Letter from the Chaplain

Greetings and Peace in Christ,

Welcome to the Catholic Campus Ministry at the University of Mary Washington and Germanna Community College! We’re happy you’re here as a part of the University and invite you to join us at one of our many wonderful events. When you do, you’ll find that we’re a community of good friends gathered in God’s grace; one that welcomes all who enter our doors. At the same time, we hope that all who join us will encounter God in our midst and be challenged to grow in a life of faith and virtue.

As Catholics, we’ve received a great number of gifts, given from God through the ministry of those around us. For instance, we have over 2000 years of tradition and wisdom handed down to us, a great history of blending faith and science, an even greater history of serving the poor, the Scriptures, the Sacraments, beautiful liturgical worship, and so much more.

As we proudly live our Catholic faith, we want to help each other to experience those same gifts of love and mercy that God has poured out for us in Jesus Christ. Our goal is to recognize the purpose for which we’re each created and called, and to learn to serve God and neighbor as we live out that calling.

 We do so by encouraging our students to: 1) grow in the love of God by a deeper prayer life rooted in a habit of regular confession, the Mass and eucharistic adoration;  2) forge friendships in Christ which last a lifetime through fun events and outings; 3) come to a deeper understanding of ourselves, our faith, and our world in the light of revealed truth, 4) recognize Christ in our neighbor, fostering a desire to love and serve those around us, the poor, and those in need; and 5) share and pass on the good news we’ve received in Jesus.

 We hope you will find our Catholic community a place to call a “second home” while studying in Fredericksburg, and we look forward to meeting you soon.

In the risen Lord,

Fr. Rich Miserendino

Chaplain and Director of Catholic Campus Ministry