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.

Yes!I want to supportthe work ofCatholic ChristianOutreach

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forming futureleaders today

▼ ▼ ▼ ▼ ▼ ▼ ▼ ▼ ▼ ▼ ▼ ▼ ▼ ▼ ▼ ▼ ▼ ▼ ▼ ▼ ▼ ▼ ▼ ▼ ▼ ▼ ▼ ▼

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:

impact@cco.ca.

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 : hq@cco.ca • 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.