Projects for CCM were set up in San Fidel, New Mexico, which is an hour west of Albuquerque, and Arecibo, Puerto Rico. These were the first trips successfully held since 2019, as all university spring break travel had been canceled the past two years due to COVID-19.

In New Mexico, the student group stayed and worked at St. Joseph Mission School. The pre-K through 8th grade catholic school serves primarily the Native American communities surrounding the school, and at which most students attend on scholarships and school-sponsored assistance.

Led by Leah Breindel, assistant director of Catholic Life at 乱伦视频, and Rev. Julie Tonnesen, 乱伦视频 LEAF campus minister, 乱伦视频 students worked all week to lay the foundation and build a greenhouse for the school. Not only is the school located in a food desert, it sits in an actual desert, so the school had been very excited to get this project off the ground.

鈥淏uilding the greenhouse was a lot of fun, but it was also a lot of work. Despite numerous obstacles such as the painting gun not working and dust storms, we were able to persevere and work together,” said Nina Devaney ’24. “Our group was able to form intimate friendships not only through the tasks but also through simple activities, such as exploring the area and going for walks. These are some of the experiences and friendships I’ll cherish for the rest of my life.鈥�

In Arecibo, a city west of the capital of San Juan, Puerto Rico, the CCM student group partnered with the Missionary Community of Villaregia. It is a Catholic community made up of lay and consecrated laity, priests and individuals of different nationalities, all united to witness to and serve the people around them.

Here, the students worked alongside Catholic Life staff members Father Peter C. Tremblay, OFM Conv, and Student Engagement Coordinator Kaitlyn Sendzik to put up plaster and repair walls for a home that was destroyed by 2017鈥檚 Hurricane Maria.

On some days, students also spent time with the family whose home they were rebuilding as well as with the missionaries back at their home base, sharing stories of life and faith.

鈥淚 was caught off guard by the seeming lack of scheduling. However, not knowing how each day was going to play out kept us on our toes and allowed us to fully immerse ourselves in the moment, something that can seem so challenging at 乱伦视频, where most students, myself included, tend to overcommit themselves,” Corey McCall ’25 said.

“My favorite part of the experience were the unexpected connections and friendships made with not only the missionaries, the people we were serving and everyone else involved with organizing the trip, but also the other students, as I likely would not have become so close with or met these people had it not been for the trip,鈥� McCall added.

This year鈥檚 theme for the service trips was to 鈥淏uild the Kingdom,鈥� a recurring motif in the Christian New Testament gospels. While the students did plenty of labor-intensive building of structures, they found it was the forming and strengthening of relationships with each other and the people they were serving that was true kingdom they were building.

On both trips, each workday ended in prayer and reflection, allowing the students to recognize the impact of their service and what it means for their lives.

Adrian Castillo Navarro 鈥�24, who went on the New Mexico trip, said, 鈥淭hinking about this trip, I was expecting to have some sort of moment that would bring me closer to God. Fortunately, I learned that faith isn鈥檛 just one path that we go through to find God, but that path can take many different forms. I am so blessed to have gone on this amazing trip; it made me realize that the path to light at the end of the tunnel will always be there and that it doesn鈥檛 matter the way you reach it; it just matters that you reach Him in the end.鈥�

鈥淭his trip allowed me to strengthen my relationship with God,鈥� said Catherine Capodanno 鈥�23 after returning from Puerto Rico. 鈥淕rowing up in an Italian Catholic family, I had heard lots of the 鈥榬ules鈥� involved in the church. This experience truly changed that for me. I learned that God loves me no matter what. There is no sin large enough that could possibly make God turn me away. This is the most beautiful feeling; it makes me want to share this kind of love with others. I will take this feeling with me throughout the rest of my days at 乱伦视频 and continue to spread as much love and joy to others as I can.鈥�

However, in the fall of 2018, Catholic Campus Ministry鈥檚 music ministry needed a jump start. It was several years since there had last been a student to lead the ministry, and while there were still students who loved to sing, CCM needed a better way to bring them together. Father Peter Tremblay, associate chaplain for Catholic Life, imagined a music internship program where a team of students could work together and completely run the ministry while gaining real life work experience in liturgical planning and musical worship.

Becca Kimock 鈥�21 applied and was accepted as one of CCM鈥檚 first music interns. She is an arts administration major at 乱伦视频, and before coming to the university, she sang in a national choir as well as her school鈥檚 chamber choir. Kimock desired to combine her administrative skill set along with her passion for singing and felt that CCM鈥檚 Music Internship came along at just the right time during her sophomore year. Now a senior, she has been amazed at how the ministry has grown:

“It鈥檚 been an incredible experience to see and be a part of the growing music ministry at CCM!” Kimock said. “When we first became interns in the fall of 2018, the choir was not the most organized, and the responsorial psalm at Mass wasn鈥檛 even being sung. Throughout our three years, the other interns and I worked together to find an organization system that works and coordinated to build up the program. We started creating a cantor schedule which helped to implement singing the psalms, we built up a database via Google Drive, and we coordinated with our musicians to make sure there鈥檚 music offered at each Mass. I am so proud of everyone involved in the music ministry for their passion and dedication, and I鈥檓 excited to see it continue to grow in the future!”

Likewise, Taylor Stephens 鈥�21 also became a music intern her sophomore year. Stephens had just received her First Communion and Confirmation during her first year at 乱伦视频 and was excited to find an opportunity to give back to the Catholic community at 乱伦视频. She had been fascinated by the 鈥渂eauty, design, and lyrics鈥� of liturgical music, and, along with her skills learned as a Music Production and Recording Arts major, felt she had a lot to bring to the table. As Stephens prepares to graduate, she looks back fondly on how far the music ministry has come.

“I can recall a time when it was hard to get even two or three singers to sing with us at Masses,” Stephens said, “and now to know we have students asking to play electric bass, flute, trumpet, and sing harmonies at Mass on top of having a cantor, guitarist, and pianist warms my heart. I鈥檝e also seen the quality of music at Mass grow tremendously. When I began, we came a little bit before Mass to warm up and sing maybe one hymn in preparation. Now to see a full, hour-long rehearsal process, a structure of schedules so we know who is helping out with music, and the incredible participation from our team, our sound has become even more angelic!鈥�

Along with Music Intern Sam Davidson 鈥�22, Kimock and Stephens were presented with additional challenges this past year as the university put forth their pandemic guidelines. Not only was overall attendance at Mass limited due to social distancing parameters, but singing was discouraged among Mass attendees, and choir members who did sing had to remain 16 feet apart and wear face masks or shields to avoid the spread of respiratory droplets. It would have been a reasonable decision to not offer music at Mass at all this year, but the Music Interns knew the impact of the music. They believed that during a year of unusual circumstances, offering music at Mass would make things feel more normal for students.

Kimock, Stephens and Davidson proceeded to create sign-up opportunities for students to sing at Mass so that all choir members had a chance to sing. They continued to recruit students to join the choir, and everyone practiced singing while still wearing their face masks. At the beginning of the year, when CCM added an additional Mass time, they coordinated a virtual choir, so music could be offered even when the interns were unavailable. Throughout the year, CCM heard from students and others who tuned into the livestream how appreciative they were that CCM’s Masses still offered music.

“This past year, it鈥檚 been incredible to see the music ministry continue to grow in size, even through a pandemic,” Kimock said.

Other highlights of the year for the music ministry include creating a musical video Christmas card of “Joy to the World,” singing in the Schar Center for Easter Mass, and interviewing five students who applied to be CCM Music Interns next year. Davidson will continue on in the role, but Kimock and Stephens will wrap up three years each in the position as they graduate.

“I鈥檝e learned so much from this position!” shared Kimock. “I鈥檝e gained and improved valuable skills such as communication, reliability, and organization among many others that will transfer into my future career as an Arts Administrator. Also, I now have a better understanding of how music relates to the Mass. It is an essential part of the Liturgy, and I鈥檝e gained a deeper appreciation for each of the different parts of the Mass. Lastly, and most importantly to me, is that I鈥檝e grown deeper in my faith. Coming to college, I was at a very low point in my faith journey, and I鈥檓 so grateful that God used my passion for music to grant me this opportunity.”

Kimock said that the internship has allowed her to learn how to use music as a powerful source of prayer and to lift up her voice as a way to serve God. The most rewarding part for her is knowing that this position has not only helped her grow as a Christian and a musician, but that she’s also been part of the music ministry鈥檚 growth as well.

“As an intern, I鈥檝e learned a lot about the power music holds for members of the congregation and how important music is at deepening our faith,” Stephens added.聽 “I know my own faith has grown tremendously through my connection to the hymns we sing, and I want to continue helping people connect to their faith through music. The most rewarding part for me has been seeing other members of the choir grow into a loving, caring community. Regardless of what year or major members are, I鈥檝e loved being able to watch them connect over their faith and how music helps them grow deeper.”

“Ash Wednesday is often the day where we see the most students,” states Father Peter Tremblay, associate chaplain for Catholic life. “There’s just something about receiving ashes that really draws members of our Catholic community, but it’s also that many realize what an important season our Church is about to enter into.”

Ash Wednesday marks the beginning of the season of Lent – an important 40-day period in the Christian calendar marked by the pillars of prayer, fasting, and almsgiving, and leading up to the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. Many Catholics, as well as members of other Christian communities, receive ashes in the shape of a cross on their forehead as part of their observance. However, due to COVID-19, the distribution of ashes had to be done differently this year.

“Our bishop [of the Diocese of Raleigh] instructed that we adopt the far more ancient tradition of sprinkling ashes on top of the faithful’s heads. Obviously, touching everyone’s foreheads this year would have been a bad idea,” Tremblay explained. The sprinkling of ashes is also more common throughout Europe as compared to the tracing on the forehead that most US Catholics are accustomed to.

In addition to the change in ritual, CCM also increased the number of prayer services held on Ash Wednesday to encourage smaller crowds at each service. And in contrast to past years, most of this year’s services were held outside under the Lindner Amphitheatre tent, where the weather cooperated and remained sunny, sandwiched between a previous week of rain and a winter storm that followed.

The Lindner Amphitheatre was also the location of the annual Ash Wednesday ecumenical service at 12:15 p.m. There, University Chaplain Jan Fuller was joined by Rev. Sharon Wheeler of the 乱伦视频 Community Church, Multifaith Coordinator Allison Pelyhes, and Tremblay. Chaplain Fuller offered the homily at the service, reflecting on the themes of mortality and vulnerability, especially in this COVID world. She invited those in attendance to fully accept those themes to keep their hearts open, available, and without fear. “Ash Wednesday is an invitation to vulnerability, and the door to Lent is an opportunity to engage God in an unpretentious way, without shame and without worry,” encouraged Chaplain Fuller.

Livestream options were made available for people unable to attend in-person at both the ecumenical service and the Catholic Mass, which was held in the 乱伦视频 Community Church at 9 p.m. There, members of Catholic Life staff also implemented an overflow option in the connecting Community Life Center to accommodate the number of students who came to worship. “It has not been out of the ordinary in past years to see over 200 students at the late Ash Wednesday Mass,” Tremblay explained. “Being able to offer additional services and overflow seating helped to alleviate that crowd so that all could observe safely.”

Masks and social distancing guidelines at Mass has been instituted by Catholic Campus Ministry since the beginning of the year. Being able to offer in-person Masses on campus have given some students a sense of normalcy during the pandemic. “It was important for me, especially with the stress of COVID, to have a place to go relax and pray,” shared 乱伦视频 junior Katie Rocheleau. “[I]t brought an aspect of my old routine back. Mass is something very important to me and I am very grateful to 乱伦视频 and the CCM community for allowing me to still have the Mass experience.”

As we begin a new academic year, it is a Catholic Campus Ministry tradition to begin the year with a “Mass of the Holy Spirit,” where we ask the Holy Spirit to bless and guide our work. This is a blessing upon the entire university community, including students, faculty, and staff!

During Welcome Weekend, 乱伦视频 Catholic Campus Ministry invites all students, families, friends, faculty, and staff to celebrate Mass to welcome first-year students. The Rev. Peter Tremblay, Catholic Campus Minister and Associate Chaplain for Catholic Life, will preside at Mass.

Students, faculty, staff, families, and friends are invited to Catholic Mass on Easter Sunday. This joyous Christian holiday celebrates the resurrection of Jesus Christ. Fr. Peter C. Tremblay, OFM Conv., will preside at the service. All are welcome to participate or just observe.

Students, faculty, and staff are invited to observe or participate in the annual Liturgy of the Lord's Passion on Good Friday. 

Friday, April 10
Fonville Fountain, Scott Plaza (Alamance building), Noon

Students, faculty, and staff are invited to observe or participate in the annual Stations of the Cross on Good Friday. This Christian prayer service commemorates the passion, crucifixion, and death of Jesus Christ. (Rain location: Sacred Space of the Numen Lumen Pavilion)

Students, faculty, and staff are invited to Catholic Mass on Holy Thursday, initiating the period of the Sacred Triduum, which includes Good Friday and ends on Easter Sunday. The Holy Thursday Mass commemorates the Last Supper and also includes a ritual Washing of the Feet. All are welcome to participate or just observe.

Students, faculty, and staff are invited to Catholic Mass on Ash Wednesday, which marks the beginning of the Christian season of Lent. There will be the traditional blessing and distribution of ashes.