Diverse campus ministries serve young adults in the diocese

By MARY DONOVAN

More than one million students are enrolled in colleges and universities in New York state, according to a study conducted by the Rockefeller Institute of Government. Of these students, almost 200,000 are in graduate programs. Obviously, a large percentage of these students are attending institutions within the Episcopal Diocese of New York. Many students experience their first serious encounter with religious questions in the course of their college years. How does the Episcopal Church seek to reach and minister to such students?

Currently, the Episcopal presence on campus takes many forms. In some cases, local parishes take charge. The Rev. Judy Ferguson, for example, works with cadets at West Point. Evening services are scheduled at the Holy Innocents, Highland Falls, at a time convenient for the cadets and meetings afterwards provide opportunities for discussion and fun. Ferguson’s presence is welcomed by campus authorities; sexual harassment workshops and grief counseling are particularly important parts of her work there.

In a different setting, the Rev. Gawain de Leeuw from St. Bartholomew’s, White Plains has established an Episcopal presence at Manhattanville College. Working with Manhattanville’s Duchesne Center for Religion and Social Justice, de Leeuw schedules speakers on social issues for campus-wide forums; one featured speaker on the subject of women as priests and bishops was Bishop Catherine S. Roskam. de Leeuw also schedules regular gatherings for Episcopal students at the Duchesne Center.

At Vassar College, rides are provided to the weekly church services at Christ Church in Poughkeepsie. A part-time chaplain works with the Office of Religion and Spiritual Life to gather students for special programs and to provide pastoral counseling. Already scheduled is a meeting for Episcopal students this fall during orientation week.

The Rev. Winnie Varghese is the Episcopal Chaplain at Columbia University and is the only full-time chaplain sponsored by the Diocese. Worship services are held weekly; this coming year they will be held on Sunday evenings at St. Paul’s Chapel on the Columbia campus. Informal time together follows the worship services. The Columbia program attracts students new to the Christian faith; a series of preparatory classes leading to baptism and confirmation are offered. At a joint service last spring Bishop Mark Sisk confirmed and received students from both Columbia and New York University. An internship program in religious based social service projects like the Anglican Observer’s Office at the U.N., the Chaplaincy at Sing Sing Prison or the Seafarer’s Ministry in Newark, NJ will be offered to students this year. Including worksite visits of six hours per week and biweekly meetings for skills-building and theological reflection, this program is designed to meet student’s request for more intensive religious training.

At NYU, the Rev. John Merz has recently been appointed by Bishop Sisk to a chaplaincy supported by five downtown parishes: Ascension, Grace, St. John’s in the Village, St. Luke-in-the-Fields, and St. Mark’s in the Bowery. The Canterbury Club at NYU is a registered student organization of the University. Meeting on Sunday evenings at the Catholic Center on campus, the NYU students have already been experimenting with new forms of musical accompaniment to the liturgy and hope to continue that welcoming tradition this fall, trying also to incorporate more guests from the sponsoring parishes into the worship and fellowship meal. This chaplaincy has just received a two-year grant from the Higher Education Ministry office of the Episcopal Church to develop new ways to minister to college students in an urban university setting. The grant was part of the New Initiatives Allocation passed by the 2003 General Convention.

Another model is the Chaplaincy at Bard College, an interfaith enterprise that is an integral part of the college. This program includes two Episcopal priests—the Rev. Dr. Bruce Chilton and the Rev. Ginger Grab—and a Muslim Imam, a Jewish rabbi, and a Roman Catholic priest some of whom teach academic courses in religion as well as ministering to students. Regular worship services in many faith traditions are scheduled; Episcopal students generally attend the Sunday evening candlelit Evensong at the campus chapel or the Sunday morning services at nearby St. John the Evangelist in Barrytown.

The ecumenical experience is also honored at the State University of New York in New Paltz. There the Episcopal Church is a part of the Ecumenical Campus Ministry with the Rev. Paul Walley as Chaplain. Students of many denominations gather for the weekly chapel service and fellowship and take part in community work projects and longer mission trips during school breaks. St. Andrew’s Church in New Paltz is currently planning to expand its ministry to Episcopal students and faculty on campus.

At the Weill Medical College of Cornell University, the Rev. Curtis W. Hart serves on the faculty in the Division of Medical Ethics. His encounters with students are primarily academic—helping prospective physicians deal with the convoluted ethical questions posed by the tremendous advances in modern medicine. The Rev. Jennifer Linman, from nearby Epiphany, meets with students for counseling and works with a group of volunteers who provide medical checkups for a local homeless center.

Overseeing the Episcopal Chaplaincies is the Diocesan Board for Campus Ministry, chaired by Prof. Donald Gerardi of St. Luke’s in the Fields. Comprised of clergy and laity, many of whom are faculty members or administrators from local campuses, the Board works closely with the Episcopal Church’s Higher Education Ministry Office. That office sponsors a yearly gathering for college students during the Christmas break. Attending that meeting, several New York students, along with others from across the country, have been able to explore the dimensions of Christian commitment in the modern world. A gathering this June in Chicago brought together Episcopal and Lutheran college chaplains to evaluate and expand their common ministry to the university.

Though this article has described programs on many college campuses, there are still colleges and universities within the Diocese that have no organized Episcopal presence. Parishes or individuals interested in expanding this ministry should contact the Board for Campus Ministry through the Rev. Canon Constance Coles in the diocesan office (ccoles@dioceseny.org) or through the diocesan website (click here).

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