U OF S MINISTRY FLOURISHES ACROSS CANADA.
A national university ministry that started in Saskatoon 25 years ago with four people in a Bible study has grown into a nationwide organization on 11 campuses in Canada. Catholic Christian Outreach (CCO) was founded in 1988 at the University of Saskatchewan by Angele and Andre Regnier to help Catholic students share their faith.
“Andre and Angele saw a real need for that,” said John Hickey, the current leader of CCO on the U of S campus. “They weren’t seeing a lot of young adult Catholics.”
From the original group of four, members learned to build relationships, share their faith and invite friends. Twenty-five years later, CCO has a presence at 11 universities, with plans to expand to the University of Victoria this summer. One hundred to 150 students are involved at the U of S.
“The most important facet of the program is the faith studies that are offered to students,” Hickey said. “There are five studies. The first is the discovery study, which teaches about faith. Students coming to university are typically evaluating their faith system. The discovery study shows the basic premises of what we believe as Catholic Christians — who God is, His personal presence in your life, how to grow into God and develop relationship. By the end of the study, the student is urged to make an adult decision to renew their baptismal call.”
The other studies deal with the role of the Holy Spirit, how to develop a prayer life, how to read the Bible, the importance of fellowship and sacramental life, and how to share one’s faith with others through personal friendship and interaction. Each study is six weeks long and is offered every term.
CCO gathers students at the beginning of the year by distributing a survey among students. Participation is voluntary. Students are asked to state their religion and rate on a scale of zero to 10 how interested they are in their faith.
“Most indicate a four,” Hickey said, “or ‘less than interested.’ But we’ve found that of those who enrol in CCO studies, by the end of the discovery study, their evaluation of the importance of their faith has risen to a 10.”
CCO holds conferences and retreats for its students. After Christmas, 900 students met for a conference in Ottawa where noted Catholic speakers spoke about mission and how to share one’s faith. Participants signed a letter indicating they would answer the call to the vision of Pope Francis.
“During the summer, CCO sends teams on mission projects,” Hickey said. “This summer a team is going to Yukon to do service and parish work, and another will be in Victoria getting parishes evangelizing.”
The organization has also built a strong presence in Uganda. “In the past few years, we’ve been equipping university students on seven campuses in Uganda in leadership and evangelization,” Hickey said. “We’ve had tremendous success in that country. The students are very open and share their faith easily.”
Hickey became involved in CCO as a student. “I wasn’t involved in my faith at all,” he said, “but my sister-inlaw was on CCO staff and persuaded me to go on a mission trip to Halifax. I didn’t know it was a religious-type trip, and that we’d be working in parishes and leading Bible studies. I was shocked when I got there.”
About a week into the project, the students attended a retreat. “The speaker said things I’d heard before, but this time they sounded new. He talked about having a relationship with God. I knew God was real, but I never realized He could have a presence in my life. As I listened to this speaker, I knew in my heart that what he was saying was true. At the end of the retreat, the speaker invited us to pray a prayer of commitment. I felt a real call to follow Christ. That decision changed everything. I came out of that viewing life through absolutely new lenses.”
Hickey has been involved with CCO at the U of S for eight years and has been campus director for five.
“The ministry at the U of S has grown dramatically since I first became involved,” he said. “There were maybe 30 students then. I’ve seen a number of guys I met with at the beginning faith study who’ve gone on in their faith. One went to seminary and will be ordained as a deacon this summer. He got involved in the faith study just because he wandered over to our table.”
Locally, CCO builds community by holding a monthly event known as Summit. This evening of prayer, teaching and eucharistic adoration is held at St. Joseph’s Church. Up to 100 students attend.
The next CCO Summit will be March 7 at 7:30 p.m. Everyone is welcome.