For many people, the college years become significant years in their lives. There is learning and growing as many young people move away from home for the first time, future careers are decided, friendships are made, lives are changed, and faith is impacted. At Stephen F. Austin State University (SFA) in Nacogdoches, the St. Mary’s Catholic Campus Ministry provides a haven where students can be formed in faith, build authentic friendships, and leave the university as missionary disciples, capable of proclaiming the Gospel in the world.

Come as Jacks. Leave as Disciples.  

The mission of St. Mary’s Catholic Campus ministry is clear: arrive on campus as SFA Lumberjacks and graduate as followers of Jesus Christ. From Father Nick Nappier, the campus ministry chaplain, to the student leaders and the FOCUS (Fellowship of Catholic University Students) missionaries, the success of the campus ministry relies on the collaboration of many individuals. 

As one of the four Fellowship of Catholic University Students (FOCUS) missionaries at St. Mary’s, Darlene LeSage described this collaboration as a “vital unity between the campus ministry, the chaplain, and FOCUS. It’s very important to the success of all of this.” 

Deeply involved in the campus ministry, the primary ministry of the FOCUS team are Bible studies and discipleship groups. The Bible studies, broken into men’s and women’s groups, consist of about 8 to 10 people and become an opportunity for students to unpack Scripture and build community.

“This is a big way people get incorporated into community life at St. Mary’s in a more intentional way than what [larger] events permit. This is where they start talking about real things and start having encounters,” LeSage said. 

Students who are ready to take the next step and make Christ the center of their lives are invited into intentional discipleship through discipleship groups. These groups consist of a leader and two to three other individuals. Discipleship groups become opportunities for students to be built up in faith and learn about evangelization. 

“After building up the person in faith comes an invitation to start living out their baptismal call to evangelize in the world,” LeSage said. These small group opportunities also create spaces where students can develop authentic friendships, growing in faith and virtue together.

In addition to the FOCUS-led small groups, the campus ministry offers events throughout the semester, all led by student leaders. 

A key event for the students is the weekly Ignite gathering. Beginning at 6 p.m. on Wednesdays, roughly 60 students gather to hear a talk on a topic of faith. The talks are followed by adoration of the Blessed Sacrament with praise and worship music led by students. At 8:30 p.m. they celebrate a candlelight Mass, followed by a rosary walk on
campus led by the FOCUS missionaries. 

 

A lifeboat in the sea: Anthony Roberts

A sophomore from Houston, Anthony Roberts came to SFA to study geospatial science with the hope to become a land surveyor after graduation. Roberts has been an active member of St. Mary’s Catholic Campus ministry since his arrival as a freshman.

“I knew I wanted to be part of [the campus ministry],” Roberts said. “At orientation I got to meet Father Nick Nappier, our chaplain, and some of the leaders at St. Mary’s, and I knew I was in a good spot after I met them.”

For Roberts, being part of the campus ministry has been life altering. 

“There’s a lot of vice on campus, a lot of temptation. It’s extremely easy to get wrapped up in that. Worldly vice is  definitely the biggest challenge because we’re all trying to figure out life and figure out who we are,” Roberts said.

To help students with this challenge, Roberts says campus ministry “is like the lifeboat in the sea.” 

“This building, this ministry, it is here for students. It’s welcome to all. I think people get really intimidated by the word ‘Catholic’ or by just going to church in general. I wish people know that once you get into the community, they are the nicest people in the world,” he said.

As an active member of the campus ministry, Roberts leads a discipleship group of three other young men. They meet and discuss how to authentically live out their Catholic faith and how to share that faith with others through evangelization.

A participant in a Bible study, Roberts says he met some of his closest friends through the FOCUS Bible studies. He recently finished training to become a Bible study leader and will be leading a new group soon. In addition to leading small groups, Roberts helped organize a recent camping trip for the men involved at St. Mary’s.

“It is a family. We’re all brothers and sisters in Christ. It’s just very special to have this network and this place to go to,” Roberts said.

 

A starting point: Cecilia Muth

For Cecilia Muth, a senior from Dallas, the St. Mary’s Catholic Campus Ministry played a significant role in her college years. 

As an incoming freshman, Muth had already fallen away from the faith. One of the first weekends at school, she attended Mass at the campus ministry, where she met one of the FOCUS missionaries. Muth ignored follow-up communications from the FOCUS missionary, and did not return to the campus ministry for the rest of the semester.

Finally, Muth was prompted to reach back out the following February, and she started to get involved. A month later, she was hired as a media intern at St. Mary’s.

“When I was hired as an intern, I was thrown into everything,” Muth said. “It was probably one of the best things that has ever happened to me.” Muth continued working for the campus ministry and is now the director of media. 

During her sophomore year, Muth had an eye-opening experience at the annual Awakening Retreat. A retreat run by college students for college students, the Awakening Retreat is a place where students can step away from everyday life for a weekend to encounter God. Hosted at the Pines in Big Sandy, the retreat provides opportunities for prayer, adoration of the Blessed Sacrament, Mass, confession, and a series of formational talks.

“It’s a beautiful time to step away and see the leaders and the people here at St. Mary’s actually putting into fruition the mission we have here,” Muth said. Muth has returned to the Awakening Retreat for the past two years as a leader on the
retreat team. 

For Muth, the campus ministry is a special place to rest as a college student. 

“Just having the physical space to rest. We can rest in Jesus. We can rest in each other. We can rest in the Eucharist. Being able to have a building that facilitates that is so beautiful,” she said. “I have made lifelong friends here. It is a family. While I’m excited to graduate, I will genuinely miss this experience I’ve had here.” Muth will graduate this spring and plans to become a high school teacher. 

Muth sees the campus ministry as a beautiful starting point for students. It is a safe place to rest, grow, and build relationships. 

“It gives you a starting point, physically and spiritually. It’s a place where the flame can be ignited. From here, students who become disciples and go out into the world and continue to live the mission,” she said. 

“I would have never come back to my faith if it wasn’t for the ministry,” Muth concluded. 

For many young adults striving to understand themselves and their faith, Catholic Campus ministry can become both a starting point and a lifeboat — a place where they can encounter God, themselves, and others. St. Mary’s Catholic Campus Ministry not only creates a space for encounter, but it also prepares students to leave college as followers of Jesus Christ ready to proclaim the Gospel in the world.