COLLEGE CAMPUS MINISTRIES

OVERVIEW

In all aspects of the college and university setting, campus ministries help students, faculty, and staff become more closely engaged with the Gospel and the richness of the Roman Catholic tradition. Campus Ministries keep faith lives strong in the face of competing material claims from the secular world, ensuring a foundation for God’s love to flourish throughout the Archdiocese.

Campus Ministry is an expression of the Church’s desire to be present to all who are involved in higher education. Campus Ministry is the public presence and service through which properly prepared baptized persons are empowered by the Spirit to use their talents and gifts on behalf of the Church in order to be a sign and instrument of the kingdom in the academic worlds. This specialized ministry to all in higher education is presented by the National Conference of Catholic Bishops in their pastoral letter, “Empowered by the Spirit, Campus Ministry Faces the Future” and is carried out by dozens of lay campus ministers and support persons in the Archdiocese.

BACKGROUND

Currently there are 34 accredited public and private two and four year colleges and universities based in the Archdiocese of Cincinnati. These institutions serve a total of 155,119 students at four public state universities (62,502), ten two year public campuses (56,181), five Catholic institutions (19,937), and fifteen private colleges and universities (16,499). There are thousands of additional higher education students in local proprietary schools and distance learning colleges and universities. While the Catholic institutions fund campus ministry as part of the mission of the college/university, the Archdiocese funds campus ministry at four public institutions which serve college/university communities of 73,646 students.

Campus Ministries funded by the Archdiocese of Cincinnati:

• University of Cincinnati (27,908 students) St. Monica/St. George Parish/Newman Center
• Sinclair Community College (22,762 students)
• Miami University (16,574 students) St. Mary’s Church Oxford
• Wright State University (16,402 students) WSU Newman Center

Campus Ministers are certified by the U.S. Catholic Conference of Bishops and provide a wide variety of ministerial services (educational, liturgical, pastoral, ecumenical, and spiritual) within the higher education community.

For more information on Campus Ministries, contact:
Dr. Jane Steinhauser at Jane.Steinhauser@sinclair.edu