Student Giving

Can You Help Us Build a House on Stanford Campus?

There are no holy water fonts, kneelers in pews, and above all, no tabernacle. There are limitations in the times Catholics can worship in Mem Chu. The Catholics have the loan of an office on campus from which to do ministry, including confessions, among three campus ministers and for thousands of Stanford Catholics. Non-ministerial staff work from home.

While there is no Catholic space on campus, St. Paul reminds us that what is truly important is that we are individually “God’s building”. St. Peter, perhaps in reflecting on the “homeless Church” of his own time says: 

Come to him, a living stone, rejected human beings but chosen and precious in the sight of God, and like living stones, let yourselves be built into a spiritual house to be a holy priesthood to offer spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ….

This is the key to your understanding a Catholic Community on this campus. There is no building, but we all ARE a building, a spiritual building for the Lord in the midst of a Campus that needs the witness of our Catholic Faith. This demands that we each see ourselves as “living stones” that can be used by the Lord. It demands that we offer ourselves as spiritual sacrifices for the good of the Church and the world.

How do you do that?
What do you have to offer?

A traditional way of reflecting on this is to ask yourself what do you have to sacrifice in order to allow the spiritual edifice of the Church to be built?   

Some students give themselves to proclaim the scriptures, to provide beautiful music for worship, to serve communion, to set up and take down all the Catholic things in the shared space of Mem Chu.

Living Stones also contribute from their treasure to support the work of ministry. We don’t often speak of the financial reality of running our parish. We don’t take up a collection at Mass, because a condition of Mrs. Stanford’s grant was that no one was to make financial appeals inside the Church. This can contribute to the appearance that this is all magic.

Your CC@S community is dependent on donations and generosity to operate. It does not get a subsidy from the Diocese. The priests and ministers are not financed by Stanford. It all needs your support. This is another way in which you are called to be a “living stone” allowing you to be built into a spiritual edifice for the Lord.

CC@S has doubled down this year on FOCUSING ON YOU, THE STUDENTS, as we call you to be living stones. This includes establishing a pattern of giving to this ministry and other charitable organizations. Giving financially doesn’t have to do with the amount you give, BUT the heart behind your giving.

Giving financially doesn’t have to do with the amount you give,

BUT the heart behind your giving.

When you give financially, God is not after the amount, but rather, the attitude. Remember the parable of the poor widow, Mark 12 and Luke 21? And how God chose the next King of Israel: “The Lord does not look at the things people look at. People look at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart.” 1 Samuel 16:7.

If you love God and you love His church, be a part of what God is doing locally, here on Stanford campus. One way to do that is to volunteer and to give financially. Starting the practice of giving in college helps develop a pattern of philanthropy even as you ask yourself what is important to create a better world.

Remember it doesn’t have to be a big gift. Start the discipline today. What can you set up as a monthly gift to support your faith and the faith of other students at Stanford?  Are you willing to help others to learn to serve the world?

Generosity might look different for your parents than it does for you. Giving looks different in different seasons in life. BUT we should never neglect to give to the body of Christ. It is not to earn favor with God. You know God already loves you like crazy. Rather, it is because you KNOW that he loves you and it is your JOY to share with others. And YOU want to make a difference. 

Giving financially is a discipline, and it helps to have a set charity, like your faith community here at Stanford, to give to every month. Here is where you can click to commit to your new discipline of giving:

Student Giving

Here are some excuses that hold no truck with God:

·      “I can’t give to CC@S right now; I’m just starting out and I don’t have the money to do it.”

·      “I will start giving to church once I have a good job and can afford it.”

·      “CC@S doesn’t want my $10 - I want to be able to give them a lot of money! I think I’ll wait until I’m out of school.”

REMEMBER: It’s your heart, not the amount