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Campus Ministry

2 3 4Several seniors share

what they will miss most about Catholic

Campus Ministry as they prepare to

graduate.

First-Year student Olivia Jung describes

her experience on the CCM spring

break service trip with Habitat for Humanity.

CCM senior Ashley Halinski reflects on

the community aspect of playing intramural

sports and her journey to a championship.

SUNDAY MASS TIMES:Elon Community Church

4:00pm & 6:00pm

WEDNESDAY NIGHT CATHOLIC:Holt Chapel (South Campus)

7:07pm - Rosary, 7:30pm - Mass

FRIDAY MASS:Numen Lumen Pavilion

12:10pm

WORSHIPSCHEDULE

NEW SERVANTLEADERSHIP

MASS on theGRASS

CCM on SOCIAL MEDIA

Visit our website to read all about our new Servant

Leaders who began their leadership term in

January.

CCM will hold its first-ever Mass on the Grass on May 1, 2016, in the Quad of the Academic

Village.

Senior MemoriesAlternative BreakChampions

twitter.com/ElonCCM

facebook.com/ElonCatholic

instagram.com/ElonCCM

flickr.com/ElonCCM

youtube.com/ElonCCM

SPRING ISSUE2016St. John Baptiste de la

Salle, priest, founder of the Institute of the Brothers of the Christian Schools, educational reformer and patron saint

of teachers, once wrote: “Be convinced that, provided you are willing, you can do more with the help of God’s grace than you imagine!” This certainly has been proven in my life as Catholic Campus Minister and Associate Chaplain for Catholic life at Elon University for the past 11 years. As I prepare to leave my post here (on August 1st) and begin another chapter of my life as Catholic Chaplain at Syracuse University (Go Orange), I am struggling for the words to share. How do you encapsulate 11 wonderful years of life-giving ministry into a few words? The truth is, you only feebly try. If there is one word which could possibly summarize my experiences here, it would be “gratitude.” I am so very grateful to my Franciscan Province of Our Lady of the Angels and the Roman Catholic Diocese of Raleigh for providing me this opportunity so many years ago, not long after Elon College emerged as a formidable university. I was willing “to bloom where I was planted,” so to speak, to offer my gifts, my talents and my very self to the students, faculty and staff at Elon University, and God and God’s grace did the rest. From celebrating Sunday Masses in the Parish House of the Elon Community Church, outgrowing it within a year and moving into the “big church” on the corner of Williamson and Haggard... students clamoring for a Eucharistic Chapel and a Newman Center on campus and realizing each of these within four years, with the help of the university and some generous benefactors... to watching the Catholic student population explode on campus and witnessing them “pray” at Masses, retreats, service projects, dinners,

and “play” in Intramurals as the “Roman Cathletes” with bowling, flag football, soccer, basketball, and others... enjoying theological discussions and “spirits” with 21-and-over students in the “Upper Room” of The Oak House... working hand-in-hand with my very awesome CCM staff, leadership council and student leaders... catching up with countless alumni here during Homecoming weekends... moving into the university’s new, dynamic multi-faith center, the Numen Lumen Pavilion, and working collaboratively with my university chaplain colleagues... and celebrating CCM’s Silver Jubilee on Family Weekend in 2014! It is so VERY apparent to me that the Holy Spirit has been working overtime in what is known as “the bubble” here at Elon. I have been so fortunate, extremely blessed and eternally grateful to ride this roller coaster for 11 glorious years! My memories of the people and faces at Elon will not soon be forgotten, especially those who touched my life in a very special way from the start: Chaplain Emeritus Richard McBride, President Leo Lambert, Associate Director T Huynh-Duc, ECC Pastors Dan Kuhn and Randy Orwig, Dr J. Earl Danieley, Rene Summers, our Peer Ministers, just to name a few; nor will I ever take for granted the experiences and memories shared with so many wonderful students, parents, families, and local friars and friends through the years! Rest assured that I will continue to ride this roller coaster with a wide smile each and every time I celebrate the marriages of our alumni or baptize their babies or come back to see how much more the university has expanded! LONG LIVE ELON! You, our beautiful, idyllic campus, the oaks and even the squirrels are permanently imprinted on the fabric of my life and never will or can be erased!!! Thank you from the bottom of my heart! With prayerful love always, - Fr. Gerry

With Heartfelt Peace and Gratitude...

Catholic Campus Ministry

Truitt Center for Religious and Spiritual Life

Numen Lumen Pavilion

Mailing Address:Campus Box 2960

Elon, NC 27244

Phone: 336-278-7355Fax: 336-278-7439

www.elon.edu/ccm

STUDENT SERVANT LEADERS:Elizabeth CantoAmanda Corso

Emily KellerLeah Vail

Ryan PetnuchChelsea SemeraroCassandra Tumasz

John Walkowski

LAY LEADERSHIP COUNCIL:Cynthia Touloupas, Chair, P'13

Robert BuchholzMarie Carr, P'14

May HillMary Knight-McKenna, P'11

Tracy Schell, '11Amanda Zamzes, '08 G'14

STAFF:Campus Minister and Associate

Chaplain for Catholic LifeFr. Gerry Waterman, OFM Conv.

gwaterman@elon.edu336-278-7355

Associate DirectorTrung Huynh-Duc

tduc@elon.edu336-446-9226

Peer Ministry CoordinatorHalie Reed

hreed6@elon.edu

Elon Staff AdvisorAmanda Zamzes

azamzes@elon.edu

Elon Catholic Campus Ministry

In the first few months of my first year at Elon, I made a bucket list of 42 things I

wanted to accomplish before the end of my senior year. I wanted to do all the typical Elon things like attending College Coffee, meeting Dr. Danieley, and surviving 24 hours at Elonthon, but I also had a lot of challenging goals. At the start of my senior year, I only had two things left to accomplish. The first being #41: to get accepted to graduate school, and the second, #16: to win an intramural championship with the Roman Cathletes. Anyone who knows me personally knows that one of my favorite things to do is playing intramural sports. I still remember the first CCM intramural I participated in. After our first freshman small group meeting in the fall of 2012, our two small group leaders convinced the group to play in the first flag football game of the season. Since that game, I was hooked. I made the majority of my friends at Elon through CCM, and intramurals played a huge role in building those relationships. Though often the amount of losses we’ve had outnumbered our wins, I’ve never felt more like a winner than the nights we’ve spent celebrating the small victories (like one touchdown or goal in soccer). I think the losses made the wins even sweeter. After three and a half years of participating in intramural sports, I finally got the opportunity to cross #16 off my

list. At 11:30 p.m. on a Thursday night this past Winter Term, the Roman Cathletes found out that they had made the playoffs for intramural bowling. Not only had we made the playoffs, we were ranked #1. That night was one of the most exhilarating nights of my Elon career. We were all on edge every time a pin fell - celebrating a strike or encouraging each other with a split. Finally, close to 1:00 a.m., we finished our very last game and were announced the winners of the Intramural Bowling season. We finally got our Intramural Champ t-shirts. Fellow senior Kristin Leesman and I have played almost every intramural Elon has had to offer with the Roman Cathletes, and we have made it a personal goal to get the most out of every season. We were thrilled when we were selected to be the captains of the Roman Cathletes for this spring, and this semester, we’ve had more fun than we could have imagined. The team always has a positive attitude from start to finish. Whether we’re down by a lot or winning by a landslide, we’ve given it our all in bowling, basketball, wiffleball, and currently, dodge ball. CCM intramurals transformed my college career. Our teams have become a family, and we’re always excited when new people join our team and stick around sport after sport. The Roman Cathletes have grown so much over the years, and I know both Kristin and I are extremely excited to see them continue to progress.

Our Intramural JourneyThe Roman Cathletes Become Bowling Champions

2

From 2012-13 first-years...

...to 2016 CHAMPS

Left to right: Kristin Leesman, Danny Kirk, Sarah Decker, Tammy Wong, Ashley Halinski

By Ashley Halinski, Class of 2016

www.elon.edu/ccm 3

Unlike most students who went either to the beach, snow-skiing, or simply went home for Spring Break, I chose something else. I chose to give my

time to helping build houses with Habitat for Humanity. And honestly, it was a great decision! At first, I was nervous to go on a week long trip with total strangers. We left early in the morning on Sunday and spent most of the first three hours sleeping and listening to music with no conversation. After taking a Panera break, the five of us were suddenly more open and comfortable with each other. Although our housing was not a five-star hotel, the community center provided us with just what we needed. We may have had a few scary encounters with a creature or two in the roof, but we were just fine. It was a bonding experience! All in all, it was a great week. We had the opportunity to help build a porch, pour concrete, stain wood, put together window and door frames, and many other things. We may not have had a nail gun, but we sure got our arm work outs in every day with hammers. Working alongside some pretty cool people, we got to contribute to society and help those in need. Our four days with Habitat were long and sweaty, but all five of us walked away knowing we had done something good with our week off. I walked away with four new friends and a surplus of knowledge about construction work. I’m grateful that CCM and the James Leo Feeney Servant Leader scholarship provided me with this great opportunity!

By Olivia Jung, Class of 2019

My Alternative Break with CCM

I have received multiple opportunities this semester to not only strengthen

my faith while being in CCM, but also to be a part of a close-knit community of Elon students. During the CATHOLICISM series, which takes place every Tuesday evening at the Catholic Newman Center, I have had the opportunity to explore Bishop Robert Barron’s videos and see why we as Catholics believe in certain aspects of Christianity and how those aspects are both similar and different to other religions. My favorite part of this experience was discussing the content of the series with not only the Peer Ministry Coordinator, Halie Reed, and CCM president, Chelsea Semeraro,

but also other students in a welcoming environment. (Also, having a home-cooked meal was enjoyable!)

The most helpful episode we have watched included a breakdown of events in the Mass and a description of the importance of each individual part. It made me realize that the actions that I do every Sunday are not only done in exactly the same manner around the world, but that each aspect has its own meaning. For example, I did not realize how many times we reflect on our sins during Mass or how the raising of the Eucharist is where we respect the offering of gifts as they become parts of Jesus Christ. I never guessed that getting involved within the CCM community would have been so welcoming and beneficial. This semester, I’ve had the chance to become

certified as a Greeter and Extraordinary Minister of the Eucharist at Mass, and I am currently on the committee to plan CCM’s first-ever “Mass on the Grass” and will be a Greeter for the event. CCM has allowed me to reduce the stress of college with game nights, intramural dodge ball, and volunteer opportunities like Habitat for Humanity. Additionally, the Alpha Omega program within CCM has given me a religious mentor and another friend at Elon. Spending time with other Catholics has given me the ability to examine my faith and to express my ideas about the religion respectfully. Through all my experiences this year and with many more to come, I know I will have a stronger faith when graduating from Elon, and I will have a group of supportive friends no matter where my life journeys may take me.

By Lauren Ventresca, Class of 2019

Exploring Faith on a Deeper LevelFirst-Year Experiences:

With Heartfelt Peace and Gratitude: A Farewell from Father Gerry after 11 Years

Our Intramural JourneyMy Alternative Break with CCMFirst-Year Experiences

CCM Alumni Spotlights: Brandon Marshall, Class of 2012 Emily Cinquemani, Class of 2015

Look Inside!

Look Online!

Senior Memories

2016“My favorite part about being involved with CCM was helping to organize and put on retreats, especially for the Confirmands of the Blessed Sacrament

community. Orchestrating something that means so much to so many is one of the most gratifying feelings in the world, and puts real meaning to the idea of serving God by serving others.” - Allie Kornacki

“The thing I will miss most about CCM are the people I have met and become so close with. It has been so comforting throughout my college career

to have been part of such a strong faith community. (I’ll also miss Father Gerry’s hugs after Mass - those were always the best).” - Mackenzie Murray

“The thing I will miss the most about CCM is the annual beach retreat. I met some of my best Elon friends while on beach retreat, plus it’s a great way to

disconnect from our busy college schedules and focus on our faith.” - Danny Kirk

“One thing about CCM which I’ll miss very much is Sunday Supper. The food is phenomenal (and free), I’ve met some of my best friends

at Elon there, and I thoroughly enjoy the clean-up process. Our work in the kitchen provided a nice, very intimate setting for fellowship.” - Max Whelan

“My favorite part about CCM has definitely been the friendships that I have formed. During my first semester at Elon, I really struggled with the

transition to a new state and school. It was not until CCM Fall Beach Retreat where I found my core group of friends that shared the same values and beliefs as me, and once I met that group, Elon began to feel more like home.” - Ashley Halinski

“After the Beach Retreat I attended my first year, I knew I had found ‘my people.’ The friends and mentors I have found through CCM have

become family. We still talk and laugh about so many memories today, and I have no doubt that we will continue to look back fondly on them for many years to come.” - Grace Ahlering

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The Catholic PhoenixCCM Newsletter

Catholic Campus MinistryCampus Box 2960Elon, NC 27244-2010Phone: 336-278-7355

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“My most cherished memories in CCM are hanging out at the Newman Center with my best friends. When I first came to Elon it was a home away from

home and I like to think it always will be.” - Kristin Leesman