University Chaplaincy Request
The university chaplaincy is a great way to build strong connections between local parishes and the Church's mission to evangelize. Many Catholic students choose to study at Cardiff University, Cardiff Met, South Wales University, and The Royal Welsh College of Drama and Music. For these students, this is a challenging yet exciting time as they transition from living with their families to living on their own.
During this time, students can re-examine their faith while being exposed to many different beliefs, including those who have no faith. The chaplaincy is there for both students and university staff.
The chaplaincy is a safe haven for everyone associated with our universities, regardless of their background or beliefs. It is a place where they can feel the true hospitality of the Gospel. While our reach is wide, it is not always deep. That is why I'm inviting members from our parishes to help us build a stronger chaplaincy team.
A Chaplaincy Team
The team's main duty is to work with the Chaplain to coordinate the chaplaincy's outreach and services across the Cardiff, Treforest, and Newport campuses. The central chaplaincy building is in Cardiff. The following areas are key to making the Gospel's hospitality effective:
Hospitality: Create a welcoming, safe, and non-judgmental environment where visitors feel respected. The most fundamental way to do this is by providing meals.
- A Welcoming Space: Maintain a warm and inviting place where people can relax, unwind, and enjoy each other's company.
- Serving Others' Needs: Moving away from home is both exciting and challenging. Students often need mentoring and guidance on practical matters like cooking, budgeting, and balancing work, social life, and downtime.
Serving these needs not only helps them but also allows grace to shape and form those who serve.
Spirituality: Forming relationships can be difficult, as how we interact with others is shaped by our past. Prayer is a key area that requires guidance, much like the apostles' request to Jesus, "Teach us how to pray". Our prayer life reflects how we live. Days of recollection and reflection can help students and adults develop a spirituality that both reflects and shapes their lives in the Spirit.
RCIA and Catechesis: Catechists have the chance to encourage and guide those who come to the chaplaincy with questions about the Catholic faith.
Social Teaching in Action: The chaplaincy supports student-led groups like Pro-Life, SVP, Pax Christi, and Young Christian Workers. These groups are an important way to put the Church's social teachings into practice and grow in faith. As the saying goes, "the harvest is great, but the labourers are few".
I know these are ambitious goals, and that big things take time. Any assistance would be greatly appreciated. Of course, I will need to request references and a DBS check for anyone who volunteers. If you are qualified and interested in these areas, please contact Fr John Patrick Thomas at john.thomas@rcadc.org.
