UT-C students engage with Bishop Beckman at Mass, dinner
By Maggie Parsons
In continuing to share his gratitude with communities around the Diocese of Knoxville, Bishop Mark Beckman celebrated Mass at the University of Tennessee-Chattanooga Catholic Center on Sept. 10, preaching to the students about staying true to their faith while in college.
FOCUS missionaries, the Catholic Council for the UT-C Catholic Center, and students in attendance for Mass were excited to be with Bishop Beckman, who joined them for a dinner afterward.
Bishop Beckman’s visit encourages the students to stay connected to their diocese and lets them hear how the bishop cares for them in their faith journey.
“They need support with each other, so finding friends who are part of the community and making sure to stay connected with those key friendships are important,” Bishop Beckman said.
bishop Mark Beckman gives a homily during a Mass with University of Tennessee-Chattanooga students at the campus Catholic Center on Sept. 10. Bishop Beckman celebrated Mass for the students and joined them for dinner. (Photo Maggie Parsons)
Those are key factors that can help college students stay strong in their faith while navigating college. Support from a community of faith can be a big part of that process.
College transitions can be intimidating as students find themselves juggling numerous activities such as classes, studying, social activities, and jobs, and they can find themselves losing the grip on their faith.
“This is the time where kids are losing their faith, so it’s almost like a make-or-break. For us and our diocese, in this beautiful city, I think it would be great if we could just liven up the young adults, and be putting more emphasis on young-adult outreach,” said Hedi Eckler, a member of the Catholic Council at the university Catholic Center.
Ms. Eckler spoke on this phase in the lives of young adults when their faith is put to the test and how she would like to see more outreach to help them find common ground.
Students at the Catholic Center are receiving the support they need from a strong community, where they can share their beliefs with one another, not only in faith but also in fun. There are numerous activities spread out over the course of the week such as Bible studies for young men and women, Mass every Wednesday and Sunday with dinner following, group hikes, bonfires, and intramural sports.
FOCUS missionaries at the Catholic Center will be taking students to SEEK 2026 in Columbus, Ohio, Jan. 1-5 as well as a spring-break mission trip and a spring retreat as part of larger events. These activities offer opportunities to be a part a community where students can grow together in their faith as brothers and sisters in Christ and help break the cycle of straying from God in college.
“I’m hoping that we are able to evangelize better and truly help people know what the Catholic Church really is,” said Noah Morais, one of the students at the Catholic Center.
Mr. Morais hopes the community will grow by further sharing God’s Word with others who don’t know what the Church is about. On a secular campus, this can be hard because many students are not familiar with the Catholic Church or how to learn more about it. The Catholic Center can be an example of the message of God, who speaks to all.
Taking action in their faith
Along with having support from their university and the Catholic Center, college students need support from their parishes back home and the ones near the university.
“There is something beautiful going on in the Church where the young adults are on fire for the faith and there is a want to step out and do their own kind of parish outreach. They just need the empowerment from the parishes to step up and start leading their own Bible studies or being a part of outreach and ministry for the parish,” Ms. Eckler said.
She discussed what the support from parishes would look like for the students and with that support how they can step out and start taking action in their faith.
“I’m just excited to see where it’s all going to go. I think it’s important for young people to step up and be involved across the board in all kinds of ministries,” said Bishop Beckman, who talked about what he is looking forward to in the growth of the young-adult population in the Diocese of Knoxville and shared the kinds of organizations they can get involved in.
“So, volunteer to be lectors, volunteer to be greeters, volunteer to be eucharistic ministers, volunteer to be catechists, join parish organizations like the Knights of Columbus, the women’s group, the men’s group, you know, get involved because we need every generation,” Bishop Beckman added.
He believes in the importance of the young-adult population being involved, to help every generation be a part of the growth of the Church.
There are many things that can distract a college student from staying the course in their relationship with God: technology, workload, tragedy in the world around them. The bishop spoke of one of the struggles that a college student can come across.
“The modern world has so many distractions. Think about the Internet and all the things that are on the Internet. It can sometimes absorb a person so that they lose touch with the mystery of God,” the bishop pointed out.
Bishop Beckman brought to light one of the many things that young adults encounter: the dangers associated with technology. In life, students must persevere to build that relationship that God desires.
“Just making the commitment to say, ‘I know this is good for my soul.’ Just like people say, ‘I know that exercise is good for my body,’ making the commitment to do it even when you don’t want to,” Bishop Beckman shared, noting that it is so important to make that commitment to God because taking care of our soul is just as important as exercising for our body.
Young adults and college students alike are not the only generation who need the support, who may be tempted to stray from God, who have to fight to keep that relationship with Him. However, they are the rising generation, the ones who must take what they have learned in their communities from the older generations and take action to always keep God close.
“My hope is that many of our people, young and old, will continue to be inspired to live close to the heart of Christ,” Bishop Beckman remarked.
He would like to see everyone in the community be able to always grow close to God no matter the walk of life and to stay inspired by Him in every generation.
There is a real hope growing from faith communities on college campuses, where students are taking the initiative to say yes to God by continuing to grow in their faith despite the struggles they encounter along the way.
Growth of the young-adult population in the Church is happening and will continue if young people will follow the lead set by others in the faith, such as priests, missionaries, and even the university upperclassmen they interact with daily.
All generations are needed for the growth of the Church, and all are called. So, building that community of faith with one another is one of the beautiful ways God works in each person’s life.