Ecumenical Issues on Campus

Sooner or later it comes up. Students are confronted by others challenging their faith. A campus crusade comes to town and shakes things up. A student who used to attend mass has opted for the Sunday worship service instead. How do we address these issues while keeping within the ecumenical precepts of Vatican II?

1. Your first stop is your ((Arch) Diocesan ecumenical office/director. Resources, programs and ideas already exist. Use them.

2. Other campus ministers. What are they doing? What is working?

3. Focus on what is similar. If we can't agree with Protestants, for example, on justification, we can agree with them on going to a soup kitchen to feed the poor. Service projects are a GREAT way to join with our separated brethren to do the Lord's work.

4. Host discussions, NOT arguments. Have an evening program of dialogue with other faiths - focused on similarities but with some talk as well on differences. Bring in a speaker who is qualified to tackle this type of program.

5. Apologetics. Make sure that you have programs in place where catholic students can gain the knowledge they need to answer tough questions and defend the faith if needed. There are TONS of resources out there to use. Check out our links page - Catholic Answers, Catholics United for the Faith and Envoy Magazine are three outstanding places to start. Don't be afraid to bring the TRUTH to students! The main reason people leave the church is due to their own ignorance of the faith. If they don't understand what they believe they are easy game for a well versed Protestant.

6. Remember to approach all ecumenical issues in a spirit of peace and love. Don't shy away from the truth, but remember that accepting the truth is a matter of grace, not of browbeating.

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