Campus Ministry at Fordham

After months in its absence, yesterday marked the reopening of the University church, complete with a brand new organ and over 2,775 pipes to go with it. The church is an architectural staple on campus complete with Gothic arches and beautiful stained-glass windows but it represents something much bigger to the Fordham University community. Fordham is, like the brochures all say, the Jesuit university of New York and that Jesuit spirit is alive in a lot of what goes on here on campus. It is this Jesuit attitude that reigns in prevalence through all of student life and it is channeled through the office of Campus Ministry. 

Campus Ministry at Fordham is more than an organization affiliated with our Catholic heritage but rather it is a comprehensive network of professionals, ministries, boards, committees, and programs that help promote Fordham's mission of interdisciplinary tolerance, love, and outreach for all people and all faith traditions. I myself have chosen to embrace some of what Campus Ministry has to offer and have taken a seat on the Executive Liturgical Board, who aids in the coordination of weekly Catholic masses as well as contributing to University outreach on behalf of the Church. Participating in the Mass this way-- through volunteering as a lector, altar server, Eucharistic minister, etc.-- is very helpful to Fordham's community but it is only one of the many ways to get involved as a student through Campus Ministry. 

Additional outlets of Campus Ministry outreach and support include retreats of all varieties held nearly every weekend throughout the year, musical ministry which boasts choirs for all types of musical preferences, Christian Life Communities (CLCs) that allow groups of students to come together in intimate settings to discuss faith on their own terms, and faith and justice programs that span all faith traditions. Fordham Campus Ministry even has its own Inter-Religious Council made up of students from all different religious backgrounds with the common goal of spreading awareness and understanding of each tradition, both on campus and off. 

For those students who come to college in need of any guidance in their faith or are looking for counseling, Campus Ministry has an expertly trained (and EXTREMELY friendly!) staff that is there for the sole purpose of helping every individual discover what they do or do not believe in. Though we are very proud of our Catholic Jesuit identity here at Fordham, the University and the department of Campus Ministry are respectful of all points of view and all beliefs. Campus Ministry especially, then, is not there to propagandize one particular message or to criticize ones that differ, rather Campus Ministry is a resource that is at the students' disposal for them to use (or not use) however and whenever they would like. 

There are so many opportunities available to students through Campus Ministry that range from participating in a religious service of your own tradition to engaging in local service and outreach to journeying to our beautiful retreat house in upstate New York to escape from the hectic atmosphere that the school week brings. This invaluable office is truly the heart of Fordham University and strives every day to be a foundation for the Fordham community to lead, learn, serve, and grow whole-heartedly in their faiths.