My dear family in Christ:

With graduatioin behind us at both Champlain and UVM, the summer holidays have begun at The Catholic Center. While it might mean our official hours will be reduced and all of the staff will be taking some well-deserved rest and vacation, the planning for the Fall semester and the arrival of new students is well underway. I'd like to highlight a couple of the programs/events we are working on along with the Catholic Student Association.

ALPHA: Alpha is a basic course in Christianity introducing people to Jesus in a personal and impactful way. We will be co-hosting this course along with Vine Ministries and hoping that it will be a way for us to reach out to the unchurched or lightly churched students on campus. You can learn more about Alpha here: https://alphausa.org/
We will be seeking some help to provide food and refreshments for the 11 weeks we will be hosting Alpha and asking for your prayers for its success. More information about this exciting endeavor will be coming along soon.

FORMED: This is the Catholic Digital platform that provides extensive opportunities for Catholics to grow in their understanding of and appreciation for our faith. This on-line platform is free for all to use. Just contact the office to learn how to access all of the content. If you want to learn more about the Bible, the Catechism and many other areas of faith, this is a wonderful resource. Please take advantage of it. 

Paul Kim: The Catholic Student Association and The Catholic Center will be bringing Paul Kim an International Catholic speaker and musician (https://www.pjkmusic.com/) to campus. He will be speaking at UVM on November 30th and then will speak at Rice High School and for area Middle school students on December 1st. His UVM talk will be open to the public.

Please pray that the Holy Spirit bless these and all our efforts in the coming school year. May the fire of the Holy Spirit inspire the hearts of our students and community to grow in their relationship with Christ and His church.

Msgr. John J. McDermott, VG