September 17 designated “College Student Sunday” by SCOBA hierarchs

NEW YORK, NY [OCA Communications] — The Standing Conference of Canonical Orthodox Bishops in the Americas [SCOBA] has designated Sunday, September 17, as “College Student Sunday” in an effort to offer encouragement to Orthodox Christian young adults pursuing college and university studies while highlighting the work of the Orthodox Christian Fellowship, a SCOBA ministry.

His Beatitude, Metropolitan Herman, Primate of The Orthodox Church in America, joined His Eminence, Archbishop Demetrios of the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese, SCOBA chairman, and other hierarchs in signing the encyclical.

The text of the encyclical reads as follows.

“‘You therefore, beloved, beware lest you be carried away with error…. But grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ’” [2 Peter 3:17-18].

“As Hierarchs of the Standing Conference of Canonical Orthodox Bishops in the Americas, we greet you with the love of Christ, on this first Sunday after the Feast of the Exaltation of His most precious Cross. Each year, we designate this day as College Student Sunday, a day when we ask all of you, our beloved faithful, to keep our young college students in your minds, thoughts, and prayers as they grow in the knowledge of Christ and learn to walk in His love.

“For many students, the college years are perhaps the most formative ones in life. The task of learning how to balance study and recreation, the prospect of encountering challenging ideas in the classroom, the idea of living in close quarters with a roommate who might offer an entirely foreign world view or perspective on life, and the first encounter with total and complete freedom outside the family environment can be altogether exciting experiences for the college student. However, they can also be quite confusing and disorienting.

“It is the common experience of many young college students that within a matter of months upon entering college, and indeed throughout the college experience, the college student is challenged by central questions of
identity: “Who am I? What am I supposed to do with my life? Who do I consider my close friends in this new-found environment?” are among the myriad of such questions. Inevitably, the question of identity as it pertains to the question of God also arises, a question that, once in the calm and comfort of home had been long taken for granted, suddenly arises with a sharp pang as if from nowhere: “What exactly is my religious identity?” This question is a burning question that begs for an answer, and this is precisely why the Orthodox Christian Fellowship [OCF] was instituted, to provide Orthodox Christian students in college with a community to support them as they seek the answers to the questions that they face. Today, the OCF has over 200 chapters on college and university campuses throughout North America. For six years now, OCF has been formally reestablished as the official campus ministry of SCOBA, and its evolution is noteworthy. What once began as a grass-roots movement among Orthodox Christian college students now receives our full and committed support. Its impact on our Orthodox students’ lives is significant.

“On many college and university campuses, Orthodox students have their meals together, socialize together, and on some campuses have even established formal housing arrangements with their college’s housing departments.
Though many students are able to attend a weekly Vespers service through the visitations of a nearby priest who has placed college outreach as a vital part of his active ministry, it is not uncommon for Orthodox Christian college students and their friends to travel to nearby Orthodox Churches for Sunday Divine Liturgy, Vespers, and the full cycle of Lenten services. These students, who away from their homes are seeking answers to burning questions of faith, bring a renewed vitality and a passion for the Gospel which can very often serve to energize the entire parish. They sing in the choir, chant the Epistle, serve in the Altar, teach in Church School programs, and host coffee hours. Their impact is noticeable, and their role in building up the Orthodox Church is vital.

“In affirming our support as hierarchs to our OCF program, we kindly ask our clergy to take a collection from every parish to support this important national ministry, which aids students in their search for religious meaning and fellowship. Equally important, we ask that our clergy afford college students in their parishes with the opportunity to speak to parish members about their experiences with OCF during their college years, and to be mindful of the many college and university campuses that still do not have OCF chapters. Our national OCF office in Boston, Massachusetts, is fully staffed with professionals who are ready to assist students and area clergy who would like to begin the process of starting a chapter.

“With warm thanks for your support of this ministry, we extend our heartfelt prayer to our college students that they may experience their college years as Saint Peter describes in his epistle, as years to grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.”

Other hierarchs signing the encyclical included His Eminence, Metropolitan Philip of the Antiochian Orthodox Christian Archdiocese of North America, SCOBA vice chairman; His Eminence, Metropolitan Christopher of the Serbian Orthodox Church in the USA and Canada, SCOBA secretary; His Eminence, Archbishop Nicolae of the Romanian Orthodox Archdiocese in America and Canada; His Eminence, Metropolitan Nicholas of Amissos of the American-Carpatho-Russian Orthodox Diocese in the USA, SCOBA treasurer; His Eminence, Metropolitan Joseph of the Bulgarian Eastern Orthodox Church; His Eminence, Metropolitan Constantine of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church of the USA; and His Grace, Bishop Ilia of Philomelion of the Albanian Orthodox Diocese of America.

For more information on the work of the OCF, please visit www.ocf.net.