Our Ministries on The Farm

Encounter Christ, Know God

• Small Faith Sharing Groups:  for undergraduates, graduate students, professional school students, year-round community members (includes faculty, staff and alumni). 

• Retreats: Leadership Retreats, Student Planned Spring Retreat, Silent Directed Retreat.

• Spiritual Direction & Pastoral Counseling: three priests and four laywomen are available to all segments of the community to explore life and faith issues, assist in life discernment, and offer support during spiritual crises. A significant amount of pastoral and addiction advising are dealt with within the context of sacramental confession.  

• D-Spirituality (Design Spirituality): this series is an application and expansion of Designing Your Life: How to Build a Well-Lived, Joyful Life by Bill Burnett & Dave Evens from the Design School of Stanford University. It includes a charism inventory and makes use of the Gallup’s Strength Finders inventory of talents.

• One-On-One Discipleship Training: these hour-long, weekly meetings last for an academic quarter in which the person is deepening their faith, developing an effective prayer life, making a vocational decision, struggling with a moral issue, pursuing leadership training, developing a spirit of justice and service, etc. Many participants are small faith group leaders who refine their skills in leading discussions and group prayer.

Liturgy (Worship & Sacraments)

• Sunday Masses
  Our Mass schedule during Stanford University’s COVID-19 lockdown is here: https://web.stanfordcatholic.org/sunday-mass
  Our Normal Academic Year Schedule: 10:00am, 4:30pm & 9pm in Stanford Memorial Church

• Daily Masses
  12:20 p.m. (Monday, Tuesday & Friday) in Memorial Church side chapel, and in the Sanctuary (Wednesday &Thursday).

• Confessions
  Before the Sunday morning and afternoon Masses, during adoration, as well as by appointment. Most confessions are by appointment.

• Adoration
  Tuesdays at 9:00 p.m. in the Old Union Sanctuary.

• Liturgical Ministries
  Music Groups, Altar Servers, Greeters, Set-Up Teams, Lectors, Eucharistic Ministers.  

• Sacraments
  RCIA, Baptism, Reception into the Church, First Communion, and Confirmation of students and children of graduate students, faculty, staff, coaches, alumni.

• Marriages
  Approximately 20-25 weddings occur at Memorial Church and a like number of couples are prepared for marriages elsewhere each year.

• Annulments
  When they arise.

• Participation in University Public Worship
  Ash Wednesday, Good Friday, and when invited to preach at Public University Sunday Worship.

Equipping Apostles: Service & Justice

• Immersion Trips & Justice Plunges
  Opportunities for students to learn and to serve are offered during the Thanksgiving Break and Spring Break
  Day trips for students are called ‘plunges’ and include ecology experiences in Santa Cruz, and justice experiences at the Catholic Worker.

• Service Opportunities for students: cooking for the homeless, working at Common Roots, spiritual care volunteering by bringing the Eucharistic to Stanford Hospital patients

Other programs for All Community: Rebuilding Together the Peninsula, Giving Tree Family Programs, Ethical Trade Sale and Rice Bowl programs of Catholic Relief Services.

Forming Faith and Intellect

• Lectures
  Newman Nights Lectures as well as Thomistic Institute lectures, weekly graduate students Community Nights

• Interfaith Activity
  Varies from year-to-year, some past activities include: lunch with the Jewish Student Association, dinner and discussion with Ba’hai students, participation in Muslim Eid Festival, and Lutheran-Catholic Dialogue.

• Catechesis of the Good Shepherd
  A Montessori program for the children of graduate students, faculty, staff, alumni

Forming a Supportive Community

• Social Activities
  Student-led special dinners, graduate student parties and Trivia Nights, graduate student hikes, community-wide parties to enable all segments of the community to interact (Summer Picnic, Epiphany Party, & Mardi Gras).

• Small Faith Sharing Groups
  Small Faith Sharing Groups led by the students provide a safe-haven for students and permanent community to explore their faith, share their struggles and successes, and provide mutual support.