By Katie Vasquez
FLUSHING — On a recent Monday afternoon, the Catholic Newman Center at Queens College was filled to capacity.
“I want to really get closer to God and open up my faith towards him,” said Genesis Enriquez, a Queens College freshman. “I just think that’s a really good opportunity to have here.”
It’s an unusual sight for a college campus. According to Pew Research, 79% of former Catholics left the church before the age of 23.
That same study found that 90% of “nones” — people with no religion at all — left their religion before the age of 29.
“It’s really easy, really, really easy to just forget about God, to forget about what really matters,” said Madeline Liu, president of the Queens College Newman Club.
But Queens College is using new tactics to buck the trend.
Bishop Robert Brennan brought the FOCUS program to the school.
“Frankly the best way I think to invite people, is to nourish those who are coming and encourage them because they’re the best salespeople, you might say,” Bishop Brennan said.
The organization sends missionaries, like Katie Mossberger from Connecticut, to different campuses to engage with students.
“We go onto campus and we’re just tabling and we’re handing out things to say about the Newman Center and the things we’re going to be having here,” Mossberger said.
Father Jose Diaz, the chaplain at the college, said it’s those events that lead students back to their faith.
“They can come to the center, they can hang out with students, they can get to know one another and laugh together and talk about sports and culture but at the same time they can pray together,” Father Diaz said.
Just at the first Mass alone, Father Diaz said he saw some new faces.
But Omar Cortez, the campus minister, said they still have a long way to go.
“There’s probably a thousand Catholics on campus,” Cortez said. “How many are fully practicing, that’s a more scarier number for us.”
It’s a scary number they’re willing to tackle one student at a time.
Queens College’s Newman Center is open Monday through Thursday from 10:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m., with daily Mass at 12:30 p.m.
For more information you can visit their website at QCCATHOLIC.ORG.