Guide helps students share faith

By ART BABYCH
Canadian Catholic News
Ottawa

The guide "came out of the desire for students and chaplains to have more support for starting and improving groups on campus," Rick Benson, the national chaplain of the CCSA and coordinator of the Canadian Catholic Campus Ministry, said in an interview.

"This need was especially important where there were no campus ministers," he said. "There are numerous locations that have small campuses or community colleges that do not have a Catholic presence."

Benson said the hope is that the guide will be a springboard for students to bring them together and for them to support each other in their Catholic faith. "Students are always creative and hopefully this guide will spark that creativity," he said.

Amber Fougere, a Catholic student leader at Acadia University in Wolfville, N.S., said the guide, "was an amazing resource in helping us get started this year in terms of both logistical things like running meetings and delegating responsibilities to coming up with even ideas for the year."

The group guide was launched across Canada at a time when the Canadian Catholic Student Association is reorganizing at a national level, Benson noted.

"This will be celebrated at the regional conferences this fall and climax with the renewed CCSA national student leadership conference being held in Cap de la Madeleine, Jan. 13 -16, 2005."

The guide was produced with the financial aid of the Sisters of the Immaculate Conception in Saint John, N.B.

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