky to the Wildcats and bringing a Wildcat to the Huskies,” laughs Fr. Ben.

Fr. Mike Chenier is pastor at Lake Superior State University Catholic Campus Ministry in Sault Sainte Marie. He and Danna Schmitter, Director of Campus Ministry, are looking forward to welcoming back students and continuing to create a sense of family and community for Lake State students.

“We have a great core team,” Fr. Mike says. “They are driven and creative, and passionate about our mission to make Disciples of Jesus Christ. They're so much fun to work with.”

He says they are working toward hosting more ministries outdoors. Bible studies on the lawn, outdoor games, hikes and beach time will all be part of this year’s events. “With the school year starting earlier this year, we're hoping to take advantage of the fact that it's still summer,” Fr. Mike says.

Two new programs: Back on Track, and God With Us, will provide students with ways of practicing Christianity in a modern world, and focus on the Gospel of Matthew. 

Danna says the Catholic Campus Ministry at Lake State provides a personalized approach for their students to grow in their faith through events and programs. 

“We continue to see the growth in individual students in amazing ways and sometimes we have the privilege of seeing them take their Catholic ministry to the next level upon graduation,” she says.

Although are plans are still in development, the three campus ministries typically gather for a spring and a fall campus retreat and the FOCUS national conference.