cover photo by ANTONETTE JEMELKA
FORMING APOSTLES FOR THE CHURCH AND THE WORLD
photo by MANNY MORENO ‘18 “Jesus has slowly convicted my heart through the sacraments, priests, and various events at this church, of the need to go out into the community and serve and, more importantly, invite others to come with me.”
–Karen Leal ’18 3
“We are moving forward with the mission of forming the leaders of tomorrow with integrity of character. These leaders will be the ones to strengthen the Church in this day and age.”
–Fr. Brian McMaster, Pastor
THE MISSION of St. Mary’s
photo by JON SORIANO ‘17
We believe the mission of St. Mary’s Catholic Center - to form apostles for the Church and the world - is one of the most important in the Church today. St. Mary’s ministers to the innermost depths of a person’s being through the sacraments, community, and through the teachings of the Catholic faith. Our church is the spiritual home for the estimated 17,000 Catholic college students attending Texas A&M University and Blinn College. Even so, there is a place for everyone here. We strive to help these students deepen their relationship with Christ, whether they are just starting or have been following Him for a long time.
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With growing desires in the hearts of students, St. Mary’s is always offering new programs and opportunities. To provide a dynamic and inviting Catholic campus ministry, our church must raise $2.25 million each year outside of the Sunday offertory collection to maintain our annual operations (everything from our student activities to the electricity). We look to parents, former students, current students, permanent parishioners, and friends of the ministry to provide this support. As we work to form the next generation of leaders for our communities, we ask you to partner with us by making a gift in support of our student organizations and programs. Since our entire mission is focused on serving students of Texas A&M and Blinn, we do not have the resources of a typical parish. With weekly pew collections supporting only 20% of our annual operational costs, we look to our Aggie Catholic family to help us sustain our ministry.
photo by JON SORIANO ‘17 “St. Mary’s provided me with my home, my community, and my purpose - to love and be loved by the person of Jesus. Through readily available sacraments, Women’s Ministry, and the intentional love of the leaders and staff, St. Mary’s has set my heart ablaze to go and do the same for others - provide a welcoming, loving environment where one can feel known.”
–Lauren Powers ‘18 6
Spiritual Statistics MASS ATTENDANCE
Daily // 250 - 300 Weekend // 3500 - 4000 Home Football Weekend // 4000 - 4500
FAITH FORMATION
RCIA & Confirmation // 126 This Year
STUDENTS SERVING IN LITURGY EMs, Lectors, & Altar Servers // 500 +
CURRENT STUDENT INVOLVEMENT In One or More Organizations // 2200 +
RECONCILIATION Offered 6 Times / Week
ADORATION
Available for 1500 + Hours / Year
STUDENT CENTER
Open 7 Days / Week, 5540 + Hours / Year
DOCUMENTED AGGIE VOCATIONS Priests & Brothers // 115 Women Religious // 18 Deacons // 38 In Formation // 70*
*This includes the 9 Aggies that entered in fall 2018
WAYS TO GIVE & Payment Options
Gifts of all sizes are greatly appreciated in reaching this year’s fundraising goal of $2.25 million for our annual operational needs. Some of the ways you can support St. Mary’s include: • Making a major gift of $5,000 or more to fund dynamic and impactful experiences for students - retreats, vocational discernment programs, and much more! • Serving as a match donor for one of our four matching challenge events. See page 13 for more information. • Joining the Living Faith Society, our monthly online giving program. You can “sponsor” a student’s time at St. Mary’s by making a monthly gift in honor of him/her. Your gifts can be made: • Online - aggiecatholic.org/give • By mail - 603 Church Avenue, College Station, Texas 77840 • For stock transfers or IRA charitable rollovers, please call (979) 846-5717 or email giving@aggiecatholic.org
AUTO BANK WITHDRAWAL (e-check / ACH)
CREDIT CARD (Visa, Discover, MasterCard, American Express)
CHECK (made to St. Mary’s)
*Contributions are tax-deductible as allowed by law unless otherwise noted. St. Mary’s Catholic Center is a 501 (c) (3) non-profit corporation, federal EIN: 74-1616577.
photo by ANTONETTE JEMELKA “St. Mary’s has given and taught me so much through the years, and one of those things was to give, even when you have very little.”
–TJ Poynor ‘18 9
“It’s taken me pretty much all semester to ponder the question of why it’s so comfortable at St. Mary’s and why it’s a place that so many want to gather. Then I realized that it’s in the name. Mary is our Blessed Mother and our home. She has so much love to give and that’s directly reflected in St. Mary’s and the people who gather there.”
–Elyssa Nunez ‘20
“John 15 is a vessel in which I have been able to encounter Christ in a more intimate way and journey with others who pursue His heart with the same longing. The witness of a community that is so joyful and passionate and striving to be more fearless disciples has been an inspiration, and everyone a part of it has become family. From this experience of fellowship and love, we are able to invite others from all walks of life into our walk with Christ and act on our call to be missionaries.”
photo by STEPHEN KOCMOUD ‘19
–Bethany Busa ‘20
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Our History Catholic campus ministry began at Texas A&M in 1904 when Msgr. John Baptist Gleissner Pastor of St. Joseph’s in Bryan at the time encountered six cadets willing to walk six miles to attend Mass every Sunday. He began holding Mass in an A&M classroom, but this space soon became too small to hold all the faithful Aggies. Over the next 100 years, several construction projects were completed. But, even with the new chapel completed in 1940, students were still standing and kneeling on the front steps to participate in Mass. Since then, St. Mary’s has evolved into a truly unique parish. In 1982, we were able to become a student-focused parish, offering programs that appeal to and challenge the students at Texas A&M and Blinn. The once small mission church has become a place of spiritual and religious sustenance for innumerable students; a home away from home for our beloved Aggies.
photo by ANTONETTE JEMELKA
Our humble beginnings led to an expansion great enough to require a $3.5 million annual budget, and we are currently in a new church campaign with a working goal of $20 million. But, we are not done growing! More students find their home here each year - all glory be to God!
MATCHING
Challenge Gifts Please consider joining a unique group of families by making a special gift of $1,000 or more as a match donor for one of our matching challenge events. Our goal is to raise $175,000 in matching challenge gifts this year. Donations received during these challenge events will be matched dollar for dollar up to the amount raised in matching gifts.
YOUR GIFT as a match donor
Matching Challenge Events • Fall Matching Collection (October): at all Masses during one of the largest home football game weekends. • Spring Matching Collection (April): at all Masses during A&M’s Family Weekend. • St. Mary’s Gives (November): a one-day online giving event hosted through social media, email, and web. • LFS* Appeal (July - September): all new or increased monthly Living Faith Society gifts received by mail, online, at Mass, or by phone will be matched.
ALL OTHER DONATIONS from the collection at all Masses and online gifts
INCREDIBLE SUPPORT for student organizations and programs
*LFS is St. Mary’s online giving program. 13
THANK YOU FOR YOUR SUPPORT!
photo by JON SORIANO ‘17
“Magnify allowed me to be re-grounded in my faith at a time when I truly needed it. Being in the presence of the Lord while surrounded by hundreds of Aggies was so awe-inspiring. The feeling of community and welcomeness was palpable, even for someone that knew hardly anyone there.”
–Maegan Sanders ‘19 15
“I GREW UP IN A FAMILY WITH A STRONG CATHOLIC IDENTITY AND WE ATTENDED A TRADITION-ORIENTED PARISH. AS I GREW OLDER, I STRUGGLED TO FEEL A SENSE OF BELONGING AT OTHER PARISHES BECAUSE I OFTEN FELT THAT THE DESIRE FOR COMMUNITY OVERSHADOWED THE RICH TRADITION, DEEP DOGMA, AND BEAUTIFUL LITURGY OF OUR CATHOLIC FAITH. WHEN I STARTED AT TEXAS A&M, I HONESTLY THOUGHT MY EXPERIENCE AT ST. MARY’S WAS GOING TO BE THE SAME. WHAT TOOK ME BY SURPRISE WAS THE UNIQUE WAY IN WHICH THE WELCOMING AND JOYFUL CHARISM OF ST. MARY’S COMPLEMENTED OUR FAITH. DOCTRINE WAS NEVER ‘WATERED DOWN’ FOR THE SAKE OF MASS APPEAL. RATHER, THE JOY OF THE PARISH COMPLEMENTS TEACHINGS OF THE CHURCH. THE COMMUNITY CULTIVATED AT ST. MARY’S BLESSES ME WITH FORMATION AND FRIENDSHIPS THAT CONTINUE TO CHALLENGE ME TO PURSUE A MORE INTIMATE RELATIONSHIP WITH CHRIST IN MY DAILY LIFE.”
–Abigail Lozano ‘19