Issuu

CATHOLICS ON THE HILL

A COMMUNITY WHICH BURNS OUT OF LOVE FOR JESUS CHRIST & OUR NEIGHBOR, THE GREAT TREASURES OF THE CHURCH.

SPRING 2026

A LETTER FROM THE DIRECTOR

Catholic Jayhawks and Friends,

Forty is no insignificant number in the Bible!

A period of 40 days or years is an important one in Scripture and in Jewish tradition. As the Church Fathers observed, 40 is a number often associated with transformation, purification, and preparation:

The flood in Noah’s day lasted 40 days (Gen 7:4).

The fasting and preparation of Moses for his mission was 40 days (Ex 24:18; Deut 9:9).

Elijah fasted for 40 days while running to Mount Sinai (1 Kings 19:8).

The Israelite generation in the wilderness wandered for 40 years before entering the Promised Land (Ex 16:35; Ps 95:10).

Jonah prophesied that Nineveh would be destroyed in 40 days unless they fasted and repented for those 40 days (Jon. 3:4).

There were 40 days between Christ’s birth and His Presentation in the Temple (Lk 2:22-24, CCC 583).

Jesus fasted for 40 days and nights in the wilderness as He began His public ministry (Mt 4:1-2).

Jesus was on earth 40 days between His Resurrection and Ascension (Acts 1:3).

The number 40 matters a great deal in the story of the people of God. At St. Lawrence, we are now entering into the celebration of the 40th anniversary of our chapel and campus facility! In the 40 years since our beautiful chapel was dedicated in 1986, tens of thousands of young men and women have been touched by the sacraments of the Church and have met Christ through this ministry. Dozens of young men and women have heard the call of Jesus and have responded generously by becoming priests and religious sisters. Hundreds more have embraced the call to mission by serving the Church as missionaries, teachers, evangelists, and youth ministers. Still others thank the St. Lawrence Center for being the catalyst in not only their relationship with Jesus, but also the place where they met their future spouse, and the story of their new family began.

As we celebrate the 40th anniversary of the dedication of the St. Lawrence Chapel, we thank the many priests–especially Msgr Vince Krische, Fr Steve Beseau, and Fr Mitchel Zimmerman–who have nobly served and guided the Catholic mission on the hill We thank and pray for each of you who have been, and who remain, a part of the beautiful story that God continues to tell through the Gospel witness of the authentic Jayhaw

In thanksgiving to God for the many graces He has poured out upon this Catholic mission, and as we enter into the next chapter of the St Lawrence Center story, I humbly invite you to make a contribution to assist and further this crucial ministry to the students and faculty of KU The need for true Jayhawks–tenacious men and women of brave heart and joyful, authentic freedom–only becomes more apparent with the passing of each year. Thank you for your continued prayers and generous support of the ministry at St Lawrence, which sends into the world every year the missionary Jayhawks of our time!

What stories has God told in the 40-year history of our chapel? What stories does He desire to tell in the next 40 years? We would love to hear from you!

Jayhawks fly! To 40 more!

FR, LUKE DOYLE

MEET THE STAFF

CAROLINE

KANNE, ADVANCEMENT OFFICER

The St. Lawrence Catholic Campus Center is pleased to announce Caroline Kanne as its new Advancement Officer. Caroline will support the Catholic mission at the University of Kansas by sharing SLC's story with community members in effort to expand the Center's mission to, "form students to radically know Jesus as a person and stand in their God-given identity. "

As a member of the Advancement & Operations team, Caroline will work to enhance development through campaigns, recurring gifts, the Krische Cup, Divine Winefest, and more.

Caroline earned her bachelor's degree in journalism from the University of Kansas ('21) where she was a member of the Kappa Kappa Gamma sorority Caroline has a business minor and professional selling and six sigma green belt certifications

Joining us from Honeywell Federal Manufacturing & Technologies, Caroline worked as a Communications professional in employee engagement and media planning Prior to her time at Honeywell, Caroline was an Account Executive at FOX4 WDAF-TV During this time, Caroline served on the board for Media Mix Kansas City in support of Operation Breakthrough

Caroline would love to introduce herself to you! Email ckanne@kucatholic org to schedule a time to connect with her and hear all the wonderful things KU Catholic students are up to at the St Lawrence Center

St. Lawrence, pray for us!

SPO

50 campuses impacted

2,227 in weekly small groups

315 in Household program

94 entered the church last Easter

4,189 participated in an SPO retreat

26,400 students reached

37 graduates are working full time for the church, 120 alumni are married, 10 alumni are ordained or have professed final vows

MISSIONARY

MINUTE

We are blessed to be one of only seven campuses nationwide that host both FOCUS (Fellowship of Catholic University Students) and SPO (St Paul’s Outreach), giving our community a rich and dynamic environment for spiritual growth and authentic discipleship Through prayer, intellectual formation, and community life, we seek to empower students to live their faith boldly and to dare to stand out in a culture that often challenges it Take a look at the big picture impact these ministries have on a national scale

FOCUS

Serving over 255 locations - including campuses, parishes and international locations

1,062 missionaries

More than 80,000 missionary and student alumni

1,469 alumni pursuing vocation to the priesthood and religious life

1 in 3 seminarians have been impacted by FOCUS

JAYHAWKS FLY - TO ROME!

This Spring Break, the St Lawrence Catholic Center had the beautiful opportunity to bring 30 students on a pilgrimage to Rome These students allowed their hearts to be opened as they journeyed in the footsteps of the saints and witnessed the beauty of the Catholics Church first hand - creating in them a desire to grow deeper in their faith and to bring others to know his love. One of the students, Kenna Dale, had an eye opening experience and came to know God and his forgiveness in a new way on this pilgrimage.

“WHILE IN ROME, I VISITED INCREDIBLE CHURCHES FILLED WITH BEAUTIFUL ARCHITECTURE AND DEEP HISTORY, BUT MORE IMPORTANTLY, I FELT GOD’S PRESENCE IN THOSE SACRED SPACES. ”

by Kenna Dale

Before my trip to Rome, I wasn’t as close to God as I wanted to be I grew up Catholic, but at one point I stepped away from the Church because I felt confused about my faith. Then, back in November, something difficult happened in my life, and it led me to turn back to Christ. I knew I wanted to keep growing spiritually, and when I saw the Rome pilgrimage on Instagram, I decided to take a chance Looking back now, it was one of the best decisions I have ever made.

My experience in Rome was truly life-changing. I went into the pilgrimage hoping to grow closer to God, and that is exactly what happened. I didn’t know anyone going into the trip, which was intimidating at first, but now I wouldn’t change that at all. It allowed me to fully trust the journey and be open to whatever God had planned for me

While in Rome, I visited incredible churches filled with beautiful architecture and deep history, but more importantly, I felt God’s presence in those sacred spaces. One of the most unforgettable moments was seeing Pope Leo not just once, but twice During that time, my family, the religious items I carried with me, and I were all blessed by him It was a powerful and humbling experience that I will never forget

“WHEN I SHARED MY STORY, PEOPLE CELEBRATED MY RETURN TO THE CHURCH AND SUPPORTED ME WITH GENUINE LOVE. IT SHOWED ME THAT THE CATHOLIC COMMUNITY IS NOT ABOUT JUDGMENT, BUT ABOUT GRACE, FORGIVENESS, AND WELCOMING OTHERS BACK. ”

Through Christ, I was also given the gift of meaningful friendships. Before the trip, I often felt alone in my faith, and it made me hesitant to attend Mass. Now, I have friends I can go with to the St. Lawrence Center, and together we continue to grow in our relationship with God These friendships are different from any I’ve had before; we support each other, pray together, and share in Christ’s love They have brought so much joy into my life.

Another major moment for me during the pilgrimage was going to confession for the first time in ten years. It was something I had been afraid to do because I worried about being judged. However, this experience completely changed my perspective. Instead of judgment, I was met with encouragement and joy. When I shared my story, people celebrated my return to the Church and supported me with genuine love. It showed me that the Catholic community is not about judgment, but about grace, forgiveness, and welcoming others back

Overall, my Rome pilgrimage changed my life. It transformed how I view my faith, the Church, and my relationship with God. It helped me realize that I am never alone in my journey and that God is always calling me back to Him. This experience has stayed with me, and it continues to shape how I live and grow in my faith every day.

“IT HELPED ME REALIZE THAT I AM NEVER ALONE IN MY JOURNEY AND THAT GOD IS ALWAYS CALLING ME BACK TO HIM. ”

AWAKENING FREEDOM

Our vision is to see a cultural awakening of freedom through the gospel witness of Jayhawks. This Easter, we saw 54 people live witness to the gospels by entering into the Catholic Church or receiving the sacraments. In taking this step, they shared their personal testimonies that reveal the deep freedom found in living the Catholic faith.

Why did you choose to become Catholic?

Brooklyn Black: I chose to become Catholic after being invited to Mass at the St Lawrence Center, as well as to other Catholic parishes by my friends I fell out of religion when I was in middle school, and noticed how much better my life was when I was continuously attending church and being active in my church community. I found this easily through the St. Lawrence Center’s programming, including women’s nights (through SPO), bible study groups, slow drip on Fridays, hanging out at the center, and surrounding myself with friends who were devoted to their faith.

Trevor Good: I was led to a Church with more intellectual depth than the Evangelical Protestantism in which I was raised, and with more grounding than the mainline Protestantism that I tried to wander through in the meantime At St Lawrence, I also appreciated seeing a church in action on campus: a collection of students that I naturally encountered in classes and on campus, not just at the Center Above all, I am thankful to have found a Church which is found in about every corner on Earth. No matter where I go, I may find a community that practices our faith together.

Who

helped

you the most on your journey to becoming Catholic?

Annabelle Merten: As I’ve been becoming Catholic, many people have helped guide me along the way Specifically, my FOCUS missionary, Bri Shaffer, who has taught me to be confident and to take bold steps by trusting in the Lord. My boyfriend, Lucas Soetaert, who has shown me what a holy, Christ-centered relationship looks like and has encouraged me to grow deeper in my faith each day. And Father Luke and Deacon Murray, who have taken the time to truly get to know me, support me, and walk alongside me. I am so grateful to be welcomed and encouraged by them and so many others. Drew Cook: My sponsor, Jackie Ballard (SPO missionary).

BURN FOR THE TREASURES OF THE CHURCH

What is your favorite thing that you have learned about the Catholic Church?

Drew Cook: That it is the church Jesus founded, and everything can be traced to the apostles

Brooklyn Black: I have learned so much about the Catholic Church, and it is hard to just pick one thing If I had to decide, it would be the structure of the Mass Learning throughout OCIA class the “whys” of everything we do was so eye-opening It gave me a strong background of why we do something, rather than it being “made up” or altered. Something that really stood out to me in class was that you can go to any mass across the entire world on a given day, and the readings will be the same.

Annabelle Merten: My favorite thing I have learned about the Catholic Church are the teachings about Mary, her Immaculate Conception, perpetual sinlessness, and fullness of grace I find these truths beautiful and deeply meaningful I especially love that I get to have a personal relationship with Mary and ask for her intercession, trusting she brings my prayers to her Son

How do you think becoming Catholic will change the way you live?

Brooklyn Black: Already devoting myself to the Catholic church has completely flipped my life around. I have seen so many improvements in my day-to-day life. I have started daily prayer, attending Mass every week, surrounding myself with those devoted to their faith, and praying when things are hard. Doing these things has not only made my day-to-day life better, but also strengthened my relationship with God Going from not having a relationship with Him to being fully immersed in His love has been astonishing

Trevor Good: For the first time in a decade, I will have a church home that feels to me like home I am excited to have the opportunity to weekly and even daily receive the gift of Christ in the Eucharist.

Drew Cook: It has already changed the way I live because I used to be agnostic, and now I have a completely different outlook and set of morals.

Annabelle Merten: Becoming Catholic has changed the way I approach life Rather than simply checking off boxes in my daily to-dos or focusing on my long-term plans, I have learned to be present and to receive the graces God is offering me in each moment I have surrendered myself more fully to the Lord, allowing Him to work in my life As a senior graduating in May, I am beginning to think about what comes next Whether I am offered a position as a FOCUS missionary or become a Catholic school teacher, I am ready to embrace this next chapter with trust in God’s plan and confidence that He will guide me wherever I am called. I look forward to walking with others in their own journeys of faith, just as so many people have faithfully walked with me.

MARY, BEARER OF THE FLAME

On March 25, the Feast of the Annunciation, we kicked off our celebration of 40 years by consecrating the St. Lawrence Catholic Center to our Mother, Mary. Leading up to the consecration, we had over 220 students and alumni who joined us in 33 days of prayer through a Marian podcast reflecting on titles of the Blessed Virgin Mary. We heard from various St. Lawrence staff members, alumni, benefactors, and students who shared their relationships with Mary and the importance of Marian consecration, concluding with a decade of the Rosary and our consecration prayer We can ’t wait to see what Mary and her Son have in store for the future of the St Lawrence Center

On our consecration day, we were blessed to have sacred artist Mattie Karr create the beautiful painting, "Mary, Bearer of the Flame, " for the Center This image shows the Queen of Heaven holding baby Jesus in the St Lawrence chapel Jesus burns like a bright coal, lighting the candles that represent the students at KU Meanwhile, Mary stomps on the serpent , who is merely smoke Jesus is the true ﬂame that sets the world on ﬁre - starting with His Mother's own heart This image is for all those looking for a home at the St. Lawrence Center. This image permanently hangs in the entrance of the Center Come check it out!

FROM THE ARTIST

MATTIE KARR, KU & ST. LAWRENCE ALUMNA

What was your inspiration/the story behind this art piece?

Every painting I do begins in prayer. For this piece, I had the help of the St. Lawrence Center Playbook. As I read through the Playbook, I paid attention to the words and images that stood out to me. Fire was a consistent theme throughout: the fire of the Holy Spirit, the fire of the burning bush in KU’s seal, setting the students’ hearts on fire, the mission statement of “burning for the treasures of the church. ” As I prayed with this, the Holy Spirit took me to the analogy of Mary as the burning bush - on fire but not consumed. I saw an image of the Blessed Mother carrying a burning baby Jesus onto campus to light candles that had been blown out. As I sketched out these ideas, I was also inspired to have Mary stomping out the snake as if he were just smoke. The warm fire of Jesus is contrasted with the devil’s false fire I really wanted to show Mary as the beautiful queen she is, but only because of the empowerment of her Son Jesus came to set the world on fire and the first heart He lit was His mother’s In this painting she will stand as an icon of the woman who desperately longs to be a mother to every soul on KU’s campus

Can you explain what being a sacred artist means and how you came into this space?

I never planned to be a sacred artist! In fact, my degrees in illustration and film were supposed to qualify me for Hollywood film sets and animation studios But as my relationship with the Lord deepened and He healed me of many wounds and insecurities, Jesus began sending me healing images in prayer After graduating KU, I became involved in healing programs like Living Waters, Encounter School of Ministry, and the JPII Healing Center. In these ministries I learned to pray for people and receive images for them in prayer. Friends and family started commissioning religious-based artwork from me and this gift in prayer became a tool to help bring those images to life. In 2022, I was asked to create two 14-foot tall triptychs for my parish, Holy Name of Jesus, in Kansas City, KS. After a weeklong intensive with Encounter, I clearly heard God say, “you’ll leave your job next Thursday” . And so I did. That’s how I became a full time sacred artist! Over time, I’ve come to understand that my role as a sacred artist is to help Jesus heal hearts through beauty. Beauty attracts, touches something deep in the human heart, and evokes desires that are only satisfied by God. I can only hope that my art can do something like that!

What role has Mary played in your life?

I would not imagine being where I am today without Mary While I was at SLC, God decided I was in a safe place to allow me to have a bit of a faith crisis. After some diﬃcult experiences of rejection and failure, I believed that God was holding out on me. I blamed him for my insecurities and embarrassments and thought He simply enjoyed watching me fail. Though I believed the lie that God hated me, for some reason I never doubted that Mary loved me. I got my hands on a 33 Days to Morning Glory book and consecrated myself to her. During that time, I’m convinced that Mary used my consecration to undo lie after lie I believed about her Son, especially how He viewed my suﬀering. She is responsible for keeping me from running away from Jesus, and I’m so grateful to Him for giving me her. I consecrated my sacred art business to Our Lady of Guadalupe who is the “Heavenly painting” and rely on her to keep my wandering heart from wandering too far.

What are your thoughts on consecrating the center to Our Mother?

What a great idea! I was so surprised it hadn’t been done yet because Our Lady was so present during my time at SLC. It almost feels like we’re just making it oﬃcial through this consecration. Personally, I’ve asked her to use this painting and consecration to set oﬀ a spiritual awakening on campus. All I can say is watch out and prepare. Souls in need are coming.

Borcelle Magazine

THE ART OF RELATIONSHIP

At the St Lawrence Center, our mission is to burn for the treasures of the Church We want to form students who radically know Jesus as a person and conﬁdently stand in their God-given identity. We are blessed to have both St. Paul’ s Outreach and FOCUS on our campus Through prayer, intellectual formation, and community life, we seek to empower students to live their faith boldly and to dare to stand out in a culture that often challenges it

1,011 STUDENTS ATTENDING MASS EACH WEEKEND IMPACTED BY SPO IN SPO MEN’S GROUPS IN SPO WOMEN’S GROUPS

318

HAVE ATTENDED A FOCUS BIBLE STUDY

STUDENT-LED FOCUS BIBLE STUDIES ON CAMPUS

50 49

13 30

108 STUDENTS IN FOCUS DISCIPLESHIP

GREEK CHAPTER FOCUS BIBLE STUDIES IN SPO FORMATION PROGRAM

10 ATHLETIC TEAMS INVOLVED IN FOCUS

CELEBRATING 40 YEARS

“God had set his tabernacle in the midst of this neighborhood. He had taken up His dwelling place in one corner of the University of Kansas. He was in our midst. And I knew the struggle and hard work was all worthwhile. I anticipated the many wonderful and great things that would happen in this sacred space in the years to come, and He has done, as He promises in the book of Ephesians, abundantly more than all I could imagine ” - Msgr Vince Krische

This year marks 40 years since the dedication of our chapel in 1986. Join us to celebrate this year as we honor our past and look forward to the next 40 years!

Scan the QR code for more 40 anniversary events! th