Campus Ministries
Office Hours: Monday–Friday from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.
Phone: (570) 941-7419
Website: www.scranton.edu/ministries
Our Mission
Campus Ministries, part of the Mission and Ministry Division, serves the mission of The University of Scranton by making visible and effective our Roman Catholic and Jesuit identity with a spirit of inclusivity of all religious traditions. Inspired by the Gospel of Jesus Christ and the charism of St. Ignatius Loyola, we offer students opportunities to explore their relationship with God through active reflection and discernment on retreats, preparing for the sacraments, engaging in interfaith dialogue, and worshipping together as a community of faith.
Sacramental Life
Mass is celebrated daily on campus. The Sacrament of Reconciliation is offered each weekday prior to the 12:05 p.m. Mass.
WORSHIP SCHEDULE
Sunday Masses (Madonna della Strada Chapel)
- 11:00 a.m.
- 4:30 p.m.
- 7:00 p.m.
Weekday Masses (Sacred Heart Chapel)
- 12:05 p.m. - Monday thru Friday
Byzantine Catholic Divine Liturgy (Ciszek Hall, Mulberry Street)
Muslim Jum’ah Service (Campus Mosque at 306 Taylor Avenue)
Liturgical Ministers
Students serve the University faith community, primarily in the roles of Lectors, Extraordinary Ministers of the Eucharist, and Ministers of Hospitality. Additionally, students assume leadership roles in communal celebrations of prayer, such as the Stations of the Cross and Reconciliation Services.
Music Ministry
Students dedicated to bringing music into the liturgical life of our community can participate in Music Ministry as cantors, choir members, and instrumentalists. These musicians provide music for Sunday Mass, seasonal prayer services, and University-wide liturgies.
Building Faith Communities
Retreats
Students are invited to join the Campus Ministries staff on overnight retreats each semester. Retreats are designed to empower students to explore more deeply their relationships with God. These experiences are thematic, focusing on the spiritual needs of our student body. Most retreats take place at our beautiful Chapman Lake Retreat Center located 12 miles from campus.
Pastoral Counseling
Many students find campus ministers good mentors who help students reflect on their college experience. We are also here to assist students with questions about God and their faith lives.
Spiritual Formation
RCIA
The RCIA program (the Rite of Christian Initiation for Adults) is offered to any students interested in receiving the sacraments of Baptism, Confirmation, and/or Eucharist, with reception into the Roman Catholic Church during the Spring semester.
Spiritual Direction
Those interested in broadening and enhancing their relationship with God can meet with a spiritual director regularly, usually for an hour every month or so, to discuss their prayer lives and their ever-changing relationships with God.
For Students who are from Faith Traditions other than Roman Catholicism
The Campus Ministries’ professional staff seeks to journey with students as each strives to incorporate the beliefs of each person’s faith tradition into daily life. All programs offered from Campus Ministries are open to all students. Those who are searching for their place in relation to God, religion, and spirituality are most welcome to explore Campus Ministries’ offerings. We are also ready and willing to assist students looking to find a house of worship of their religious tradition near campus.
Service and Social Justice
Center for Service and Social Justice
Office hours: Monday – Friday from 8:30 am to 4:30 pm
Phone: (570) 941-7429
Website: www.scranton.edu/volunteers
The Center for Service and Social Justice (CSSJ), part of the Division of Mission and Ministry at the University, provides transformational learning experiences that respond to the Gospel call to help those in need and uphold the social justice teachings of the Catholic Church. The programming and experiences offered help inform the individual conscience and challenge each to work toward the transformation of unjust societal structures. The office focuses on four areas: Local service, Domestic Outreach, International Service and Social Justice.
- Local service: CSSJ works with 140 non-profit organizations in the Scranton area, providing student volunteers. We assist with placement, interviewing and training for individual student and Community Based Learning. We also sponsor on- campus programs such as the WE CARE program which feeds those in need, SMART mentoring, Safe Trick or Treat for local children, food and clothing drives, CLOTHESLINE FOR MEN, pet therapy and many other programs. Starting this year, CSSJ will operate a food pantry for University students and employees that will assist those on our campus who face issues of food insecurity. The pantry is located in the newly acquired building on campus (formerly Fayette House), at Mulberry Street and Clay Avenue).
- Domestic Outreach: This program sponsors service trips during Fall, Intersession and Spring breaks. Students travel to locations locally and across the country. Students are empowered to express their faith in reflective service while responding to local and national needs.
- International Service: This program provides opportunities for our students, faculty, and staff to be immersed in cultures and experiences in developing countries of our world, instilling a deep concern for the rights and dignity of every person, especially the poor and most vulnerable. These transformative seven to ten day service experiences in Central and South American countries take place during May and June at the completion of the Spring semester.
- Social Justice: These programs provide students with education, experiences and opportunities for advocacy. On- campus programs focusing on current topics of injustice are offered throughout the semester, including poverty, refugee and immigration simulations as well as many other options. Each November, we sponsor a trip to Washington DC to participate in the Ignatian Family Teach In for Justice. The Social Justice Club engages Scranton students in tangible acts of solidarity to build a more just and peaceful world, mobilizing their peers by learning about and acting on global emergencies and injustices. Participants organize awareness campaigns, prayer services, candlelight vigils, faith-sharing groups, legislative advocacy, and fundraising campaigns for global emergencies
- CSSJ also provides assistance to graduating seniors in finding placement in one of many long-term service organizations. By serving in the United States as well as the developing parts of the world, participants are able to enrich their own cultural vision and come to a deeper understanding of the Christian principle of justice.
The Jesuit Center
The Jesuit Center, part of the Division of Mission and Ministry, assists the University of Scranton in keeping its Catholic and Jesuit character at the center of the educational enterprise.
Dedicated to advancing the University’s strategic vision of “providing a superior, transformational learning experience” for its students, the Center does this by:
- Fostering faculty and staff participation in the Jesuit higher educational mission;
- Supporting faculty teaching and scholarship that advances the University’s Catholic and Jesuit character;
- Promoting Ignatian spirituality within an interreligious context.
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