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Catholic Campus Ministry set an ambitious fundraising goal, in honor of our 30th anniversary, for Elon Day 2019.
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The Catholic Life Summit, held on March 2, 2019, was an incredible visioning session for the future of CCM.
CATHOLIC CAMPUS MINISTRY
SUMMER
2019 ISSUE
Truitt Center for Religious and Spiritual Life Numen Lumen Pavilion Mailing Address: Elon Catholic Campus Ministry Campus Box 2960 Elon, NC 27244 Phone: 336-278-7355 Fax: 336-278-7439 www.elon.edu/ccm
WORSHIP SCHEDULE SUNDAY MASS TIMES: 10:00am - Numen Lumen Pavilion 5:00pm - Elon Community Church TUESDAY: 8:30pm - Holt Chapel FRIDAY: 12:10pm - Numen Lumen Pavilion
CCM on SOCIAL MEDIA facebook.com/ElonCatholic instagram.com/ElonCCM twitter.com/ElonCCM flickr.com/ElonCCM youtube.com/ElonCCM
Easter Mass Having outgrown McKinnon Hall in the Moseley Center, Catholic Campus Ministry celebrated Easter Sunday Mass in historic Alumni Gym for the first time. What a wonderful way to celebrate the Lord’s resurrection in our 30th anniversary year!
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CCM students traveled to Jamaica and New Bern, North Carolina, to put their faith in action and serve God’s people.
Catholic Campus Ministry CCM SERVANT LEADERS: Mikey Lee, President Brittany Barton Raquel Burns Maddie Gall Hannah Feldhues Ellie Gaudin Maggie Grady Mackenzie Hall Madie Hotaling Katherine Klinger Courtney Kollar Catherine LoGrande Emily May Olivia Nowakowski Chris Pottorff Victoria Sardegna Marina Thornton ADVISORY BOARD: Mandy Nelson, Chair, P’20 Maggie Bergin, P’21 Dcn. Bob Bridwell, ‘71 Kristen Burke, ‘18 Joanne Callahan, P’22 Jon Dooley Greg and Sandy Janis, P’20 Kevin Krasinski Matthew Krause, ‘16 Michael and Colleen LoGrande, P’21 Mark McCaffrey, P’21, P’23 Tracy McCool, ‘11 Ralph Nelson, P’20 Jacqueline Serany, ‘12 Robert and Elizabeth Siletzky Cindy Touloupas, P’13
Elon Catholic Campus Ministry set an ambitious goal for Elon Day this year. Encouraged by the outpouring of support from 2018’s Elon Day totals and in honor of CCM’s 30th anniversary, we set a goal to raise $30,000 in a single day to support our students in their faith, provide a community where all can worship and belong, and build up leaders for the Church and the world. We are thrilled, blessed, and beyond grateful to announce this year’s numbers!
DIOCESAN STAFF: Campus Minister and Associate Chaplain for Catholic Life Fr. Peter C. Tremblay, OFM Conv. ptremblay@elon.edu Director of Catholic Life Trung Huynh-Duc tduc@elon.edu Campus Minister for Faith Formation Tricia McCarthy pmccarthy3@elon.edu Student Ministry Coordinator Leah Breindel lbreindel@elon.edu
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Thank you to all who made this Elon Day our most successful one yet, especially to our Matching Gift Challenge donors: the Klinger family, the Simon Family, and the Leupold family. If you would like to support Catholic Campus Ministry, please make your gift at:
org.elon.edu/ccm/makeagift Elon Catholic Campus Ministry
Senior Memories
Amanda Corso
“Looking back my favorite memory was going on Beach Retreat my first year. I didn’t know anyone on the retreat except my roommate and I had an incredible weekend meeting new people and joining the CCM community. That weekend 4 years ago introduced me to the people who would be my best friends throughout college.”
Emily Keller
Andrew Novinski
“My favorite CCM memory is sitting outside on the porch in the fall for Front Porch Friday eating an ice cream taco, listening to music, and watching everyone have a good time during an event I helped plan.”
Maya Aboutanos
“I remember one year during Orientation - it was so fun when all the Catholic Orientation Leaders showed up for Mass in their outfits (khakis and white shirts) and sang together in Choir.”
Jenna Bayer
“Mine was going to Jamaica on the CCM spring break trip and experiencing Christ in the service we did and the residents we encountered.”
www.elon.edu/ccm
Emily Trainor
“My favorite CCM memory was getting to experience the joy of Christ in my friends during retreats especially starting Awakening at Elon. Also, getting the opportunity to lead a small group for three years and seeing the class under me grow and become strong leaders in their faith and the ministry.”
“One of my favorite memories is weekly 12:10 Friday Mass in the Numen Lumen Pavilion, followed by lunch with staff and friends.”
Olivia Jung
“So many memories - Sitting at Mass every Sunday with Robert Feather. We met on our floor freshman year and sat in the same pew for nearly every Sunday for four years. Also, our intramural bowling team during J-term when we beat the fraternity boys, and becoming better friends with everyone.”
John Walkowski
“My favorite memory was planning Elon’s first Awakening retreat and having the opportunity to lead others closer to Christ during the retreat.”
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From Father Peter C. Tremblay, Associate Chaplain for Catholic Life
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atholic Life has existed on the Elon campus as far back as 1978; it began in response to a growing Catholic student population at Elon and their passion to grow in their Catholic faith. March 1989 is the earliest SGA record as an official student organization, marking this current year as the 30th anniversary of Catholic Campus Ministry at Elon! This was the perfect moment to make the next jump forward and dream big dreams. Beginning in the fall of 2017, the professional staff of CCM began re-forming the Advisory Board to serve in the capacity of helping to create and implement a strategic plan. Through the course of several meetings, board members, together with staff and student leaders, created a snapshot of the current operations of Elon CCM, performed a SWOT (strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, threats) analysis of the organization, and established a short-term action plan. These steps led to the creation of the Catholic Life Summit, a visioning session which was held in the Numen Lumen Pavilion at Elon University on March 2, 2019. What a momentous occasion in the life of our ministry! The Summit engaged a broad range of constituents, including current students, alumni, parents, faculty, board members, and university officials. In President Connie Ledoux Book’s opening address, she charged those present:
heratElon,wpusd understaviojh contribushefawld.” Incredible conversations were had among the various round tables, from how to engage more students and help them grow in their relationship with Jesus Christ to what facilities and staffing structure best serves them as they become global leaders. At the Summit’s completion, six key priorities were identified to grow Catholic Life and increase its impact on the university community: • Engagement and Outreach • Faith Formation • Facilities • Advancement and Financial Stability • Communications • Staffing These priorities now make up the backbone of a new five-year strategic plan. As the year progresses, I am excited to share with you in more depth all the facets of our strategic plan and how you can help in its fulfillment. I look forward to all the things we can accomplish together to build a brighter future for our students and our Church!
MARC H 2, 20 1 9 - T H E C AT HOL IC 4
Elon Catholic Campus Ministry
MOMENTOUS OCCASION Elon President Connie Ledoux Book gives an inspiring address to kick off discussions about the future of Catholic Life at Elon.
Catholic Campus Ministry was well-represented with students, alumni, parents, faculty, and staff from around the country.
Student Catherine LoGrande, professor Chris Leupold, and parent Steve Peck engage in conversation about key priorities for the ministry.
Current CCM student president Michalene Lee gives a presentation on the current successes of the organization.
L IF E SUMMIT www.elon.edu/ccm
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My favorite bible verse is 1 John 3:18: “Let us love not with words or speech but in action and with truth.” I’ve always found actions to be more powerful than words and, for that reason, been drawn to service as a way of showing God’s love. In high school, the one week I spent on a mission trip each summer were some of my best. I discovered that CCM had service trips that were faith-based and applied as soon as I was able. I was nervous before my trip to New Bern, NC, to help with Fuller Center Disaster Rebuilders, but as soon as I was on the trip with CCM, I knew I was in the right place. I’ve always found service trips to be humbling, and this one was no different. Realizing the incredible damage to the houses of many families was a strong reminder that not only am I incredibly blessed, but also that it can all change so quickly. I also found in my companions on that trip the beginning of a Christian Community that my Elon experience had been lacking. Service trips change you, they always do, and I’m so grateful for the ways this one changed me.
As I reflect on my experiences of the service trips offered by CCM, I think of how I wanted to do something more within my community over spring break. With last year’s CCM trip to Charleston, SC, I enjoyed the experience, loved the work that I was doing, and met so many humble individuals. So, I hoped to continue this service. This year, our group went to New Bern, NC, to rebuild houses affected by Hurricane Florence. This time, I got the opportunity to work on the inside of the house. We built about two rooms! Our work included replacing the old insulation, painting, and placing wood floors. In our free time, we had so much fun searching for the fiberglass bears downtown that are a symbol of the city. We also met other volunteers who drove from various locations; their stories of work and their commitment to service were inspiring. A special moment I will always remember is when we were celebrating a house being finished. Seeing the joy and gratitude displayed in the couple and their kids was wonderful. Their expression of happiness will never be forgotten. I know that even just a tiny bit of kindness creates a huge impact on others’ lives. The whole experience influenced how I continue to live my life and serve through God. Never experiencing a service trip prior to college, I decided to travel to New Bern because I felt called to use my free time during spring break to help others. I was not sure what to expect since I was going to be spending a week with people I had not met yet, but this trip was one of the highlights of my sophomore year. At the end of every workday, I found myself surrounded and inspired by people who, despite their exhaustion, always kept a high spirit and had so much joy and kindness in their hearts. The pivotal moment of this trip was halfway through the week when we all attended a house dedication. The parents and three small children, who had been living in a trailer parked in their yard, took a moment to express their gratitude and what our work meant to them. With tears in everyone’s eyes, it was in this moment that I knew that I was exactly where I was supposed to be. Even though I was helping repair only one house that week, I was helping a family get their life back, and that fact alone has helped keep God in my heart. I am so grateful for this opportunity; it was a humbling experience that I will treasure as I continue to grow on my faith journey.
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Elon Catholic Campus Ministry
I was interested in the CCM service trip to Jamaica because I love serving the special needs community. Out of character, I applied without much forethought, and with the grace of God, was accepted. I had never been out of the country until Jamaica, and I over-plan for everything. So naturally, I started panicking about what medicine to take, what shots one may need, and trying to prep myself for any circumstance possible. I was fully prepared to survive any situation, but I could have never prepped for the gift of Mustard Seed. I had done plenty of work with special needs kids before, but this was very different. Most of the children were in wheelchairs and non-verbal. Each day we fed them breakfast and dinner, took them on nature walks, and just gave them the best company we could provide. At the start, I had been uncomfortable. Things were different than what I expected. It was here I realized my Elon bubble. Mustard Seed helped me break down walls I did not know I had. I learned to love silence with the kids, to story-tell and explain my world to the kids as best as I could, to be patient and not pass judgements, and I truly learned the depth of God’s love. I was only there for one week, but I am forever changed by Mustard Seed and one special child named Sabrina…I miss that kid.
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In April, I was blessed with the opportunity to spend a week with CCM and Mustard Seed Communities, at their orphanage outside Montego Bay, Jamaica. During this week, I saw my faith grow immensely through witnessing God’s love in the residents, the nurses, and my peers. I was inspired by how faithful the nurses were and their compassion and selflessness toward the residents. I did not realize how impactful it would be to leave the college environment for a week and be surrounded by so much positive energy. It was so refreshing to have genuine conversations about my spiritual journey and life back on campus with like-minded people. I feel blessed that we had leaders like Father Peter and Tricia, who provided guidance and insight throughout this experience. During our nightly small group, we talked a lot about finding that child-like spontaneity and curiosity in our lives, which we found so easily in Jamaica. My most memorable moments were singing with the residents or running outside to play in the pouring rain with my peers. We were not allowed to use our phones throughout the week which made the experience even more special and allowed us to be more present. Since the trip, I haven’t gone a day without thinking about the shining faces of the residents or the funny conversations we had in the mission house. I came back with a newfound appreciation of the little things in life. I realized how much I allow my life to be controlled by material possessions and I frequently remember how content I was in a simpler environment. I learned the most important things in life are the connections you make with people. I applied to go to Jamaica because I wanted to make a difference in the lives of the residents, but they did more for me than I could have ever done for them.
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www.elon.edu/ccm
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The Catholic Phoenix
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CCM Newsletter
Catholic Campus Ministry Elon University Campus Box 2960 Elon, NC 27244-2010
Vi s i t u s o n l i n e : w w w. e l o n . e d u / c c m
We are celebrating 10 Years of the Catholic Newman Center at Holland House this Fall! Be on the lookout for dates and details, coming soon!