Home / News & Publications / Michigan Catholic News / 2008 / Monroe Vicariate starts Newman club at MCCC
Monroe Vicariate starts Newman club at MCCC
by Joe Kohn of The Michigan Catholic
Published November 21, 2008
Monroe — Dan Bronson knows that, oftentimes in a young adult's life, the college years are the years spent wandering from the Catholic faith.
"Some people are wondering what happened after high school," says Bronson, a 20-year-old student of Monroe County Community College who grew up at St. Mary Parish in Monroe. "There are youth groups in high school… and then there's college."
For his part, Bronson says he's grateful for MCCC's new Newman Club — a Catholic organization centered on social justice and community building.
"It's so you won't be alone," he says. "So you know there are people out there learning about the faith and continuing to learn — it's a lifelong journey to learn about your faith, as well."
The MCCC Newman Club was started this year due to efforts by the Monroe Vicariate Peace and Justice Subcommittee to reach out to young adults. Dr. Gary Davis, a member of the subcommittee, says its members brainstormed in January about new programs for the year.
"One of the ideas was some kind of educational program for the youth in the area, part high school and part college-aged, because these are people we don't spend a lot of time with," Davis says. "The idea came up of starting a club."
He and fellow subcommittee member Lorie Bronson DRE at St. Mary Parish, and Dan Bronson's mother, started laying the foundation for the Newman Club — looking to the Archdiocese of Detroit's Office for Young Adult and Campus Ministry for guidance. They even contacted college campus ministers in the Diocese of Toledo and Bowling Green State University in Ohio for advice on how to get started.
"I never saw a door close," says Davis. "Every time I made a call, a door opened."
After finding two faculty members to sponsor the club — a necessity for student organizations at MCCC — they wound up enrolling 10 students and even made contact with about 70 students through social gatherings since October.
Fr. Steven Vileo, pastor of St. Michael Parish in Monroe who's serving as chaplain of the Newman Club, says the organization has an "inestimable" worth in helping young adults put their college lives in perspective.
"I believe it allows them not only to socialize, but to socialize in a setting with a common belief system and a common goal in life," Fr. Vileo says. "It puts their college career in perspective.
"Whether you're studying accounting, or marine biology or theology, everything should be looked at through the lens of Christ."
Already, the Newman Club has put together a schedule of events, from movies to community service. It's open, also, to non-Catholics, as the focus of the ministry is Christian service.
Those involved say they have high hopes for the new ministry.
"It helps me with understanding Catholic social teaching," says Dan Bronson. "I hope it turns into a good, wide community for young adults after high school."
The MCCC Newman Club has a Web site and social calendar for students to keep track of its events, and also to help them connect with other young adult and college campus ministries in surrounding areas. To learn more, visit www.compassyam.org, or visit Facebook.com and search for MCCC Newman Club.
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