Ideas for Campus Ministers

In Forming Consciences for Faithful Citizenship: A Catholic Call to Political Responsibility, the bishops of the United Statesremind us: “In the Catholic tradition, responsible citizenship is a virtue, and participation in political life is a moral obligation” (no. 13). The decisions we make as citizens about who leads us and what policies are enacted have important moral and ethical dimensions. The values of our faith should be our guide to public life.
           
This message is important not just for adults but for younger Catholics as they learn about our faith tradition and its implications for how we live our lives. Campus ministry programs are important settings for sharing the Church’s teaching on civic responsibility. But it’s not always easy to translate this message into language appropriate for young people or to weave it into a landscape already crowded with many worthwhile academic and extracurricular offerings. Below are some suggestions that may prove helpful. A variety of more detailed materials, resources, and session plans for campus ministry programs can be found in the Parish and School Leaders section of www.faithfulcitizenship.org.

Suggested Activities

Campus ministry programs on Faithful Citizenship can be as simple or elaborate as the leader chooses. They can be incorporated over several weeks and months, or they can be the focus of a single retreat or gathering or part of one, depending on how much time is available.

1. It is important for the young people to be familiar with some of the key ideas from Catholic social teaching that shape our approach to issues and campaigns. Themes from Sharing Catholic Social Teaching, a card and poster summarizing seven key themes of Catholic social teaching, or the video, In the Footsteps of Jesus, which also summarizes these themes, are great resources for familiarizing students with Catholic social teaching.
2. Before students will be interested in learning about Faithful Citizenship, they need to understand the statement’s relevance to their own lives. Host a gathering (with refreshments provided) on the theme “Why Should I Participate in Political Life?” or “The World is in Your Hands: Exercising your Responsibility as a Faithful Citizen” or “What is My Church Saying about My Role in Transforming the World?” You may want to feature a relevant speaker or presenter outlining the document, but be sure to leave ample time for discussion. Discussion questions to use with the statement can be found at the Faithful Citizenship website at http://www.faithfulcitizenship.org/resources/discussion and http://www.faithfulcitizenship.org/youth/deeper/coffee. Faithful Citizenship videos are at http://www.faithfulcitizenship.org/resources/videos.  Emphasize the idea that the bishops are calling all Catholics to exercise their responsibility as faithful citizens.
3. Use the “Adult Education and Small Faith Community Sharing” session plans found in the “Parish and School Leaders” section of the Faithful Citizenship website as the basis for a seven-week small faith sharing group on Faithful Citizenship.
4. Recruit student volunteers to help plan a campus-wide “faithful citizenship” prayer service.
5. Connect with Pro-Life and Social Concerns groups and other organizations on campus that share the Church’s commitment to protect human life and dignity. Make sure that they are aware of Faithful Citizenship and suggest ways they can collaborate to co-sponsor events and make their membership and other students aware of the important document. Engage these students in passing out to other students promotional materials that can be found in the Parish and School Leaders section.
6. Make sure that residence hall ministers are aware of the statement and the many resources available at www.faithfulcitizenship.org that may be useful in helping students with questions and concerns around election time.
7. Organize a campus voter registration drive. Emphasize to Catholic students that it is their responsibility as faithful citizens to be active in political life. Be sure that your efforts are nonpartisan; for help, consult the resource on “Political Responsibility Guidelines to Keep in Mind during Election Season,” in the Parish and School Leaders section of the Faithful Citizenship website.
8. Facilitate a trip for students to attend the "lobby days" sponsored by state Catholic conferences, or organize a letter writing/email campaign to decision-makers about issues of life, justice and peace. For ongoing information about advocacy opportunities and issues of focus, contact your diocesan social action or pro-life office, your state Catholic conference, or the USCCB.
9. Order copies of the Faithful Citizenship booklet to make available for students in campus ministry offices and in the back of the university worship space as students exit after Mass, and make the bulletin insert version of the statement, The Challenge of Forming Consciences for Faithful Citizenship, available to all students. Visit the “Parish and School Leaders” section of the website for other specific ways to integrate Faithful Citizenship into your university parish.

 

General Suggestions for Campus Ministers

Visit the Faithful Citizenship Website for New Resources for Young Adults: The Faithful Citizenship website, www.faithfulcitizenship.org, now features a variety of new resources for young adults, including videos, podcasts, conversation guides, and campus outreach materials (posters, e-postcards, “pass-it-on” cards, etc.).

Infuse the Civic Responsibility Message into What You’re Already Doing:
Prayers and Liturgies: Opening and closing prayers at parish or university Masses can include special intentions for those whose lives are at risk, for those suffering from injustice, for political leaders who make important decisions, and, close to the election, for those who will be voting for our leaders. Sample general intercessions are included in the "Ideas for Liturgists and Prayer Leaders" in the Parish and School Leaders section of www.faithfulcitizenship.org.
Regular Faith Sharing Meetings/Events: In addition to offering new events focused specifically on the Church’s teaching on civic responsibility, existing programs can weave this topic into other discussions. For example, if small faith sharing communities are already meeting on campus, they could focus on Faithful Citizenship as part of one of their regular sessions.   

Integrate Education and Advocacy into Service Activities: Many campus ministry programs do a good job of involving students in efforts to serve those in need. Young people are encouraged to serve the homeless, collect food for food banks, provide clothing and other items for those in need, and perform many other services. However, too many campus ministry programs do not effectively engage students in social analysis and education. Before and after service activities, young people should be encouraged to examine the underlying causes of the immediate problems their service efforts address. For example, when young people collect food for those who are hungry, campus ministers can help students ask why people are hungry and what opportunities our society offers for us to change those conditions. Likewise, students should be encouraged to become involved in advocacy. It is important to help all Catholics understand that voting and helping to shape policies that protect human life and promote justice and peace are part of what it means to be an active Catholic. Students can learn a great deal from attending "lobby days" sponsored by state Catholic conferences or from researching and writing letters to decision-makers about issues of justice and peace. For ongoing information about advocacy opportunities, contact your diocesan social action or pro-life office, your state Catholic conference, or the USCCB (http://www.usccb.org/sdwp/takeaction.shtml).

Promote Citizenship but Avoid Partisanship: Campus ministers can play an important role in promoting “faithful citizenship.” However, it is not appropriate for campus ministers to promote partisan positions on candidates or parties. For more information, see “Do’s and Don’ts: Political Responsibility Guidelines to Keep in Mind during Election Season” in the “Diocesan and Community Leaders” section of the Faithful Citizenship website.

Do What You Can: Efforts to share the Church’s tradition of civic responsibility can be as simple as asking a couple of questions during a meeting or as sophisticated as a campus-wide voter education campaign. The first step for most campus ministers is to become familiar with the basic message by reading the bishops’ Faithful Citizenship statement and the bulletin insert that summarizes it. Then decide what is realistic in your unique context, and do as much as you can to weave this message into your campus ministry programs.

Resources for Campus Ministers

Forming Consciences for Faithful Citizenship: A Call to Political Responsibility from the Catholic Bishops of the United States (Nos. 7-026 English, 7-802 Spanish; 800-235-8722)
This statement continues a more than thirty-year tradition by the bishops of encouraging Catholics to use the values of their faith to shape their participation in political life. It focuses on helping Catholics form their consciences so they can make sound moral judgments about public choices.  Faithful Citizenship highlights four areas of special concern-defending human life, promoting family life, pursuing social justice, and practicing global solidarity.

The Challenge of Forming Consciences for Faithful Citizenship (Bulletin Insert) (Nos. 7-027 English, 7-803 Spanish; 800-235-8722)
A brief summary of Forming Consciences for Faithful Citizenship: A Call to Political Responsibility from the Catholic Bishops of the United States.

Forming Consciences for Faithful Citizenship –DVD (No. 7-038; 800-235-8722) 
Three brief segments, two in English for adults and teens, and one in Spanish for adults.

Excerpts from Sharing Catholic Social Teaching (English card, no. 5-315; Spanish card, no. 5-815; English poster, no. 5-318; Spanish poster, no. 5-818; 800-235-8722)
An easy-to-distribute card summarizing seven key themes from Catholic social teaching. Also available as a poster.

Sharing Catholic Social Teaching: Challenges and Directions (Nos. 5-281 English, 5-803 Spanish; 800-235-8722)
This statement of the U.S. bishops urges that Catholic social teaching be incorporated into every Catholic educational program and identifies seven key themes of Catholic social teaching.

Living the Gospel of Life: A Challenge to American Catholics (Nos. 5-300 English, 5-809 Spanish; 800-235-8722)
This statement calls U.S. Catholics to recover their identity as followers of Jesus Christ and to be leaders in the renewal of U.S. respect for the sanctity of life.

In the Footsteps of Jesus: Catholic Social Teaching at Work Today (No. 5-444; 800-235-8722)
A two-part video. The first part (9 minutes) provides a brief summary of seven key themes from Catholic social teaching. The second part (19 minutes) explores each theme in more detail through the testimony of people who have lived the theme.

Leader’s Guide to Sharing Catholic Social Teaching
(No. 5-366; 800-235-8722)
Ideal for religious educators at the diocesan and parish levels, this guide was developed to assist parish ministers and other adults in their study of Catholic social teaching, either individually or in a group setting. It includes prayers and ten study sheets containing themes, quotes, scriptural foundations, and much more.

A Place at the Table: A Catholic Recommitment to Overcome Poverty and to Respect the Dignity of All God’s Children
(English: No. 5-519; Spanish: No. 5-880; 800-235-8722)
This pastoral reflection from the bishops will assist pastors, religious educators, teachers, youth ministers, and social justice coordinators to pray, reflect, and take action on the causes of poverty in the United States.

The Call to Family, Community, and Participation
(English: No. 5-189; Spanish: No. 5-835; 800-235-8722 or download in English at http://www.usccb.org/cchd/FamilyBkInternet.pdf)
Chapters 1 and 2, or online Sections 3 and 4, entitled, “Call to Community” and “Call to Participation” are helpful resources for reflecting in groups or as an individual on these themes from Catholic social teaching.