Campus Ministry at Trinity High School: 10 years strong!

The first time I ever visited Trinity High School was on October 24, 2005. My wife Lynn and I had been invited to the dedication Mass of the brand new Pope John Paul II Campus Ministry Center by the director of Campus Ministry, Andrew Nelson, who was an old friend of mine from college. The Mass was celebrated by our now superintendent of schools, Fr. John Fortin, OSB, and concelebrated by over a dozen priests. The biggest thing I remember from that Mass was the beautiful choir. I was stunned that a small little school would have such a fabulous choir.

After the Mass, there was an outdoor procession to the back door of Campus Ministry where we sang the Litany of the Saints and Fr. John blessed the office. It was right then and there that I decided I want to change careers and become a teacher. I had often thought about being a teacher and was actually going to be a teacher until I got the political bug my senior year of high school. I used to teach my sister when I got home from school each day and I always take the credit for her graduating from high school as the valedictorian with a 4.40 GPA and a full-ride to Boston University (although she didn't take the scholarship as she wanted to go to Notre Dame. My father had a heart attack at the time but now is a hard core Domer)!

Last week we marked the tenth anniversary of the now St. John Paul II Campus Ministry Center on the feast of St. John Paul (Oct. 22). We got two huge sheet cakes and tons of soda for the lunch periods. I had a class right before lunch and when I got to my office, there was such a crowd outside my office, you would have sworn I was giving away money. Mr. Maurier '72 came down for a piece of cake and when he saw the crowd he knew he didn't stand a chance! We also posted pictures from the 2006 yearbook on our Facebook page which spoke of the new Campus Ministry center. The caption read: "Campus Ministry: The Co-curicular path to God."

I am beyond grateful to now Father Andrew Nelson for his vision and to his successor Joe Malinowski for carrying on his dream. We also owe a debt of gratitude to Mr. Sheehan '79 of our math department who has been an invaluable contributor to the mission of Campus Ministry. Most of all, I am can't thank the students, both past and present, who have made Campus Ministry what it is...a path to God.