PASTORAL LETTER

New pastoral letter points to Church’s role in university life

‘Serving Truth’: Newman Centers key to Catholic evangelization efforts

By Robert DeFrancesco | Dec. 15, 2009 | The Catholic Sun

A new pastoral letter made public this week outlines Bishop Thomas J. Olmsted’s vision for Catholic outreach at Arizona State University and Northern Arizona University.

The bishop’s 3,000-word pastoral letter, “Serving Truth in the University,” is addressed to the clergy and laity of the diocese, specifically those who are involved with the Catholic Newman Centers at the two state universities located within the diocese’s borders.

Newman Centers serve as the heart of Catholic ministry at secular universities throughout the world, providing Mass, sacraments and social events to students away from home and parish. The first Newman Center was established in 1893 at the University of Pennsylvania.

The pastoral letter, released Dec. 12 on the Feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe, identifies three elements necessary to Catholic outreach at universities: to be a visible witness for Christ and the teachings of the Church, to preach and spread the Gospel, and to provide the sacraments and ongoing faith formation.

“A Newman Center takes up the task of promoting the vital interaction between faith and reason, the two harmonious ways to the truth, which is always one,” the pastoral letter states. “This interaction fosters not only a greater love for truth itself, but becomes a vibrant witness to the goodness and beauty of human life.”

“Serving Truth” provides a historical look at the function of the Newman Center and its role in engaging students in a more modern context. Just as the Catholic Church has a responsibility to spread the Gospel and engage the culture, so too does the Newman Center, the pastoral letter states.

Fr. Paul Sullivan, diocesan director of vocations, was recently appointed as the bishop’s liaison to the Newman Centers at ASU and NAU. He will be working with the diocesan priests there to aid in collaboration and unity as envisioned in “Serving Truth.”

He said he was pleased with the new pastoral letter and its clarity. “It does not go into the details of the day-to-day work, but rather sets the Church’s vision,” Fr. Sullivan said.

Today’s students face a score of challenges and distractions, including drug and alcohol abuse, sexual promiscuity and moral relativism “which can hinder their opportunity to discover and serve the truth,” the pastoral letter states. A Newman Center must provide for these students “true freedom in Christ” by imparting “love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, generosity, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control.”

“It is also important to ensure that our young people don’t merely stay Catholic in this time, but that their faith grows deeper,” Fr. Sullivan said. “It will give confidence to Catholic parents who are considering the faith of their children when considering colleges to send them to.”

Big changes

“Serving Truth” comes nearly six months following the appointment of a full-time priest as chaplain of the Holy Trinity Newman Center in Flagstaff. It also marks the halfway point since it was announced that the Order of Preachers would be turning over administration of the All Saints Catholic Newman Center in Tempe to diocesan priests next July.

Fr. Matt Lowry, associate director of vocations, has been leading an estimated 4,000 NAU Catholics on a full-time basis since July. He described the students as “hungry for the truth” with a desire to have “a genuine encounter with God.”

“The pastoral letter is a fresh reminder of our call as a Church to evangelize and educate our young people,” Fr. Lowry said. “It also serves to remind our universities of their mission to serve truth and freedom, values that are often misunderstood.”

By appointing full-time diocesan personnel to the Newman Centers this year and releasing “Serving Truth,” it is evident that youth evangelization is a top priority for the Diocese of Phoenix, Fr. Lowry said.

In “Serving Truth,” Bishop Olmsted offered up his gratitude for the priests, religious and lay people who served at the Newman Centers over the years. The bishop gave a special thanks to the Order of Preachers, more commonly known as the Dominicans, for their years of service. The Dominicans have served the Tempe campus for the last 40 years.

Three components

On being a visible witness, the pastoral letter states that the Newman Center’s task is to provide a “visible expression” of the Church, where Jesus Christ is present through the Holy Spirit in the sacred liturgy, the sacraments and the faithful. Providing this public demonstration of Christianity allows for further encounters with Christ.

“In addition to the sacred liturgy, the Newman Center provides this witness by promoting the inalienable dignity of the human person at all stages of life, a commitment to marriage and to social justice, and the integration of knowledge, especially though the authentic interaction between faith and reason,” the letter states.

On proclaiming the Gospel and conversion, “Serving Truth” emphasizes the Catholic Church’s mandate to spread the Gospel and that the path to eternal salvation is through Jesus Christ. As the focal point of Catholicism in the university setting, the Newman Center has a special responsibility as it encounters a primarily younger generation of Catholics seeking knowledge and truth. This special consideration should be implemented through what Pope John Paul II described as a “new evangelization” — a collaboration with campus evangelization groups and by focusing efforts to engage young people “within their own circle, according to the needs of the social environment in which they live.”

On the importance of faith formation and sacramental life, “Serving Truth” emphasizes the importance of the Holy Sacraments of the Eucharist, confession, marriage and religious vocations.

The pastoral letter states that the goal for all campus evangelization is to guide Catholics to the Eucharist. The Blessed Sacrament is also “the source from which campus evangelization receives its efficacy and strength.” Newman Centers are to provide the university community access to and catechesis about the Real Presence of Christ in the Eucharist.

“As in a parish, the priest chaplain is entrusted with guarding the dignity and beauty of the liturgy, as well as seeing that the faithful and those who perform genuine liturgical ministries are imbued with the spirit of the liturgy,” the pastoral letter states.

Growing in faith

Faith formation and conversion on how to live a Christian life are also discussed — touching upon topics such as prayer life, chastity, parenthood and human dignity — as well as a call for a close collaboration between the greater Church and the Newman Center.

“It has been a great joy to watch students experience conversion and grow in their relationship with Christ,” Fr. Lowry said. He noted that many students encounter alcohol, drugs, promiscuity and confusion about sexual identity at the universities.

“The Church proclaims that true love, which all are looking for, can only be found in an encounter with Jesus Christ. As students fall for false gods, the Church offers healing, mercy, and peace,” Fr. Lowry added.