Guests stepping inside Campus Ministry are greeted with a warm hello and a freshly brewed, customized selection from the stocked coffee bar. Chat in the bright kitchen or make oneself at home in the group gathering space. Find a place on a comfortable couch or take a seat around the table that holds many plates and conversations.

In recent years, Campus Ministry moved to its new, larger space within the Sr. Thea Bowman Center. In 2023, the kitchen was updated and remodeled.

If the 80 pounds of raw coffee beans roasted and brewed last spring semester are any indication, then Campus Ministry is on an upswing, explained Emilio Alvarez ’17, director. He said it is evident they are rebuilding to pre-COVID levels in terms of awareness and participation in retreats and activities.

While guests can pop in for a coffee drink when the Campus Ministry office is staffed,  Morning Mug, a weekly Campus Ministry breakfast bar and social event, draws many students, staff, and community members on Thursday mornings from 9 to 11 a.m. throughout the academic year. Many weeks, 50 or more people from the Viterbo community stop in to fill their cups, quite literally and figuratively.

Another way that Campus Ministry connects people and builds community is through Table of Plenty, an evening meal held each Monday at 6 p.m. in the fall and spring semesters. “Formerly known as Supper and Scripture, Table of Plenty brings students together to break bread and to share in the word of God,” Alvarez explained. Attendance averages 25 people per week.

During the academic year, Wednesday evenings are evenings of contemplation, with 5 p.m. Adoration and Mass at San Damiano Chapel. It is typically led by Fr. Conrad Targonski, university chaplain. This year, he is joined by Fr. Michael Weldon and Fr. John Abts, also OFM friars who have joined the Viterbo Community.

Another way for students of any major to get involved is to sing in the St. Francis Choir. Students even have the opportunity to grow their singing voices through voice lessons with St. Francis Choir Director Polly Pappadopoulos ’99.

Campus Ministry is also a hub for international students, where they find it is another place to feel they belong. “It doesn’t matter who they are or where they are coming from,” Alvarez said about Campus Ministry and its mission. “People can come in and be themselves. We strive to proclaim the Gospel in word and deed through programs that promote community, hospitality, and prayer,” Alvarez continued. “We take a lot of our values, especially our core values, and encourage our students to experience them in their lives.”

That experience includes opportunities to participate in several large retreats, including the SEEK Conference, where plans for Salt Lake City in 2025 are taking shape, and the Magnify Retreats, where Alvarez aims for one each semester. Bible studies and discipleship groups are components of these retreats that take students into other communities, and service projects are often included.

Last year, a Catholic Living Community was piloted. Alvarez described it as an intentional living community on campus, where students can live and grow together spiritually, emotionally, and intellectually.

Students can participate in Casa Hogar and serve their neighbors in Peru. “It is similar to how the Sisters came to this area to serve those in need,” Alvarez said. “We model this for our students so they can do the same here and in their home communities.”

Locally, Campus Ministry collaborates with the Diocese of La Crosse and Aquinas, Regis, and Pacelli Catholic High Schools, in supporting Casa Hogar scholarships. The collaboration also supports the La Crosse Diocese Journey Program, where several men discerning seminary volunteer at Viterbo and lead Campus Ministry activities throughout the week and on Friday evenings throughout the academic year.

“We are living the mission and vision the Sisters held, serving our neighbors, and teaching students to live these values. Our growth in Campus Ministry is all because of living witness of the FSPA to love like Jesus and their support and that of our Viterbo Community,” Alvarez concluded.