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