SpiritT H EIN AGGIELAND

Spring 2013 St. Mary’s Catholic Center College Station, Texas

Director of Campus MinistryFr. David Konderla

dkonderla@aggiecatholic.org

Associate PastorFr. Will Straten ‘00

wstraten@aggiecatholic.org

For a complete list of St. Mary’sstaff and their ministries:

www.aggiecatholic.org

Students come to college to prepare for the future, but God’s future was far different than the one Craig DeYoung ’06 had envisioned for himself. On May 18, he will be ordained a transitional deacon for the Diocese of Austin through the sacrament of holy orders at St. Mary’s Catholic Center. As a transitional deacon, DeYoung will continue formation for ordination to the priesthood.

When he came to Texas A&M, DeYoung was not Catholic. Invited by another student to attend an Awakening Retreat, he was

motivated to deepen his relationship to Jesus Christ, which ultimately led him to join the Catholic Church. “I am so grateful for St. Mary’s. It’s the first place where I experienced the Catholic Church, Mass and the sacraments,” said DeYoung.

After his retreat, DeYoung staffed 13 Awakenings, and was active in other programs sponsored by St. Mary’s. With a major in industrial distribution, he already had a job lined up by Easter of his senior year. However, he felt God calling him in a different direction. After receiving spiritual direction, he applied to the seminary.

St. Mary’s is such a big part of his journey that DeYoung is thrilled to return, saying “I’m going to be ordained in the same place where I became Catholic, had my First Communion, and was confirmed.”

Seminary Sprinters Learn about Priestly Life

Six young men, led by Father Will Straten ’00, St. Mary’s associate pastor, embarked on a 1,600 mile road-trip, the Seminary Sprint, from January 5-11. The travelers visited seminaries, abbeys and monasteries in Texas and Louisiana.

“I decided to go because I wanted to see a variety of priests’ witness to the faith and gain perspective on their commitment to God. I was impressed by the humility, perseverance, and faith of these men,” said James Rians ’14.

Will Hayes ’14 is discerning whether God is calling him to the priesthood and wanted to learn more about religious orders. He said, “The pure joy and happiness of the religious we visited gave me hope and consolation. Traveling with other men who have many of the same questions that I do was an added bonus of the trip.”

Aggie Catholic Chooses St. Mary’s for Ordination

On February 17, the Catholic Students Association hosted a Hot Chocolate Social along

with a going-away party for Pope Benedict XVI. Not

only will we miss him as our spiritual leader, we will also

miss all the fun his personality fostered. Gig ‘em Pope

Benedict, and may God grant you peace and comfort!

Farewellto our Pope

St. Mary’s has been designated by Bishop Joe Vásquez as a holy site for

pilgrimage during this Year of Faith. Special indulgences

are available for attending Mass and spending time in

prayer and meditation. Next time you visit, please see the

display in the back of the church for more information.

The Spirit in Aggieland 2 www.aggiecatholic.org

Stewardship † a way of life

As I write this, the Catholic Church is preparing for the conclave that will select the new pope. By the time you read this, we may already have a pope elected and installed. But even if we don’t, aren’t we the most blessed of people? God gave us St. Peter and his successors to lead and guide the Church, to keep us unified and faithful.

Here we are in the desert of Lent, where we must face the devil, his temptations and his minions in the world and culture all around us. If God had not given us the ministry of Peter, we would each have become our own pope, attempting to figure out for ourselves

what is right and wrong, good and evil. We would be alone in trying to understand how to apply God’s eternal word to our contemporary problems and challenges. We would not have a united family, but an ever dividing family, with no way to become one.

As we prepare to meet and embrace our new Holy Father, we give thanks to our Lord who gave us Peter, and on that rock built his Church so that Satan and hell may not prevail against it.

May you and your families be richly blessed as we approach the great Triduum and the Paschal joy of Easter.

From the desk of Fr. David

Scholarship Rewards BenefactorsTo honor those who support Catholic campus ministry, generous benefactors provided scholarships for between $500-$5,000 in tuition and fees for the Spring 2013 Semester at Texas A&M University and Blinn College. Members of the Living Faith Society giving at least $25 per month ($10 if a student) and those who made gifts of at least $250 between September 1 and December 1, 2012 could enter the name of their favorite student for the scholarship drawing. Congratulations to the six lucky winners, and thank YOU to all of St. Mary’s benefactors!

I hope the Aggie Catholic Family will join me in prayers of gratitude for Greg Gorman and the 13 years of work and friendship that he invested in helping St. Mary’s grow into one of the top campus ministry programs in the country. When you look around here, just about everything you see is a reflection of Greg’s dedication to raising the funds to make it happen. As he moves on to other opportunities, we wish him well and

thank him for sharing his gifts, passion for campus ministry, and wonderful sense of humor with us. ~Fr. David

We welcome Frank Shannon III ’77 back to College Station as Executive Director of Advancement at St. Mary’s. Frank’s Aggie roots are strong. He was a Yell Leader, and has spent 14 years raising funds for Texas A&M, both with the Texas A&M Foundation, and serving as Executive Director of the 12th Man Foundation. His fundraising experience also includes supervising a $100 million capital campaign at The Citadel in Charleston, South Carolina. He and his wife, Debbie, are delighted to be back in Aggieland and are the parents of six children.

Rachel Blount ’14, Tom Bulmer ’15, Father David, Joseph Blount ’15, Caroline Allen ’15. Missing: Lauren Russell ’16, Thomas Moczygemba ‘12

Thank you Greg -AND- Howdy Frank

The Spirit in Aggieland 3 www.aggiecatholic.org

Vocation StationA Religious Calling

Aggie Knights Bleed Maroon—Literally! On January 28, the Aggie Knights sponsored one of their most successful blood drives ever in the Student Center.

Super Bowl Party. On February 3, a seat in the lounge in the Student Center was one of the most sought after tickets in town—St. Mary’s Super Bowl party sponsored by the Aggie Knights! Although there was no Texas team in the game, that didn’t stop the cheering and fun. Pope Benedict XVI, or at least his likeness, stopped by as one of his last official acts as the Aggies cheered on their “favorite” stand-in team.

Aggies “Rush” To Join Knights. Knights of Columbus Council #10624, aka the Aggie Knights, held their semi-annual “Go Roman” rush week to encourage students to consider membership. The award-winning Aggie Knights have a strong history of being men of fraternal service, faith and action. The week began with a “getting to know the Knights” dinner followed by a laser-tag evening with the Kappa Theta Beta Catholic women’s sorority. Rush ended with five students joining the Knights by participating in a first degree ceremony. Gig ‘em Aggie Knights!

Legionaires of Christ Father Stephen Dardis ’01 (top left) was ordained to the priesthood on Saturday, December 15, 2012. He returned to St. Mary’s to offer a Mass of Thanksgiving on January 30.

Deacon Brian Park ’03 (top right) will be ordained a priest for the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis on Saturday, May 25, 2013.

Pat Moran ‘98, Jeff Cadenhead ‘88 and Lee Jan ’72 and ’75 (at right) will be ordained as permanent deacons for the Diocese of Austin on Saturday, April 13 at 10:30 a.m. at St. Margaret Mary Church in Cedar Park.

Busy Students Retreat

St. Mary’s hosted the Busy Students Retreat February 3-7, in which each student met daily with an assigned spiritual director. When not attending class or fulfilling other responsibilities, the students pray, read scripture and attend Mass. Priests and religious from all over the country come to St. Mary’s to help with the retreat, and this year 14 served as spiritual directors.

Knight News

The Spirit in Aggieland 4 www.aggiecatholic.org

Math, philosophy, medicine, physics, biology, mechanical engineering, architecture… there is a long list of the subjects that our students study and explore. To do well in their studies, and to grow in their knowledge and competence, they sacrifice a great deal. They give four or more years to the effort. They spend countless hours in lectures, classes, labs, libraries and online with peers. They spend tens of thousands of dollars and many sleepless nights to master their fields of study.

Lent on the university campus offers a unique opportunity to integrate all the knowledge that the university offers with the wisdom that comes from communion with God. The fasting, the prayers, the liturgy, the almsgiving, all done while in the midst of pursuing a higher education, have the capacity to create in us a clean heart for God, so that he can give us a renewed spirit and a wisdom that is beyond everything in this world.

Lent on the University Campus

National Radio Show Broadcast from St. Mary’s. Lino Rulli, “The Catholic Guy,” and Father Rob Keighron broadcast their Sirius XM 129 Radio Show from St. Mary’s KACB 96.9 FM station on February 14. To honor Valentine’s Day, the hosts organized the Aggie Catholic Dating Game. A “Catholorette” student chose one of three young men for a date, and a bachelor chose from three Catholorettes. In addition to typical Dating Game questions, the contestants answered questions about their faith, favorite saints and prayer life.

Freshman CONNECT for the Spring Semester. On January 30, nearly 100 freshmen, upperclassmen and St. Mary’s staff enjoyed food and fellowship at the Freshmen Connection Spring Semester Kickoff Dinner. The speaker, Jameson Millspaugh ’14, encouraged the freshmen to use their “uniqueness” to become the saints they are meant to be. Afterwards, many students signed up for St. Mary’s programs and activities.

Aggies Rally for Life. On January 26, Aggie Catholics and friends demonstrated their commitment to the Catholic social teaching of respecting the life and dignity of the human person by participating in the Rally for Life in Austin. The day included Mass, a rosary for life, a peaceful and prayerful march to the Capitol, and a party at the University of Texas Catholic Center.

St. Mary’s Celebrates Social Justice Week. Pope Benedict XVI has declared this year to be the Year of Faith. Under the theme of Putting Faith into Action, St. Mary’s is sponsoring Social Justice Week, March 19-24. Each day features a program focusing on a different theme of social justice, including advocacy, respect life, missionary activity and local community service.

(below) On Ash Wednesday, nearly 5,000 attended the nine Masses offered in the church, Rudder Theatre on campus and Blinn College. At these Masses, those who have been away from the Church were especially invited back during the Lenten season. (top) On Fridays during Lent, students gather for Stations of the Cross, followed by a meatless soup supper.

Catholic Dating Game players join Lino Rulli, The Catholic Guy, and Father Rob Keighron.

The Spirit in Aggieland 5 www.aggiecatholic.org

E N T R Y O R D E R F O R MYou can also order tickets online at www.aggiecatholic.orgI want _____ ticket(s). (Make checks payable to St. Mary’s)

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Spring 2013 Raffle Guidelines: The drawing will be held at the Volunteer Appreciation Dinner on April 25, 2013. Winner need not be present to win. Pro-ceeds benefit St. Mary’s Catholic Center at Texas A&M University. All entries received after April 25, 2013 will be considered a donation. Suggested donations for tickets are listed on this order form. No limit on the number of tickets sold. The winner of the raffle is responsible for Tax, Title, and License; IRS withholding applies. Employees of St. Mary’s Catholic Center, or their dependents, or their immediate family members dwelling in the same household are not eligible to win. No donation necessary to enter the drawing. One such ticket available per household. Ticket may be obtained by written request only, stating “No Contribution” with a business size, self-addressed stamped envelope. All entries must contain name, mailing address and phone number to be valid. Visit www.aggiecatholic.org for complete rules.

PLEASE NOTE!If you purchase tickets and would like your stubs returned to you, you must enclose a business size, self-addressed, stamped envelope. Otherwise you will be entered in the drawing and your portion of the ticket will be held at St. Mary’s Catholic Center.

Ticket sold by (student and organization):_________________________________

2013 Winner’s Choice Raffle

The lucky winner gets to choose either:

$10

$25

$100

$500

$250

$1,000

NO PURCHASE NECESSARY TO ENTER AND WINCatholic Student Association

Matt Kolker, PresidentFather David Konderla,

Director of Campus Ministry

2013 Ford Focus

2013 Ford F-150STX Truck

$15,000 Scholarship

One (1) ticket

Three (3) tickets

Fifteen (15) tickets

Forty (40) tickets

Eighty-five (85) tickets

One hundred eighty-five (185) tickets

After $1,000 in tickets, each additional ticket: $5.

COMING in Spring 2014!Do the words ‘MBOC,’ ‘palanca,’ and ‘R&C’ stir some fond memories? Does the song “Wrap it up, tie it up” dance endlessly in your head every time you see a ball of yarn? Does the word “Awakening” pierce the depth of your soul as a weekend (or series of weekends) where you either first discovered or rediscovered Christ?

If so, then we have an event for you—Aggie Awakening 100 Reunion and Conference. That’s right. While approximately 300 Aggies will be participating in Aggie Awakening 100 in Somerville, Texas, Aggie Awakening alum will be “mustering” for a reunion and spiritual conference in Aggieland. This will be a great opportunity to catch up with old friends or to get away on your annual retreat.

So, start packing your bags—and those of your “real” family members—for a special weekend for all.

For more information:visit aa100.aggiecatholic.org or scan the QR code

The weekendwill include:

• Anadult-focusedconference with break-out sessions

• Ahighschool-focused retreat

• Activitiesforyoungerchildren

• Childcareforinfantsand young children

• Socialactivitiesforall

Profile in FaithThe Spirit of Aggieland brings testimony to the idea that we are an Aggie family. Coming to Texas A&M is like having a family reunion with 50,000 of your closest relatives! However being an Aggie Catholic is like sitting at your intimate Thanksgiving table at that reunion. Aggie Catholics are a family within a family, as we celebrate the Holy Spirit together and give thanks for what he has given us.

I think one of the best things about St. Mary’s is the opportunity to seek the Lord through the many student-led and student-run ministries. The Aggie Awakening retreat is one of those organizations. Aggie Awakening occurs three times a year, and I’ve had the blessing of being able to attend, staff, be a part of leadership, and even coordinate this beautiful retreat. The Holy Spirit works so intentionally

at each retreat, and when he moves the hearts of so many of my peers, I am filled with joy!

Although commitment and zeal from students does not fall short here at St. Mary’s, commitment and zeal do not pay the bills! It is through your support and your investment in us that makes possible all we experience here. My hope is that when we all graduate, we will repay your trust—not only financially, but also

by bringing the discipleship we’ve learned and experienced here to our future parishes, communities and chosen

professions. Thank YOU!

Kimee Piega ‘13Allied Health Major

SpiritT H E

IN AGGIELAND

St. Mary’s Catholic Center at Texas A&M University 603 Church AvenueCollege Station, TX 77840(979) 846-5717www.aggiecatholic.org

SAVE THE DATES!April 12-14Parents’ Weekend

Thursday, April 25Volunteer Appreciation Dinner and Raffle Drawing

Stay tuned for more information about the Aggie Awakening 100 Reunion weekend, Spring 2014!

On February 21, Dr. Taylor Marshall ’00 came back to Aggieland to speak about his conversion to Catholicism in a presentation titled Anti-Catholic to Aggie Catholic. A former Episcopal priest, Dr. Marshall explained how his experience at Texas A&M, St. Mary’s and the quiet witness of Aggie Catholics planted the seeds of his future conversion. He is the author of three books and the Chancellor of the College of Saints John Fisher & Thomas More. His visit was sponsored by the St. Mary’s Distinguished Speakers Series.