CONVENTIONS FOR COLLEGE STUDENTS

     Suggestion by Thomas P. Grelinger for starting a student
     convention in each state based on the one held at Kansas
     Catholic College.

For those people interested in building the faith of young people including
college students, you might want to consider starting a student convention
in your state.  The colleges and universities in Kansas have been doing this
for 21 years now.  I returned just a few hours ago from ours which this year
is in Atchison and Benedictine College there.

The convention lasts a full weekend--Friday evening to Sunday noon--and
covers speakers, reconciliation, Mass, meals, etc.  There were about 250
college students from across Kansas who attended.  Our theme this year was
"Faith seeking understanding."  This idea comes from St. Anselm, the
eleventh century monk and archbishop of Canturbury.

Here is basically what we did this past weekend:

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We arrived between 6:00 & 7:30 to register and break the ice, and then heard
Dr. John Neumayr who teaches at St. Thomas Aquinas College in San Paulo, CA
and is also on the board of governors.  His talk was on the theme of the
convention.

Afterwards, we had a reconciliation service for all of the college students
where they could to individual confession and be absolved of their sins.

_Saturday_

College students can be sacrificing and we certainly did when we started
with daily Mass at 7:30 a.m.  After a continental breakfast, we heard from
Msgr. M. Francis Mannion who is rector of the Cathedral of the Madeleine and
Diocesan Theologian in Salt Lake City, Utah.  he has a doctorate in
sacramental theology and has taught at CUA, St. Mary's College in California
and St. John's University.  He spoke on "Money, Sex, Power: A Catholic
Perspective."  Just as the world revolves around money, sex and power; we
Christians should be practicing poverty, chastity, and obedience.  By
poverty, Msgr. Mannion means sharing the gifts God has given us and using
them for the common good.  By chastity, he means abstaining until in the
bonds of marriage.  By obedience, he means respecting other people and
humility.

Our next major address was by Ms. Sabine Hyland, a convert who will receive
a doctorate in cultural anthropology from Yale this year with the completion
of her dissertation on Andean Indians and the Jesuit Missions, 1568-1600.
She gave an excellent talk on "The Christian and the Other: Papal Teachings
on Cultural Diversity."  It sort of surprised their people deeply involved
in anthropology that looked at the field in a Christian perspective unlike
so much of the garbage that is thrown out to us.

Then came the favorite speaker of most, Mr. Scott Hahn (who is also working
on a doctorate degree, but from Marquette in systematic theology).  His talk
was on "Faith Seeking Understanding in the Church."  Pulling incidents from
his own life he showed us important things about our faith.  

After lunch, we broke into two groups and Msgr. Mannion and Scott Hahn
offered a seminar to each to discuss "The Craft of Discipleship" and "Faith
Seeking Understanding through Scripture", respectively.  After the first
seminar speakers switched rooms.

After the second seminar, each school gathered together to discuss who would
be hosting next year's convention.  Since we were the second largest school
there and people who were anxious to do it, we were awarded the bid for next
year.  So sometime in late Winter or early Spring send college students to
Lawrence, KS for a great weekend at the University of Kansas.

Up to this point we had been at the Mount St. Scholastica Conference Center
where we had lodging, food, and the talks.  In the late afternoon, we
traveled to the campus of Benedictine College where we listened to his
Excellency, Archbishop James P. Keleher talk about the importance of
relationships in the family and how our society is marked as a culture of
death.  

We then had Vespers with the monks of St. Benedict's Abbey and an address by
Sr. Mary Catherine Blanding, IHM.  She teaches at Bishop Carroll High School
in Wichita, KS and holds masters' degrees from the Angelicum and CUA and has
been published in periodicals like _Homiletic and Pastoral Review_ and
_Fatima Family Messenger_.  She co-wrote the catechetical "Faith and Life"
series for Ignatius Press.  She talked about vocations in light of the
theme, "Faith Seeking Understanding."

We then had a banquet and a talk by Dr. Neumayr.  His talk was impromptu (he
didn't follow the notes he had prepared) and talked more about Faith Seeking
Understanding.

On Sunday, we had continental breakfast, reflection time in small groups and
then Sunday Mass, and then we departed to return to our schools.

At least two of our speakers were wanting to do the same type of things in
their state.  Scott Hahn and Msgr. Mannion were both interested in
conventions like ours for college students across their states.

Tom.