Join Rockhurst companions in experiences that strengthen our fellowship and allow us to explore the power of prayer.
Laudato Si Nature Hikes
In Laudato Si, Pope Francis' landmark encyclical on the environment, Francis states:
"Nature is usually seen as a system which can be studied, understood and controlled, whereas creation can only be understood as a gift from the outstretched hand of God, and as a reality illuminated by the love which calls us together into universal communion."
Join other Rockhurst hikers in experiencing and enjoying the gift of creation, making friends, and reflecting upon humanity's invitation to live in harmony with/attend to Earth's fragile beauty. Check the calendar to register.
Kateri Community
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Since 2019 Campus Ministry has invited students to join in our intentional living community: Kateri Community! Taking its name from St. Kateri Tekakwitha – the first American Indian saint and the patroness of ecology/the environment – Kateri Community is a unique opportunity to share space, spirituality, growth, and life with peers for a year during your time at Rockhurst!
Kateri Community houses two different communities with focuses in:
- Catholic/Ignatian-Spirituality
- Opportunity to apply for and make the Spiritual Exercises in Everyday Life of St. Ignatius or access to spiritual direction
- 24-access to an on-floor Blessed Sacrament chapel
- Weekly community meal/spirituality night
- Reduced fees to the Ignatian Family Teach-In, Solidarity-Immersion Trips, and retreats
- Sustainability and Eco-Spirituality
- Opportunity to engage in spiritual life through sustainability and environmental awareness
- Community engagement in environmental preservation and stewardship (work with community organizations engaged in environmentalism, on-site gardening, composting, and food preservation)
- Opportunity for spiritual direction
- Weekly community meal/spirituality night
- Reduced fees to the Ignatian Family Teach-In, Solidarity-Immersion Trips, and retreats
Kateri Community is located in a former Jesuit residence situated just across the street from campus on Rockhurst Road. Living quarters include:
- Single or double rooms
- Individual bathrooms
- Commons areas
- Kitchen
- Laundry
- Reflection and prayer spaces
Students apply to Kateri Community and indicate their preference (Catholic/Ignatian or Sustainability/Eco-Spirituality) when submitting their housing request early in spring semester. Preference will be given to seniors and juniors. Former members of Kateri Community are eligible to apply to live/serve as a Kateri Assistant, which involves summer lodging/communal living in exchange for weekly chores. Contact Anna Muenchen for information.
The Spiritual Exercises of St. Ignatius Loyola
The inspiration and source of "all things Jesuit," the Spiritual Exercises is a process of prayer and discernment designed to "lead a person to true spiritual freedom so that any choice or decision is made according to an ordered set of values rather than according to any disordered desire." Throughout the school year, participants meet regularly with a director at a time convenient to their individual schedules. For more information contact Bill Kriege.
Eucharistic Adoration
Offer praise and grow in faith at ABC! Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament, Benediction, and Confession highlight this come-and-go-as-you-please evening. Praise and worship music along with a student reflection round out the evening! ABC is offered the second Tuesday of each month (during fall and spring semesters) from 7 – 9:00 pm in Mabee Chapel.
Living Rosary
On multiple occasions each year, Rockhurst University faculty, staff, and students gather to pray the Living Rosary (each person represents a bead). Check the calendar to find dates and a link to register.
Spiritual Guidance
The Campus Ministry staff is available to students, staff and faculty who want to discuss, on a regular or occasional basis, issues relating to their faith journeys in a safe, open and confidential manner. For more information contact Bill Kriege.
Prayer Services
World Cultures Day Prayer Service: Each October we kick off the annual day of celebrating different countries, cultures, food, and music by praying together as a university.
Service Trip Send-Off: Honoring our Ignatian tradition, we send students, faculty, and staff out on solidarity immersion trips each fall, winter, and spring break with prayers and blessings. All members of the Rockhurst community are invited to attend and pray for our students and the people they serve before, during, and after their journeys to domestic and international service sites.
Yom HaShoah: We annually commemorate Yom HaShoah, Holocaust Remembrance Day, by reading the names of persons murdered by the Nazis, including 152 Jesuits. The day concludes with an interfaith prayer service. Rockhurst University is home to the only plaque in the world that honors all 152 Jesuits who were killed by the Nazis.