Campus Spirituality Team

DESCRIPTION:
The Campus Spirituality Team (CST) is a group of 5-6 students who are committed to leadership in spirituality on our campus.  Guided and formed in leadership by Campus Ministry, the CST is an active group that is charged with planning and executing community forming events and integrating a spirituality component into these events.

QUALITIES: Students who participate in the CST are those who take faith and spirituality seriously, especially as articulated in the Campus Ministry mission statement to ground our campus in the knowledge of God’s presence and call to communion.  Students of any faith background are welcome to participate.  Formation in spiritual leadership will come from within a broad Christian framework, but will be accessible to students, no matter what faith they may practice.

Students who are interested in serving as members of the Campus Spirituality Team should possess the following qualities:

• Demonstrate a life committed to growing in faith through prayer and communal experiences by exhibiting a desire to grow closer to God.
• Responsible and able to work independently, while working well with a team.
• Possess good communication skills, both written and oral.
• Be able to receive constructive feedback and show a willingness to receive personal formation.
• Demonstrate flexibility in making last minute adjustment to plans.

FORMATION:  Reporting to the Campus Minister for Faith Formation, each student member of the CST will be given the following formation in their time on the team:

• Initial Formation

  • Members of CST will return to campus for a pre-orientation session before the academic year begins. This will outline the coming year and help CST members develop personal and communal goals, while also providing a place for team introductions and bonding.

• Monthly Spiritual Mentorship with a chosen Spiritual Mentor

  • The CM for FF will help each student discern and connect with a Spiritual Mentor.

• Weekly Team Meetings

  • The CM for FF will coordinate meetings with the team to discuss planning events, strategies for engagement, and understanding how spirituality is embedded in these events. Developing spiritual leadership will be part of the formation of these meetings.

  • The Campus Minister for Faith Engagement will also be part of these planning meetings to provide a lens that is outwardly focused on engagement with campus.

• Twice Monthly Team Faith-Sharing

  • Team members will be guided by the CM for FF to get together twice a month for intentional faith sharing. These faith-sharing events will be ways for members of the team to grow in support of one another as disciples of the Lord.  These meetings will be held in confidence as a way for team members to grow their own faith and spirituality and hold one another in prayer as they navigate the joys and challenges of a life lived in faith.

• Monthly Meeting with Campus Minister

  • Each team member will be assigned to a member of the Campus Ministry team for a monthly check in on work, prayer, and life on campus. This will provide another outlet for students to chat through challenges and questions about a life lived in discipleship.  The assigned Campus Minister will check in on leadership formation and faith-sharing growth.

• Attend weekly communal worship.

  • Depending on team members’ faith backgrounds, they are expected to worship in their faith community on a weekly basis. For instance, Catholic members of the CST should plan to attend Sunday Mass, and, if living in a residence hall, make every effort to attend and participate in the weekly Hall Mass.

• Spring Retreat
  • Members of CST will attend a retreat in January that will engage in understanding personal growth in spiritual leadership over the course of the year to date. Planning for the spring will also be done in preparation for the work of the semester.

EVENTS: The CST will be required to plan and execute at least one event for campus monthly.  Events will contain at least some aspect of community building through a spiritual lens.  These events may be but are not limited to the following:

• Supporting the development of retreats for Campus Ministry through work with the CM for FE.
• Execution of Dia de los Muertos collaboration with Latinx Student Union.
• Planning and preparation for Campus Ministry Friendsgiving
• Planning, collaboration, and support for Campus Ministry / Latinx Student Union Los Posadas or Our Lady of Guadalupe celebration.
• Planning, collaboration, and support of Campus Ministry / FASA celebration of El Santo Niño de Atocha.
• Help prepare Campus Ministry’s participation in the university’s MLK Day ON events, especially CM’s role in the MLK Vigil.
• Support Campus Ministry’s work for liturgies during the Paschal Triduum, helping host all-night Eucharistic Adoration on Holy Thursday, leading Stations of the Cross on Good Friday, etc.
• Plan and execute a Campus Ministry End of the Year celebration.
• Other events as planned and executed by the CST Team.

The CST should also look for ways to connect with other organizations and student clubs on campus to build community through a shared spiritual lens.  Efforts to connect with different cultural clubs, residence life, and affinity groups will be of importance as the CST seeks to further Campus Ministry’s mission. 

CONCLUSION:  The Campus Spirituality Team will provide Campus Ministry with an opportunity to develop student leadership and to equip students with the confidence and skills to engage in planning and community building around spiritual and faith-based programming.  It will foster connections between various constituents around campus, providing connections between Campus Ministry and other groups and organizations to deepen our spiritual identity at the university.

Applications can be found through the Lead@UP procress on the student job board.  For more information please contact Fr. Tim (weed@up.edu) or Kayla (garchar@up.edu).