Second semester has started, classes are underway, winter sports are nearing completion, and lent is almost here. 

Jon Givens

As a college seeking to be one of the greatest Catholic institutions of higher learning in the country, should our mission not be in line with the mission of the entire Church?

This seems acceptable, but what is the mission of the Church? Too many of us have no idea.

We can all get so caught up in our own traditions, prayer styles, and musical preferences that we forget that we are all working together for the Church, and the Church has one central mission that cannot be changed.

In the Apostolic Exhortation, “Evangelii Nuntiandi: On Evangelization in the Modern World,” Pope Paul VI wrote, “We wish to confirm once more that the task of evangelizing all people constitutes the essential mission of the Church.”

He later goes on to say that, “She exists to evangelize.”

If evangelization is the central mission of the Church and therefore becomes our central mission at Benedictine College, we must ask: Are we fulfilling that call?

I would challenge that if our efforts of evangelization are taking place solely at Masses, Bible Studies, or Eucharistic Adoration then we are not fully seeing the commission that Christ gave us to “go make disciples of all nations.”

Most importantly, we must all be on the same page, even if that means being on different pages.

Whether we worship at a Latin Mass, LifeTeen, Communion and Liberation, or FOCUS. we must all work toward the same goal.

If we can learn to spend less time challenging (or at time belittling) each other, we can spend more time in our efforts to fulfill the mission of the Church.

Our evangelization must also take place at sporting events, parties, and in our dorm rooms, and classrooms everyday.

St. Francis of Assisi said that we must, “Preach Christ at all times and, if necessary, use words.” We will change the world and this campus if we are loving and caring and if we do not attempt to place ourselves in a higher place of stature than those who do not attend Mass.

This evangelization is not about keeping score and adhering to all the rules, however important those might be. This evangelization is about love and living a life that places love above all else.

Jon Givens is a junior from St. Louis, Mo. and is majoring in mass communications.  He can be reached at This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it