CAMPUS MINISTRY

Campus Ministry, under the Direction of Tom Holschuh, has seen a revitalization after two years of scaled-back activities in response to pandemic-related protocols.

With a focus on faith formation and service, Tom’s goal is to provide a welcoming place for students to grow together as a community. His room is open during resource mods and is often filled with groups of students who appreciate having time to connect and form friendships in a less structured environment. “Students get the opportunity to have conversations about spirituality and morality that might not otherwise happen,” noted Tom. “It also gives me the chance to develop relationships with groups of students, helping to form and guide the leaders in our school community”.

Service is now part of students’ required coursework for graduation and will result in each person completing 24 unique service experiences during their four years at Pius XI. Students are tasked with completing service in four different categories: family, community, vulnerable populations, and environmental, so that they can see the vast range of needs and ways to make a difference.

Beyond making it a requirement, Tom has gone to great lengths to build service into students’ lives on a more fundamental level. On almost a weekly basis, there are service opportunities offered during school hours at partner sites and the list of interested organizations is growing. “Offering experiences during the school day makes it easy and accessible, but it also requires our students to take responsibility for planning and prioritizing how they will meet the obligations they missed while they were out serving others,” commented Tom. “It’s an important life lesson in time management and helps these organizations on weekdays when they struggle to get volunteers”.

Retreats are another way Campus Ministry helps foster individual growth and strong community. As Tom says, “retreats allow students to step out of the normal daily routine to encounter Christ”.

Retreats are conducted throughout the year and are required for the freshmen and sophomore classes. Two optional Kairos retreats are offered for seniors and all students are invited to participate in the Christian Athlete Leadership Organization (CALO) overnight retreat in fall.

“A unique characteristic of Pius XI is the diversity in religious backgrounds and families. Retreats foster our Catholic students’ faith formation, but also provide for students of all faith backgrounds to come together, developing moral character for all,” said Tom. “It’s important that regardless of a student’s spiritual background that we bring them in and offer value in personal and spiritual growth”.

In addition to service, retreats, and community-building opportunities, Tom is dedicated to planning engaging allschool masses and preparing the daily EXAMEN reflection that encourages our entire school community to pause, reflect, and pray.