Prayer & Worship
- MC Hammer from his hit song Pray (1990)
So, at the Catholic Center, I bet you think we just pray a lot... well, we do... but you might be surprised at the different ways we come to talk to God and learn about that relationship with God, which should be the most important thing in our lives. Here is just a glimpse of the some of the things we do here at the Catholic Center.
Mass
As Catholics we believe that the Eucharist is the Source and Summit of our Faith, it is truly the Body and Blood of Christ and it is our Tradition to continue the celebration of the Lord's Supper handed down to us from Jesus through the Apostles. As part of our duty as Catholics, we attend Mass every week, and here at the Catholic Center, we adjust the schedule of Masses to suit the needs of our students. We have a Mass on every campus on weekends and daily Mass is available at the Catholic Center each day. We hope to see you there!
Mass is not a play or show that we sit as an audience, but fully participate in our responses. Some are called to take a more active role, by assisting at Mass as an Eucharistic Minister, Lector or Musician or Singer.
Eucharistic Adoration
While our celebration at Mass is personal, it is also a Communal Celebration with the People of God. Eucharistic Adoration allows that action of the Sacrifice at Mass to be paused so we may have time to contemplate our Lord individually or just marvel at the Real Presence of Christ. Almost every Monday evening we have the opportunity to come and pray in front of the Blessed Sacrament and spend some quality time with Jesus in our Chapel at the Catholic Center.
Confession
Many students come to Rutgers to gather the skills they need to survive in the world today and to come to truly know who they are. In the confessional, we feel the consoling words of Christ, we rid ourselves of those things we desperately want to let go of, and we are given the Grace needed to continue the good fight in our lives. We offer the Sacrament of Reconciliation every Monday evening and a priest will always happily meet with you whenever you feel the need, just ask.
Personal Prayer
Many times, students mimic the words of Luke 11:1 asking for help in learning to pray. We have included a few sites that might help in deepening your prayer life, all open in a new window. Being prepared for the Readings of the Day at Mass can definitely make you more aware of Christ's presence in your life and allow you to pray when the lector is proclaiming the word in a much clearer way then if you are hearing the reading for the first time. We also are blessed with many feast days for Saints of the Church, click here to find out more about the Saint of the Day. Finally, one of the things that we love to do as Catholics is to pray the Rosary, well this site allows you to pray online! We also would like to share a few Common Catholic prayers with our students.
As always, anything you are struggling with or want God's assistance can be prayed for by entering an intention in our Prayer intention box in the back of the Catholic Center chapel.
Weddings
We are blessed to know many individuals through their college years who have come to find the one person in their life they plan on marrying. We can and do hold Weddings here at Rutgers, but due to our unique nature as a Campus Ministry, we ask that you understand our Wedding policies and call us as soon as possible to make for as little stress as possible.Holy Orders/Religious Life
Some of our students find that through their discernment they might be called to Relgious Life as a Priest, Brother or Sister. One must only look at our own chaplains, Bro. Ken and Fr. Keith as RU alums that heard that call and answered it. If you are considering a call to the religious life or just have some questions, do not hesitate to talk to any one of the chaplains at the Catholic Center. You may also find the Office of Vocations a helpful guide.Anointing of the Sick
While we pray that none of our students, faculty or staff are ever injured or seriously ill, sometimes this does occur and Fr. Peter and Fr. Keith will be available for this Sacrament when they occur. You can call the Catholic Center (732)545-6663 or if this occurs after-hours you can use the Emergency number: (732)545-6185.