The Practical Guide to High School Campus Ministry

This is a comprehensive guide to the multifaceted elements of campus ministry. Four experienced campus ministers from across the country focus on the vital and varied role of the campus minister on the Catholic school campus. This guide can be used by new or experienced ministers by allowing them to pick and choose items, refer to specific activities, make personal notes for future reference, or by changing and adapting activities.

High school campus ministers should strongly consider purchasing this useful resource.

With the dearth of available literature focused on the role and responsibilities of the campus minister at the high school level, The Practical Guide to High School Campus Ministry distills into one succinct resource various aspects of campus ministry. The guide begins with a comprehensive overview of and vision for high school campus ministry. The following chapters continue with a basic theological framework for liturgy, service, retreats and student leadership development and offer practical suggestions and questions when starting the planning process for ministerial endeavors. The authors include wise advice concerning safety issues and legal concerns, helpful handouts and "how-to" examples as well as insights and resources for the spiritual development of the campus minister.

The practical guidebook was written by experienced practitioners who understand both the breadth and depth of the campus minister's roles and responsibilities. Having theological training and background does not necessarily mean that the minister has the experience and attention to detail needed to plan liturgy, create a retreat and develop service learning at the school. The authors provide thorough planning processes that will enable a new campus minister to succeed, while those with little theological training will benefit from the basic theological framework that undergirds each section of the book.

While each chapter is sound and useful in its own right, the chapter on service learning is well-written and immensely practical. The authors raise pertinent philosophical questions concerning service versus experiential learning and service versus required hours. In addition, they provide a marvelous theological context of service and emphasize the importance of connecting Catholic social teaching to the curriculum.

This very rich and thorough theological context is coupled with the particular cultural context of the school, the parent community and wider local community. They note that when developing service learning in the school, it is important to support students and parents and challenge them to embrace more fully Catholic social teaching. They offer sagacious advice to ensure that the administrators and parents always are informed and that all service and justice events are rooted in Catholic social teaching.