Chaplain Fund

"What a joy it is to be back at JCU! It feels really special to be back as a Jesuit in a place that was so important to me and so many of us.

One of the things I have been tasked with is expanding our existing programming to reach more students who wouldn't normally interact with Campus Ministry or the Jesuits. I want to meet students where they are regardless of their faith tradition or lack thereof. The best part of my job is that I am in our student's corner, no matter what. All young people deserve to have someone that they can come to with anything. I'm really proud that so many students find that with me. I could use your help to reach more students and to provide more opportunities to create community and a sense of belonging. One of the things I am excited about is a new initiative I've created called Brothers' Keeper.

Brothers' Keeper: an intentional community of care and accountability for men on campus. Nationally, young men have soaring rates of anxiety and depression and they are dropping out of college at extraordinary rates. Brothers' Keeper is an intentional community for guys to connect in a small group of other guys under the guidance of a male mentor once a month. In between meetings the students connect one on one with each other for a check in about life is going. We just started this program and 45 men signed up. The hunger is there! The antidote to loneliness is community. We are building a tremendous community of care. With your help we can grow this program to reach more young men.

“There’s no space on campus that provides a space like this for men to be themselves, be vulnerable, authentic, talk about their challenges, and be open to growth. This is the type of community that was missing. I’m graduating in a few weeks, I wish I had this sooner.”
- Senior at JCU

Thank you for your generosity!

Br. Matt