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![\"\"](\"https:\/\/thedialog.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/Bishop-w-fathers-jasper-and-gebhart.jpg\" "\\"Bishop")
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<\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\nDear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,<\/p>\n
Every generation inherits the gift of faith because someone came before them.<\/p>\n
Someone built the church where we were baptized. Someone taught us to pray. Someone invited us to Mass, encouraged us when our faith was uncertain, and supported the ministries and institutions where we encountered Jesus Christ.<\/p>\n
<\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\nEach generation, in turn, is entrusted with the responsibility and the privilege of doing the same for those who come after us.<\/p>\n
Nowhere is that responsibility more evident than in our ministry to young adults.<\/p>\n
For 80 years, Catholic Campus Ministry at the University of Delaware<\/a> has provided students with a place to encounter Christ and to discover a community of faith. Today, the Newman Center at St. Thomas More Oratory continues that mission at a particularly formative moment in the lives of our young people.<\/p>\n College is a time of tremendous change. Young adults are making decisions about who they are, what they believe in, what they value, and the kind of lives they will lead. It is precisely at this moment that the Church must be present, not waiting for them to find us someday, but accompanying them now.<\/p>\n At St. Thomas More Oratory, students have the opportunity to encounter Christ through the Eucharist, Confession and Adoration; to deepen their understanding of Scripture and the teachings of our faith; to participate in Bible studies, retreats and pilgrimages; to serve those in need; to form lasting Catholic friendships; and to discern how God may be calling them to live and lead.<\/p>\n It is much more than a building on Lovett Avenue.<\/a> It is a spiritual home.<\/p>\n I know from my own priestly ministry the importance of this work. Early in my priesthood, I had the opportunity to assist in campus ministry at Stony Brook University. I witnessed how important it is for the Church to be present to young adults during these pivotal years to listen to them, challenge them, welcome them, and help them recognize the presence of Christ in their lives.<\/p>\n The fruits of campus ministry also extend far beyond four years at a university.<\/p>\n The student sitting in a Bible study today may one day be the parent teaching a child to pray. The young person serving at Mass may become a parish leader, Catholic educator, deacon, religious sister or priest. The student discovering the joy of stewardship may become the business or community leader whose generosity strengthens the Church for generations.<\/p>\n When we invest in campus ministry, we are investing in the future leadership of the Catholic Church.<\/p>\n That is why I am so grateful for the work taking place through the Newman Center at St. Thomas More Oratory and for the establishment of the St. Thomas More Giving Society. This effort recognizes that a vibrant ministry requires more than good intentions. It requires people willing to stand behind our young adults through prayer, encouragement, and generous financial support.<\/p>\n I applaud those who have already chosen to support this important mission, and I invite others throughout our Diocese- alumni, parents, parishioners, and all who care deeply about the future of our Church \u2014 to consider becoming part of this effort.<\/p>\n We sometimes speak of young people as the future of the Church. They certainly are. But they are also an essential part of the Church today. They are searching, serving, praying, discerning and asking the questions that will shape the rest of their lives.<\/p>\n Our responsibility is to make certain that, in the midst of all the voices competing for their attention, they can hear the voice of Christ and know that His Church is there to walk with them.<\/p>\n Those who came before us made that possible for our generation.<\/p>\n Now it is our turn.<\/p>\n May God bless the students of the University of Delaware, the priests, staff, missionaries, and student leaders of St. Thomas More Oratory, and all those whose generosity makes this vital ministry possible.<\/p>\n Faithfully yours in Christ,<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n Most Reverend William E. Koenig<\/a><\/a><\/p>\n
Bishop of Wilmington<\/p>\n