Everyone can improve, even those who are the best at what they do. That is why Trinity Campus Minister Mrs. Mary Emrich and Assistant Campus Minister Mr. Chris Luken attended the National Catholic Council for Youth Ministry in San Antonio.

The council took place Dec.  5 -7 and included people from across the country. The council included a number of workshops, two of which were presented by Emrich.

The first workshop Emrich co-presented was about campus ministry in high schools. About 70 people attended the presentation. 

She said, “That was an especially good way to network and find out what is going on in other schools across the nation.”

The presentation addressed the basics of campus ministry as well as the important retreats campus ministers are responsible for. Those who attended the workshop told what successful approaches they have used as well as challenges they have faced.

“The workshop I presented really benefited me just as much as much as the people who went to the workshop. Being able to present that information in a way that was helpful was meaningful for me,” Emrich said.

Her second presentation was titled “Be the Light” and focused on anti-bullying efforts and how others could help eliminate bullying.

Although Luken did not conduct any workshops, he learned quite a bit through the workshops he attended. The first one that stood out was about the relationship between athletics and Christian values. It involved a discussion about sowing faith through sports and behaving as a good sport on the field.

Luke also enjoyed a presentation by a nun from Louisiana. She discussed the right to life everybody, including criminals, has. The injustice of the death penalty was a major portion of her talk. Luken said part of what made the session enjoyable was the nun’s great speaking ability on a controversial topic.

Of the council’s impact, Luken said, “It was  nice to see Trinity is really doing well. Our sophomore retreat based on connections and our new anti-bullying club, Be a Light, were featured. We are already on the forefront.”