Episode Transcript
[00:00:00] Speaker A: Foreign.
[00:00:10] Speaker B: Welcome back to another edition of our diocesan podcast, Big City Catholics, with Bishop Robert Brennan, the Diocesan Bishop of Brooklyn. This week's edition is part one of two, where Bishop Brennan interviews participants at the annual Sikh Conference held last week in Washington, D.C. filled with thousands of college students in collaboration with Focus Missionaries, this conference is an incredible and exciting time in the history of our local church. Let's take a listen to what Bishop Brennan and his guests have to say.
[00:00:44] Speaker C: So I'm here with Omar Cortez, the director of campus ministry at Queen's College. But I've known you even before you started at Queen's College. I knew you from St. Leo's parish. Tell us a little bit about yourself.
[00:00:55] Speaker A: Yeah, I grew up in Saint Neo's I moved from Richmond Hill and moved to Corona. And Saint Neo's is like the home away from home. And I was 10 years old, became an altar server. I helped out with the catechism for a long time. The youth group. I went to the school there. That's my home. That's the place where I got to really develop my relationship with the Lord. And I was given the opportunity to be the director of Religious education at a very young age. 24 years old, missed the pandemic. And yeah, there's a lot of moments where you depend on the Lord and you're just like, wow, like, I need help here. And in those times of need is when, like, his light shines the brightest. So that's where I grew up. I'm a Corona kid. I brag about Corona to everybody. Cause growing up, people would ask, where's Corona? And I'd be like, well, it's the greatest place in the city.
[00:01:47] Speaker C: So some great food in Corona.
[00:01:50] Speaker A: Oh, I love the food.
[00:01:51] Speaker C: And it really is a part of the diocese with various parishes. Corona, Jackson Heights, Elmhurst, that general area. We have parishes where the faith is strong and there are lots of people going to many Masses throughout the day. I'm always renewed when I get to visit in the Corona area. And certainly, yes, St. Leo's it seems like that kind of a place, a home away from home. You were doing catechetical ministry and important work there. And I remember, remember this at the time, Father Jose Diaz and I were doing some work with some of the transitions at campus Ministry at Queens College. And we were bringing Focus, the Focus missionaries in. But we also knew that we needed a full time campus ministry person to work and to coordinate all of the campus ministry and to serve the ministerial needs of our students. And at the very same Time you had mentioned to Father that you were starting to get ready for a change, that you enjoyed the work with catechetical ministry, but you were looking to expand a little bit.
[00:02:57] Speaker A: Yeah, I went to St. John's University.
My degree is in public relations, and I worked in the sports industry for a while. I was a marketing intern for the New York Mets. I did some team operations work for the Yankees as an intern.
So I always assumed that was God's gift to me in my career, like just having the chance to work in that industry. But the pandemic kind of changed that direction, and that's when I took the job at Saint Neo's So the intention was to go back into that industry.
And I went to Father Jose for a spiritual direction, and he hits me with wild curveball and says, hey, would you like to be a campus minister? And at the time, I was like, where is this going? Oh. I'm like, no. Like, oh, man. Right.
But as soon as I got into the car, I'm like, why not? Because in my time in catechism, in my time in youth ministry and just the youth in New York, I see the strong desire and the strong restlessness that young people have in seeking the Lord. And in a city like New York, there's so many avenues that tell you, well, this is where you'll find happiness. And it might be places where God isn't there, in a sense, where it's a life of sin or et cetera. And it's just so easy to be blinded by that. So when Father asked me about the ministry at the college and basically broke down what he liked, what I did in the catechism program, I was like, okay, it sounds like it's exactly right in my sweet spot, where I get to be vulnerable with students and students get to be vulnerable with me, and we get to break down that wall and say, hey, there's an opportunity for the Lord to do some work there in your heart, and that's part of the job.
[00:04:44] Speaker C: Sounds like it's been very rewarding for you.
[00:04:47] Speaker A: Yeah, very rewarding, because you see the students grow. I actually had an opportunity during adoration last night to just take off my glass from Jesus for a while and look at my students, and I see my students praying, right? And I grew up in a world where even amongst my family, they're not that devoted to the Eucharist.
I grew up in the church, but there wasn't really a strong Eucharistic devotion that we have today or what I see now.
So to see My students just, like, praying and just being vulnerable and just having that intimacy. I just look back and I'm like, wow, Lord, this is so fulfilling. More fulfillment than my previous career. You see the kids grow up. You see them walking into the room the first time scared, or they're just like, I don't know what I'm doing here. And over time, they're just, like, in love with Jesus.
[00:05:45] Speaker C: Well, let's talk first about your own job. So you have a responsibility serving them their ministerial needs, but also, you're sort of a bridge for us with the college itself. So you interact with college administration, and it seems like you've been pulled into some of that world.
[00:06:01] Speaker A: Yes, I do work a lot with the administration at the college. We want to have a good relationship with Queens College, with the president, with Student Affairs. We're offering a service that it's free for them. The college isn't paying anything on that end. And we're providing a service that helps attract certain people to that college. We have an amazing Newman Center. And I walk into the doors and I'm like, how can I help? As long as it doesn't conflict with our values.
[00:06:28] Speaker C: There's a large interfaith community there on the floor, and you have interactions with the other interfaith leaders and with the college administration. But we actually have some space. There's an actual Catholic space on that floor, and that goes back a couple of generations ago when with the building of the student unions. The diocese, I understand, made a contribution toward the building, and in return got that perpetual and exclusive space. And so now you're using it really, really well. Tell me about the space itself, like, and. And how you are using it.
[00:07:00] Speaker A: Yeah, so what we did is it's a blank canvas for us. That's the first thing that Father Jose and I agreed on. Well, in terms of the community, in terms of the space, in terms of the. I guess another word for this charism of what the center would look like. Everything's blank. It's a fresh start, and that's a great opportunity. So we saw how students interacted with the space, how many students were going to pull in. We realized right away that the chapel that was already there was too small for the population that was starting to come in, and we were attracting a bigger crowd, and we saw the chapel had its good use. If we're masked there, and we were like, well, what do we want? That goes with a lot of conversations Father Jose and I have about the vision of the center. We want it Eucharistic centered. We want students to have a devotion to the Eucharist. That's like the most important priority. So when we were like, okay, we can't have Mass in the chapel, but we still want a chapel. It's going to be Eucharistic operation chapel. And then this is Father Jose's vision, actually. He's our spiritual director. He's our chaplain. And the way he wanted us to have that devotion with the Eucharist is through the Sacred Heart of Jesus. That intimacy. And even aesthetically, the ceilings are low. And there are so many limitations there with the chapel. It just made more sense to make it a cozy place. Go in there.
[00:08:17] Speaker C: And then the lodging place, you have daily Mass there, Monday through Thursday, Right. And there are certain days that it's like an activities hour, right?
[00:08:24] Speaker A: Yes. So during the free hour, we'll have Mass, and then throughout the day, it's kind of like a lounge. Sometimes we'll have events there. That's where we'll have our dinners. We'll have our events on Thursdays. And that's a place where people hang out, do their homework. It's a multipurpose room. We're still continuing the renovations there. We're seeing how students interact with the space. They really like using the toaster oven that's there and whatnot. They'll bring their food. We've saved students a lot of money with the food stuff there. And even in interactions like those where it's like, oh, I could bring my food here and I don't have to go out and buy, that's a service that we're just providing that doesn't cost us much. But for the students, it means the world. And it's great that the students call it home.
[00:09:07] Speaker C: That's what it is. We want it to be home. We want it to be home. I find that my own experience when I went to St. John's at the time, it was a commuter school, a big, big school, lots of students, and you needed some kind of a niche, some kind of a home. And I had it in one group I belong to. And yeah, it's a place where you could kind of hang your coat up and drop your books and just be there, do some homework, catch up with people, eat and bring your food in. I don't think we had a toaster oven. So you guys are. Or coffee. You have multiple coffee machines, if I remember right.
[00:09:43] Speaker A: Yes.
[00:09:43] Speaker C: But it's great that we can just be at home because our faith life is not separate from our daily life. And that's what I think is so important. And that's a service you provide. It's part of the daily life. And you know, in a college, the other thing, a lot of people go back to their dorm rooms or something in between classes. There's a place to go in between, right?
[00:10:06] Speaker A: Yes. I'm so happy that when students tell me like, oh yeah, I finished my classes like an hour ago, two hours ago, and I'm like, well, when I was at St. John's I would have just gone straight home. Like, I have a long day, I'm sorry, I'm going home. I don't want to be on campus. But the fact that students like their day ends and they still hanging out at the center, they're still chit chatting or sometimes they're doing homework. I'm very proud of the work that Father Jose and I have done in that aspect because I noticed two things with the youth in New York. The first one is the lack of the sense of ownership of things. And that really disorients the relationship with God because they don't know how to take care of their own things. They don't know how to take care of self. And to have a place like that where they feel welcomed. I don't know how home is for them, but there are actual houses or whatnot. But when they do come to the college, it's a safe space for them and they take care of it. Students will sometimes clean, sometimes students will ask, how can I help? And they take responsibility. And for me, blessings and responsibilities go hand in hand. And students are learning that just with the space alone. And the second part, the second element of this is that when I was at the Yankees, I learned right away luxury and whatnot, really just a sense of belonging, a sense of home. And when I learned that like going into like the five star hotels, it's really just being treated like a human being. I was like, oh, that I know how I could do this evangelically. So when I learned about the space of Father Jose, I was already having ideas of like, I remember the Inky's clubhouse and how the guys fall at home. This is kind of what I want to bring here. Like the services that we have, the conversations that go down, like the free food, snack stations and whatnot. And kids grow there and they love it. That's their safe haven away from everything. And I love how aesthetically it's starting to come out because now we have the best room on campus, the chapel. We have the most beautiful space on campus. Now that's their home. For me, it's like a fourth taste of heaven.
[00:12:08] Speaker D: So.
[00:12:09] Speaker A: So it's like that's the refuge. So now it's all like, the disorientation is all starting to, like, clear up. And kids are starting to see that path to Christ, that darkness is slowly going away that we're so accustomed to in New York. And just with the space alone, that's just that one aspect alone. There's various other parts in the ministry.
[00:12:29] Speaker C: That this year you came into doing all of this cleaning out. I mean, the first thing you had to do was clean. And the school kind of responded in kind. Like when they saw you taking care of the space, they addressed some of the physical issues of the space. And we're really grateful for that. But I think that's, like I said, a sign of them seeing what you're doing, the responsibility you're taking. But now, this year, you came in as, okay, we did this last year. And how did it feel coming back this year just hitting the ground running?
[00:12:58] Speaker A: Well, the first thing I was scared of was a sophomore slump. Father Jose, over the summer and I, we would just talk about, like, how do we avoid a slump? We usually will sit down and, like, do SWOT analysis. We'll chit chat, roll up. Those conversations with Father Jose are very important because they reorient us to what's important. Right? That's his role as chaplain. He reminds. Sometimes even I can get distracted with certain things. And he'll remind me, hey, it's about the Eucharist. Hey, it's about Jesus. Hey, it's about developing these students and with the missionaries helping us with that. And that's been a great thing. So what we did last year was kind of show the students a form of how to take care of things. This year is inviting them to be a part of that. So they see the renovations being going on. Something that Father Jose and I are very proud of doing is that we sometimes show our human flaws to them. Like, we're not perfect humans. And what happens is that that helps make students feel more comfortable about themselves. So when they see Father Jose and I joking and whatnot, it puts the kids at ease. And they're like, okay, like, these are the people I look up to and they're talking about their mistakes. These are the people that can help me grow out of mine. And this year is just getting the eboard to be part of the reconstruction process.
[00:14:13] Speaker C: Explain for our listeners what an E board is, because it's a common term in college university settings. But it's not something that we ordinarily speak about.
[00:14:24] Speaker A: Absolutely. So the way it works is that a major part of college life is student life. And student life is usually dictated by the type of people that are on campus. They'll want to start, like, an art club. They might want to start a music club. They might want to start maybe like a Hispanic club or African American club. And there's various forms of what a club could look like. And for many years, actually, something I've learned is that the Newman Club has been around since the 60s, and the Newman Club has been around since that time. And what would happen is that kids strongly devoted to the faith would want to open a club for Catholics, and it would really just be a safe haven of what? They'll probably just do Bible studies amongst each other. They'll probably try to evangelize on campus. They'll probably try to do various things, kind of being safe as a Catholic. So every college is different. At St. John's there's various E boards as well, the way they interact with student life.
[00:15:21] Speaker C: And basically, the E Board is a way of having student leadership in these clubs.
[00:15:26] Speaker A: So, yeah, the students own the club. They all have their own budget. They'll have their own everything. So we have a president, vice president, secretary, treasurer. They all have different roles. They meet Father Jose and I do not have to be at those meetings. Sometimes we're invited, sometimes we're not. And our job is really just to allow them to grow as leaders. We'll give them space to make mistakes and help them in growing out of those mistakes.
Sometimes they'll. Again, they're college students. A lot of E Boards, there tends to be a lot of drama or there seems to be a lot of people not working in teams, team players, and a lot of E Boards collapse. So our job is just to teach kids. Hey, teamwork is possible. They're the ones creating the ideas. So one of my favorite ideas that they had is that they had friends giving at the Newman Center. So the students grow as leaders. They work in teams.
[00:16:22] Speaker C: We had the chance during the SEEK Conference to meet with a couple of the student leaders in the club and to get some of their reflections on their experience.
So Jacqueline is the president of the Newman Club at Queens College. Thank you for joining me for this week's podcast. Tell me what brought you to the Newman center at Queens College, by the way.
[00:16:44] Speaker D: So one day I just walked in randomly. I didn't know it existed, but when I walked in, I was greeted by the missionaries and the campus Minister and I just felt really welcomed by the Bible studies and daily Mass.
[00:16:58] Speaker A: Wow.
[00:16:58] Speaker C: Okay.
[00:16:58] Speaker A: So.
[00:16:59] Speaker C: So you really just started with the Newman center last year?
[00:17:02] Speaker D: Yeah.
[00:17:02] Speaker C: And already you're taking responsibility. That's great. That's really good. Tell me a little bit about yourself. Where are you from?
[00:17:07] Speaker D: My parents are from Pakistan and then I'm from Astoria, Queens.
[00:17:11] Speaker C: Astoria, Queens. Okay. And you went to high school in Astoria, Queens?
[00:17:15] Speaker D: Yeah, in Elmhurst. Maclancy.
[00:17:17] Speaker C: Maclancy. So you went to McClancy High School. And what are you majoring in in Queens College?
[00:17:22] Speaker D: I'm majoring in finance and economics.
[00:17:24] Speaker C: What do you think of Seek this year?
[00:17:26] Speaker D: Seek has been amazing this year. It's even better than last year because I know what to expect. The talks have been great. Adoration was like, so amazing because now I know what adoration is. So it's like easier for me to just feel the Lord's presence and really just connect.
[00:17:43] Speaker C: You know, we're in Washington D.C. and rather than in Salt Lake City, there are two sessions of Sikh going on because I think that's just so big and we're kind of in the real small group. I don't know about you, but I'm kind of enjoying that. I like that it's a little bit more intimate. What's your thought?
[00:17:59] Speaker D: I like it smaller cuz like we're able to connect with so many people and like, even from New York, we're able to meet like a lot of new people and like other priests, other sisters, bishops. Like, we're really able to have a conversation with them.
[00:18:14] Speaker C: Yeah, it's like the Mission where it was just so crazy crowd. And last time we had a gathering of the New York area crowd.
[00:18:20] Speaker A: Right.
[00:18:21] Speaker C: So we saw people from our own Brooklyn and Queens, but we saw people from the New York, the Manhattan colleges and Long Islander colleges. Did you get to connect with anybody different new?
[00:18:33] Speaker D: Yeah, we were able to connect with the Long island and a little bit of the Manhattan people.
[00:18:38] Speaker C: I think that's another real benefit of being a little bit smaller. We get a little closer to one another. What do you hope that this experience at Seek is going to do for you going back home? What will you bring back from here to Queens College and what will you bring back to the diocese? Like, what are you going to bring back to your life in the church?
[00:18:57] Speaker D: So at Queens College, I hope it just makes me a better person, like really helping serve the community and like, just be a nice person. Like be like Jesus and like, act like Jesus and like, even difficult situations. And then back in my parish. I would really like to be more involved. Last Sikh really changed me because I became a catechist. But, like, I just hope to be more involved in the parish and the diocese going forward.
[00:19:24] Speaker C: Beautiful. And last night you asked me to give a shout out to your parish, but you can give your own shout out today. Okay.
[00:19:30] Speaker D: I would like to give a shout out to my parish, Corpus Christi and Woodside.
[00:19:35] Speaker C: There you go. Good for you. Good for you. Thank you, Jacqueline, for participating in this, for your thoughts, and we're so excited that you're so on fire with love for the Lord.
[00:19:45] Speaker D: Thank you, Ba'sh.
[00:19:47] Speaker C: I welcome Odalis, who is also with the Queen's College Newman Center. So tell me about yourself, Odalis.
[00:19:54] Speaker E: Well, hi, Bishop. So I'm a secretary at Queens College. I attend Ascension Church in Elmhurst.
[00:20:00] Speaker C: In Elmer's?
[00:20:00] Speaker E: Yes, I am there. I am a junior at Queens College. I am majoring in food management studies and. Oh, and psychology and a minor in business. Oh, wow. You've got a great business schedule. Yeah, it's a lot, but I'm trying my best.
[00:20:15] Speaker C: And when did you get involved with the Newman Center?
[00:20:18] Speaker E: It was when I was a freshman in college.
[00:20:21] Speaker C: So you're serving as secretary?
[00:20:22] Speaker D: Yes.
[00:20:23] Speaker C: How do you enjoy doing that, taking leadership in the group?
[00:20:26] Speaker E: I actually love it. I thought it was going to be hard in the beginning because it was just like, oh, you're going to be secretary. You have to do this, you have to do that. And then I was just, like, worried about school, then, like, managing this and then, like, being there. But honestly, I actually enjoy it. Like, I just run the social media, and I post. I try my best to post the best content that I can.
[00:20:43] Speaker C: That's great. That really is great. What has changed in the last year or two as you started to grow into these roles and as the ministry there has grown? So what has changed for you?
[00:20:54] Speaker E: Well, I feel like I'm more involved in the church because, like, before I would go to Mass, but it was just, like, just to go. I felt that, like, as a routine. But now I actually enjoy attending Mass. I enjoy involving myself with others or communicating with others as well. And I feel like before I was just, like, more into myself. I was more shy. And now I feel like I have grown in relationship with, like, the community at Queens College and at my parents.
[00:21:21] Speaker C: Did you go seek last year?
[00:21:23] Speaker E: No, this is my first.
[00:21:24] Speaker C: So this is your first seek?
[00:21:25] Speaker E: Yeah.
[00:21:26] Speaker C: Tell me, what's your impression of seek?
[00:21:28] Speaker E: Honestly, I love it so far. I love it. I didn't have any expectations, but I thought it was just like, at the beginning, I was just like, I'm kind of scared because there is going to be a lot of people. But I actually like this one. It's pretty nice. Well, so far, good, good.
[00:21:41] Speaker C: I mean, there's a lot of energy down here.
[00:21:42] Speaker E: Right.
[00:21:43] Speaker C: And a lot of joy. I don't know about you, but it's just great seeing so many people so fully alive and. And really in love with the Lord.
[00:21:51] Speaker E: I was like, when I was in mass or adoration, I was just like, wow. Like, there's so many people, and it just, like, it's just amazing.
[00:21:57] Speaker C: And there's something really authentic about the whole thing. It really is. That's good. Very good. What do you think you might be able to bring from this experience back to Queens, to college, to your parish?
[00:22:07] Speaker E: Well, something that I, like, caught my eye or, well, that I heard was to not be in a hurry. Like, why be in a hurry? Like, it's okay to, like, take your time and, like, you know, basically just don't be in a hurry. Like, why be in a hurry if Jesus was not in a hurry? Like, why should he be in a hurry? Jesus, like, was low with everything.
[00:22:26] Speaker C: He spent time with people. Yeah. He got involved in their lives. Good, good, good. I hope that this is an experience we. We're all going to in Brooklyn and Queens. We're all going to benefit from you and the rest of the group. It seems like the group's having a good time. Would you.
[00:22:40] Speaker A: You say?
[00:22:40] Speaker E: Yes, we are having a good time.
[00:22:43] Speaker C: And the music and the talks and the energies, aren't they just amazing?
[00:22:47] Speaker E: I love the talk.
I love them. And the music is amazing, too.
[00:22:51] Speaker C: Well, thank you. Thank you for joining us at Seek. Thank you for giving me a couple of minutes, and I hope you enjoy the rest of the weekend.
[00:22:58] Speaker A: Thank you.
[00:23:01] Speaker C: So, Omar, it's inspiring to see the young people taking up the responsibility. Tell me this is your second Sikh conference with Focus. First of all, what are your impressions coming back now to Sikh?
[00:23:15] Speaker A: I'm very happy here. The first time I came to Seek, it was like a whole different world for me. I wasn't used to seeing this side of Catholicism, especially in the United States. I wasn't used to seeing that. I grew up in a parish setting, but there's so much a parish could offer and you have to plug in to ministries and whatnot. That's a reality, especially in our diocese. And when I went to Sikh last year, I was just like the student. It's my first time here and just running around and looking at Mission way, listening to the talks. Father Jose sold Sika on me really well. He's like, this is a whole different world. To just process it, take it in, and see how you could flourish in your role as being that bridge for students and whatnot. Navigating the evangelization efforts. So my first year at Seek, I took it all in. I kind of was a little selfish, and I just stayed away from my students and went to the campus ministry tracks, tried to, like, digest information, the content that was being given, and just networking with people, because that's a big part of it, too. Networking, getting to know others from different states, getting to know other campus ministers, because it can feel like a lonely boat sometimes. So just to work with others that are in the same position I am and to piggyback on ideas is pretty fun. This year, kind of doing more work, helping the students with their social media, attending a few more meetings, just doing more networking and checking on our students. So overall, it's great. And I have the privilege as campus minister to see the changes in the students. That's what I look forward to this year. Like the. Sometimes a student will walk in, hesitant. They'll be like, why am I here? And then after adoration, they're just like, thank God I'm here. And seeing that change is priceless for me. I live for that. That's amazing.
[00:25:03] Speaker C: How about the conference itself? What are some of the moments that have really impacted you?
[00:25:07] Speaker A: Definitely adoration. Adoration is always that time where even I get to spend some time with Jesus and just ponder and ask the Lord questions and adore him. The keynotes have been good, especially that first night. I was sitting there and I was like, this is what the east area needs. This is the type of content that a lot of our guys need to hear. And just. I walked around Mission Ray today. I bought a few rosaries for my family to bring back and can't wait to hand those over to them. Just interacting with people that you see. They have podcasts, hanging out with the CFRs in that sense. Just those moments of interaction, they've been great. I love it. The energy in the room is amazing. It makes you proud of being a Catholic.
[00:25:52] Speaker C: That's a good way to say it. It does. It makes you proud to be a Catholic. You are carrying around The Confessions of St. Augustine.
[00:25:59] Speaker A: Yeah.
[00:25:59] Speaker C: Tell me, why are you carrying that?
[00:26:01] Speaker A: I was 13 years old when I was reading the catechism. Paragraph 27, right? St. Augustine's quote Our hearts are restless until they find a rest in you.
And that's been the anchor that's held me down my whole life in church. That's really what if I ever got disoriented. That's the quote that brought me back. So during the pandemic, I was just sitting at home fighting for a job in the sports industry again. There was a moment where I was like, I'm not putting in any effort in my relationship with Jesus. And I went back to that quote, And I'm like, St. Augustine said this. Let me order the Confessions, and let me just read that book. And I'm reading the book. St. Augustine's apologizing for things that I wasn't ready to apologize for at the time. I give Father Jose a call because he was the parochial vicar at St Neo's and I'm really having this difficult conversation with myself. I'm like, he's apologizing for things that I'm not ready for, but he's a saint, and I'm not like, what's going on? Like, I thought I was an expert in these things, right? Because I served for so long in my parish, it got kind of got into my head. And I call Father Jose and I'm like, hey, can you talk? I'm like, having a life crisis right now. And he was like, dude, he wrote this when he was, like, in his 40s. You're, like, in your 20s. Like, it's a journey. It's a lifelong journey. And that put me at ease. And I read the book. I loved it. It was great. I read it too fast, though. So last year, something I learned in ministry is I have to work on my own wounds to help others.
I have to be a better man to be a better man for others. And in my job, I make it a priority to just develop my relationship with Jesus, because if that's not there, then I'm no use to the students.
So I've been very slowly reading the Confessions and just kind of growing up with St. Augustine again, just navigating his life again. And now I got to the moment where he got baptized, and he asks. I'm not going to spoil it for anybody. He asks the person, the people reading the book to do a certain prayer. And that's, like, one of my favorite parts of the entire book. And I go back again to my family, and it's like, yeah, it's a big deal. And just that it's a 360.
[00:28:24] Speaker C: That's amazing. Well, that quote of Gusam was kind of referenced a few times during the course of the conference.
[00:28:31] Speaker A: Yes.
[00:28:31] Speaker C: So the Lord is working in certain ways. I think he's speaking to you and he's speaking through you.
[00:28:36] Speaker A: Yeah. First night it gets referenced and I'm like, that's my guy. Father Jose looks at me like, that's your guy. And I'm like, yep, that's. That's really special to hear that. The first night I'm like, perfect. That's why I said perfect. This is what the people need to hear, because I live by that.
I approach my ministry with that expression. Hearts are restless, our youth are restless, and my job is to help them.
[00:28:57] Speaker C: So many things calling for our attention. So many, so many things. Especially in a big complicated world like ours.
[00:29:04] Speaker A: Yeah.
[00:29:04] Speaker C: Last thing, we're at Seek, and this is a ministry of focus. And we've had the benefit now in the last two years that's part of the transition. We've had a good tradition of campus ministers over at Queens College because some good work has been done, but we really invested into it. A full time campus minister, a priest chaplain. And we brought in the help of the Focus missionaries. They're on their second year. Your role is campus ministry. And I remember when I first taught to focus, this is way back in a few years when I was in Rockville Center. They said, look, we're not doing campus ministry. We send missionaries to go out, but you need to have a good, strong campus ministry. And that's what you and Father Joseph provide for us. And we're so glad for that. How has the presence of the missionaries contributed to the Catholic life in Queens College?
[00:29:53] Speaker A: So for sure, because ministry could be overextending sometimes, and if you're overextended, you're doing too much. So I have my role to play at the college, and it's very important for Father and I to know what our role is and what the role of the missionaries is. And they've done a great job with the Bible studies. They all, like, hunt students down and say, hey, join us for Bible study. And you see the transformation that the students have these Bible studies and then there's discipleship. And then you get to see how those kids grow there as well. Right. Because again, it can't all fall under one person or two people. It's a team effort. It's collaboration. So getting along with the missionaries is crucial. And I have a great relationship with especially the director, Katie Mossbarger. We interact and we talk shop. Hey, how is this looking? Like, how can we. It's a puzzle and we're figuring out the pieces, we're navigating that. And overall the students benefit. They're gaining Bible studies that to be able to offer that service to students. It's a win win. And it helps because now it's like they're having Bible studies with the missionaries. The missionaries love Jesus and they're pouring that love they have for Jesus to these students. Seek is a big instrument that helps deepening the relationship for these kids and it lessens the load on me.
And that's very important because I know how it is in parishes. I know how easy it is to feel overwhelmed. I know it's easy to feel like a one man island. So to have missionaries around really helps that. And I'm truly blessed to say that I don't feel like overwhelmed with the work of mission.
[00:31:31] Speaker C: That's great because what they do is they kind of go out and they do a little bit. Recruiting is a good word for it. You know, they go out and they bring people in and, and they go seeking, looking for people to say, hey, you have a home here. A lot of people saying, oh, I didn't even know there was a Newman Center. So some of our listeners may be college students. Some of them may be parents or even grandparents of college students. If you have somebody who's at Queens College, I certainly want to encourage you to invite them just to check out the Newman Center. No commitment needed, just to poke their head in and maybe during the free hour and just see what's going on and say hello. But Omar, if you wanted to find the Newman center, what would you tell how to direct somebody to Newman Center?
[00:32:15] Speaker A: For sure. When you walk through the main gates of the campus on Kissina Avenue, you're going to follow that path. On your left you're going to see a student union building. You're going to walk in there, you're going to find some elevators, go to the second floor and we're the first room you see. Actually it'll probably be the best looking room you see. So bright. Now you're going to walk in there, it's going to say Catholic Newman Center. You're going to open the door, you're going to find a TV with announcements.
To your right there's a chapel. To your left is my office. You walk straight, that's the multi purpose room. You're going to see laughter, you're going to see happiness. You're going to see students who are feeling fulfilled, future leaders of our church, some future priests, future Catholic school teachers, future Catholic leaders in the secular world and you get to conversate with them, pick their brains a little bit, maybe share with them. And that's the Newman Center.
[00:33:13] Speaker C: Beautiful. Beautiful. And on the outside looking in, if somebody wanted to find the Newman center, you would. What do you suggest to search term or do you have a web page or Instagram? Like, what do you suggest they do?
[00:33:22] Speaker A: For sure. So we have a website. We just fixed it up a little bit. It's www.qc catholic.org. and our Instagram is QC Catholic. We're just starting a tik tok. We don't know how long that will be, but it should be fun content. Same thing, QC Catholic. And our Facebook page, I believe, is Queens College Catholic Newman Center.
[00:33:53] Speaker C: Wonderful. Just search us out and we'll be glad to welcome you. Thank you for joining us for today's podcast. Let's ask the Lord's blessing. The Lord be with you.
May the Lord bless you and keep you. May his face shine upon you and be gracious to you. May he look upon you in kindness and grant you his peace. And may Almighty God bless you, the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit. Amen. Thank you for joining us for this week's edition of Big City Catholics. Look forward to connecting with you again next week. God bless you and have a great week.
