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The mission of Campus Ministry is to facilitate and organize experiences that nourish and nurture the spiritual growth of the Saint Mary’s College High School community. Inspired by our Lasallian Catholic tradition, we recognize the presence of God active in our lives; we honor and respect the dignity of all individuals; we are in solidarity with the poor and advocate for those suffering from injustices; we celebrate diversity and welcome all members of our community; and we engage in quality education together as a community by thinking critically and creatively while examining our world in light of faith. In so doing, we actively aim to live the Gospel message in our communities, and we reflect upon and discern our call to holiness, in an effort to make this world a place that God might come to better recognize.

All Are Invited and All Are Welcome
Campus Ministry welcomes participation from and collaborates and coordinates with all of the constituents of the Saint Mary’s College High School community. Our mission is actualized through empowering our community members with the necessary skills and tools to live out the call to witness to the Gospel message. All are welcome, regardless of faith traditions and perspectives, to participate in any activity sponsored by Campus Ministry. A willingness to learn, a spirit of openness, and a desire to serve with humility are the only requirements.

Overall Program Components
Each program component within Campus Ministry aims to balance elements of both active and contemplative spirituality. Each component is intentionally aligned with and integral to the mission of our school, our Lasallian Educational Outcomes, the five Lasallian Core Principles, and the three pillars of participation: faith, service, and community. Campus Ministry is interconnected with Religious Studies, where the latter addresses the foundational theoretical aspects that Campus Ministry enacts in a practical way.

Lasallian Prayer and Sacramental Life
Following Paul’s instruction (1 Thess 5.17) to the Thessalonians to “pray without ceasing,” our community witnesses to our Catholic Christian identity through the regular celebration of the liturgy, participation in sacramental life, and commitment to prayer.

As the work of the people and as the source and summit of our faith, our Eucharistic liturgies and our student-designed and led prayer services express our Catholic Christian heritage and diversity while recognizing God’s presence among us.

Attention to the history of the community of saints, to the rhythms of the liturgical year, and to diverse cultural expressions of faith is essential in our commitment to realizing the living Lasallian Catholic traditions that our community has inherited.

Prayer is our response to God’s action and presence in our lives. God calls, and we answer. As such, our community is committed to the regularity of prayer throughout the day and especially at the beginning of each class.

Integrated Service Program
Recognizing our call to serve one another and by taking inspiration from the teachings of the Catholic Church, and especially the Corporal Works of Mercy (Matthew 25.31-46), our Integrated Service program provides opportunities for and encourages students to volunteer for various organizations and projects in the greater San Francisco Bay Area. Allied with various curricular and cocurricular programs on campus, our hope is that, through social outreach and social action, students come to know that serving others and looking out for the last, the lost, and the least in society is integral and necessary to a life well lived.

Immersion Experiences Program
Our Immersion Experiences are responses to the Gospel call of Jesus to “come and see” (John 1.39) where he dwells in the midst of the poor and marginalized. The immersion programs at Saint Mary’s are transformative, faith-based, cultural, and educational experiences. These Immersion Experiences offer the time and space for a gradual conversion of heart as each participant lives in community and encounters some of the conditions that the marginalized experience day after day.

Peace and Justice Education Program
Through the tradition of Catholic Social Teaching, the Peace and Justice education program structures activities and opportunities to put into practice Jesus Christ’s call to justice and action. As a school-wide, student-led initiative that explores contentious moral and social problems from multiple disciplines and perspectives, the goal of the Peace and Justice Education program is to awaken a spirit of confidence and responsibility in the students so they can advocate for a world that is just, loving, and life-affirming.

Student Retreat Program and Vocation Discernment
Retreat has been an integral part of the Lasallian tradition since its founding in 1680. The Brothers were gathered yearly for an eight-day retreat structured around a series of meditations written by De La Salle. Central to these traditions was the notion that one could not spiritually give of himself if he had not taken the time to develop that inner spirit of faith in reflection upon the experiences of life. As everything we do here at Saint Mary’s College High School, the retreat program is inspired by the heritage passed down in the Lasallian tradition.

Retreat offers the individual student a chance to consider the role of service, community, relationships, God, spirituality and many more areas as they pertain to the life of the individual student. Freshman and Sophomore students all attend a required, one-day retreat. Junior and Senior students have the option to attend overnight retreats that are scheduled at different times throughout the academic year.

Vocation discernment is recognizing our call to the fullness of Christian life and to the perfection of charity as a lay single person, a married couple, or as a religious or priest. Vocation retreats are offered in conjunction with other schools belonging to the Lasallian Region of North America’s District of San Francisco New Orleans for those who are discerning their call to holiness.

Conclusion
Our hope is that students who graduate from Saint Mary’s College High School have developed spiritual lives that will be sources of strength that they can draw from as they continue to face new challenges in their journeys.