South Quad filled with students and food trucks Wednesday night for Campus Ministry’s third annual Feed Your Faith, an opportunity to learn more about Notre Dame’s many faith-based groups while enjoying free food and good company.
“We didn’t know how it was going to do the first time and we were blown away by how engaged people were. People really appreciated the opportunity to be a part of what all of Campus Ministry has to offer,” Tami Schmitz, one of the event’s organizers, said.
Over forty groups and clubs sent representatives, setting up tables with information and sign-up sheets along the sidewalks crisscrossing South Quad.
“That includes campus ministry and our particular offerings, from the choirs to our student ministry groups, as well as all the students clubs who are faith-based,” Schmitz said.
The event included a stage on which choirs and other musical faith groups could perform and recruit new members. The goal, Schmitz said, is to provide students with an opportunity to engage in their faiths in a new way.
“We pour our hearts into this because we believe the beginning of the year is a very important opportunity for us to invite students to get involved, start on the right track as they start a new year,” Schmitz said.
Schmitz, who is starting her twentieth year working in field of Campus Ministry, said that organization for next year's event will begin next semester.
“After this we’ll gather and evaluate how this went and then the beginning of second semester is when we’re already looking ahead to next year,” Schmitz said. “By the end of second semester we pretty much have everything done, and we send invites out over the summer to the clubs.”
In the past, Campus Ministry hosted a small open house at the beginning of the year, Schmitz said, and the idea for Feed Your Faith originally came from Fr. Pete McCormick.
“When he became our director, Fr. Pete really encouraged us to think outside the box, “what more could we do to engage more students?’” Schmitz said. “We are so blessed to have him. He really gets it, he’s all about engaging students, getting out there, meeting them.”
The event has been successful, drawing over 2,000 students each year. The environment was welcoming and inclusive, incorporating tables from Baptist and Islamic groups. The event was a stunning example of the vibrant and welcoming faith community at Notre Dame. That supportive and loving community, Schmitz said, is what Feed Your Faith seeks to showcase.
“The most important thing is that we want students to see all the offerings for their faith here at Notre Dame,” Schmitz said. “We want to meet the students face to face and let them know we’re here for them.”
