OVERVIEW

In all aspects of the college and university setting, campus ministries help students, faculty, and staff become more closely engaged with the Gospel and the richness of the Roman Catholic tradition. Campus Ministry keeps faith lives strong in the face of competing material claims from the secular world, ensuring a foundation for God’s love to flourish throughout the Archdiocese.

Campus Ministry is an expression of the Church’s desire to be present to all who are involved in higher education. Campus Ministry is the public presence and service through which properly prepared baptized persons are empowered by the Spirit to use their talents and gifts on behalf of the Church in order to be a sign and instrument of the kingdom in the academic worlds. This specialized ministry to all in higher education is presented by the National Conference of Catholic Bishops in their pastoral letter, “Empowered by the Spirit, Campus Ministry Faces the Future,” and is carried out by dozens of lay campus ministers and support persons in the Archdiocese.

BACKGROUND

Currently there are 34 accredited public and private two- and four-year colleges and universities based in the Archdiocese of Cincinnati. These institutions include four public state universities, ten two-year public campuses, five Catholic institutions, and fifteen private colleges and universities. There are thousands of additional higher education students in local proprietary schools and distance learning colleges and universities. While the Catholic institutions fund campus ministry as part of the mission of the college/university, the Archdiocese funds campus ministry at four public institutions which serve college/university communities of more than 110,000 students. These are unprecedented enrollment numbers, as the economic challenges of the region drive students to remain in school longer or return to school for retraining.

Campus Ministries funded by the Archdiocese of Cincinnati:

• University of Cincinnati (39,667 students) St. Monica/St. George Parish/Newman Center
• Sinclair Community College (35,345 students)
• Miami University (16,488 students) St. Mary’s Church Oxford
• Wright State University (18,786 students) WSU Newman Center

Campus Ministers are certified by the U.S. Catholic Conference of Bishops and provide a wide variety of ministerial services (educational, liturgical, pastoral, ecumenical, and spiritual) within the higher education community.

For more information on Campus Ministries, contact:  
Dr. Jane Steinhauser at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

OVERVIEW

“I was . . . ill and you cared for me, in prison and you visited me” (Matthew 25:36). Chaplains answer Christ’s call to seek and serve him in the sick and the imprisoned, those struggling with some of life’s most difficult times — as every one of us does. Through this ministry, chaplains of the Archdiocese bring comfort and hope to hundreds of people every year, serving in more than 50 institutions across the region. Chaplains are drawn from all walks of life. They may be ordained or lay, professionals or volunteers. What they have in common is a calling to witness to God’s sustaining grace in the midst of suffering and loneliness — to see Christ in those they serve, and to be Christ in the darkest hours of life.

The support of the Catholic Ministries Appeal is vital to the ministry of our chaplains, helping to cover program costs, salaries, volunteer stipends, and materials. Clergy resources are spread thin, and not everyone is capable of carrying out these vital corporal works of mercy in person—but everyone who supports the CMA is a chaplain in spirit.

Ministry to Those Who Are Ill

The Catholic Ministries Appeal helps support the work of health care chaplains in the hospitals, assisted living facilities, health care centers, and palliative care facilities located throughout the Archdiocese. Chaplains minister to the spiritual needs of patients, their families, and their caregivers, and play a significant role in sustaining “a culture of compassion” throughout the institutions where they work. They partner with the medical staff to develop a treatment plan that respects the spiritual as well as the physical health of the patient. Health care chaplains listen to and pray with patients and their families. They administer or provide access to the Sacraments. They provide assistance in making the difficult ethical decisions that accompany medical treatment. Chaplains are present with those touched by illness and injury, bringing the healing love of Christ to the confusion and clamor of the ER, the joy of the nursery and the recovery room, the silence of the deathbed.

Health care chaplains are grateful for the ways in which they touch those they serve. “When you meet someone in the hospital you never know where it will lead,” says Anne Petratis, a chaplain who ministers in several area facilities. “It is amazing to see how deeply one person can touch your heart and life.” Multiply that amazing grace a hundredfold, and you have the ministry of chaplains to those who are ill.

Ministry to Those Who Are Imprisoned

Chaplains also serve in the many jails, prisons, and correctional facilities of the region, where the need for healing is different, but no less urgent, than it is in health care settings. Like those facing a medical crisis, prisoners have come to a place when they must surrender any sense of control over their lives — and in this critical time, they often turn or return to God. The ministry of correctional chaplains is “a ministry of presence,” according to Father Mark Schmieder, who heads the Archdiocese’s corps of 8 priests and nearly 60 lay volunteers who serve the imprisoned. Chaplains visit and listen to inmates, assuring them by their presence that they are not alone or worthless, that God cares for them, that there is hope. Chaplains pray with and offer religious services for inmates when they are requested to do so, but often the need for spiritual comfort isn’t easy to verbalize. Chaplains — who are often drawn to this ministry because they know what it’s like to look for God in the broken times—make themselves available to inmates, their families, and correctional staff, offering consolation and practical support for negotiating the spiritual journey of imprisonment and the transition back into society.

“When the men are faith-filled, it trickles down to the entire prison,” says chaplain Christine Shimrock. The ministry of presence among the imprisoned brings about real conversion—not merely a profession of faith, but a change of heart that turns lives around. And that has a healing impact on the whole community.

OVERVIEW

Education and ongoing formation of both ordained and lay pastoral ministers is vital to the health of our local church. We are blessed with a long tradition of educational excellence at our Athenaeum of Ohio, which is made possible by the talents and treasures of many people like you. Theology and ministry training at the Athenaeum provides for the spiritual needs of over 200 parishes in 19 counties. This ministry also includes our outreach efforts to increase vocations to the priesthood and religious life.

BACKGROUND

The oldest division of The Athenaeum of Ohio, Mount St. Mary’s Seminary of the West, prepares men for ordination as Roman Catholic priests. The seminary program has two primary components: spiritual formation and ministerial education. Since 1990 over 95% of our seminary graduates have remained in active priesthood serving in the Archdiocese, the Midwest, and throughout the world. The seminary has as its mission the preparation of candidates for ministry as ordained presbyters in the Roman Catholic Church. Therefore, Catholic men who are sponsored by a Catholic diocese or a Catholic religious community as potential candidates for ordination to the presbyterate can be admitted to the seminary and its professional degree program.

Another division, the Lay Pastoral Ministry Program, prepares women and men to serve the Church and society as lay ministers. Since its beginning in 1975, over 550 graduates have gone on to contribute to the mission of the Church. The goal of the Lay Pastoral Ministry Program is to provide participants with the education and experiences they need: to become more effective ministers, to empower others to minister and to minister with creativity and adaptability to the evolving needs of a changing church and society.

The third division, the Special Studies Program, offers more specialized programs of study – three specialized Master of Arts degrees: in Biblical Studies, Pastoral Counseling, and Theology. These degree programs are open to all students who have completed a bachelor’s degree with a 3.0 average and meet other entrance requirements of the program. Also included is the Deacon Formation Program as well as continuing education opportunities for those in ministry. The role of the deacon is to be a helper of the bishops and priests, to proclaim by his life the Church’s call to serve the needs of others, to proclaim the Gospel message, to live a life of fidelity to Christ and the Church and to lead the community in building a Kingdom of grace, faith, justice, and compassion.

For more information on all of these important pastoral education services, visit www.athenaeum.edu and www.cincinnativocations.org

OVERVIEW

The Archdiocese is home to many retired priests who faithfully ministered in our parishes and institutions for many decades throughout their active service. In retirement, many continue to serve in part-time ministry as they are able. The Retired Priests ministry of the Catholic Ministries Appeal provides pension and health care benefits for our diocesan priests.

BACKGROUND

Priests generally retire at age 70 or beyond, often after 40-45 years of active service and ministry, far exceeding the typical span of most professions. Our senior priests are self-supporting, and can no longer rely upon the parish services that once provided basic living expenses during their years of active ministry. Yet many senior priests continue to lead lives of active ministry well into their retirement years, performing such valuable services as:

• Celebrating liturgies
• Ministering to the sick
• Visiting hospitals
• Providing spiritual counseling

These priests are critical to carrying out the mission and good work of the Catholic Church.

Like many administrators of retirement plans, the Archdiocese of Cincinnati is facing unprecedented challenge, similar to those of Social Security. Like many Americans today, priests are living longer, healthier lives. Living longer means drawing from the Priests' Retirement Fund for a longer period of time. Additionally, a greater percentage of priests in the diocese are nearing the retirement age, which will place even greater burdens on the Fund.

For more information on our Retired Priests ministry, contact Michael Vanderburgh at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. .

OVERVIEW

Catholic Charities SouthWestern Ohio serves eleven counties in the Archdiocese with programs for children (adoption, foster grandparents, and Rainbows, a program helping children deal with grief and loss); adults (caregiver assistance, home and personal care for the elderly/disabled, refugee resettlement, senior companions, Northern Brown Senior Center); counseling and education (individual, marital, family, in-home, pregnancy and post adoptive counseling, enrichment programs, postponing sexual involvement); and community services (jail ministry, Second Harvest Food Bank, W.E.P Program, SHAPE, DIVERSE, and Su Casa Hispanic Center). For more information visit www.catholiccharitiesswo.org.

Catholic Social Services of the Miami Valley serves the other eight counties in the Archdiocese, including Celina, Dayton, Eaton, Greenville, Sidney, Troy, Wapakoneta, and Xenia. Services include counseling, adoption, day care, a food pantry, pregnancy and pregnancy prevention programs, parenting support, supervised visitation, refugee resettlement, and programs for seniors. For more information visit www.cssmv.org.

OVERVIEW

St. Rita is a Catholic day and residential school whose primary mission is to educate infants and students who need special methods of communication and technological support. The School provides a safe, value-oriented environment which facilitates the educational, social and spiritual development of each student.

BACKGROUND

St. Rita School for the Deaf believes that the best way to educate deaf and hard of hearing children is through Comprehensive Communication. This philosophy offers a child every available stimulus for human interaction, including sign language, lip-reading, assisted listening devices, visual aids, and technology.

Every student is different and has his or her own way of learning and communicating. Through the philosophy of Comprehensive Communication, teachers and students are able to choose which method of communication works best for them. This approach to communicating promotes an accepting and positive classroom environment, allowing students to focus their attention on what is really important, learning.

Speech therapy and auditory training are major parts of the comprehensive communication philosophy, as well as using sign language and speech simultaneously. Each student at St. Rita School for the Deaf receives therapy from the staff of certified speech therapists. In addition, unless a child has a cochlear implant, he or she is offered an auditory trainer through the sixth grade to take advantage of any residual hearing.

For much more information on this important regional ministry please visit www.srsdeaf.org.