Celebrating Four Years at UCF and Beyond!

By Br. Adam Neri’s way of thinking, the influence of the Brotherhood’s four-year-old outreach at the University of Central Florida (UCF) goes well beyond the borders of the school’s campus.

“What we are doing with every student in our ministry is changing the world,” Br. Adam proclaims. “God has anointed us to change lives in Florida and beyond!”

UCF’s 2021 graduating class marked our fourth year on campus, meaning students who joined our ministry as freshmen in 2017 were the first to experience all four years of our outreach upon their graduation last spring.
“What attracted me most to UCF’s Catholic Campus Ministry was how intentional and welcoming the individuals were,” said UCF 2021 graduate Brianna Celedon. “The characteristics of the community were so hopeful and uplifting that it poured over into the daily lives of each individual I encountered and called me on to deepen my relationship with others and more importantly, the Lord.”

Brianna is excited about serving as a new Saint Paul’s Outreach missionary at Texas State University this fall.

How we got to our anniversary milestone is a testament to the men and women who laid the foundation for UCF’s Catholic campus ministry nearly twenty years ago, and to the hundreds and hundreds of students who participated in the outreach during that time.

In 2004, Josh Swallows, a recent graduate of Florida State University where he was a student leader in our campus ministry, came home to Orlando searching for a way to make a difference in the lives of young people like himself. The Diocese of Orlando supported his efforts to begin a campus ministry at UCF, where Josh was joined by Fr. Stephen Parkes (now Bishop Parkes of Savannah, Georgia) to breathe life into the fledgling effort.

When Josh left to enter the priesthood (Fr. Josh is now the chaplain of our UCF  ministry!), another FSU and Brotherhood alum, Tony Marco, took over.

In 2013, the Diocese of Orlando, under Bishop John Noonan’s direction, generously contributed to the construction of a new Catholic Center on UCF’s campus.

It was around this time that we began looking to expand the number of our ministries onto another campus. Br. Adam, who had been a campus minister at FSU since 2010, began working with Saint Paul’s Outreach on UCF’s campus in 2015. He was soon joined by Br. John McCabe, who had been ministering to students in Boston. The two assumed responsibilities for the Brotherhood’s UCF outreach in 2017. They were joined in 2019 by Br. Martin Buganski.

“There was already a thriving ministry on campus thanks to strong support from the Diocese of Orlando and the pastoral efforts of Fr. Josh, Tony and so many others,” said Br. Adam. “Our mission was to introduce more students to the life-giving relationship they can enjoy with Jesus Christ.”

Efforts by the Brothers and collaborating lay staff have helped shepherd steady growth in the number of students we are reaching through our outreach since we started four years ago. It’s also blessed us with the need to expand our off-campus home to better accommodate student ministry activities as well as a potential future increase in the number of Brothers.

“There were 40 students participating in our weekly Knight Fire meeting in our first year,” said Br. John. “In four years, we’ve grown to 120 students attending our weekly meetings. Our retreats have increased from about 60 attendees to nearly 130. And our pre-COVID weekly Mass attendance nearly doubled to 400 students worshiping the Lord.”

Students’ efforts are instrumental to attracting other students to our community. “Students have lots of great ideas about how to share their faith with other students,” said Br. Adam. “We give students encouragement and the tools to be leaders and evangelists among their peers.”

Br. Adam cites four reasons for increases in the sacramental lives and ownership of the faith among students who are involved in our outreach:

1. Our close partnership with Saint Paul’s Outreach.
2. Establishing a family-first attitude so students know they belong and their ideas are valued.
3. Training students in discipleship and evangelization.
4. Empowering students to develop their own ways to share the vision we preach of having Jesus Christ at the center of our lives.

Br. Martin points to another element for why students are finding a home away from home in our outreach. “Authenticity is important to students,” says Br. Martin. “They have a nose for what is real and what is false. Authentic relationships build trust in students and lead them to building relationships with other students and ultimately with the Lord.”

With God’s continued grace and blessings, we are looking forward to many more years of bringing students from UCF and beyond to Jesus Christ.