It is the presence of an anti-Christian culture in
many of our mainstream colleges. Keeping the
Faith has become extremely difficult for most
Catholic students, who may graduate yet fall
away from the Faith of their childhood.
An approach we have heard from Seton graduates
attending college is that they take along their
Seton religion books. They help them explain
the Faith to others who have misunderstood, or
do not completely understand what the Church
teaches.
What can be done to best help students remain
faithful during their time in college, have the
answers they will need to questions posed to
them, and give them the best chance of learning
and graduating with their Faith not destroyed,
but deepened?
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In the Arlington Diocese, Father Christopher
Vaccaro was assigned as chaplain to a secular
college and saw the difficulties of Catholic
college students trying to hold on to their faith.
Even in many Catholic colleges, little attention
is given to Catholic teachings, and even less to
Catholic moral teachings, which is a disaster at
this time when students most need to know the
truths of the Church.
Determined to make a difference, Father Vaccaro
started an apostolate to help Catholic college
students keep their Catholicism alive while they
are attending college. The apostolate is called
the Associates of St. John Bosco.
On their website, the Associates of St. John
Bosco explain how they “support high school and
college students in remaining faithful during
this challenging part of life during challenging
times.”
Their work is accomplished through
(1) hosting College Nights to provide fun
and informal social gatherings for rising
and current college students,
(2) scholarships for those studying at
Catholic high school and colleges with a
strong commitment to serving the Church
in some capacity (priest, religious, DRE,
youth minister, etc), and
(3) support for colleges to bring vibrant
and inspiring Catholic speakers to campus.
80/35
In a recent talk delivered at an Arlington
diocesan high school, Father Vaccaro noted that,
“of those who go off to college, eighty percent
will stop practicing their Faith.”
In college, students look forward to their opportunity to
further their education and dig into their studies. As rich
and fascinating as the experience will be, there’s a troubling
underside that worries many families.
ASJB.ORG
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BAYLEY BULLETIN, JUN-AUG 2016
