FORT SMITH — Last fall, University of Arkansas at Fort Smith offered Catholic Campus Ministry a permanent meeting place with very nominal rent, but one obstacle stood in the way of their taking occupancy. The comfortable, spacious house at 504 N. 49th Street was located in a residential area whose neighbors were concerned about potential traffic and parking problems a campus ministry house might bring to their quiet block.
A university parking lot was located directly behind the house, but a narrow ravine separated the parking lot from the yard. In order to rent the house, Catholic Campus Ministry had to build a footbridge at a cost of more than $16,000. The students, after meeting with campus minister Jennifer Briselden, staff adviser Gloria Schneider and chaplain Father Patrick Watikha, AJ, decided to raise money by making an appeal at Sunday Masses in local parishes. They set a goal of $40,000 for the bridge and any other necessary renovations, monthly utility bills and program growth.
During the Sunday Mass appeals, a number of board members of the local Catholic Education Endowment Fund were in attendance. The group was contemplating its future. When CEEF was founded in 1988, none of the local Catholic schools had endowment funds but by 2012 every school had its own endowment program.
“At the time the students brought their appeal to every Mass,” board member Tony Toth said, “we had just gotten a $40,000 donation from an estate disbursement. When the students told the parishes about their situation, it caught many of our board members in their hearts. It’s a wonderful ministry and a great thing. We realized how hard it is for young adults that age to maintain their faith.”
The group decided to donate the estate disbursement to UAFS’s Catholic Campus Ministry, which, after raising an additional $20,000 from individual donations at Sunday Masses, had a $60,000 nest egg for its future.
Although the bridge hasn’t been completed yet, the CCM House is already bustling with activity. About a dozen students met with Schneider, Briselden and volunteers Jeff Hines and Janice McGrew for an initial walk-through and meeting Jan. 24, filled with dreams and plans for their new home.
By Feb. 2, the group had already had its first cleaning day, working inside and out to get the building clean and ready. The Knights of Columbus volunteered to help with yard work. Parishioners offered recliners, household items and other donations. Because Virtus-trained adults are needed to staff the house whenever it is open to students, Briselden is recruiting volunteers.
Brad Carney, a sophomore majoring in media communications, is one of a growing group of resident students.
“My CCM is my second family. I don’t get to see my family as often and CCM helps me make new friends and grow closer to God,” the Rogers parishioner said.
On Feb. 4, the CCM held its first in a series of Lenten prayer services, led by McGrew. On another evening, a volunteer couple served 20 CCM students their first meal in the house — a pasta dish with all the fixings, including paper plates and plastic ware.
Briselden has plans for praise and worship meetings soon.
CCM President Jennifer Verkamp, a senior Spanish major, is happy Catholic Campus Ministry’s dream for a permanent home has come to fruition before she graduates.
“Our new CCM house will help students to grow more spiritually as a community and family,” she said. “It will enable us to have more opportunities to get together during the week for things like Bible study, praise and worship and spending time with peers who share the same beliefs and morals. We will also have that physical presence on campus so more students will know about us and want to join our family. We are extremely grateful to our bigger community of the Fort Smith area. They have done so much for us through their support, prayers and love. We hope to be able to give back to the community as well.”
