C O N T E N T S
CCO Expansion. . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1
Our Heritage Our Hope . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1
New Moment for Church. . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3
Bigger Plans . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5
Campus Close-Ups . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-8
Student Initiative CreatesOngoing Legacy . . . . . . . . 9
Impact! 07 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10
Passion and Calling. . . . . . . . . 11
G O O D N E W S F R O M C A T H O L I C C H R I S T I A N O U T R E A C H
W I N T E R 2 0 0 7
Ilooked forward to Rise Up in Quebec
with great anticipation. This was the
first time CCO had organized an
event in Quebec, the place
where the Catholic
faith of Canada
originat-
CCO to expandto Queen’s University in Kingston
REACHING FUTURE LEADERST O D A Y ��
…cont inued on page 2
CCO’s greatest desire is to reach out to
every student in Canada. In September
2007 we will be one step closer to reaching
that goal. We are pleased to announce that
CCO is expanding to Queen’s University
in Kingston, Ontario.
At the invitation of the late Bishop
Meagher, CCO is sending staff members
Jeremy Rude and Lee Leonard, as well as
an intern (yet to be announced), to begin
this pioneering work at Queen’s. Local uni-
versity chaplain Fr. Raymond De Souza
has extended a warm welcome to the min-
istry and looks forward to a fruitful part-
nership. “I have long desired CCO's
expansion to Queen's, and am delighted
that they will have a strong presence here
soon. The contemporary university cam-
pus is real mission territory, and for that
you need trained, enthusiastic, Catholic
missionaries. I consider it a blessing to
have their help in the work of evangeliza-
tion at Queen's University.”
JesusOur Heritageand Our Hope
ed nearly 400 years ago. I was thrilled to
be spending this time of formation and
communion with our Quebecois brothers
and sisters. I longed to share with them
what God is doing across Canada in the
lives of university students. When we hear
and see what God is doing in the Church,
we are filled with hope for its future. I
prayed that through Rise Up, Quebec
could share this hope.
As a young Catholic, I am drawn to Que-
bec, with its rich and exciting history. The
…cont inued on page 12
22
were united as young Catholics adoring our
almighty God. All the efforts CCO made in
preparing for translation certainly paid off.
Another very special memory was the
procession of the Blessed Sacrament. On
New Year’s Eve, we followed Jesus, present
in the Eucharist, through the
streets and city gate of Old
Quebec. Nearly 500 voices
joined in singing Christmas
hymns, proclaiming Jesus
throughout the city. Our pro-
cession ended at the Cathe-
dral, where we gathered to celebrate Mass
with the Archbishop of Quebec, Marc Car-
dinal Ouellet. One young woman from Que-
bec observed that the last time there was a
procession of this size on these streets, it may
have been for war. “Now, we are carrying
Jesus, Prince of Peace and Uni-
ty,” she said with tears in her
eyes. This reflection poignantly
expressed our hope: a restora-
tion of the Church in Quebec.
Through many other con-
versations and experiences, I
sensed that Rise Up was more than just an
exciting rally. It was even more than a time
of celebration and conversion. This year at
Rise Up we witnessed a re-igniting of the
Church in Quebec. Forty young people from
the province of Quebec attended the con-
ference and many shared testimonies of con-
first settlers came to this region with the goal
of building a Catholic utopia. The names of
so many cities, towns, vil-
lages and streets commem-
orating the saints are a clear
testimony to the Catholic
values of these pioneers.
The blood of countless saints
and martyrs runs in the soil
of Quebec, and their witness gives me
strength to lay down my own life for the
sake of the Gospel. Throughout the Rise Up
conference, I sensed the Holy Spirit, work-
ing, building and uniting Quebec to the rest
of our country.
It was also exciting for me to speak French
in Quebec. Many of my francophone friends
expressed how thrilled they were to see us
reach out to them in their language. This
was CCO’s first bilingual conference. The
talks, worship and workshops were all bilin-
gual. During a time
of worship, I remem-
ber standing
between two people;
one was singing in
French, the other in
English. How beau-
tiful it was that we
… heritageand hope
…cont inued f rom page 1
His Eminence Marc Cardinal Ouellet’s encouraging words to CCO at Rise Up 2006. These took place during the closeof his homily at the New Year’s Eve Mass (December 31, 2006) at the Cathedral in Quebec City
“I have been deeply impressed by your testimony, the testimony of CCO this weekend. It was won-derful seeing you coming down the street with the Blessed Sacrament, showing the world your faithand bringing the light of Christ into our midst. I hope you will take root in Quebec, so that we couldhave a share in your faith and in your enthusiasm.”
version and healing that took place over the
weekend. One young woman commented
that at Rise Up she had begun to feel “Cana-
dian” for the first time. The budding desire
of these young Quebecois is the same as
ours: to see Jesus proclaimed above all else.
Although we left our friends in Quebec,
we continue to share a common vision for
the Church. United by our baptism, we
want to work together to evangelize our
country. One young man thanked CCO “for
humbly returning to (Que-
bec) what we once gave to
you.” It may seem that CCO
brought a great gift to these
young people. But I also
received a great gift. The
feeling of being reunited
with a ‘long lost brother’ is the greatest gift
of all. ◆
This reflection was written by Holly Cheva-
lier about her experience of Rise Up, the annual
CCO National Christmas Conference which was
held in Quebec City. Holly is a CCO staff mem-
ber at the University of Ottawa.
“Rise Up was for me
the most extraordinary
experience of my life. I
can’t wait for Rise Up
next year in Calgary!” – Melanie from Quebec
“I have searched long and
hard for young people
with the same heart as
me, and I’ve found them,
Praise God.” – Pascal, from Quebec
33
Etienne De Champlain is a 22year old French Canadian from
Quebec City and student ofMechanical Engineering at LavalUniversity. Etienne attended Rise
Up for the first time this pastChristmas. In this interview with
CCO, he talks about hisperspective of the Church and his
experience at the conference.
A New Momentfor theChurch
Tell me a little about your experience of being a Catholic. All through high school, no one knew I was Catholic; we didn’t talk about it among our
friends. When my spiritual director convinced me to go to the seminary after I graduated
from high school, I didn’t even tell anyone. I was sort of hoping the seminary would send
me home after a week anyway. But fortunately I was wrong. God really used my five years
in the seminary to change me. I had a lot of fun, saw my personality develop, and grew in
my love and knowledge of God and His Church. He really transformed me. Now I wanted
to talk about my faith!
Why did you decide to go to Rise Up? I decided to go to Rise Up because when I look around me at Church on Sundays there are
no young people. There is only one part-time chaplain and a pastoral animator to minister
to the 40,000 students at Laval University. I felt like I needed to help out, but I didn’t know
how. I was looking for something that would work with young people around me, a way to
reach them with my faith. I went to Rise Up because I was looking for tools to be able to
share the faith with others.
What was the highlight of Rise Up for you? My favorite part of Rise Up was the Eucharistic procession through the streets of Quebec.
As we walked with the Blessed Sacrament toward the cathedral, a central icon of the faith,
we were returning to what the founders of the Church in Canada wanted the city to be. I
witnessed the start of change in Quebec, a new moment for the Church. CCO was giving back
to the youth in Quebec.
How would you summarize your experience of Rise Up? Rise Up gave me a younger vision of the Church in Canada; I felt like I was at World Youth
Day! The conference made me realize that there is hope for our Church. I came away with
the hope that Quebec youth will one day return to the Catholic Church and rejuvenate it
with a new spirit. I was shown the tools that CCO uses to reach young people, such as the
Ultimate Relationship Booklet, faith studies, retreats and conferences. Seeing the fruit of
CCO’s work with students made me realize that it is possible to evangelize on campus. CCO
was succeeding and I could see myself bringing their ministry to my own campus. Rise Up
gave me energy and enthusiasm to step in and start working.
The National Post featured an article aboutCCO’s Rise Up conference. Check out
www.cco.ca/nationalpost to read it.
Eucharistic Procession downthe streets of Old Quebec.
▲
44
Student Initiative
Creates Ongoing Legacy
CCO is affecting eternity by reaching out
to future teachers. Catholic Studies is a pre-
requisite class for all education students in
Ontario who wish to teach in the Catholic
school system. A few years ago, a CCO stu-
dent in teacher’s college at the University
of Ottawa invited some of her classmates to
take a CCO faith study. This inspired anoth-
er CCO student to do the same the follow-
ing year. Through these courageous initia-
tives, CCO developed a relationship with
some professors in the faculty of education.
With the support of these professors, CCO
began to invite students to a weekly “Dis-
covery” faith study as a supplement to their
Catholic Studies class. Students who com-
plete the course receive a certificate signed
by the Archbishop of the diocese.
There is always a strong response to the
Discovery course. This semester, 140 stu-
dents chose to attend. Many of these stu-
dents, though they are preparing to teach in
Catholic schools, do not attend Mass regu-
larly and do not find faith relevant in their
lives. The CCO course has significant impact
in their lives.
One of the course participants had not
been to Mass in many years. She had made
decisions in her life which she felt restrict-
ed her from going back to the Church. As
she put it, she had fallen away and couldn’t
see why the Church would want her back.
Through the Discovery faith study, she real-
ized that God wants everyone, no matter
how far fallen, to come back to Him. She
was invited to go to confession and to return
to the Church. “This is too
good to be true!,” was her
heartfelt response.
Another student began the
course with many preconcep-
tions of the Church and objec-
tions to Catholic teaching,
especially in the
area of marriage
and family. As she
learned about
God’s desire to
have a personal relationship with each one
of us, she began to open herself up to Him.
By the last day, her perspective had changed
completely. “As I look to the future,” she
said at the end of the course, “I want to find
myself a good Catholic spouse and begin a
Catholic family.”
A third participant had also been absent
from Mass for a long time but was interest-
ed in learning about the faith. At the con-
clusion of a pivotal lesson, she opened her
heart to God and encountered Jesus in a real
and personal way. In the following weeks,
her joy was apparent. While student teach-
ing she was asked to coordinate the Advent
Liturgy for her host school. Though only
months before she had not been attending
Mass, she now enthusiastically organized
the Advent Liturgy for an entire school.
God is evidently using CCO to shape the
faith of future teachers. This is a gift not only
for the teachers themselves, but for the stu-
dents under their guidance. CCO is cur-
rently looking at the possibility of bringing
this course to education students at other
universities. By reaching out to teachers,
CCO strives to awaken faith in countless
young people, affecting eternity through
those who guide the future. ◆
“A teacher affects eternity; he can nevertell where his influence stops.”
Henry Adams, famous American historian
A F F E C T I N G Eternity353 Number of Teacher College students who have
taken the CCO program from 2004-2007
353 future teachers will teach approximately
x 25 students each year
8825 elementary and high school children influencedby teachers’ faith each year
8825 elementary and high school children influencedper year by teachers
x 30 years (average duration of teaching career)
264,750 young Canadian students influenced by theseteachers who have taken the CCO course
55
It’s easy to rely on yourself all the time.
That way no one can let you down. I
used to live my life believing that. I
grew to rely on no one; I foolishly believed
that I could be the maker of my own happi-
ness.
I’ve always been Catholic; I’ve always
gone to church and there was never really
any cause to question my faith. Life was rel-
atively quiet and simple. I knew God was
there, but I never took the trouble to
acknowledge Him or His love for me.
Upon entering high school, I quickly
realized that I had to make things happen
for myself in order to achieve the things I
wanted. I refused to rely on anyone, not
only because I was afraid of being let
down, but because I felt accomplished by
being independent and by figuring things
out for myself. I came to trust no one but
myself and began to question my faith.
My first year of university was a disaster.
I disliked my classes and I had no taste for
the atmosphere and typical university
lifestyle. Worst of all, I didn’t seem to have
any control over my life. I was miserable,
but couldn’t bring myself to admit the obvi-
ous: the big choices I had made all by myself
weren’t panning out.
I continued going to mass every week,
not because I had strong belief anymore, but
because I was desperate. I knew that I was
miserable and I knew that part of it was
because I didn’t have God in my life. So I
kept on going to mass, just in case God
turned up. At some point I started getting
involved in CCO events. My first impres-
sion of the people I met through CCO was
“Wow. These are some really nice, happy
people. How do I get to where they are?” I
started to learn a lot about the faith I had
lost, but that knowledge did not make it to
my heart right away.
The following September, I registered for
the CCO Fall Retreat. I was determined to
make my second year much better than my
first. One night, there was Eucharistic ado-
ration and confession. I spent a bit of time in
adoration, said my piece to God and decid-
ed there was really no need to stick around
in the chapel any longer. So I headed for the
beach. After sitting on the beach for a bit, I
suddenly felt the need to go to confession.
I guess God had bigger plans for me than
stargazing.
Confession was a scary thought, since
I had no idea what I was supposed to
say or do. I was nervous, but somehow
I managed to stammer my way
through it. The whole experience
wasn’t nearly as scary as I had
expected. On my way back to the
chapel, the concept that I had been
forgiven finally hit me. God
loved me so much that He
would take the time to for-
give me all my failings. For
the first time I knew in my
heart that I was loved. I walked back into
the chapel and I just couldn’t believe it - the
same God that had just forgiven me was
now truly present in the Eucharist in front
of me! It was an incredible feeling.
I started the new year of school knowing
that I had to change in my life. I had to put
my trust in God. I’d finally recognized
God’s love for me and that as a loving
Father, he only wants the best for me. I
know He has big plans for me and that I can
trust Him. I know and accept that He will
take care of me, that he will never let me
down. I’m excited to find out what God has
in mind for me! ◆
B y L A U R A M E R L I N I , C C O s t u d e n t f r o m H a l i f a x
God had Bigger Plans
66
campusC L O S E - U P S
F R O M A C R O S S C A N A D A
HalifaxDALHOUSIE UNIVERSITY
We had almost 60 Maritimers join us in
Quebec City for Rise Up, our largest dele-
gation ever! Empowered and equipped, stu-
dents entered the second semester with a
new zeal to see their campus won by Christ.
Many Rise Up attendees were moved to
lead their own faith studies and/or join
Impact! 07 in Vancouver. This is an answer
to our prayers for a rising-up of new lead-
ers on our campus. We recently hosted a
community breakfast attended by over 50
students, most of which
were new. We plan to
continue this breakfast
once a month to coincide
with the day CCO’s wor-
ship team leads music at
Mass. The men’s min-
istry in Halifax has also
been flourishing this
semester. After success-
ful mission and follow-
up weeks, we now have
approximately 20 new
men attending Discovery faith studies on a
weekly basis. This is good news for the
future of the Church here in Halifax!
ReginaUNIVERSITY OF REGINA
Our campus has seen many new people
come out to our events this year. Before
Christmas, we held a formal potluck,
Members of CCO Halifax.▲
which gave students an opportunity to
share their experience of CCO. Many
talked about how CCO is an anchor in their
life, bringing them closer to Jesus Christ
and new friends. We started this semester
by handing out Wagon Wheel cookies in
exchange for filling out a sixty second sur-
vey. This event drew many new people to
our faith studies. Many students are also
77
continuing into the Growth and Obedience
studies. In February CCO Regina worked
in collaboration with three other local
groups to put on the third annual Young
Adults Conference. Many rose to the chal-
lenge to embrace the fullness of their
Catholic faith. Our new CCO Regina t-
shirts say it all - “Seeing Lives Change
EVERYDAY!”
SaskatoonUNIVERSITY OFSASKATCHEWAN
With many students fresh off Rise Up in
Quebec and ready for a new year, we start-
ed the semester with our 60-second survey.
We handed out cotton candy in the tunnels
at the U of S while outside brewed what has
been affectionately named the “The Bliz-
zard of 2007.” Despite harsh weather con-
ditions we managed to meet with many
new students and get our faith studies up
and running. January ended with our pro-
gressive supper. This event has become so
popular that we
ran dual routes
for the first time!
The food and fel-
lowship was, as
always, awe-
some! Glory,
Adoration, and
Praise (GAP)
continues to be a
powerful event
in Saskatoon.
Each month we
are blessed to
have Father Marc Mireau join us for a night
of Adoration and Reconciliation hosted at
a different parish within the city. With many
great events planned for this semester, and
students anxiously preparing for Impact!
07, we can’t wait to see what God has in
store for us.
VancouverSIMON FRASER UNIVERSITY
This semester at SFU we introduced two
new events to help build a greater commu-
nity among students. For the leaders we
started a “Movement Leadership training”
afternoon. The other new event, called “The
Block”, is for all our students, led by the stu-
dents. The Block consists of skits, testi-
monies, praise and worship, and a guest
speaker. At the first Block we brought in a
married couple to speak about chastity and
purity. The next Block will be entitled “God:
fact or fiction”?
Our chaplain priest has become more
involved with the students, offering a “The-
ology Thursday” and joining the students
and CCO staff at lunch time. At the SFU
chapel, mass is currently “standing room
only”!
Our campus staff team is also strong and
healthy! Every morning we begin our day
with a reflection on the gospel and inter-
cession for our campus. We have seen the
fruit of this prayer through the
response of our students!
Students from CCO Regina.▲
Girls’ Night Out CCO Vancouver
▲
88
VINERS Andre Doucette, MelissaWestgeest, Lee Leonard, Aleisha Currie
▲
OttawaCARLETON UNIVERSITY
Carleton University has become a place
of high activity this semester. CCO has been
active with lots of faith studies and a bi-
weekly event on campus called “Be
Catholic on Thursday.” We’ve had great
attendance and students are beginning to
grasp their mission to reach out to others,
starting with their peers. This semester we
have seen a further increase in the number
of young students (1st and 2nd year) with
huge potential for leadership and hearts
fixed on Jesus. Astrong foundation is being
built up for years to come. Faith life on cam-
pus was shaken up, and lit up in the nation-
al media, when the student association put
severe restrictions on pro-life activities on
campus. This is not CCO’s area of work, but
the controversy generated a lot of concern
from students. This has had an effect which
we are capitalizing on: students are becom-
ing aware that their faith and their voice are
important. Many students have decided to
use Catholic Christian Outreach to grow in
that faith and take the message of the gospel
to all corners of Carleton. ◆
OttawaUNIVERSITY OF OTTAWA
Over 65 of our students attended Rise Up
in Quebec City. Everyone who attended
was eager to come back and share their faith
with fellow students. Our Mission week
began the week after Rise Up. We met
countless people interested in CCO and
many signed up for faith studies. Our
teacher’s college studies are also very big
this semester. Offered in both French and
English, they draw nearly 150 students. In
our second semester kick off event, “Fresh
Start”, Michael Hall gave a great talk on
beginning the new year. He also shared the
Ultimate Relationship with the 75 students
in attendance. The following week, André
Regnier (CCO Co-founder) spoke on hope.
It is a blessing to have so many students
involved in our studies, and to see them
increasing their leadership and outreach.
VancouverDOUGLAS COLLEGE
Students leading students is not new for
CCO, but it is a first at Douglas College. As
of this year, Douglas has a core leadership
team of five students. These students meet
every week for formation and planning.
Over the spring break they hosted their first
event, a brunch for 30 students, which was
a successful time of community building.
Students are also leading twenty per cent of
our campus faith studies!
Seven Douglas students made their way
to Quebec for Rise Up this year. Each of
them shared what God had done in their
lives with a number of other students at our
first event in January. Their excitement real-
ly set the tone for our semester. God is mov-
ing powerfully at Douglas College and stu-
dent’s lives are being transformed! ◆
99
In the summer of 2008, CCO will join thousands of people from all over the world
for the 49th International Eucharistic Congress. This historic event will take place in
Quebec City from June 15th to 22nd. The Congress will be centered on the
Eucharist, with opportunities for adoration, catechetical sessions, and the
celebration of Mass. It will be another transformative event for
Canada, comparable to World Youth Day in 2002.
We encourage you, ourfriends and supporters, to
join us in Quebec in 2008. The beautifully hand crafted ‘Ark of the New Covenant’ is now traveling
from diocese to diocese across the country to promote the Eucharistic
Congress. To see the Ark’s itinerary or for general information on the
Congress, visit www.cei2008.ca.
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CCO would like to invite you to join us in the New Evangelization throughmonthly financial support. Monthly donations provide CCO missionaries
with stable finances, allowing them to focus more time on campusevangelization. Please consider giving – we cannot do it without you!
You can helpcampus programs
Ark of theNewCovenant.
▲
1010
ver, making this city a prime mission field.
In fact, the Archdiocese of Vancouver, see-
ing the need for initial conversion in this cul-
turally diverse area, recently established an
Office of Evangelization, the first of its kind
in Canada. What a great time to be in Van-
couver!
Through study and hands on experience,
students on mission will be trained in the
work of evangelization. They will have
opportunities to be courageous in sharing
the Gospel through their summer jobs, com-
munity events, young adult outreach
events, small group faith studies, and parish
outreaches. Fifteen parishes throughout the
Vancouver Lower Mainland will be reached
on a weekly basis as IMPACTers participate
in Sunday masses and lead weekly faith
studies. Many more parishes will be
touched through weekend retreats and
evangelistic outreaches such as door to door
ministry and parish barbecues.
The IMPACT mission encourages young
people to share the Gospel message with
courage and conviction. Through their wit-
ness, missionaries call others to encounter
Christ and renew their commitment to the
faith. As Apostles to the Nations,
IMPACTers strive to bring renewed faith
and hope to our country.
Information about IMPACT can be
found at impact2007.cco.ca or by email:
West Coast here we come! Eight
years ago, CCO began a pro-
gram called IMPACT! Canada.
IMPACT! is a summer mission project that
combines summer work experience and
missionary service. Previous host cities
have been Ottawa and Halifax. Sixty stu-
dents from across Canada have been accept-
ed to IMPACT! 07 and will be in Vancouver
from May to August.
IMPACT! Vancouver - Apostles to the
Nations - is a response to the commission
of Christ to the apostles to be ‘witnesses to
the ends of the earth’. (Acts 1:8). Like the
apostles before them, students will bring
Christ to others through their words and
ministry. Following in the footsteps of saints
like Francis Xavier and Isaac Jogues, they
will share the Gospel with those who have
not heard of Jesus Christ. The Gospel mes-
sage is still unknown to many in Vancou-
“Impact Canadawas a blessingfor the youthfrom acrossCanada whocame to ourArchdiocese inthe summer of 2004. It provedto be a blessing also for theChurch of Halifax; we are stillreaping the fruits of this won-derful CCO program!”
Terrence Prendergast, S.J. Archbishop of Halifax
IMPACT! Vancouver 2007 Project Leaders : Jackie O’Donnell, Eric Chow and John HickeyAdditional project staff are: Holly Chevalier, Amber Zolc, Matthew Farnand, Christy Gaudet, Eric Myatt,and staff spouses; Vanessa Chow, Heather Hickey and Angie Myatt.
▲
I M P A C T ! 0 7
1111
My name is Patrick Fletcher. I live
with my wife, Corinne and our
daughter, Brigitte in Washing-
ton, DC where I'm currently working on my
PhD in systematic theology at the Catholic
University of America. The path to becom-
ing a professor of theology, however, actu-
ally began over ten years ago with my
involvement in CCO.
I was raised in Saskatoon, SK in a faith-
filled Catholic family. In the summer of
1993, while still a high school student, I
attended World Youth Day in Denver, Col-
orado with a group from my local parish.
Little did I know, some CCO students, along
with André Regnier, would be on our bus.
Of course, at the time what most impressed
me about André was his acrobatic ability to
walk along a diving board on his hands and
then flip himself into the swimming pool. I
didn't realize that the ministry he began
would later have a deep impact on me.
During my four years at the U of S (1994-
98), I was quite intensely involved with
CCO, participating in all the regular activi-
ties (meetings, faith studies, masses), as well
as leading music ministry and faith studies.
This was a time of deep growth in my spir-
itual life. Through the lived witness of staff
members and other students, I was chal-
lenged to develop a consistent personal
prayer time, and to frequent daily mass and
the sacrament of reconciliation. It was also
during this time that I began to develop a
strong love and passion for the Catholic
Church herself.
In 1997, I attended a CCO conference in
Edmonton. One of the speakers was André
Regnier. He challenged us to live our lives
and use our gifts for a higher purpose:
Christ. As I listened to his words, I became
convinced of God's call for me to serve him
through full-time work (until then my plan
had been to become a biology professor).
Two years after university and after
exploring various ministry options, I found
myself in St. Joseph Seminary in Edmon-
ton. At this time I began
studying theology and
immediately fell in love
with it. Although I real-
ized that the priesthood
was not my calling, I had
finally discovered an area
in which my heart and my
head could unite. I was
passionate about my faith,
but had assumed that
serving God full time
could only mean ministry.
Although I have always
been academically gifted,
I had thought that God
had no use for my intel-
lectual gifts. But through theology, God is
using both my passion for him and my aca-
demic gifts.
As I look around the world, I see a need
for well-formed professors of theology to
instruct the priests, lay ministers, and teach-
ers of tomorrow. God is calling me to serve
him by teaching others about him. Since
leaving the seminary five years ago, I have
continued my studies at Newman Theo-
logical College, the University of Alberta,
the Pontifical Gregorian University (in
Rome), and now the Catholic University of
America.
My vocation to teach theology is a union
of passion and my God-given gifts.
Through my involvement with CCO, that
passion for Christ was ignited and fueled,
impelling me to a calling that puts my gifts
directly at the service of my Lord. ◆
b y PAT R I C K F L E TC H E R , C C O A l u m n u s
Patrick,Corinne, anddaughterBrigitteFletcher.
▲
Patrick writes once a month for CCO.Check out www.cco.ca/tr.htm
to read his theological reflections.
A L U M N I I N A C T I O N
Passion and Calling
1212
R e t u r n u n d e l i v e r a b l e C a n a d i a n a d d r e s s e s t o :
C a t h o l i c C h r i s t i a n O u t r e a c h C a n a d a • 12 47 K i l b o r n P l . , O t t a w a , O N K 1 H 6 K 9 C a n a d a Telephone: (613) 736-1999 • Fax: (613) 736-1800 • Emai l : [email protected] • Web Si te: www.cco.ca
C A T H O L I C C H R I S T I A N O U T R E A C H C A N A D A
Catholic Christian Outreach is a university student movement dedicated to evangelization. Wechallenge young adults to live in the fullness of the Catholic faith, with a strong emphasis onbecoming leaders in the renewal of the world.
Jeremy Rude is originally from Vancou-
ver, and has been serving with CCO in
Saskatoon for the past three years.
“Although leaving the many people of
Saskatoon will be difficult,” he comment-
ed, “I am eagerly anticipating the expan-
sion of CCO to Queen's University. I will
be taking with me great experiences from
the U of S that have helped form me to be
a leader in my new mission field.” Christy
Gaudet will be named the new Saskatoon
team leader.
Jeff Lockert, CCO President, is also
enthusiastic about the new location.
“Kingston is a beautiful city on the St.
Lawrence Seaway, and is Canada’s oldest
English-speaking Roman Catholic Diocese.
It was founded on Janu-
ary 27th 1826, by the
division of the Archdio-
cese of Quebec, and
became an Archdiocese
on December 28th 1889.
The campus is also his-
toric and boasts of beau-
tiful architecture. It is a
picturesque place for young students to
learn and a great place for CCO to be offer-
ing all students the opportunity to have a
renewed relationship with Christ.”
A number of Queen’s students are famil-
iar with CCO and have attended various
conferences and retreats over the years.
These students will have the opportunity to
take leadership on their campus, reaching
out to their peers through CCO events and
initiatives. Please continue to pray for the
staff, students, and all those involved in the
CCO expansion to Queen’s. ◆
… CCOexpands
…cont inued f rom page 1
Father De Souza, Archbishop Emeritus Spence, andCCO President, Jeff Lockert at the celebrationwelcoming CCO to Queen's University.