Campus ministry is lab for evangelization

On a college campus, says Rev. Bob Longobucco, evangelization is a "life-or-death" practice.

Like any college, the population at The University at Albany, where he is Catholic chaplain, turns over completely every four years. If the staff at Chapel House, SUNY's interfaith center, didn't reach out to students constantly, many might graduate without having made a connection to religion.

That connection is crucial, since "for some students, college is the first time they make a decision about whether to go to church," said Father Longobucco. "You have to let them know, 'This is an option that fits your life.'"

Multi-faceted

On campus, evangelization takes many forms: flyers about services, parties sponsored by campus ministry, tables where students can get information, retreats and even a "bring-a-friend-to-Mass night."

Father Longobucco also leads a program similar to the Rite of Christian Initiation for Adults; six students are currently in the process of completing the program and entering the Church.

"Usually, it's a friend who brought them into the Church," he pointed out.

Welcome mat

Father Longobucco believes that many Catholic parishes are not as welcoming to newcomers as they could be. Such evangelization efforts are a big part of his own ministry.

"Our number-one responsibility is to make sure everybody knows they belong," he stated, adding that he tells students: "It's a privilege to pray with your friends, to pray for people."

Being energetic and welcoming when students come to Chapel House is a key part of the priest's work. He wants to make sure students know they "count" and that he's there for anything they need. As a result, he encounters many students who don't necessarily go to church, but who feel safe coming to him when they need to talk.

"It's a ministry of presence, like any ministry," he remarked.

Model 'parish'

According to the chaplain, the "parish" formed by students in a campus ministry program is really what the Church should strive for through evangelization.

He tries to train students to become strong leaders in the Church, noting: "I'm always surprised by how many were never active in the Church at home, but get active here."

But, for many young adults, graduating from college means losing that connection to their faith, and few parishes have programs to welcome them back and engage them in parish ministries.

Father Longobucco said that parishes must take up where campus ministry leaves off by expanding young adult programs to keep 20-somethings involved in parish life.

Front lines

"In some ways, we're the front lines of evangelization," the chaplain said of campus ministry. "Every parish is dependent on evangelization, but we're more aware of it. I'd like to see parishes spend more of their energies on evangelization."

He gave several examples: teaching lectors how to not just read from the Old or New Testaments at Mass, but also to proclaim the message of the readings; or training ushers to not just seat people, but also to welcome and encourage newcomers.

Father Longobucco acknowledged that his suggestions don't start with non-Catholics, but with people who already call themselves Catholic -- two-thirds of whom, in the U.S., don't attend Mass. But he believes what renowned spiritual director and author Rev. Ronald Rolheiser, OMI, once said: that the Church's primary field of evangelization must be its own sons and daughters.

"If we 'do Church' well, the world will want it," Father Longobucco said.

(Father Longobucco admitted that it's a temptation to get "caught up in numbers:" that is, to gauge his success by how many students attend various campus ministry functions. But "I don't think it's that," he said; "that I manage to tell somebody the Good News today -- that's evangelization.")

(1/20/05)