Secularism losing hold on campus – priest

By Canadian Catholic News
Ottawa

Father Raymond de Souza says secularism's hold on the university, the media and the Church has lessened since he attended university in 1989.

"It's quite clear to me the Christian presence at Queen's is bolder and more confident," said de Souza, a National Post columnist and Queen's University Newman House chaplain.

He spoke at a fundraising dinner for Catholic Christian Outreach (CCO) March 24.

Fifteen years ago, students were "largely indifferent," de Souza said. "That ideological edge I discovered 15 years ago is no longer there."

He spoke of the "great hope on campus" and how the CCO program of "touching individual souls" is active on the "most exotic mission field we have."

He said he has found more openness to the Gospel on the university campus than in local parishes.

There is "no better cause than the evangelization of our campuses" because of the resulting fruit of happy families, and new seminarians, de Souza said.

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