Bishop James Ruggieri celebrates Mass at Bates College in Lewiston

Sharing the message that the mission of the Church “begins wherever people live their lives,” Bishop James Ruggieri celebrated Mass on the Bates College campus in Lewiston on Sunday, March 8.

“The Father does not stand at a distance from the world. He loves the world,” the bishop said in his homily.

More than 50 students and faculty members attended the Mass, which was celebrated in the Peter J. Gomes Chapel on campus. Afterwards, the bishop joined the students for lunch and a discussion, with topics ranging from how to effectively live out Lent in today’s world to the Church’s greatest mysteries. Asked about how to grow the presence of campus ministry, the bishop said evangelizing is all about witnessing to the faith and building relationships.

“Win, built, and send. It’s all relational,” the bishop said, referencing the methodology of Fellowship of Catholic University Students (FOCUS) missionaries. “As much as I wish we could have a massive conversion throughout the United States, I don’t think it’s going to happen that way. I think it’s going to happen encounter by encounter, one person at a time.”

The bishop was invited to the college by members of the Catholic Students Community, the campus ministry group at Bates. Students and campus minister Sister Jacinta Coscia, FSE, have worked hard to build up the group’s presence on campus, which now includes weekly Bible study, Friday adoration, and rides to the Basilica of Ss. Peter & Paul on Sunday for Mass.

The students who participate in campus ministry stressed its importance to them and to other students.

“I think college is a time when a lot of people can fall away from their faith. So it's even more important for this aged student to have those resources available to be able to keep practicing,” said Sophie Shanbhag, s sophomore, who recently participated in the Order of Christian Initiation of Adults (OCIA) and joined the Catholic Church.

“It’s important because it gives students a reminder that they can see other students in the same situation as them,” said Bruno Cardonnel, a senior, who is currently participating in OCIA. “The habits we form now, before we head out into the world, are kind of the foundation where what we do now does have a big knock-on effect later on. And it’s also just important to know you're not alone.”

“In the Bible, we were called to spread the good news, as we saw in the homily today, just to share it with others. So, obviously, it's something very close, very important to me,” said Henry Hood, president of the group, who was raised Catholic. “I think it’s important to share it with others and to have this sense of community, especially on a college campus.”

The students said having Bishop Ruggieri come to the campus to celebrate Mass provided a boost in their efforts to raise awareness of their group and to attract more students.

“It means everything. It's amazing.  We started off the year hoping to have one event planned, and now, we’re in second semester with the bishop of Maine coming to do Mass here. We've never had a Mass in the chapel, as long as I've been here at least, so it’s really very special,” said Bruno.

“It was, I think, the greatest honor we could have been given as a club, especially being so new,” said Henry. “I think we're so blessed by God to have him here, and I'm extremely thankful. We're all extremely thankful for his presence today.”

“It was wonderful to have the bishop come. It meant a lot to all the students at Bates,” said Sophie. “I saw a lot more students coming to Mass than I would usually see. So, I think it really brought the community together. I think he did a great job of being so friendly and welcoming to all the students. And I hope that it'll help them all in their faith and bring us closer together as a Catholic community of Bates.”