(295) Many Catholic Priests and Knights of Columbus Among First Responders on 9/11

AMDG

This photo records the scene moments after one of the two terrorist captured planes crashed into one of the two 110 story towers of the World Trade Center about 9 am on a clear sunny Tuesday morning, September 11 as summer was drawing to a close.  The terrorists actually believed that as martyrs for their cause, they would go straight to heaven and have multiple virgins at their disposal.  My family of six went to the top of one of the towers a year earlier and had a magnificent view of the city, the Bay, and the Statue of Liberty.  Our nine year old daughter, Stephanie actually got lost on the large observation deck.  Probably, everyone over the age of ten at the time can recall where they were on that fateful day.  I arrived at the University of Rio Grande and the staff was watching the events on television.  The students were so afraid of a full scale attack that we had to cancel classes that day.

    The fire departments of New York City, including the boroughs of Manhattan, Bronx, Queens, and Brooklyn immediately responded to rescue as many of the people trapped in the twin towers as they could, despite blinding and suffocating smoke, probably in the hundreds.  It was horrific.  In desperation a number of people jumped out of windows to their deaths before the flames could consume them.  Of the 9,000 or so in each tower a total of about 2,150 people perished in the disaster.  Most on the floors below the impacts were able to escape, thanks in great part to the first responders.  Those in the second tower had a better chance during the sixteen minutes before the second plane hit.

The first responders included not only fire fighters and medical personnel, but also Catholic priests, who counseled and gave absolution.  Many of the first responders belonged to the Knights of Columbus, who followed their ideals of charity and patriotism.  They served with heroism and at least 45 of them sacrificed their very lives in serving.

    Not many know that the Church was right there, helping people of all faiths.  Let us read the account of brother knight, Msgr. Thomas Machalski, from his interview by Knightline and Columbia Magazine.  He was actively involved.  Born in the Queens Borough, Msgr. Machalski was ordained for the Diocese of Brooklyn in 1985 and now serves as pastor of Sacred Heart Catholic Church in Bayside, where he is a member of Ridgewood Council 1814. 

United States flag is posted in the rubble of the World Trade Center at Ground Zero on Sept. 13, 2001.  As during the Cuban Missile in 1962, there was a sudden and substantial increase in church attendance all over the Country.  People were scared and prayed.  Sadly, that return to God did not last.  A monument now stands at the site to honor the over three thousand people who died there.  It can happen again; we must be vigilant.

In 2001, then-Father Machalski was among the priests who ministered to first responders at ground zero in the days after the attack on the World Trade Center.

“Shortly after the attacks, a call went out from the Federal Emergency Management Agency to the Archdiocese of New York and the Diocese of Brooklyn.  They wanted to make sure there were two Catholic priests at ground zero at all times.  So there was never a moment, from the very beginning until the last day of cleanup, that there were not two Catholic priests on duty, 24/7.”

“About 400 of us priests volunteered, and we took six-hour shifts. During the first of four shifts I took — I always had the 12-6 a.m. shift — I was standing right on that smoldering pile that you see in photos and videos, as they were literally pulling buckets filled with pieces of people from that rubble. They would take them into a makeshift morgue, where we would have a small prayer service and bless the body parts, and then go back onto the pile again.

“We were there, really, to provide emotional and spiritual support to the police officers, the firefighters and those who volunteered. They would say things like, ‘We know that you don’t have an answer to this, Father. Nobody does. But we just know God is here when we see you.’  They saw the collar, and that was a sign that God was there with them.”  

“I think our presence also gave a great deal of solace to people who lost family members — to know that if their loved ones’ remains were found, there was a priest who prayed over and blessed them."

    “When I went home and thought about it later, it would bother me that such evil could exist in the world and be perpetrated by one human being against another. But Christ’s example of redemptive suffering allowed me to make sense of what had happened and minister better, I think, to those who were left behind.”

“On Sept. 21, the [New York] Mets played their first game since the attacks, and I had a ticket to the game. It was against Atlanta, our biggest rival, and we were losing in the eighth inning.  But then [Hall of Fame catcher and lifelong Catholic] Mike Piazza got up, and he whacked a home run like you wouldn’t believe. Once he hit that ball, I knew it was gone.”

“That place just — I’m getting emotional just thinking about it — it just exploded. And we won that game. I still look at that moment and think that was God saying, ‘You guys need this’ — not the Mets, but the people of New York.”  Brother knight Msgr. Machalski would go on to become the New York Mets’ Catholic chaplain since 2007.  Read more about Msgr. Machalski’s life and work in this May 2024 Columbia feature on Knights who serve as Major League Baseball chaplains.

Three brother knights who are Catholic Major League Baseball Chaplains.  From left to right are Msgr. Thomas Machalski of the New York Mets, who is described in this article, followed by Fr. Burke Masters of the Chicago Cubs and Fr. Pedro Rivera of the San Diego Padres.

Watch the video produced by the Knights of Columbus, “Service and Sacrifice: Remembering 9/11”at 

www.youtube.com/watch?v=Isd4pUNRGK0 or search for that title at www.youtube.com.   It gives a glimpse of what the first responders went through.  This short film commemorates the heroic work of first responders and priests as well as the K of C Life Insurance Field Agents’ efforts to bring financial assistance to grieving families of First Responders who lost their lives.  The Knights of Columbus raised $1.5 million for the Heroes Fund to help many of the families of over 400 fallen first responders….police, firefighters, medical personnel, etc. regardless of religious affiliation.  At least 45 of the fallen first responders were knights.  Surely, some of the other 2000 victims were also knights.

Having breathed so much toxic fumes and smoke, many of the surviving first responders suffered from chronic ailments for years…..respiratory, cancer, etc. 

Fr. Mychal Judge, a 68 year old Franciscan friar and chaplain of the New York City Fire Department, accompanied his men and was killed when the south tower collapsed. He was the first certified fatality of the attacks. Other priests also put their lives at risk.

It should be mentioned that one of the large financial companies that had many offices in the World Trade Center took care of the families of the personnel it lost in the disaster. 

Upon announcing the annual World Day of Prayer for Peace at the Supreme Convention in Dallas in 2004 and calling people of all faiths to annually observe September 11 as a day of prayer for worldwide peace, former Supreme Knight Carl Anderson made the following statement: "TERRORISM AND THE TERRIBLE TRAGEDY OF SEPTEMBER 11, 2001, PRODUCE MANY EMOTIONS, RANGING FROM ANGER TO PROFOUND SORROW. BUT AS WE RECALL THE LOSSES OF THAT AWFUL DAY AND HONOR THOSE WHO DIED, WE SHOULD ALSO REMEMBER THAT PEACE AND UNDERSTANDING, NOT REVENGE AND RETRIBUTION, MUST BE OUR ULTIMATE GOAL. WE CAN BEST ACHIEVE THAT GOAL BY RAISING OUR VOICES TO GOD, REMINDING HIM THAT WE SHARE HIS DEEP AND ABIDING DESIRE FOR PEACE ON EARTH, AND ASKING HIS DIVINE GUIDANCE AND HELP."

(108) Our 2012 Family Newsletter

            We hope that all of you are enjoying the Christmas season.  May it all bring us closer to Christ and His mother.  May the Christ child bless you abundantly in the coming new year.  I was on time with our Christmas greeting and here’s our annual newsletter for 2012.  It will probably be a little long; so I put in subtitles to make it easier to scan and read only what interests you.  I tried to shorten it by putting in links to my blogs to whatever you might be interested in for greater detail for future reading if time permits.  I would suggest that you write an annual family newsletter or individual one if single because a collection of them on disk or hard copy makes for a great family history for posterity after we’re gone.  If you do it; I’ll read it.  Promise!  I’d be most interested.

            Naomi and I went on the March for Life in Washington January 22-23 as we did in and 2010 with a busload of people from our parish and two others of southeastern Ohio along with a few non-Catholics.  The Catholic Women’s Club and a second collection helped to underwrite it.  It’s a great experience. Our entire family went in 2008.  For a detailed account of it, click on http://paulrsebastianphd.blogspot.com/2012/01/southeastern-ohio-residents-march-for.html. On the bus I had a long dialogue with a former witch and a Protestant minister.  She seemed to be so sympathetic to the Church and observed how misunderstood Catholics are.  Later she followed her daughter into the Catholic Church.  An even greater experience would be going with a group to pray at an abortion clinic.   

       Abby Johnson, a former director of a Planned Parenthood Abortion Mill (http://www.abbyjohnson.org/) and author of the book, “Unplanned”,  repeated and emphasized in a televised talk that the single most effective thing that one can do for the Pro-life cause is to simply pray silently and peacefully in front of an abortion clinic.   The love showed despite some risk had a profound effect upon her.  Sidewalk counseling is only effective if one is well trained.

            John-Paul, Our First College Graduate. We did a lot of traveling in 2012.  First was our trek by our salvage ’04 Chevy Cavalier (bought at 120,000 miles and now at 205,000) to Ave Maria University near Naples (see http://www.avemaria.edu/ for a virtual tour), Florida for John-Paul’s graduation.  However, Naomi missed it because of the prom and Stephanie was in the middle of final exams.  Stephanie, however, visited him for Holy Week.  John-Paul graduated Magna Cum Laude as a member of the University’s eighth graduation class with a demanding double major in Math and Economics with an emphasis on a Catholic liberal arts education.  Having taken four years of college courses at the University of Rio Grande as a high school student, he was able to transfer many courses that facilitated a double major.  He was also named the Outstanding Economics Student, thus utilizing his full tuition scholarship to the utmost.

      

Jeb Bush, former governor of Florida, was the commencement speaker, a friend of Ave Maria University President H. James Towey (see http://www.avemaria.edu/AboutAveMaria/PresidentsPage.aspx).  He was one of George W. Bush’s senior advisers and member of his senior staff who attended Cabinet meetings as Director of the White House Office of Faith-Based and Community Initiatives from 2002 to 2006.  He was also Blessed Mother Theresa’s counsel in the U.S. for 12 years.  Towey is determined to keep Ave Maria University an authentic Catholic Christ centered campus despite rapid growth with aspirations to be a top academic institution as Notre Dame.  One faculty member says this is very doable because the faculty is behind the concept as opposed to St. Vincent College where he was previously president.  Michael Novak, one of their professors, was decorated by the President of Poland and gave a lecture on social justice at the Presidential Palace (see http://www.avemaria.edu/NewsEvents/News/tabid/92/articleType/ArticleView/articleId/139/Ave-Maria-University-Professor-Decorated-by-President-of-the-Republic-of-Poland.aspx.  On our way back we stopped at St. Augustine, Florida which has a definite Spanish colonial flavor and a well preserved colonial fort.  It’s really worth the stop (see http://www.floridashistoriccoast.com/?gclid=CLnKsuno37QCFUeRPAod63sARQ).

Celebrating the 60^th Wedding Anniversary of cousin Martha and Joe Loya at the Byzantine Cathedral in Parma was a highlight for the extended family.  Deacon Greg Loya and his six sons as altar boys all participated in the Mass.  They were married in St. Mary’s Byzantine Catholic Church in East Pittsburgh in May 1952.  Their wedding reception featured a Hungarian gypsy band.  Fred (bless his soul) was a baby and John was a cute ten year old runt who managed to get in on every wedding picture.  Martha and Joe had more than their share of crosses over the years including the tragic death of their only daughter, but stuck it out with faith and courage.  They were rewarded with the joy of having eight grandchildren and one of their four sons being a dedicated priest (Fr. Tom) and another a deacon (Greg).

Another highlight was the 50^th Wedding Anniversary of Betty and Bob Foley (Martha’s brother).  Congratulations!  May they have many more anniversaries together.  May we all do as well.  I just got out of the Army in time to attend their wedding in Philadelphia in October 1962. 

Finding His First Job. John-Paul found www.catholicjobs.com to be a great starting point after graduation.  We traveled to Stafford, Virginia at the beginning of June for an interview at a parish Catholic middle school and then to Benedictine Academy, a Catholic military high school in Richmond, a long shot for a guy with no teaching experience or education courses.  John-Paul is a natural teacher, having taught his four year old sister how to read and write while in the first grade, even writing lesson plans.  Before returning, we stayed one day with Stephanie’s classmate, Abby Quinan in Manassas, Virginia, the site of a major Civil War battle for a critical railroad junction.  We had a great time with the Quinan family and doing some sightseeing in town.  Her mother is amazing in home schooling I believe five children and working as a nurse.

When we returned, John-Paul found a newly posted ad for Ville de Marie Academy in Scottsdale, Arizona just outside of Phoenix.  All of a sudden, everything fell into place as often happens when it’s the Lord’s will.  The Headmaster, Mr. J. Hickle , called John-Paul an hour or so after he sent out his e-mail resume.  The next day JP was invited for an interview and given an offer before returning.  So he was able to finish his Accounting course at the University of Rio Grande and play softball in the Church Softball League while preparing to teach Math, Physical Science, Biology, and gym.

Catholic Familyland. At the beginning of July our family helped out at Catholic Familyland (see www.familyland.org) just outside of Steubenville. Prior to that we had to bet fingerprinted and go through an FBI background check by diocesan regulations.  Now they’re going from one extreme to the other.  After a home visit, Stephanie worked for the summer at Thomas Aquinas College in the cafeteria.  We did such tasks as helping to supervise the 500 foot water slide, help out in maintenance and setup for events, bus tables, etc.  It’s great as a family retreat.  About 100 families attended the six days of pray and play. Each had their own cabin with room for 1 family of eleven.  There’s something for all members of the family.  

All attend Mass in the morning with enthusiasm and have religious talks and activities.  The afternoons are filled with water slides, swimming, softball, soccer, basketball, tennis, volleyball, and even chess with tournaments.  Joseph won the chess tournament and John-Paul had his best games ever in the basketball tournament which his team won.  After a catered supper, there’s a rosary & marshmallows bonfire night, an amateur show, a square dance, family banner night, etc.  Later in the evening, the teens have a couple of hours of fun and faith formation with a night of Eucharistic Adoration.  Several confessors hear confessions every afternoon, each under the shade of a tree.  For more detail and information, see www.familyland.com and a future blog of mine at http://paulrsebastianphd.blogspot.com.  Their  www.FamilyCatechism.com has the complete Catechism of the Catholic Church.  Then there's a weekly guide to teach the faith at home, www.FamilyCatechesis.com because the primary educators in the Faith are the parents.  In addition, www.familylandtv.com provides a wide selection of television programs to watch at your convenience instead of being tied down to a particular time.

Westward Ho!  At the beginning of August, we helped John-Paul buy a salvage 2010 Honda Civic and decided to help him to drive it to Phoenix as well as assist him in finding an apartment and moving in.  The trip was so long (almost three days) that I thought at times we were in a covered wagon.  Finally, we made the descent form a high plateau of the Rocky Mountain chain.  It’s almost providential that our good friends, Richard & Celina Koczwara and their beautiful family live in Mesa, another suburb of Phoenix and operates an 11 room motel (see http://www.desertrosemotelaz.com/).  We had a wonderful stay with them and thoroughly enjoyed their traditional Polish hospitality for almost a week while looking for an apartment with John-Paul.  This city in the middle of the desert is beautiful, especially during winter, but it was an oven when we were there……115 F…….still more comfortable than the muggy 90 F in the east.  One afternoon we had a fascinating visit to the Goldfield 1890s vintage ghost town a half hour away (see http://www.goldfieldghosttown.com/).

John-Paul’s school, Ville de Maria Academy (see http://www.villedemarieacademy.org/), a Catholic college prep school with only about 75 students, has only a handful of students in each class, great for individual attention in its classical liberal arts curriculum.  Its small faculty is very dedicated to make the school Christ centered with the faith integrated into all of its courses while still being very good academically.  We’re very happy that John-Paul has a key role in this very noble enterprise that has so much potential.  Next year it will occupy the closed St. Daniel School.  With more space in a parish environment, it hopes to expand and be better able to compete with the excellent charter schools in the area. 

Visiting Stephanie at Thomas Aquinas College in Santa Paula, California.  Finally, we drove the car across the desert with its occasional almost blinding sandstorms into California to visit Stephanie at Thomas Aquinas College in Santa Paula just outside of northwest Los Angeles.  The scenery there is breathtaking, being nestled in a bowl surrounded by mountains with a newly constructed church standing out.  That together with the landscaping, ponds, gardens, & an orange grove plus Spanish colonial type architecture makes it one of the most beautiful campuses in the world.  The functioning pendulum and statues of great scholars further gives a great learning atmosphere.  Click on http://www.thomasaquinas.edu/ for a slide show on its home page.  Naomi was already there for a two week summer great books program for high school seniors. 

 

The beautiful church recently constructed dominates the campus.  Much of any Mass there is in Latin.  We attended one Liturgy during the week in the old Tridentine Mass completely in Latin.  I thought I was in a time capsule going back to the 1950s as a kid.  They have a staff of full time priests to attend to the spiritual development of the students as well.  Most of the students attend daily Mass and each dorm has prayer to end the day. 

     

Being ranked among America’s Top Colleges by the U.S. News & World Report, Forbes, and the Princeton Review, Thomas Aquinas College is probably the best Catholic liberal arts college in the country (See http://www.thomasaquinas.edu/about/press-releases).  The entire very demanding standard curriculum for all graduates is based upon reading the great books in the original……Aristotle, Homer, Plato, Augustine, Aquinas with some readings in the original Latin, Shakespeare, Euclid with the same proofs & propositions, Einstein, etc.  Reading and discussing these pioneering works puts the student in the shoes of the pioneer intellectual who encountered obstacles, road blocks, and contradictions.   The student goes through the same discovering and reasoning processes as the original scholars to obtain insights and arrive at the truth in the advancement of knowledge throughout history…….Theology, Philosophy, Mathematics, and the empirical sciences with labs.  

The focus in this Christ centered institution is upon searching for the true, the good, and the beautiful in God’s creation.  The small classes (less than 20 students) with a total enrollment of 358 are based upon the Socratic Method (mainly discussion) with an emphasis upon rhetoric and developing the mind.  Classroom discussion even spills over into the cafeteria after class. 

    

Stephanie will have a general liberal arts degree quite equivalent to majors in Philosophy and Theology.  Many of their graduates teach and do parish work.  Others go on to graduate school to pursue a variety of specialties……law, business, medicine, education, etc.  Tragically, one of Stephanie’s friends there, Andrew Kent Moore ended up as a martyr for the pro-life cause in the Walk Across America.  You can read the details on my blog at http://paulrsebastianphd.blogspot.com/2012_07_01_archive.html.  With each home visit, we see in Stephanie marked intellectual and spiritual growth.  She’s our scholar, a perfect fit for Thomas Aquinas College and she loves it.  In addition to the academic, Stephanie works 13 hours a week since they don’t give academic scholarships as such; participates in social functions; and takes part in different intramural sports.  Her high school varsity experience makes her a standout in basketball.

Back to Kent State.  After flying back to Columbus minus John-Paul and Stephanie, it was back to school for Naomi and Joseph.  In September Jaga and I attended the celebration of the 50^th anniversary of the founding of the Kent State University Catholic Newman Center.  Needless to say, the campus looked so different and it was great seeing old friends, especially Janet and Bob Stadulis who were wonderful to us, inviting us for Christmas, Easter, and Thanksgiving.  I wrote about it and the crucial importance of Newman Center or Club on the secular campus in my blog at http://paulrsebastianphd.blogspot.com/2012/09/the-newman-clubcenter-catholic-presence.html.

   

The visit of the International Pilgrim Virgin Statue in October and later the visit of the Pilgim Image of Our Lady of Guadalupe in December (sponsored by the Knights of Columbus) were among the highlights of our parish devotions.  Our pastor combined it with Eucharistic Adoration for 24 hours each time.  It was such a privilege to be involved in its promotion.  To our great surprise, our local newspaper not only published much of my article on the first visit, but also published a photo of the statue in color on the front page.  For greater detail including fascinating facts about Our Lady of Fatima and Our Lady of Guadalupe, see my blogs #95-96 for the former and #104-106 for the latter at http://paulrsebastianphd.blogspot.com.

   

Naomi is a senior, her fourth year in the PSO program at the University of Rio Grande where she simultaneously receives high school and college credits for each course she takes there.  It’s still seven straight semesters of all A’s (one A-).  She continues on the Swimming Team for her base high school, Gallia Academy and hopes to make the district championship meet in her specialties of breast stroke and the butterfly.  Naomi works as a cashier nine hours a week at the El Toril Mexican Restaurant in town and three hours a week with the local Municipal Court. 

       

In November we made a campus visit to Franciscan University of Steubenville, a very Christ centered Catholic university.  This is one of the few Catholic Colleges that has remained very faithful to their original missions.  John Paul’s Ave Maria University and Stephanie’s Thomas Aquinas College are of the same mold.  Naomi plans to get a Bachelor Degree in Nursing and then go to graduate school to become a midwife.  We ran into one of the leaders of the Diocesan Youth Rally who is on the swimming team.  So she arranged to meet the Swimming coach and observe one of their practices.  Naomi is only a few seconds within the times of their best swimmers.  She fit right in and got a partial scholarship to boot.

Joseph is a sophomore, his first year in the same PSO program as Naomi at the University of Rio Grande.  The baby of the family is already the tallest of all of us.  He plays basketball and tennis in the spring for Gallia Academy.  He’s also one of the top members of his high school’s Quiz Bowl team.  He is an avid reader, subscribing to the Weekly Standard and regularly reads the National Review online.

Jaga continues as a full time mother since we have two kids still in the nest and the other two come home during the Christmas and summer breaks.  Our family is blessed.  That frees her to volunteer as a nurse in the Free Clinic we helped to found, to work in a soup kitchen, to be a member of the Catholic Women’s Club, and other activities as daily Mass and reading the Divine Office each day.  Because Jaga is a stay at home Mom, I can get involved in considerable volunteer work. 

Paul continues as a Eucharistic Minister to the sick.  I have learned the value of suffering in becoming closer to God and have the opportunity to unite one’s cross with the Lord’s cross, offering it all up as a dynamic prayer for the Church, the missions, for our country, and our loved ones.  In this way the sick person can be more valuable than the President!  The Knights of Columbus is also a great opportunity for fellowship and service.  I continue on the Steering Committee of the Diocesan Men’s Day of Renewal (see our Conference Blog by clicking on www.diosteubmen.org).  Fr. Tom Loya has been one of our speakers and has four articles on that blog. I’m also vice-president of our free clinic (see Blogs #90 & 91 of http://paulrsebastianphd.blogspot.com. 

 

Jaga and I are advisers to the Catholic Newman Club of the University of Rio Grande where I am Professor Emeritus and a member of the Chaplaincy Board.  With what time is left, I like to write for the Gallipolis Daily Tribune and my blog at http://paulrsebastianphd.blogspot.com.  Take a look at the titles; I think that you’ll like at least some of them, especially Blog #102 on a detailed analysis of the unsustainability of the National Debt.  Being busier than ever in retirement is a lot better than becoming a couch potato and wither away.  Retirement is such an opportunity to serve on one’s own terms and pace while keeping sharp mentally and intellectually and utilizing past experience and skills acquired over the years for the benefit of God’s people.  On the fun side, I follow the Pittsburgh Pirates and Pittsburgh Steelers closely along with Rio Grande sports.  To keep in shape I try to take daily half hour walks and a weekly mile swim.  Changing strokes and keeping a good rhythm makes it rather easy. 

    

 So 2012 took us from a beach on the Atlantic Ocean at St Augustine to another beach on the Pacific Ocean at Ventura as we continue to carry on with our family, aspiring to grow spiritually and doing our part for the Church and the Community.  When you die, may the world be just a little bit better because of you.  God bless. 

(93) The Newman Club (Center) A Catholic Presence on the Secular Campus

The Kent State University Newman Center Parish chapel, offices, and grounds shortly after it was built in 1962. On September 16 the parish community, former members, and friends celebrate its 50^th anniversary of its dedication (see http://www.kentnewmancenterparish.org/.  I (Ph.D. Operations Management 1994) met my future wife, Jadwiga (Jaga) (BSN Nursing 1988) there at daily Mass. We were also married there by my cousin, Fr. Thomas Loya at a Nuptial Mass in the Byzantine Rite on August 13, 1988 and three of our four children were baptized there.  Fr. Loya said Mass for Byzantine Catholic students in the basement every Sunday evening.  Since the Orthodox are so close to Catholicism except for the recognition of Papal authority, he allowed a student from Greece to fully participate.  The Newman Center was very much part of our lives during our studies at Kent State University.

          A Catholic student at a secular college or university, must confront many threats to his/her faith. As with any risk, there is potential gain and potential loss. The student may graduate a stronger Catholic than ever as s/he learns more about the faith while defending it. Or the student can graduate as a fallen away Catholic......a convert to a Protestant sect, a lax cafeteria Catholic, one indifferent to any faith, or an outright agnostic or atheist under the strong influence of secular humanism.

        Threats to the Faith on the Secular Campus. Philosophy, Ethics, and History courses are notorious as secular authors often rewrite history to suit their anti-Catholic bias. When that happens Catholic students should ask knowledgeable Catholics and do some research on their own. Dr. Thomas E. Woods, a University of Columbia PhD, wrote an excellent book, “How the Catholic Church Built Western Civilization”.
 

        A kid straight out of high school is now “free” of his parents dragging him to Mass. Nobody will hound him or her about the Sunday obligation. Nobody talks about Religion except some aggressive Evangelical Protestants out to make converts. So s/he misses on occasion, sleeping off a hangover after a Saturday night party. Their secular knowledge grows while their knowledge of the Faith stays at the level of CCD 8^th or 9^th grade. In comparison, Church teaching seems like “kids stuff” and they lose their faith or they simply drift.  In my years in higher education as a professor and Newman Club adviser, I’ve seen so many students drift or slide into indifference as they neglect their faith and become prey to many spiritual dangers.

        Rachel Christiansen took the risk and won. Her Catholic faith became more firmly entrenched than ever as a member at the University of Nebraska (main campus) Newman Club, the Catholic organization on campus, one of the top groups in the entire country. When a professor attacks our faith, she's right there to defend it, sitting in the middle center where the instructor can't miss her raised hand. The University of Illinois also has an excellent Newman Center program.  About 200 students attend daily Mass and it has produced over 50 priests.There's a TV program, “Catholicism on Campus” on EWTN or on line at www.ewtn.com Friday nights at 9 pm Eastern.

      Most secular campuses do have a Catholic presence to nurture the Faith through a Newman Center, Newman Club, a Catholic Student Center, or a Catholic Student Association as at Kent State. The first Newman Club was founded at Oxford in 1888 and in the United States in 1893.  Some larger secular campuses even have a couple of young Catholic missionaries, sponsored by FOCUS (Fellowship of Catholic University Students – www.focus.org), who work full time to make friends with drifting Catholic students and others to bring them to the Church through the Catholic Student Center or Newman Club. 

     Generally, a full time pastor and a staff of nuns and/or layman run the Newman Center while the Newman Club is student led with a priest as Chaplain. A large university may have both, while a smaller institution may only have a Newman Club. In the latter case, the students would attend Sunday Mass at the nearest parish unless the Chaplain can say another Mass on campus. The student of course is free to take advantage of the Catholic presence or simply be oblivious to it.

        However, some Catholic Newman Clubs and Catholic Newman Centers are very liberal with way out thinking and practices that deviate from the Magisterium of the Church, especially regarding Catholic teaching on morality and liturgical practices. True, some traditional Catholic colleges that have lost their original mission are also that way. One should consult the “Newman Guide to Choosing a Catholic College” (see www.thenewmanguide.com). Thus the strong Catholic student may have to be on the alert and defend the Faith even in an apparently Catholic environment or s/he can simply drift.

        The objectives of the Newman Club is to nurture and strengthen the Faith despite the ever present threats.......to help the student grow in the Faith and in every way through social, educational, and spiritual activities. That is according to a Newman Club flyer to:

-Have Fun – Social Activities that you want....... that you initiate, organize and lead. Make new friends who have more in common with you.

-Learn more about the Bible & your faith. Know it well or lose it. Know what you're talking about in conversation. Discuss with experts and your friends current hot issues that have moral components. Don't let your knowledge of the faith remain at the juvenile level of CCD and lag far behind your secular knowledge.

-Grow spiritually & grow intellectually. Find meaning in life & how to serve God in your career. Become closer to Him. Grow in your love of God and His people......each and every one of them.

       There is so much to do, but that depends upon you, your time, your creativity and your energy.

A vibrant Sunday Mass at the St. Thomas More Newman Center at the Ohio State University in Columbus for students, faculty, staff, and their families.  (See www.buckeyecatholic.com.  Simply google Newman Center and the university.  Simply google Newman Center and the name of the secular university.) 

            Activities. There are many possibilities which the individual Newman Club members can choose or create. They may include the following and more: 

< Free wheeling informal discussions on anything the members would like to talk about as questions      of faith, current issues with moral components, any question a member might have, etc.

< A formal program of a study of a book of the Bible, papal encyclical, or another spiritual book.

< A more formal schedule of topics which the members themselves present or invite outside speakers

   open to the entire campus.

< Days of Recollection or a weekend retreat.

< Communion breakfasts.

< Campus Evangelism to reach the unchurched, especially the Catholic unchurched.

< A Campus March for Life or participate in the March for Life in Washington, D.C.

< Christmas Caroling in Nursing Homes.

< Go on a work mission to a poor parish or even abroad.

< Volunteer work in community outreaches.

< Picnics, hiking, and outings.

< Lake swimming, fishing, or boating.

< Bowling.

< Intramural sports.

< Game Nights.

< Movie Nights or Cine Forums.

< Events in the nearest large city.

< Historical or touristic sites in the area.

< Theater.

<Snack, lunch, or dinner together somewhere.
< Anything else that the members can think of and would like to do.

A program at the Newman Catholic Community at Ohio University in Athens with Fr. Mark Moore.

         All of the above have been done by one Newman Center or another.  The scope of activities only depends upon the imagination, dedication, energy, resources, willingness, and resolve of the members.  As the number of active members increase, so do the possibilities,  
  

        A Newman Center at a large university is usually the university parish that includes not only students, but also faculty and staff employed at the university and their families. This presents many other opportunities for short courses on theological topics and involvement in ministries as teaching CCD, working with a youth group, students for life, etc.

            Promotion and Marketing of the Newman Clubs & Centers.  The second largest religious denomination in the United States is fallen away Catholics.  According to one figure, most Catholics that fall away do so between the ages of 15 and 22.  Thus it's crucial to the future of the Church that it reaches Catholic college students, the future professionals and leaders of America.  The reality is that even the best Newman Centers reach only a fraction of the Catholic students on campus.  For example, at Kent State, the Newman Parish staff estimate that there are about 7000 Catholic students on campus of which not more than 10-15% of them attend one of the four rather full week-end Masses since many of those who attend are faculty and staff families.  True many students commute, go home on weekends, or attend Mass at the Catholic Church in Kent. 

Clearly, Newman Clubs and Centers must market and promote themselves.  That's evangelization in this Year of Faith decreed by Pope Benedict XVI.  One on one recruiting is the most effective.  The active members should be missionaries (we are called at least in little ways) in talking up the Newman Club and sharing their faith with others, Catholics and non-Catholics.  Evangelical students are very good at bringing fellow students to their groups.  

        It is imperative that parents and relatives as well as pastors, religious, lay workers, and Catholic teachers in the local parishes encourage students to become active in the Newman Club or Center at the secular college they will attend.  Even students at Catholic colleges need encouragement since they can be oblivious to the many opportunities to grow in their faith and participate in different ministries.  Since all Catholics have some contact with college students, it is important that they learn a little about the university apostolate.

            Thus I would like to ask all Catholics for their help in encouraging pre-college and current college students to join the Newman Club on their secular campuses or to become active in the ministries of their Catholic colleges as the case may be.  One on one encouragement is the most effective.  Mentioning it from the pulpit and putting a blurb in the church bulletin are also important.  If you have access to a publication, writing something in it would be a big help.  Feel free to use this blog in any way. 

        Blessed John Henry Cardinal Newman (1801-1890) is the Historical Patron of the Newman Clubs and Centers.  He was a prominent priest, theologian and renowned scholar of the University of Oxford and the Church of England. He is the author of many books, the most prominent being, “The Idea of the University” which advocated that all knowledge is an integrated whole with Theology at the center uniting it all. Without God there is a vacuum. The book is still used as a model in some Christ centered Catholic colleges.

      

         Blessed Newman (see photos above) was the driving force behind the Oxford Movement to renew the Church of England.  It studied the Early Church Fathers of the Church in the first three centuries.  His intense scholarship revolved about his “search for the truth”.......no matter where it may lead.  Being intellectually honest and objective, he could not escape the fact that controversial beliefs of Catholicism based on tradition passed down by the apostles were also taught by the Early Church Fathers.  After all, the 16^th Century Protestant reformers claimed that they were bringing Christianity back to what the early Christians believed and observed. Thus this scholar concluded that the Protestant Reformation was a tragic mistake which badly divided Christendom and fractured Christian unity in the West.

          He discovered the richness and truth of the Catholic Church and converted to Catholicism as a priest in 1845 after a two year struggle in prayer and study at Livermore.  .  It took a tremendous amount of courage and intellectual integrity because Blessed Newman knew that he would be forced out of his faculty position at Oxford and his pastorate, while losing his high standing in the Church of England.  Newman was ostracized by colleagues, friends, and even his sister while being treated with suspicion by Catholic leaders. After almost two years of study in Rome, Newman was ordained as a Catholic priest.  

        This convert formed an oratory, a religious community founded by St Philip Neri in the 16th Century.  From there he gave talks to cultivate understanding between Anglicans and Catholics as a pioneer in ecumenism.  Pittsburgh has such an oratory (see www.pittsburghoratory.org) which houses the Ryan Catholic Newman Center to serve students at the nearby University of Pittsburgh, Carnegie Mellon University and Chatham University.  He also founded a Catholic University in Dublin and the Oratory School for Boys.  In 1879 Pope Leo XIII made him a Cardinal although he asked not to be ordained a Bishop so that he could continue his scholarly work.

         Although Blessed Newman is a contemporary of the First Vatican Council (1869-70) in which he accepted the decree of Papal Infallibility, he has been called a precursor or father of the Second Vatican Council. See http://socrates58.blogspot.com/2006/04/venerable-john-henry-cardinal-newman.html and http://cardinaljohnhenrynewman.blogspot.com/ for an extensive bibliography and materials on Blessed Newman. His complete works can be found in the Newman Reader and the website by that name, http://www.newmanreader.org/.

 
         In September 2010, Pope Benedict XVI beatified him and now Blessed John Henry Cardinal is only one step away from being canonized a saint.

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   Blessed John Henry Cardinal Newman, noted convert, scholar & author, and patron of Newman Clubs, pray for us.

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