RENSSELAER | The work of Campus Ministry has long been an essential stepping stone in completing the spiritual journey that students pursue at St. Joseph's College. Its work is long reaching and life changing.

Meeting the diverse spiritual needs of the students is accomplished only through cooperation and team work, and serving the less fortunate in the community can often be the best way of accomplishing this goal.

Campus Ministry was able to put that philosophy into practice last month by running a soup kitchen for the hungry Sept. 21 at St. Victor Catholic Church in Calumet City, Ill. Organized by Campus Minister Ary Nelson, the soup kitchen was staffed by 12 St. Joseph's College students.

Paul Wray, a junior from Wheatfield, was one of the student volunteers who walked away with a great message. "If I had to say one thing about the soup kitchen, I would say that an individual can take away from this a great sense of the need to help one's fellow human beings through rough times, regardless of that person's situation in life. It will help students get a much better view of those that are less fortunate than most of us on this campus."

Not only did Campus Ministry donate its time to feed the hungry, it also visited the elderly at the Rensselaer Care Center for a night of bingo games. Held Sept. 16, the bingo night was a huge success and fulfilling experience for all involved.

"I enjoyed seeing the residents laugh whenever I would make a joke about how we, as the self-proclaimed ‘Lucky Table,' never got close to any bingos until near the end. Eventually, some of the others joined in with sophomore Josh Garrison and me deciding if we should keep or fire the bingo callers. It was wonderful to see them interact and have fun," said sophomore Andrew Dudich from Danville, Ill.

Although the 14 college participants had a great time, what was most important to them was seeing the smiles on the faces of the residents. "What we did was no big deal to us, but to them it meant a lot. You don't have to do a lot of work to make a difference in the world," said sophomore Leigh Sattler from Holland, Ind.

"I realized that they might not be visited by their families very often, so we probably brightened their day by visiting them. I'm glad I chose to go," added freshman Monica Lohmuller from Fort Wayne.

- For The Times