USD Magazine, Spring 1996

breakfast once a semester for faculty and staff, usually drawing more than 100 people. Alumni, parents and benefactors are encouraged to come to USD for weddings and other liturgical events, and to join faculty and staff at USD's Catholic Perspectives Forum, a lecture series on Catholic issues. Sister Cullen says these events, particularly the prayer break– fasts, are a peaceful time to be with peers and to find out what's going on in other's lives, and notes they "give recognition to the faculty and staff members who work so hard for others. These programs are really about community building." A ..Coke Machine.. Approach Ministry staff members all say students' lives are more compli– cated today than in the past. They see students who have diffi– culty dealing with a complex family situation such as divorce, handling relationships, or coping with the burden of trying to land a job after graduation. While programs and events are important, they say, so is being available on an informal basis for those in need. Ministers try to pay a visit when a USD faculty or staff member experiences a personal loss. They offer students, facul– ty and staff the opportunity to speak to others who are grieving in a group setting on campus. Sister Cullen credits Monsignor Eagen with suggesting that new faculty members be personally greeted by a university ministry staff member with similar aca– demic interests. "Often people just need to talk. We put a lot of energy into programs, but we also try to be personally supportive," she says. "USD is not just a place to study or work, but a place where we care for others, and they care for each other." University ministry staff members like to be scattered around campus for easy access, so that students can drop by any time to talk, Father Keller says. Father Keller's and Sister Cullen's offices will soon move from Founders Hall to Maher Hall, while Monsignor Eagen will remain in Founders. Other university ministry offices are located in Hahn University Center and the Alcala Vista apartments. Father Keller says the informal counseling that each university ministry staff member performs is just as important, if not more important, than the formal programs the office offers. Although it is impossible to predict when or where he might be needed, Father Keller makes himself as available as possible. "I'm kind of like a Coke machine that's there when you need it," he says. "Or maybe more like a parish priest or a doctor whom people go to in emergencies or when there's a family cri– sis. That's part of my role. University ministry, however, is more a movement than a program - a wide-ranging effort to encourage the growth of the kingdom of God at USD.''

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