Priest profile

Serving the campus

From childhood through college, Fr. Jeremy Miller’s life was all about tennis. He was a state champion in high school and a Division I college athlete. But in the midst of his tennis career, he rediscovered something more important — his faith. While focusing on seminary and his first pastoral assignment, tennis took a backseat. But, in his current assignment serving Catholic students at the University of Toledo, he’s found a reason to pick up his racket again.

BY ANNIE LUST

It’s a good thing Fr. Jeremy Miller considers himself a “night owl.” His schedule is not what you would see in the average parish. “Most programs and events are at night” he explained. That might mean a Bible study that ends at 10 p.m. or meetings scheduled until 11 p.m. Fr. Jeremy is available whenever he is needed. With a core demographic of college students, he stays up pretty late.

Fr. Jeremy is the pastor of Corpus Christi University Parish, one of only two university parishes in the Diocese of Toledo. Rather than serving a geographic area, Corpus Christi was founded in 1970 to serve the Catholic community at the University of Toledo. Fr. Jeremy was appointed pastor in 2018.

Getting involved in campus life is an important job for the pastor of Corpus Christi University Parish. Fr. Jeremy with the university's women's tennis team. He offered his help to the team due to his tennis background.

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ON CAMPUS

When Fr. Jeremy arrived, he recalled the former pastor’s advice: integrate with campus. One obvious way for him to get involved was tennis. Fr. Jeremy began playing tennis at 7 years old. His goal was to become a Division I athlete, so he traveled throughout the country to compete. In high school, Jeremy placed second in the state tournament before winning the following year. He was recruited and offered a full- ride scholarship to Xavier University in Cincinnati where he played until college graduation.

During his first assignment in Mansfield, tennis fell by the wayside. That changed soon after he arrived at Corpus Christi. Fr. Jeremy offered to help with the women’s tennis team at the University of Toledo as a way to get involved on campus. It began as simply hitting with some players, then evolved in 2020 when he even traveled with the team. He continues to help when his schedule permits. “It’s been a lot of fun to be involved with the team and to get back to playing in general,” he said.

CATHOLIC STUDENT ASSOCIATION

While Fr. Jeremy is at the helm, much of what takes place at Corpus Christi is planned by students through the Catholic Student Association (CSA). The largest co-ed student organization on campus, they are an essential part of life at the University of Toledo: “We participate in all of the main UT events through CSA. For homecoming, we build our own float. For Songfest, we participate in the dance competition. For football games, we sit in a certain section. Everyone on campus knows CSA.”

Corpus Christi has a busy calendar with events for students daily. Starbucks Tuesday Coffee in the university library is a popular event each week for the Catholic students and their friends. Corpus Christi pays for the students’ Starbucks drinks, and they hang out, study and talk, usually with Fr. Jeremy.

PHOTO BY SCOTT W. GRAU/SPECIAL TO THE DIOCESE OF TOLEDO

THE MINISTRY OF PRESENCE

Late night events are not the only unusual element on Fr. Jeremy’s calendar. “It’s important to support the students beyond faith-related activities.” He attends most CSA events, whether that’s a pool party, a debate on the existence of God or serving Toledo’s homeless community. But Fr. Jeremy also supports the students by attending events unrelated to the parish. Most days, he goes to the university’s Recreation Center to work out alongside students or play basketball. He’s in the stands at football games and in the audience at musical performances. Fr. Jeremy refers to it as “the ministry of presence.”

The Catholic Student Association is well-known on campus. One annual event they take part in is making a homecoming float.

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A SIGNIFICANT TIME

“One of the blessings is that I get to walk with students spiritually through a significant time in their life,” Fr. Jeremy said. He knows from experience that the people around you in college can have a life-altering impact. After drifting away from his faith during his first year of college at Xavier, he started dating a girl who took her Catholic faith very seriously. “It made a big impression on me.” While the relationship was short-lived, Fr. Jeremy’s faith continued to grow. Shortly after college, he decided to “try out” seminary. “And I never left,” he said with a laugh.

The most popular Mass times at Corpus Christi are the evening Masses. The 6 p.m. Mass on Sunday night usually attracts 300 students. After Mass, they gather for a student dinner. On Tuesday evenings, the parish offers Eucharistic Adoration, confessions and then Mass. There are typically 70-plus students in attendance.

PHOTO BY SCOTT W. GRAU/SPECIAL TO THE DIOCESE OF TOLEDO

PREPARING FOR THE FUTURE

Fr. Jeremy’s goal for campus ministry is to equip students to practice Catholicism far beyond the four years he interacts with them. “We want to give them the foundation and the resources so that when they leave and go to another town, another parish, their faith will be strong enough, and they’ve seen such a variety of experiences that they can seamlessly integrate and make a difference in any Catholic community,” he explained. Simply put, he wants them to thrive in any parish.

Corpus Christi does have a dedicated group of permanent parishioners.

Fr. Jeremy explained, “We have a vibrant, permanent community, and they support the students in many ways.” But the vast majority are only there as long as they’re in college. “We get these four years to make it easier for them to integrate their faith the rest of their lives.”

The Catholic Student Association plans four annual retreats. The Fall Retreat to Hocking Hills is its most popular event.

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THE RIGHT PLACE

The church building, located directly across from the university’s south entrance on Dorr Street, has many rooms attached for students to utilize. And they do. “The students love [Corpus Christi]. They treat it like a home. If you walk around, you’ll find students in every corner of the building studying and hanging out. Every night, there are bible studies and events in every room,” he said.

Since Fr. Jeremy’s arrival, the rooms at the parish have become increasingly more crowded with students. The number of students involved in parish programs has increased dramatically, as well. The fall retreat, for example, had 58 students in Fr. Jeremy’s first year. “This year, we brought 124 students to Hocking Hills for our fall retreat. And every [program] has seen that type of growth over the past few years.”

If you have a child or grandchild attending college soon, you should consider a visit to the University of Toledo and Corpus Christi. It may be the right place for the next steps in their faith journey. And Fr. Jeremy would undoubtedly be happy to welcome and walk that journey with them.