Campus Ministry Overview
The Office of Campus Ministry is responsible for the spiritual and faith development of the St. John’s Prep community. There are three major ways this mission is accomplished: liturgy, retreats, and service.
Liturgy
St. John’s Prep is blessed to have Fr. Charles Gilley to offer Mass to the SJP community. In addition to weekly Masses, we have solemn Mass at the beginning of the school year, Thanksgiving, Advent, and Holy Week. Reconciliation services take place during Advent and Lent.
Retreats
St. John’s Prep is proud to offer one of the largest and most extensive retreat programs in the Diocese of Brooklyn. Through the collaboration of faculty members, student leaders, alumni, and our partners at St. John’s University Campus Life, students are provided with meaningful retreat experiences that foster faith, leadership, service, and community.
Not only do we host retreats and formation experiences on our own campus, but our students also participate in leadership workshops and retreat experiences at St. John’s University as well as at retreat locations such as the Marist Brothers’ Center at Esopus in upstate New York.
A team of faculty members and select student leaders from the senior class help plan and facilitate retreats throughout the school year. Student leaders participate in annual formation weekends focused on spiritual growth, leadership development, teamwork, and ministry. These experiences provide opportunities for prayer, reflection, discussion, and community building while preparing students to serve as mentors and role models within the St. John’s Prep community.
Themes throughout the retreat program include new beginnings for incoming freshmen, Christian values, relationships, discipleship, vocation, service, leadership, and personal growth. Retreat experiences encourage students to deepen their relationship with God, strengthen friendships, reflect on their faith journey, and recognize God’s presence in their daily lives.
The mission of the St. John’s Prep retreat program is to help students grow in faith, become confident in the gifts and talents God has given them, and develop the leadership skills necessary to positively impact the school community and beyond.
Click on this link to view a video of our Campus Ministry Program
Service
One of the values that we instill within our students is the recognition of the intrinsic dignity and value that exists in every human person as a result of being created by, and the image of, God. With this knowledge comes responsibility, and at St. John’s Prep our students understand it is their Christian duty to care for their neighbor as well as themselves.
Campus Ministry provides many opportunities for students to serve others. St. John’s Prep students have participated in NY Cares Days and overnight service-learning projects as well as serving in local soup kitchens.
Additionally, our students are involved with the non-profit organization Handcrafting Justice. The St. Vincent de Paul society, The Catholic Worker, and the Junior Ladies Charity are clubs dedicated to community development through service projects.