Mission Update (August 21, 2023)
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A New SeasonMy fellow Catholic Bulls,
May the grace and peace of God be with each of you! On behalf of the entire Catholic Student Center team, I want to extend our heartfelt gratitude for your unwavering support and generosity over the years. Your dedication to our mission has made a significant impact on the lives of countless students, and for that, we are immensely grateful.
As we enter another exciting new year, we are thrilled to share all that the Lord is continuing to do in our community! First, we are delighted to welcome two exceptional campus ministers to our team: Mrs. Catherine Kuizon and Brother Ray Morris!
Catherine has been a member of our mission for a number of years, and in that time she has already formed ministerial relationships with our students, especially our young women. Catherine brings with her a wealth of ministry experience – from her own time engaged in campus ministry during her college years at UF with the Catholic Gators, to her time as a LifeTeen missionary, to her years of service as a youth minister at St. Stephen Catholic Church and St. Jude Cathedral. Catherine will serve at the Catholic Student Center as a campus minister, and her primary focus will be coordinating our women’s ministry.
Brother Ray is a member of the Brotherhood of Hope. For a number of years, the Catholic Student Center has been working closely with Bishop Parkes and the Diocese of St. Petersburg to bring the Brothers to USF. Their religious order does fine work at campuses across the country, but in Florida their impact has been felt most strongly at Florida State University and at the University of Central Florida. Brother Ray joins our team after serving at Florida State University, and in addition to his campus ministry experience he brings with him a passion for the evangelization and formation of young hearts that is a beautiful reflection of the Brotherhood of Hope’s charism as a community. Brother Ray will serve as a campus minister alongside Catherine, and will pave the way for more Brothers serving at USF in the years to come! For more information on the Brothers, I invite you to visit their website at https://brotherhoodofhope.org/.
In addition to Catherine and Brother Ray, we also continue our partnership with St. Paul’s Outreach this year. We will have eight full-time missionaries serving our students this 2023-2024 academic year! With their collaboration, we are confident that our ministry will continue to grow and flourish.
This upcoming year we will continue our mission to evangelize the campus, and to form the next generation of Catholics. Our calendar is filled with many enriching programs, retreats, and events designed to foster a deep sense of community, faith, and service among our students. We hope to continue inviting our students and community into a profound friendship with Jesus Christ and with his Church. There is so much to be excited about, and in serving a campus of over 40,000 students who need to know Jesus personally, there is much work to do!
In order to ensure the success of our initiatives, we are setting ambitious fundraising goals for this year. Our aim is to raise $60,000 to support the various activities and programs of the campus ministry. This goal will help subsidize our missionaries, our outreach and evangelization efforts on campus (events, tabling, promotional materials), retreats for students, and our weekly Wednesday Catholic Bulls Nights and Men’s/Women’s Groups. There is no contribution too small (or too large!). Please prayerfully consider financially partnering with us to continue bringing the good news of the gospel to USF’s campus, and forming these beautiful young hearts to be lifelong disciples of Jesus Christ.
Additionally, we have plans to undertake a parking lot expansion project to accommodate the growing number of students attending and community members attending our events. To achieve this, we have set a goal of raising $100,000 dedicated to this crucial expansion. We currently have around 20 parking spaces for a chapel that seats upwards of 300. We utilize our grass overflow parking lot for even the smallest events. The need for additional parking is dire, and I am sure you have experienced the need firsthand if you have come to an event or a liturgy at the Student Center.
To give to our campus ministry goal of $60,000 and/or our parking lot expansion goal of $100,000, you can either contact our Development Coordinator Ana at development@catholicusf.org, or you can visit the donation page of our website at https://catholicusf.org/give-now. Thank you for prayerfully discerning how best to support the mission of the Catholic Student Center!
We recognize that none of our work would be possible without the unwavering support of donors like you. Your continued generosity empowers us to create a welcoming and nurturing environment for students to explore and deepen their faith.
We kindly request your ongoing support in making these goals a reality. Your contributions, whether large or small, make a significant impact and are deeply appreciated.
May God bless you abundantly for your kindness and support. We look forward to keeping you updated on our progress and the positive outcomes your donations enable.
Thank you once again for being an invaluable part of our campus ministry family. Go Bulls!Fr. Kyle Bell, Director