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 two wonderful priests, Fr. Charles Gilley and Fr. Liju Augustine. Fr. Gilley and Fr. Liju offer daily Masses to the SJP community. In addition to these 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. Additionally, both Fr. Liju and Fr. Gilley are available on a weekly basis for any student who desires the Sacrament of Reconciliation or spiritual direction.

Retreats

St. John’s Prep has the largest and most extensive retreat program in the Diocese of Brooklyn. We have a retreat center on site that allows us to offer approximately 40 retreats each year at no additional cost to our students.

Fr. Liju Augustine organizes the retreat program assisted by many skilled faculty members, and select members of our senior class. Student leaders participate in two formation weekends each year that focus on their spiritual and ministerial development. The Campus Ministry Faculty Advisor team leads these formation weekends. Some of the themes for our student retreats include new beginnings (for our incoming freshmen), values and diversity, growing in Christian relationships, discipleship, vocations and service.

The Campus Ministry Formation Weekend

Members of the senior class attended the Campus Life Leadership Training workshop at the Don Bosco Retreat Center in Stony Point over the weekend for their annual formation weekend. The purpose of this retreat is to deepen the faith and spirituality of the seniors who have been selected to serve as retreat leaders, as well as to help them develop and strengthen the skills necessary in helping and coordinate retreats for the underclassmen. The team enjoyed a beautiful weekend filled with prayer, discussion, reflection and much laughter! The Campus Life Team members had a wonderful opportunity to reflect on their relationship with God, the SJP community and with each other.

Students came to recognize God’s presence within their family, friendships, nature, music, and even in the crosses in their lives. SJP's School Chaplain, Father Liju Augustine pointed out, "The weekend retreat provides ministry opportunities to heal hearts, mend relationships, strengthen faith and most importantly offer each student the time to reflect on God’s role in their lives and the many ways they can know Him more deeply – through prayer, service and reflection."The SJP mission is for each participant of the training to deepen their faith life, become confident in the gifts and talents that God has given them and be able to express that faith in such a way for them to be role models for our underclassmen.

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.

Please feel free to contact me with any questions that you may have concerning our Campus Ministry Program.

Fr. Liju Augustine

Director of Campus Ministry

718-721-7200 x. 630

[email protected]