Wake Forest graduate Victoria Parker (far right), and Class of 2021 Campus Ministry participants are pictured with Winston-Salem area Campus Minister Father Marcel Amadi after the May 15 baccalaureate Mass. (Photo provided by Victoria Parker)CHARLOTTE — In a joint initiative, the Diocese of Charlotte’s Office of Campus and Young Adult Ministry is partnering with the Catholic Schools Office to help students stay connected to their faith after graduating from high school.
Dr. Greg Monroe, superintendent of Catholic Schools, in collaboration with the Catholic Campus Ministry office, emailed a letter and survey May 14 to high school principals, chaplains and campus ministers.
The survey is being distributed to students in the coming weeks. The joint effort aims to survey graduating high school seniors – collecting information about which colleges the students expect to attend, so that Campus Ministry staff at those schools can reach out to them and welcome them when they arrive on campus this fall.
Their goal: to support and engage students in continuing to practice their Catholic faith as they transition from high school to college.
“We are committed to working together to help our students maintain and grow their relationship with Christ when they leave our Catholic schools and head to college,” said Monroe.
“We want to make sure our youth know Campus Ministry exists and that there is a Catholic presence at college,” said Darien Clark, assistant director of Campus Ministry and Young Adult Ministry for the diocese.
Victoria Parker, a lifelong parishioner of Holy Family Church in Clemmons, is a recent graduate of Wake Forest University and an enthusiastic supporter of Campus Ministry for anyone headed to college these days. Although she did not participate in her parish’s high school youth group, she became very involved in Campus Ministry when she went to college.
“When I came to Wake Forest, I thought I would still go to church with my parents. I didn’t see my faith transitioning with me to college,” Parker admitted.
She hungered for a way to connect and meet people who shared her Catholic faith, so on a whim, she and another student decided to try Campus Ministry one Wednesday night.
“We went to all the social offerings, as well as Mass. We became best friends, and even though she has moved to California, we are best friends still,” she noted.
During her years at Wake Forest University, Parker volunteered as vice president of peer ministry and president of campus ministry in 2020.
She said she found Campus Ministry to be a supportive place where peers share the faith, with seniors mentoring underclassmen. “That was great. It was a very welcoming atmosphere at college,” she said.
Parker landed a full-time job in Nashville and has already begun the search for a Catholic community of young adults to help ease her transition, as she has never lived away from Winston-Salem.
“I don’t know anyone in Nashville, so I am most worried about making friends and building a community,” she explained. “One of the first things I looked for in Nashville were Catholic young adult Facebook groups. The parishes there have vibrant young adult ministries. I can go to one church on a Wednesday evening, then go to other churches for Mass and other events,” she said.
Her advice for college students about Campus Ministry?
“Go and give it a try. Go to the events they are hosting at orientation. Go to Mass and see if it’s something you may be interested in,” Parker said.
— SueAnn Howell, Senior reporter
Learn more
At www.catholiconcampus.com: Get more information about Catholic Campus Ministry and the 21 campuses it serves in western North Carolina. Questions? Contact Darien Clark at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or call 704-370-3243.
Your DSA contributions at work
Your DSA contributions at workCatholic Campus Ministry is funded in part by the annual Diocesan Support Appeal. Learn more about the DSA and how to donate online at www.charlottediocese.org/dsa.