College Student Sunday Encyclical, September 17, 2006
September 17, 2006
College Student Sunday
You therefore beloved, beware lest you be carried away with error…But
grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.
(II Peter 3:17-18)
The Hierarchs of the Standing Conference
of Canonical Orthodox Bishops in the Americas
To all the Clergy and the Laity of the Holy Orthodox Churches in the Americas
Beloved Brothers and Sisters in Christ,
As Hierarchs of the Standing Conference of Canonical Orthodox
Bishops (“SCOBA”) in the Americas, we greet you with the love of Christ,
on this first Sunday after the Feast of the Exaltation of His most
precious Cross. Each year, we designate this day as College Student
Sunday, a day when we ask all of you, our beloved faithful, to keep our
young college students in your minds, thoughts, and prayers as they grow
in the knowledge of Christ and learn to walk in His love.
For many students, the college years are perhaps the most formative ones
in life. The task of learning how to balance study and recreation, the
prospect of encountering challenging ideas in the classroom, the idea of
living in close quarters with a roommate who might offer an entirely
foreign worldview or perspective on life, and the first encounter with
total and complete freedom outside the family environment can be
altogether exciting experiences for the college student. However, they
can also be quite confusing and disorienting.
It is the common experience of many young college students that within a
matter of months upon entering college, and indeed throughout the
college experience, the college student is challenged by central
questions of identity: “Who am I? What am I supposed to do with my
life? Who do I consider my close friends in this newfound environment?”
are among the myriad of such questions. Inevitably, the question of
identity as it pertains to the question of God also arises, a question
that, once in the calm and comfort of home had been long taken for
granted, suddenly arises with a sharp pang as if from nowhere: “What
exactly is my religious identity?”
This question is a burning question that begs for an answer, and this
is precisely why the Orthodox Christian Fellowship (OCF) was instituted,
to provide Orthodox Christian students in college with a community to
support them as they seek the answers to the questions that they face.
Today, the OCF has over 200 chapters on college and university campuses
throughout North America. For six years now, OCF has been formally
reestablished as the official campus ministry of SCOBA, and its
evolution is noteworthy. What once began as a grassroots movement among
Orthodox Christian college students now receives our full and committed
support. Its impact on our Orthodox students’ lives is significant.
On many college and university campuses, Orthodox students have their
meals together, socialize together, and on some campuses have even
established formal housing arrangements with their college’s housing
departments. Though many students are able to attend a weekly Vespers
service through the visitations of a nearby priest who has placed
college outreach as a vital part of his active ministry, it is not
uncommon for Orthodox Christian college students and their friends to
travel to nearby Orthodox Churches for Sunday Divine Liturgy, Vespers,
and the full cycle of Lenten services. These students, who away from
their homes are seeking answers to burning questions of faith, bring a
renewed vitality and a passion for the Gospel which can very often serve
to energize the entire parish. They sing in the choir, chant the
Epistle, serve in the Altar, teach in Church School programs, and host
coffee hours. Their impact is noticeable, and their role in building up
the Orthodox Church is vital.
In affirming our support as hierarchs to our OCF program, we kindly ask
our clergy to take a collection from every parish to support this
important national ministry, which aids students in their search for
religious meaning and fellowship. Equally important, we ask that our
clergy afford college students in their parishes with the opportunity to
speak to parish members about their experiences with OCF during their
college years, and to be mindful of the many college and university
campuses that still do not have OCF chapters. Our national OCF office
in Boston, Massachusetts, is fully staffed with professionals who are
ready to assist students and area clergy who would like to begin the
process of starting a chapter.
With warm thanks for your support of this ministry, we extend our
heartfelt prayer to our college students that they may experience their
college years as St. Peter describes in his epistle, as years to grow in
the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.
With paternal blessings and love in Christ,
+Archbishop DEMETRIOS, Chairman
Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America
+Metropolitan PHILIP, Vice Chairman
Antiochian Orthodox Christian Archdiocese of North America
+Metropolitan CHRISTOPHER, Secretary
Serbian Orthodox Church in the USA and Canada
+Metropolitan NICHOLAS of Amissos, Treasurer
Carpatho-Russian Orthodox Diocese in the USA
+Metropolitan HERMAN
Orthodox Church in America
+Archbishop NICOLAE
Romanian Orthodox Archdiocese in America & Canada
+Metropolitan JOSEPH
Bulgarian Eastern Orthodox Church
+Metropolitan CONSTANTINE
Ukrainian Orthodox Church of the USA
+Bishop ILIA of Philomelion
Albanian Orthodox Diocese of America