Priests Are In This Together

Every year, I write to the pastors of our students and ask them to consider donating to our Newman Center. Since our Campus Ministry is funded solely by the generous donations of our supporters, fundraising is a constant part of our life here. Whenever I read that somebody has donated 10 Million Dollars to have a coffee nook named after them in a dining hall or something, I think, "When are we going to get a Catholic to donate big to the BU Catholic Center?!"

Sometimes fundraising can be a bit of a drag, but writing to my brother priests has been something I've come to enjoy. Truth to be told, when I was a pastor, had I received a letter from some priest asking to help support his cause, I probably would have thought, "Hey buddy, I've got my own problems."  Oh how I think differently now!

One of the reasons I really enjoy writing to priests is because I feel as though I've inherited the fruit of their hard work. The vast majority of young people who involve themselves in the Catholic life on campus do so because they come from a good Catholic family and parish. Sure, we get some students who are seeking, but many of those who come to us do so because they received solid formation before they arrived at college. When I see students praying in the chapel, hear them making a good confession, or joyfully sharing their faith with others, I am very mindful and grateful for the priests who formed them. In many ways, my work on campus is simply to build on the solid foundation already laid by others.

The other reason I've enjoyed writing to priests is because many of them have written back.  In fact, today I received the first batch of replies. The replies are always so fraternal and supportive. Something else struck me today.  Of the four replies that I received today, two of them were personal checks from the priest himself.  In fact, one of the priests wrote, "I'm not longer the pastor. I recently retired so you may want to write to the new pastor." Then, he included a personal check. It really moved me that these guys are so generous. 

College ministry is very different from parish life. For a parish to be strong, it needs stability. They require a stable community and stable leadership.  Newman Centers have entirely new communities every four years. The transitory nature of college chaplaincy means that we really exist as a bridge. We exist to help people go from one place to the next. My hope is that the students who come to us from great Catholic parishes will eventually go out from here and build up Catholic parishes. 

Most of the priests who will write to me, I will never meet. Their support, however, helps me to experience the fraternity of the priesthood in a deeper way. These priests and I not only share a common bond in the priesthood, but we also share together the pastoral care of these young men and women. I've been a priest for twenty years, but always feel like I'm brand new at it, still learning and discovering something great. One thing I've gained from college ministry is a deeper sense of the fraternity of priesthood. We priests are in this together.