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Campus Ministry

Lent Madness!

Bring your bracket prediction skills to our Lent Madness competition as we choose which holy person most moves the hearts of our Saint Xavier community. Each Monday of Lent you will be presented with short biographies of two holy people and the opportunity to vote for your favorite. The holy person who wins will move on to the next bracket, with the winner of the Golden Halo announced after Easter Break. (For the sports enthusiasts among us, it's a shortened bracket because Lent is relatively short.) Be sure to jump right in -- during the first week only you get to predict the winner, with prizes awarded to those who guessed it correctly. Please click the box below to participate.

Voting Form

 

Saint Xavier University Campus Ministry

Campus Ministry is here to engage with you on the spiritual and religious journey. Together we will pray, study, share our faith, express our doubts, and encourage each others' growth and transformation.

Together we will learn how to be an expression of God's mercy in the world. We will express that mercy in working for justice and building a loving community. Our justice ministries will be grounded in Catholic Social Teaching and the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Our core ministries will facilitate the fulfillment of our vision.

Grounded in the Catholic faith and immersed in the heritage of the Sisters of Mercy, Campus Ministry seeks to preach the Gospel of Jesus Christ, while also affirming and supporting the faith journeys of the diversity of faith traditions represented at Saint Xavier University.

All are welcome, regardless of race, color, ethnicity, creed, religion, gender, gender identity, abilities, age, sexual orientations, nationality, or immigration status. We're here for you!

Meet the Campus Ministry Team

Mass and Prayer

  • Monday: Noon to 12:15 p.m. Christian Prayer in McDonough Chapel
  • Tuesday: Noon to 12:15 p.m. Christian Prayer in McDonough Chapel
  • Wednesday: Noon to 12:30 p.m. Mass in McDonough Chapel
  • Thursday: Noon to 12:15 p.m. Christian Prayer in McDonough Chapel
  • Friday: Noon to 12:15 p.m. Christian Prayer in McDonough Chapel
  • Saturday: McDonough Chapel is closed
  • Sunday: 7 to 8 p.m. Mass in McDonough Chapel

McDonough Chapel is open for private prayer: Monday to Friday, 9 a.m to 4 p.m.

Muslim Prayer Space is located in the Warde Academic Center in L-307

Pastoral Support

If you would like someone to talk to about a struggle in faith or if you feel a longing to have someone to pray with, please contact Br. Alberto Varona at varonaFREESXU for pastoral support.

Study and Discussion Groups

Campus Ministry is always engaged in the study and discussion of faith-themed topics in support our growth and transformation. These groups can be comprised of students, faculty and/or staff. The current study and discussion groups are:

  • Bible Study
  • Scriptures of the World Religions
  • Christian Unity: That we all may be one
Please email campusministryFREESXU to inquire further or to sign up.

Faith Sharing Groups

Campus Ministry is always engaged in faith sharing conversations. The conversations are done in small confidential groups and can be comprised of students, faculty or staff. For comfort, we will usually keep student faith sharing groups distinct from faculty and staff faith sharing groups. These group engage various faith related themes. Some typical faith related themes are:

  • How can I deepen my spirituality and relationship with God?
  • What do I still believe in?
  • What is my purpose in life?
  • Who is God and what is God like?

Please email campusministryFREESXU to inquire further.

Blessings and Memorial Ministry

Campus Ministry strives to be a community of blessings. We offer our community blessings for healing from physical and mental struggles as well as from grief due to the loss of a loved one. We also offer to remember someone who has died in our prayers with blessings to those in grief.

If you are an SXU student, staff, faculty, or a part of our worshiping community at McDonough Chapel, we are available to pray for you and your loved ones. Tell us the name of the person needing healing or the person who you would like us to remember and we will pray for them at several of our next masses.

Also, we have two additional offerings for you:

  • Mass Card: For no charge, we will print a card that says the name of the person being prayed for and the people who asked for this prayer. This can be picked up in person or shipped ($5 donation asked). If you would like this card placed in an embossed SXU holder, we have a linen folder or a faux leather binder that we can provide. For these we ask for a donation of $15 (linen) or $25 (faux leather).
  • Prayer Blanket: In the case of the serious illness or death of a Saint Xavier University student, staff, faculty or board member or their immediate family, we offer the opportunity to request a prayer blanket. This simple, yet lovely, fleece blanket is created and prayed over by our ministers, students, staff and worshiping community. Each blanket carries with it the prayers of over thirty SXU community members and a knot will be tied on the fringe for each prayer made. For this prayer blanket we ask for a donation of $50. It can be picked up in person or shipped ($5 donation asked).

Please complete the Blessings and Memorial Ministry Form and we will get back to you very soon.

Retreats

Quest: This student-led retreat is held in the fall semester and is sponsored by Campus Ministry. It is designed to help students in their first year at Saint Xavier adjust to college and explore new relationships. During the retreat, there are various activities and opportunities to relax, play games, pray, reflect on their faith and talk to upperclassmen about their transitions with relationships, stress and other topics. Participants can be traditional first year students or transfer students, and people of all faith backgrounds and spiritual traditions are welcome!


Busy Person's Retreat: This self-guided retreat is held in the spring semester. It is designed to support people with little time to get away to continue their human growth and spiritual transformation. Participants will meet daily with a spiritual companion over the course of four days, pray with the scriptures, and consider the ways God is moving and working in your life. No need to leave campus, this retreat comes to you and happens on your schedule! This retreat is open to all members of the SXU community including students, faculty, and staff.

In 2024, the Busy Person's Retreat will begin with mass on Sunday, February 18 until Thursday, February 22. If you are interested, please complete the Busy Person's Retreat Interest Form.


Spring Break Service and Trip: Spring break service trips offer students the opportunity to step outside of their comfort zones and see the country from a different perspective. Groups of students, accompanied by staff chaperones, travel to a site elsewhere in the United States to spend several days living simply in community, providing daily service to those in need, and reflecting on the causes of poverty and the deeper meaning of Christian service. The site may vary by year.

In addition to serving across the country, Campus Ministry also offers opportunities to serve locally throughout spring break. Students, staff and faculty can join a group for a half-day service trip to a Chicago-area nonprofit to volunteer. The service sites vary each year based on local need and interest of students.

In 2024, Spring Break Service and Trip will be held Monday, March 4 until Friday, March 8. For the trip, we will be sending a team to Jerusalem Farm to do service in the community. If you are interested, please submit the Spring Break Service and Trip Interest Form.


Awakenings:: This student-led retreat is held in the spring semester and is sponsored by campus ministry. It is designed to create an opportunity in which students can become more fully awakened to the ever-present love of God. Awakenings encourages self-reflection and meaningful connections by allowing students to step-out of their normal routines. During the retreat, there are talks given by students, opportunities to pray, reflect and share with small groups and lots of fun to be had. This retreat challenges students to awaken to life with an enhanced commitment to love, integrity and faith. Invite friends and make new friends. All faiths are welcome!

In 2024, Awakenings will be held Friday, April 12 until Sunday, April 14 at Loyola Ecology and Retreat Campus in Woodstock, Illinois. If you are an interested student, please inquire with Lucero Manon at manonFREESXU.


International Mercy Service Immersion to Belize:: The International Mercy Service Trip to Belize, Central America, offers students the opportunity to experience a new culture while building a home for a needy family. Students visit Altun Ha, an ancient Mayan cultural site, and visit with the Sisters of Mercy in Belize. They spend time at a daycare center for children affected by HIV-AIDS and enjoy an outing to one of the Caribbean caves.

Due to the nature of this service trip, students work daily with the recipient family to construct and paint a simple house to provide them with adequate shelter. A special feature is the ability to also install indoor plumbing for the family -- something all of us take for granted each day. Students who have been to Belize say it is "a life changing experience" that prompts new thoughts about life in the U.S. and the rest of the world.

In 2024, the Belize Service Trip will occur Sunday, May 5 until Saturday, May 11. Applications are due by Monday, January 15. Please apply by submitting the Belize Mercy Service Trip Application.

Meet the Campus Ministry Team

 

Additional Members of the Team