by Jack Figge
Special to The Leaven
ATCHISON — Benedictine College here welcomed 30 students into full communion with the Catholic Church on Divine Mercy Sunday, the college’s largest group to date.
At a special liturgy celebrated by Archbishop Shawn McKnight, eight students received all of the sacraments of initiation and another 22 received confirmation.
For the past eight months, the 30 students have been attending weekly OCIA meetings led by a dedicated group of students and assistant chaplain Father Christian Schwenka.
Father Schwenka said that he admires the group’s dedication and commitment to formation.
“The individuals themselves were very committed,” Father Schwenka said. “Our attendance in class was unbelievable. Many times, we were spending 30 or 40 minutes after class answering extra questions.”
For Father Schwenka, one of the highlights came during the Mass when he was able to be freshman Rance Ridley’s godfather and sponsor.
“Being Rance’s sponsor was phenomenal; it was a huge honor,” Father Schwenka said. “It was special and just a beautiful day.”
The Mass was filled with Benedictine students who had come to support their fellow Ravens entering the church. Seeing the other students was a powerful witness to Father Schwenka and to all those gathered.
“The student body showed up,” he said. “I had the privilege of celebrating the Masses the week before for daily Mass, and kept reminding them that the OCIA Mass was coming up and we had a packed house. It was great to see the support for their peers.”
Archbishop McKnight later congratulated the newest members of the church via an Instagram post after the liturgy.
“As St. John Paul II emphasized in his 1995 Divine Mercy Sunday Regina Caeli address,” the post read, “the Octave of Easter is experienced as ‘a single day,’ and the Octave Sunday is the pinnacle of ‘thanksgiving for the goodness God has shown to man in the whole Easter mystery.’ Sunday was a beautiful culmination of that mystery!”
Prior to the liturgy, the candidates and catechumens expressed excitement at entering the Catholic Church.
“I’m so excited to go to Mass every week and receive the Eucharist,” Ridley said. “I’ve been going to Mass this whole year and I’ve been watching people receive the Eucharist and I’m so excited for my turn.”
Welcoming 30 students into the church is a moment of celebration for the entire college community, Father Schwenka said. He noted that it shows the great Catholic culture on campus, and the efforts to evangelize and invite friends into the church.
“Welcoming so many into the church shows that our college students are daring to ask questions that maybe others aren’t,” Father Schwenka said. “People are joining OCIA because they received an invitation from a friend or saw the witness of a friend. And so, I think our students are living the Catholic faith out joyfully, and it makes it attractive to those who don’t have it yet.”
