Press Release: The Brotherhood & CCMA Publish New Books

Builders: The Catholic Campus Minister’s Guide to Building Communities of Evangelization, was written by Br. Sam Gunn of the Brotherhood of Hope. The book offers practical insights for conducting campus ministry taken from the Brotherhood of Hope’s 40 years of successfully running stand-alone student outreaches. Builders also includes helpful approaches used by organizations who have ministered alongside the Brotherhood, such as CCMA, The Servants of the Word and Saint Paul’s Outreach.

“The pandemic requires us to be thoughtful and vigilant given the risks associated with in-person meetings by harnessing new skills, technologies and social media when evangelizing on campuses today,” said Br. Sam. “The Builders model for creating and nurturing a Christ-centered community can be successfully adapted by campus ministers to address the health and safety of students and staff, no matter the size of the group.”

CCMA’s work, Catholic Campus Ministry: Fifteen Profiles in Achievement, was written by Randy Young. Mike St. Pierre, CCMA’s Executive Director, describes the book as a celebration of the work of Catholic ministries as a whole and, just as importantly, the success of a laudable core group of fifteen ministers on very diverse campuses who have consistently found imaginative new ways to connect with and impact young people at a formative period in their lives.

To complement its book, CCMA is offering campus ministers an online course that will further explore the fifteen campus ministers’ achievements through video and live discussions. The Brotherhood of Hope will be contributing content from Builders to CCMA’s online course. The book and course are part of a larger initiative called Essential Engagement. More information is available via www.ccmanetwork.org/essential.

“While extremely rewarding, campus ministry can also be quite lonely for campus ministers given the secular nature of college campuses,” said CCMA’s Mike St. Pierre. “By celebrating the achievements of campus ministers who are experiencing the same challenges that they are, hopefully our book serves as an inspiration to these men and women about the indispensable role they have in students growing in their faith.”

Br. Ken Apuzzo, Brotherhood of Hope General Superior, agrees with St. Pierre and adds, “We pray these books reassure campus ministers that they are not alone in their pursuit to evangelize on college campuses. They should draw encouragement and strength from Joshua’s command to the Israelites, ‘Do not fear nor be dismayed, for the Lord, your God, is with you wherever you go’” (Joshua 1:9).

Free PDF copies of Builders are available for campus ministers to download at https://brotherhoodofhope.salsalabs.org/BuildersLandingPage. Campus ministers may purchase a Kindle version of Builders on Amazon for $0.99. Later this fall, campus ministers will be able to order multiple printed copies of Builders online. 

CCMA’s Fifteen Profiles in Achievement book is available through a free app as well as on Amazon for $5.00 for the Kindle version and $7.00 for a paperback copy. 

CCMA’s online course will be offered at an affordable price for campus ministers.

About the Brotherhood of Hope

Founded in 1980 in Newark, New Jersey, The Brotherhood of Hope evangelizes thousands of Catholic students attending Northeastern University (Boston, Massachusetts); Rutgers University (New Brunswick, New Jersey); Florida State University (Tallahassee, Florida); University of Central Florida (Orlando, Florida); and University of Minnesota (Minneapolis, Minnesota).

The charism of the Brotherhood is the All-Sufficiency of Christ, which is expressed through the life and mission of each Brother.

Based in Boston under the supervision of Cardinal Sean O’Malley, the Brotherhood of Hope has 18 perpetually professed Brothers and two dozen men in various stages of formation.

The Brotherhood of Hope celebrated its 40^th Anniversary on September 14, 2020 on the Feast of the Triumph of the Cross. To learn more about the Brotherhood of Hope, please visit our website at www.brotherhoodofhope.org.

Builders author Br. Sam Gunn professed his first vows in 1992 with the Brotherhood of Hope. In Builders, campus ministers will enjoy reading Br. Sam’s engaging style and numerous personal anecdotes from his years of campus ministry at Northeastern University, Boston University, Rutgers University and Florida State University. 

About Catholic Campus Ministry Association 

CCMA (Catholic Campus Ministry Association) was founded in 1969 in an effort to bring the Church’s mission of evangelization to America’s colleges and universities. Serving over 600 members on over 300 campuses, CCMA equips campus ministry professionals to share the Good News of Jesus Christ with students while building enduring campus ministry programs. Rooted in the U.S. Bishops’ seminal document, Empowered by the Spirit: Campus Ministry Faces the Future, CCMA provides both virtual and in-person training for those called to serve on campus.

CCMA’s training opportunities include LAUNCH for those new to the profession and CALLED, a national convention. A professional certification program (Pathways) is offered to bolster their career and vocation. Campus ministers participate weekly in Office Hours, an online meeting place for thought leaders and those who are committed to engaging students in the life of the Church.

More information about CCMA can be found at www.ccmanetwork.org.