Is the Catholic presence on college campuses in the United States adequate to serve Catholic and non-Catholic students alike? The findings from “A National Study on Catholic Campus Ministry 2017” released Oct. 9 by the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops’ Secretariat of Catholic Education showed we have a long way to go to. “The Catholic Church has to look at this seriously and ask ourselves, ‘What can we do to keep the Catholic presence in the minds of young people,’” said New Orleans Auxiliary Bishop Fernand Cheri, who, as the episcopal liaison for the Catholic Campus Ministry Association (CCMA), was involved in the study. “These are the people of the future, and we have no contact with them. What does it mean to be Catholic in the lives of college students?” What surprised him most from the survey was the lack of Catholic campus ministries at the nation’s more than 3,000 four-year colleges and universities. “Campus ministries are only located in one quarter of all major universities in the country,” he said. “That means three quarters of major universities don’t have campus ministries. So, young adults are being neglected. On junior college campuses (about 1,500), the number drops to one of every 60 campuses.” “We have to look at all the factors of where the church is and how the church is meeting the needs of young people today,” he said.  One factor to consider, he said, “Young people today aren’t seeing Catholic religious priests’ or sisters’ presence (on campus). It is not a part of their lives anymore. How do we recapture that fire?”

As part of the Archdiocese of New Orleans’ “40 Days for Life” campaign, Archbishop Gregory Aymond will preside at a prayer service sponsored by the Respect Life Office Oct. 13 at 10 a.m. in front of Deanz Health Care for Women, 5437 Crowder Blvd. in New Orleans East. The clinic has applied with the state’s Department of Health for a license to perform abortions, said Ben Clapper, director of Louisiana Right to Life. The doctor who would perform the abortions is Dr. Rashonda Dean, a native of Opelousas, Louisiana, who has performed abortions in Louisiana since at least 2012. Clapper said conservative estimates are that Dean has performed nearly 16,000 abortions since 2012 at Delta Clinic for Women in Baton Rouge and Women’s Health Care Center, 2701 Gen. Pershing St. in New Orleans.

Jack Jezreel, the founder of JustFaith Ministries (JFM) that seeks to explore the link between faith in God and care of neighbor, will present the 2018 Roppolo Memorial Endowment Workshop Oct. 19-20 at Schulte Auditorium of Notre Dame Seminary, 2901 S. Carrollton Ave., New Orleans. Jezreel will discuss “Discipleship and Public Life: Realizing Pope Francis’ Vision.” He will deliver a keynote address Oct. 19 from 7 to 8:30 p.m. and then lead a workshop on his theme Oct. 20 from 9 a.m. to noon. The workshop is free and open to the public. Light refreshments will be provided. The workshop is in keeping with one of the five archdiocesan synod priorities, which urges Catholics to be “a voice and witness for Catholic social teaching.”

Every building has a story, and the new Rouquette Library at St. Joseph Abbey and Seminary College has quite a story to tell. The 19,000-square-foot, $6 million building was barely in the works when the Abbey grounds north of Covington were inundated by flood waters in March 2016.

BATON ROUGE, La. – From the outside, the LSU fraternity house where 18-year-old freshman Max Gruver died last year as a victim of what prosecutors called alcohol-fueled hazing looks remarkably similar to the 10 or so other Greek homes on fraternity row, if not a little spiffier.

“Finally, the church is talking with us, not about us,” a young adult replied when asked about her faith and why she considers herself “Catholic-ish.”   She went on to be videotaped as part of the research study, “Going, Going, Gone: The Dynamics of Disaffiliation of Young Catholics,” commissioned by St. Mary’s Press.

Over the past two years, the Young Catholic Professionals (YCP) Executive Speaker Series has featured a variety of business men and women who could shed light on faith in the workplace for members. On June 10, Colin Hulin, chief information officer at Peoples Health in Metairie, demonstrated to attendees that with his Catholic faith and family, he has conquered life’s struggles – including a heart attack at 43 – and landed in good place.

Throughout Lent, Mass-goers at Loyola University’s Ignatius Chapel are invited to turn their gaze upon a stunning wall banner that traces the season’s ideal movement from sinful brokenness to wholeness with God.

Amy Yacorzynski’s lifelong fascination with seeking answers to questions she had landed her as a contestant on the game show “Jeopardy!” Her segment aired Thursday, March 15. “I’d call it an out-of-body experience with lights and cameras,” Yacorzynski said about being a contestant. “I don’t think I really warmed up until two-thirds of the way through the program.”

Father Brad Doyle says the joys of the priesthood are numerous and often unexpected – like the night adults celebrating Halloween began lining up outside a pub for confession when word spread that the collared Doyle – one of the pub’s patrons – was a “real priest” and not someone simply costumed as one.

A full Saturday of faith-filled talks, live music, Mass and a fair of Catholic exhibitors will roll out on the grounds of St. Joseph Abbey and Seminary College March 17 at the 2018 Abbey Youth Festival. “I can’t believe we have this lineup. It’s going to be such a powerhouse,” said Christine Baglow, festival director, noting that the annual event targeting ages 13 to 18 will offer a first-time series of breakout sessions designed to give teenage girls, boys and their adult leaders relevant information on their respective faith journeys.

Being in solidarity with people from a different culture is one reason Xavier University of Louisiana’s Office of Campus Ministry has organized its inaugural mission trip to Honduras this summer. Another is to further the work of St. Katharine Drexel, Xavier University’s founder, whose life’s mission “promoted a more just and human society,” said Xavier student Sarah Bertrand, who is coordinating the trip.