A Day in the Life of... A Highschool Campus Minister
In her book Introducing the Practice of Ministry, Kathleen A. Cahalan speaks about how vocation can refer to (1) who God calls us to be, (2) how God calls us to live, and (3) what God calls us to do. Vocation has to do with our self-identity, our state of life and our ministry. This helps us to understand that in the life of any individual, particular vocations are multiple and overlapping. Sometimes it is hard to understand how a particular call to religious life, priesthood, or lay ecclesial ministry is lived out in every day life. We have invited a number of partners to share with us how they live out their vocation on a regular day of their life.
A Day in the Life of... A Highschool Campus Minister
Mentoring a senior as she prepares a talk on Reconciliation for the Kairos retreat.
Buying water, juice, and pastries for 500 to serve at a post-Mass reception to welcome incoming freshmen and families.
Blasting Rebecca Black’s “Friday” YouTube video during 6th period lunch at students’ request (and singing along, of course).
Working with faculty and parents to guide our school’s spiritual life and development.
Chaperoning the concert band’s spring break trip to Disney World.
Attending a Friday Shabbat service at a local synagogue with Christian, Muslim, and Jewish students and parents.
Coordinating a liturgy at which Francis Cardinal George presided and helped our community celebrate Saint Viator’s 50th anniversary.
These are just a few of the many tasks and ways I have found myself ministering this past school year. Of course, I couldn’t have done any of the above alone…with the exception of blasting “Friday” at full volume. After two years as a campus minister at Saint Viator High School, I have come to learn that high-school ministry is one of collaboration, flexibility, and presence. It has to be in order to be successful.
I am one of three campus ministers -- my colleague Kelly and I devote the bulk of our time to retreats and liturgy, while Betsy coordinates Christian service hours and keeps us all on task. Our campus ministry is office situated near the cafeteria and library, so it tends to get busy, loud, and filled with students looking for service opportunities, signing up for retreats, or just stopping by to say hello on their way to lunch. Building relationships with my students has been the most important and most enjoyable part of my ministry. Even though it might sometimes be difficult to get “work” done during regular school hours, being present and supportive of these young people is crucial, yet is also the best part of my job.
Having a high school as my ministry setting makes for some long days, late nights, and a great deal of time away from family and friends. I sometimes feel I don’t get to enough of my students’ games, concerts, or performances. My own classes, homework, and lectures can also wear me down. But balance and time away from the busyness of ministry make me a more present minister and a better friend, son, grad student, and colleague.
Working in a high school means every day is different. Rarely does a day actually start or end with the bell. There might have a retreat, Mass, service trip, or special event coming up; we may need to be present to a student whose parent has fallen ill or feels overwhelmed by the demands of high school life; we might chaperone a field trip, fill in as a substitute teacher, or plan an impromptu Mass or prayer service. This certainly can make one feel pulled in all too many directions. Or if something we’ve coordinated doesn’t go according to plan, we sometimes feel frustrated, disappointed, or just plain run-down. Try as we might, it’s nearly impossible to get through to each of our 1,000+ students each and every day. They might skip a meeting, ignore the morning prayer, or chat with a friend throughout an all-school Mass. Just as this ministry is one of presence, it is also one of invitation, of patience, compassion, and hope. None of us are perfect all the time, yet we are all called to be saints, called to holiness. We do what we can as well as we can and leave the rest up to God.
As a campus minister, I often pray for the Spirit’s strength, guidance, and courage – for myself and for my students, whether we are giving a talk, leading a prayer, or just being ourselves. Father Theodore Hesburgh, C.S.C. was president of my alma mater, the University of Notre Dame, for thirty-five years. He is a hero of mine. Father Ted often encourages people to pray, “Come, Holy Spirit” or in Latin, “Veni, Sancte Spiritus.” It’s a simple refrain, a prayer for all times and all hours of the day. I would not be a Campus Minister without this prayer.
I pray that God continues to bless and keep the Saint Viator community. May the Lord bless you in your life and in all you do.
Veni, Sancte Spiritus.
Click here for the next installment.
Tim Masterton is a full-time Campus Minister at Saint Viator High School in Arlington Heights, IL, and is working on a Master’s Degree in Justice Ministry as a Bernardin Scholar at Catholic Theological Union.
Tim graduated from the University of Notre Dame in 2007 with a degree in communications and journalism. Throughout his four years there, he lived out his Catholic faith by singing in the Notre Dame Folk Choir and mentoring high school students through the ND Vision program.
After working at NBC in New York and at a criminal defense law firm in Chicago, Tim returned to his alma mater, Saint Viator H.S., in 2009 to serve as campus minister in a vibrant and dynamic high school community. Tim writes, "My students and I have a lot in common – we are energetic, we love to laugh, and we are unafraid to question and explore our faith, which makes every day in campus ministry different and interesting!"
