What students are saying
"We are happy to report that our Campus RENEW group is working out beautifully. We have a large group, consistently about 22 freshmen, so we run the meetings a little differently.
First we say an opening prayer together, read the Gospel, and then do the catch phrase. Then we break apart to lead two smaller groups for the reflection and questions and call to action. To finish, we come back together for a closing prayer.
Every week we mix the groups, just so the freshmen get a chance to meet each other and to have a different leader. Throughout the meetings the group has been extremely responsive and always share their excitement. Their enthusiasm for Campus RENEW is unbelievable.
A lot of the freshmen have come up to us and said, 'Hey, I knew what the priest was talking about today during the Gospel and homily because of Campus RENEW !'
It’s great. Let’s keep up the good work!"
"We are having great success with our Campus RENEW group. We continue to gain new members.
Everyone interacts really well and I know that even if everyone is not yet participating, they will be soon.
I love how well this is working out and we are really pleased with the response from all the Campus RENEW groups. You can definitely tell something new is going on here. This is so awesome!"
"Campus RENEW has become such a central part of my college life that I find it difficult to imagine life with out RENEW. The connections I have made with fellow students, as well as my faith, have not only made me stronger in my faith, but also helped me transition to life on campus. I love Campus RENEW!"
"Here’s an update on our Campus RENEW group. So far it has been really successful. Each week our number has grown and we haven’t had anyone drop after coming. I think a solid group of 12-15 will probably become covenant members.
At first, we spent some time getting to know each other. We’ve found that, after the Gospel reading, talking about phrases, etc., that stand out leads nicely into the Gospel reflection and call to action.
Our group has been so open with faith- and experience-sharing. It has really been incredible to see how different insights and experiences complement each other and lead to a call to action. The call to action has been pretty important for us—our group talks a lot about accountability to each other, which is a great start to community-building.
We’ve also been talking about group service and fellowship outside of the Campus RENEW hour and our group has some pretty great ideas!
"We are having a great group so far. There are only three members, but they have all opened up and shared some really cool experiences.
This week for our in our call to action, we talked about ways we could learn about and be open to different religions and faiths in our lives.
One of our members is Greek Orthodox and she said she could bring in some materials (prayers) and we could look at our differences and discuss them.
Another one of our members said a friend of hers is Jewish and lives in the area; we hope to go over there for dinner or something sometime in the near future and discuss the Jewish religion.
Even though we are small, we are all opening to each other, and are having some amazing discussions.
People are really sharing intimate things about their faith and their lives with each other, and I think that is awesome."
Click here to see what Campus Ministers are saying about Campus RENEW |