Campus ministry
The campus ministry program at Saint Elizabeth High School seeks to create experiences in Christian community and integrate Christian values into the lives of the students, staff, administration and families. The campus ministry program coordinates efforts to communicate the Christian spirit and perspective to one another. The diversity of Christian belief and cultural heritage at Saint Elizabeth High School offers both gift and challenge to the integration of faith and lived Christianity. The campus ministry program seeks to authenticate in a deeper way the philosophy and Mission Statement of the school. Although all members of Saint Elizabeth High School are called upon to support and contribute to the integration of faith values, the explicit responsibility for this is delegated to the campus minister.
The campus ministry program seeks:
• to promote a presence of faith and ministry involving the entire school community –students, staffaculty , parents
• to foster a sense of ministry and service in the students, staffaculty and families
• to promote and foster a sense of justice, peace and mercy
• to promote opportunity for prayer and worship in the traditions of the Catholic Church that are responsive to adolescents with a variety of religious and cultural traditions
• to seek ways to integrate the content of the religion curriculum into the lived experience of the students
• to empower students to exercise their role in ministry
• to provide a full retreat program to help students reflect and integrate personal issues into their total faith journey
• to provide opportunities and training for peer ministry
• to provide opportunity for the staffaculty to explore their own faith journey together in the context of their ministry
• to support the family in their role as the primary religious educator of their son/daughter through written communications and offerings of support
• to facilitate communication between parish/church communities and the students
• to promote and coordinate the school’s Christian Service Program
Liturgical or Para-liturgical services are held frequently: the Opening of School mass, Care for Creation liturgy, Feast of Saint Elizabeth, the Feast of the Immaculate Conception, Ash Wednesday, etc. In addition, there is the Baccalaureate mass fgor graduating seniors.
Retreats
A key element in the campus ministry program, the retreat program, is considered a vital experience in the curriculum. The retreats are designed to enrich the religious experience of the students and to support and extend the basic catechesis done in the classroom. They are sequentially designed to help students at various stages of adolescence to increase their experience of God and to develop a personal spirituality
School Outreach
The Saint Elizabeth High School community is involved in the following outreach projects and continually seeks opportunities to increase involvement.
Fall/Winter – Food Drive (November)
Winter - Toy and Animal Shelter Drives (December)
Spring - Koins for Kids (Lent)
Christian Service
Students are required to complete 25 hours of Christian Service each year for a total of 100 hours. Seniors must complete all hours prior to the second semester of their senior year.
Saint Elizabeth High School believes:
• That one way to fulfill the command to “love others” is through Christian Service.
• That each person has a responsibility to reach out to others.
• That students need to recognize and compassionately respond to people in need through service.
• That one learns to care and give by reaching out to people in need.
• That service is a call to experience and live the message of Jesus Christ – to be for others.
• That service is working for basic justice and human rights.
• That service is an act of love.
• That service is an opportunity to experience true happiness.
• That service is an opportunity for real life education
• That service is an opportunity for on-going training, development and job experience
• That service is gifting others and self.
