Hello, friends: 

I thought that the summer months would slow down, but they've been just as busy, with different activities. The recently completed CMLI gathering was a wonderful success for our local church, bringing in just about 100 campus ministry participants, from around the country for a week long leadership institute. Congratulations to Sal for being named the Director of the CMLI program; his term is for three years, please keep Sal in your prayers as he begins this great adventure. Thanks to Mona, and the rest our campus ministry student team, along with resident parishioners, who helped with hospitality and other important details. 

The Finance and Parish Councils have approved our budget for the 2015/16 fiscal year, beginning on July 1, 2015. The Finance Council is prepared to offer a year at a glance finalized budget report in the very near future. Thanks to all of the members of both councils for your help! 

The Visioning committee will be offering a presentation at all of the weekend masses, explaining the three building/renovation options. They will explain the various possibilities along with the phasing options available at this time. Parishioners will be asked to complete a simple ballot, indicating their preferred choices, both on their option and phasing possibilities. 

Peace Fr. Ray  

Dear friends,

Happy Father’s Day to all the dads in our community! We pray the Lord continue to support and bless you in your vocation. Enjoy whatever activities you have planned for the day!

Next Sunday, June 28th, we will be having a special event for NMSU & DACC faculty and staff, a “Mimosa Brunch” at my house from 12:30-2:00pm. The Campus Ministry staff and I hope it will be a good opportunity to meet each other and begin to develop a small Christian community of fellow educators. RSVP to the parish office at 522-6202. Please feel free to share the invite with other faculty/staff who might be interested!

Peace, 
Fr. Ray

 

 

Dear Newman Community, 

We are so excited to be hosting Campus Ministry Leadership Institute (CMLI) at NMSU this coming week, June 16th - 21st. Campus Ministry Leadership Institute is a training and working institute that brings together student leaders and professional ministers from Catholic Campus Ministries across the nation for five days of team building, project development, and networking. Past hosts have included institutions such as University of Notre Dame, University of San Diego, and St. Joseph's University, so we are both honored and humbled to have the opportunity to engage at this level of the national Catholic Campus Ministry scene. 

Our Campus Ministry students and staff have participated in six prior CMLI experiences. While each experience is a little different, depending on the students and project of focus, CMLI has been an outstanding opportunity for our students to be introduced to a larger vision of Church, connect with other young, engaged Catholics from diverse backgrounds, and share new ideas for ministry with their peers. CMLI has also been a growth opportunity for our ministry on a broader scope, with elements of the Institute informing our methods for student leadership development as well as event planning and implementation. 

The over 10 hours of work our students have poured into our project each summer has been so fruitful. Many of the projects developed at past CMLIs are now staples of our ministry, including our major bi-annual retreat, Aggie Awakening. In the summer of 2012, when our students first worked on the seed of Aggie Awakening, I never could have imagined the growth it would result in, not only for our retreat program but for the whole ministry. Many students who experience Aggie Awakening are so moved by the weekend, they consistently come back to explore new ways to grow in their relationship with God and one another- each semester it brings new life and energy to our community. This summer we will have two groups of students participating, working on projects around vocations and social justice. I look forward to seeing how these develop. 

The Institute participants will be at the Newman Center for the 5:30pm Vigil Mass on Saturday, June 20th. Feel free to say hello and share (as you always do!) your warm Newman sense of hospitality. Please keep us in prayer this week! 

Mona Alvarez Chip 
Associate Campus Minister 

Hello, friends: 

Welcome to summer! I hope that you all get a chance to take a step back from the normal routine of life and enjoy some rest and relaxation, in the next couple of months. It’s important that we care for and take time to simply “waste time” with those that we love. 

In the past we’ve hosted a summer movie series; we’re currently brainstorming the possibility of doing that again this year, however, because of time and planning the series may be postponed to late summer or it may not happen at all this year. Stay tuned! 

I’d like to really thank the VBS team and volunteers who helped make this year’s event a huge success! The children loved the energy, the music, the dancing, the skits and most all, getting to know a little bit more about their faith and their relationship with Jesus and the church. 

Campus Ministry is looking forward to hosting this year’s CMLI (Campus Ministry Leadership Institute) here at NMSU and Newman. We’re expecting close to 100 participants, from around the country, who will start arriving on June 16th . Please pray for the success of this event; thanks! 

Fr. Ray

Dear Friends: 

What a blessing to have been ordained a priest of Our Lord Jesus Christ and a humble servant to all of you. After ten years of seminary formation in the diocese of Las Cruces, on Saturday May 30th I was ordained a priest by the imposition of hands and the invocation of the Holy Spirit by His Excellency, the most Reverend Oscar Cantu. I am so blessed to be assigned to this beautiful community of St. Albert the Great, Newman Parish. Even though I won't begin here till after I finished my summer assignments in Cloudcroft, La Luz, Tularosa, and Bent. I am looking forward to return to this parish to serve you, and to minister the holy sacraments to you. 

I want to tell you a bit about myself and present myself to all of you. I was born and raised in a small town in the state of Jalisco, Mexico called Totatiche. At the age of twelve I left my family in order to enter the minor seminary and start my seminary studies at my early age. I completed six years of minor seminary in the Archdiocese of Guadalajara, Jalisco. After completing my sixth year of seminary school, I came to Las Cruces, New Mexico and started working in a couple of places. I worked in construction and also at the Hotel Encanto of Las Cruces. In 2005 I joined our diocese and went to college to Conception Abbey, Missouri. After five years of college I went to St. Mary's seminary in Houston and completed my theological studies. Now, I am looking forward to the experience and grow in my transition from a seminarian to a priest. Thank you Newman for all your prayers and support. May God bless you. 

Fr. Alex Urena