From Campus Minister to Seminarian
A parting note from Zach Gonring…
In my four years working as the Campus Minister at St. Luke’s, there have been a handful of phrases I have employed on a regular basis, and hoped to infuse into the culture of our college student community. Students who have spent enough time around here have likely picked up on a number of these - talking about infinite value propositions, charisms and apostolate, the integration funnel or the emmaus model, etc..
There are three of these phrases I want to leave as a parting note, which feel fitting for this transition - as I reflect on what has been, and look forward to what is to come.
EMBRACE THE MYSTERY.
One of my favorite parts of my job has been running our annual fall and spring retreats for the college students. I have started every retreat offering three clear “directives” for how to engage the weekend: Pray Boldly, Share Life Together, and Embrace The Mystery. The last of the three was always the most memorable - mostly because for the students it meant not knowing the schedule, and having to be prepared for whatever shenanigans I had come up with for the course of the retreat.
As I transition into seminary, this directive is now quite personally applicable. I am embarking upon a new path, and I honestly don’t know much of what lies ahead. I am moving away from good friends, secure and satisfying work, a pace of life that I have become well-accustomed to. I am going back to school - which was the last thing I ever imagined doing after finishing college five years ago. I’m moving to a new place, new pace of life, new responsibilities, and a major relinquishing of control. Endeavoring into the unknown, I suppose I ought to embrace the mystery.
BREAK THE ALABSTER.
At the beginning of every school year, the FOCUS Missionaries, student leaders, and I go out on campus for an intense 10-day period of outreach. It comes in the form of giving away lemonade, popsicles, or pickles, for hours under the hot sun, approaching strangers to engage hopefully-not-so-awkward small talk, and invite them to a nightly event., every night. Day after long 12+ hour day, we do our best to meet new students, and invite them to discover a fulfilling college experience as part of our Catholic community.
Every morning, before we begin, we would pray with Mark 14:3-6, the Anointing at Bethany. The woman approaches Jesus with her costly alabaster jar of genuine nard, and breaks it before the Lord, liberally anointing his head and feet. The onlookers are shocked, claiming it to be a careless waste of resources. And Jesus says, “leave her alone… she has done a good thing for me.”
Some days our lemonade stand led to a number of fruitful encounters - students hungry to know Jesus and find community. Some days we just baked under the sun, had a handful of awkward conversations, and got to the end of the day exhausted. But each day, the point was to “break the alabaster” - to pour ourselves out in love for Jesus, even if it seemed wasteful, confident that Jesus would say “she has done good thing for me.”
It is hard to really measure impact in a job like this. You could look at Mass attendance and bible study numbers, but that doesn’t entirely encompass the measure of conversion in a person’s heart. So I hope that my time working at St. Luke’s has been a catalyst for some of that - college students coming to know Jesus and find life-giving community. But as this season of my life comes to a close, and I cannot fully know the fruit of whatever work I did here, I can at least confidently say I poured myself out. For these college students, and for love of Jesus Christ, I have been intent on breaking the alabaster. And with whatever remaining nard I have, moving into a new stage of life, I hope to do the same.
ABUNDANT LIFE.
In my first year at St. Luke’s, on our first fall retreat, I wrote a reflection booklet based on the theme. Without saying that it was I who had written it, one student told me it was clear that I was the author, because “you used the word ABUNDANT like 20 times.” Evidently I was adamant on conveying the incomparable quality of life with Jesus Christ. “A thief comes to steal, kill, and destroy. I came that they might have life, and have it abundantly” (John 10:10) - my favorite bible verse.
Abundant life is what is on offer from Jesus. It’s what captivated me as a college student and led me to work in ministry. And it is now what leads me into discerning priesthood. To the world, priesthood is absurd and foolish. It is merely forsaking marriage and family life for the sake of bread worship. But for the person of faith, it is union with God, and discovering the satisfaction of the heart’s deepest desire. Life with Jesus Christ is an infinite value proposition, it is worth sacrificing everything for. Certainly it demands something of all of us - priest or layperson, every vocation comes with the great cost of love. But the promise is the same: hidden treasure, the pearl of great price, eternal and abundant life.
It is ironic that I am leaving St. Luke’s to go off to seminary. Four years ago, I was in the application process to enter seminary for the Diocese of Madison, WI - my hometown. I was close to acceptance, when I found a job opening for a Campus Minister in the area where I went to college. I applied for the job immediately, throwing prudential discernment to the wind, and diving headfirst into something that set my heart on fire. This was a dream job for me then, and has been a gift I have far too often taken for granted since. And now that it has run its course, and the Lord has patiently and persistently continued to invite me to take a leap towards discerning priesthood, I can confidently say I am better because of my time here. I am better because of you.
I don’t know where this new season will lead me - seven long years of formation and ongoing discernment ahead. But this season has been a blessed one, and I am very grateful to have shared it with you. Thank you for giving me the space to serve.
Peace,
Zach Gonring