Nestled between bustling apartment buildings and fraternity houses is the University Catholic Center, a student-focused religious organization dedicated to teaching the Catholic faith and fostering a community among its members.
In contrast to traditional churches, the Catholic Center is based on the peer-ministry model, where student leaders run the programs for their peers under the guidance of a small staff.
The students are organized into five committees that plan everything from religious classes to community service, as well as weekly Mass for the predominantly undergraduate parish.
“Peer ministry is much more effective than a professional campus minister ministering to the students. The students have a much more powerful impact, the studies show, in terms of helping people grow in their faith,” said the Rev. Ivan Tou, associate director of the center.
He added that peer ministry allows an honesty that is sometimes lost when students simply inherit their parents’ faith.
The students plan classes like “Catholicism, Wow!” and invite speakers to their “Pizza and Theology” seminars to facilitate discussion and questions about the religion. They also hold programs like the “Blessing of the Brains” after Mass during midterms and finals week.
In “Catholicism, Wow!” students choose topics from the Catholic faith and discuss the reasoning behind their beliefs.
“I think it’s very important for our community to know why we believe things and not just because the church says so. We try to provide the “˜why’ behind it through that program,” said Josef Leveratto, a second-year political science student and the Student Leader of Education and Faith Development.
“Pizza and Theology” is a quarterly event where speakers are invited to discuss various aspects of their faith. Leveratto said last year they met with a Buddhist organization to talk about each faith’s method of meditation so students could see that the styles were very similar.
The center also offers Bible study groups and discussion groups that cater to specific communities like graduate students and lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender students.
“Cornerstone” is a discussion group for LGBT Catholics and their allies to discuss and reconcile their faith and sexuality as well as to hold fun activities for participants.
The center “really is just a safe place to ask questions to doubt and to grow and struggle and through those struggles grow,” said Gabriel Gomez, a second-year biochemistry student and student leader of the outreach committee. “I guess I really wanted to make that available to everyone to show that you can ask questions here, and this is really a place where I’ve grown,” he added.
The Rev. Peter Abdella, director of the center, said the national board that oversees the Campus Catholic Ministry in the United States recently recognized the University Catholic Center for developing future leaders.
He added that he hopes that the student leaders take what they learn at the center and bring it to their parishes after graduation.
“We’re at the same level as the community; we’re not like the spiritual leaders, we’re not all the strongest in faith, we’re not all the most knowledgeable about the Catholic teachings,” said David Lopez, a fourth-year psychology student and student leader of Liturgy.
He said he thinks one of the strongest parts of having student leaders is that they can participate with their peers and learn from each other.
In addition to faith-centered activities, the Catholic Center also provides opportunities for students to get involved with the community through social events and community service.
“A lot of people think that church is the one hour a week that you go on Sunday, but we like to think that church is something that you can involve in your everyday life, which is why we have so many events,” said Annie Nagel, a second-year biology student and student leader of the social justice committee at the center.
They have delivered supplies to wildfire victims in Los Angeles and have made donations to charities, but they also have field trips to places such as the Museum of Tolerance, said Bianca Paraguya, a second-year political science student and another student leader of the social justice committee.
The center holds dinners and retreats and also tries to plan events with Catholic organizations from other schools.
Last week the center defeated USC’s Catholic organization in the Catholic Cup, an Ultimate Frisbee tournament held between the two schools.
“We basically just try to get the community together, not just Catholics; anyone is welcome to help others, so you’re making friends and its where you form a lot of bonds,” Nagel said.
The student leaders said they feel their organization is progressive and has a diverse membership. They added that being accepting helps draw people to the center.
Chris St. Jacques, a second-year computer science and engineering student said he likes the center because it’s conveniently located and because it is very tolerant.
“They’re open to pretty much anybody, any views. It doesn’t seem to me to be the typical church. I think the church gets a bad rap for being exclusive or not accepting of different people’s views or personalities or anything like that, and I think this church contradicts that whole stereotype,” he said.