Scottish Network of Catholic Students

Run by Students for Students across Scotland

Why a national network.The Network is the answer at the university level to 3 main needs of the Scottish Church:

• Invest more on young people

• Become more integrated in our society

• Make a better use of new media and forms of communications

What we do• We encourage, facilitate and help the formation of new student

Catholic groups in Scottish Universities

• We support existing groups (through advertisement, sharing successful experiences, providing leadership formation for groups' leaders, helping with small financial problems and so on..)

• We are developing a website that will allow us to advertise all the Scottish groups, give a webpage to every chaplaincy to describe their activities or upload material online, share successful experiences and material, create a blog to which all the chaplaincies can contribute that will give a greater voice to Catholic students in Scotland and much more.

What we don't do• We don't tell you what activities you should or

shouldn't do in your chaplaincy.

• We don't want to make all the chaplaincies look the same. Every chaplaincy should flourish and develop in accordance to the interests, talents and resources of its students and chaplain.

• We don't become your boss! The network works at the service of the local groups and chaplaincy and its only aim is to help them flourish.

One fundamental principle

In every university there should be more than just one Catholic group that students can join. This will allow more people to get involved as we all have different talents, interests and spiritual needs.

Groups are to facilitate the spiritual formation of their members

Examples:

• St. Vincent de Paul

• Legion of Mary

• Apologetics

• Catechesis

• Ethics

• Politics

• Literature group

• Faith formation group

How might groups be different to what we do already?

Groups... • Are for the spiritual formation of members • Have a clear focus • Are made up of committed members • Should have a lay leader and spiritual director • Create a strong sense of community Groups aren't... • Just a series of talks • Just social events • Something you drop in and out of

When did it happen?The Network was founded during a 3 days meeting at Nunraw Abbey with representatives from 7 Scottish chaplaincies. (1-3 July 2013)