How does the NCSC help me grow? Why should I join?

The Vision Statement of the National Catholic Student Coalition

How is the NCSC acting upon its vision statement?

Now I am a member, what do I do? What does the NCSC expect from its members?

What type of voice does the NCSC have, where does it have influence?

What’s the point of the conference? What should I expect?

How does someone without a strong campus ministry get involved in NCSC? What is the NCSC doing to reach out to these individuals and their schools?

Where does the NCSC stand politically?

How does the NCSC help me grow? Why should I join?

Read below and you shall see.

The Vision Statement of the National Catholic Student Coalition

Empowered by the Spirit, the National Catholic Student Coalition strives to embody Catholic identity for students from campus ministries at institutions of higher education in the United States of America.

By living the gospel in the modern world and gathering around our Eucharistic table, our student-directed coalition strives to promote within and among the groups we serve: formation of faith community, appropriation of the faith, formation of the Christian conscience, education for justice, facilitation of personal development, and development of leaders for the future.

To fulfill our vision, we commit to: participate actively in the Roman Catholic Church; represent U.S. Catholic students in national and international forums; encourage formation and support of regional, territorial, and state coalitions; provide opportunities for spiritual growth; affiliate with organizations with common goals; nurture leadership; offer opportunities for community service; provide positive Catholic role models; support vocational discernment; and facilitate career and faith integration.

How is the NCSC acting upon its vision statement?

The National Catholic Student Coalition (NCSC) is acting upon its vision statement by:

• hosting an annual leadership conference that provides an opportunity for a greater understanding of the Catholic faith and an opportunity to develop or foster personal faith;
• providing guidelines and consultation for the development of State and Territorial Coalitions;
• developing and passing Resolutions that reflect our voice on social and moral issues;
• providing a resource bank for its members;
• providing information on vocations; and
• providing a community to foster personal faith development.

Now I am a member, what do I do? What does the NCSC expect from its members?

The NCSC expects its members to strive to be disciples of Christ, integrating their personal faith and the teachings of the Catholic church into all aspects of their life. To accomplish this task and fulfill our vision statement we challenge our members:

• to lead through example as well as word;
• to be active members of their own faith communities;
• to become involved in state, regional, and national activities;
• to voice their thoughts, feelings, and ideas to the leadership of the organization and all those whose lives the member touches;
• to remember those that our society has marginalized, the poor; the hungry; the tired; the sick; the homeless; the imprisoned, and to reach out to them and to encourage others to do the same;
• to develop a personal faith and to practice that faith on a daily basis; and
• to support discernment for both religious and non-religious vocations.

What type of voice does the NCSC have, where does it have influence?

The NCSC voice reflects that of the Catholic church and its student members. It is as strong as you would like to make it. Our resolutions have provided a wonderful opportunity for our membership to voice its feelings on various social and moral issues.

There are also several partnerships that the NCSC has formulated that help us to bring this voice into being.

The NCSC consults with the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB).

The NCSC has a strong voice in the future of campus ministry through our associations with our own campus ministers and our partnerships with the Catholic Campus Ministry Association (CCMA) and the National Association of Diocesan Directors of Campus Ministry (NADDCM).

The NCSC has a voice in the international forum of Pax Romana, which includes the International Movement of Catholic Students (IMCS/IYCS), Canadian Catholic Student Association (CCSA), the Mouvement des Etudiant-e-s Chretien-e-s du Quebec (MECQ), and Jeunesse Etudiante Catholique (JEC). A member of our executive board attends their meetings, is in regular contact with these organizations, and has a voice in their resolutions.

The NCSC also has representatives or liaisons to several of the social movements of the Catholic church including Pax Christi. Finally, the NCSC sends representatives to various meetings and forums, including the Campus Ministry Leadership Institute (CMLI) and National Federation for Catholic Youth Ministry.

What’s the point of the conference? What should I expect?

The point of conference is to bring together a group of Catholic Students who are at different points in their faith journey, so that they can help each other grow in faith and community and nurture leadership for the next generation of the Catholic Church. The conference acts as a resource for those members who choose to attend by providing forums for discussion, opportunities to hear about various issues faced by Catholic students, and time to interact with students, campus ministers, vocation directors, and many others in both a formal and informal manner. The conference also provides a forum for the organization to establish its voice through the resolutions that we pass. Finally, the conference is an invaluable service because it energizes students and renews their faith, their sense of community, and their Catholic beliefs.

How does someone without a strong campus ministry get involved in NCSC? What is the NCSC doing to reach out to these individuals and their schools?

Someone without a strong campus ministry is encouraged to become an individual member of the organization. This will provide the student with all of the resources and opportunities of the NCSC, including discounts to our leadership conference.

The NCSC is fostering the creation of state and territorial coalitions that would provide a local forum for these students to grow in their faith. Through these organizations and the NCSC as a whole, an invaluable faith community is provided for these students to grow in Christ.

Through their liaisons with CCMA and NADDCM and the work of their leadership and members, the NCSC works to foster the growth of campus ministry in the United States. The organization offers its support and resources to any school working to form a campus ministry organization.

Where does the NCSC stand politically?

Since our members hold many different points of view the NCSC supports no political party or candidate. We do, however, address issues on the basis of the Social Teachings of the Catholic Church. Our resolutions reflect our concerns about specific moral issues.