Campus Ministry

Peer ministry is a cornerstone of the campus ministry program. Peer ministers are living examples of Christ in the world. A robust group of junior and senior students apply to become peer ministers each year and are seen as leaders among the student body. They demonstrate a spirit of service among their fellow students and the larger school community by their willingness to be involved and by giving their time and their hearts in gestures of charity. Some activities they undertake are participating in the monthly masses, leading full-day class retreats, working service events at the school like MARC dances, and more.

The spirit of prayer is vital to the life of East Catholic. Each school day begins with a prayer, as does each class period. The entire school also pauses and prays together daily at the beginning of third period, a long-standing and unique tradition at East Catholic. We encourage students, faculty, staff, and visitors to write their prayer intentions in the main office for third period prayer. The celebration of the Eucharist is especially central to the faith life of East Catholic. We offer Mass in the Notre Dame Chapel once a week. We will post the day and time on the portal. In addition, all members of the school community gather monthly to celebrate Mass together in the auditorium. We are also pleased to offer additional opportunities to pray:

• Daily Rosary at 7:10 a.m. in the Notre Dame Chapel
• Monthly Eucharistic Adoration
• Seasonal prayer opportunities for Advent, Christmas, Lent, and Easter

Student peer ministers coordinate liturgies in conjunction with campus ministers. We also encourage students to read, serve, and participate as music ministers and ushers at all school liturgies and offer liturgical training for interested students.

In order to help students have meaningful encounters with God and form closer bonds with their classmates, each class takes an annual full-day retreat off campus. This is an opportunity for students to connect and pray with one another and to share their experiences with school, spirituality, and their social lives, without the pressures of a normal school day.

From year to year, each retreat builds on the previous year:

• The freshman retreat is to help students adjust to high school and feel welcomed into the East Catholic community.
• The sophomore retreat focuses on accepting oneself as a beloved child of God and recognizing the gifts that each student has received.
• The junior retreat challenges students to take ownership of their faith lives and seek out leadership opportunities at East Catholic and beyond.
• The senior retreat uses workshops with outside guests to help prepare soon-to-be graduates for life after East Catholic.

“Kairos,” from a Greek word meaning “God’s time,” is a special three-day retreat experience offered by a team of adult and student leaders. Kairos is grounded in Christian incarnational theology, the belief that God continues to be with us in our daily experience through the presence of Jesus Christ manifested to us in Word, Sacrament, and Community. Kairos is an intense experience of a Christian community where prayer, peer reflection, liturgy, sacraments, and faith-sharing are the norm. The focus of Kairos is to encourage students to examine the quality of their relationships with God, with themselves, and with others. Kairos is normally held at a local retreat center and is open to juniors and seniors. Interested students can seek more information from campus ministry.