About The Movement

The Need

Despite the large number of Catholics entering university, many parents have stories of how their well-educated sons and daughters are no longer practicing the Faith. It is hard to miss the irony. So many families strive to give their children a good, moral, Christian upbringing and sacrifice to provide an education for their children, only to see them leave home and drift away from - or reject outright - the Christian faith of their youth.

These disenfranchised young people often confess that they do not believe Jesus is the Son of God. They also admit that they have not really taken the time to read the Scriptures, study the Church, or consider the historical facts concerning Jesus. Often their resentment and rejection of Christ and the Church is based upon an unfortunate childhood experience, the inconsistency of some Christian, or perhaps the influence of a person in leadership. Most often they admit that they have not honestly considered the person of Jesus Christ and his claims in their lives. These are our future leaders, policy makers, and teachers!

CCO's work is seen as:

• A response to Christ's command that his disciples "Proclaim the Good News to all creation" (Matthew 28:18-19, Mark 16:15-16).
• A concrete way to foster the Church's primary and universal mission of evangelization (Evangelii Nuntiandi, #14).
• A positive answer to the call of the Holy Father, Pope John Paul II, for a "new evangelization" in our times.
• An active outreach to the distressingly small numbers of believing and practicing youth.
• A positive and successful influence in the promotion of religious vocations.
• A practical way to respond to cults and fundamentalist sects aimed at undermining the faith of Catholics.

Proclaim, Equip, Commission

CCO employs a multiplication model of ministry. Like Jesus did, we can invest spiritually in the lives of a few to the point where they in turn can invest in the lives of others. We proclaim Christ to the students, equip them to be mature Christians, then commission them to proclaim to and equip others.

Our Target

Our programs are aimed primarily but not exclusively at university students:

• generally between 18 and 30 years of age
• both women and men
• who are churched, nominally churched, or unchurched
• who have been leaders and show further leadership potential.
  

CCO Programs

Our programs equip students with the necessary attitudes, skills, and knowledge to become mission-ready, multiplying disciples.

CCO's programs include:

• Weekly on-campus faith study groups
• One-on-one ministry and leadership training
• On-campus large group meetings, teachings, and training
• Retreats and conferences
• Practical leadership and ministry opportunities
• Youth outreaches
• Overseas and domestic mission projects
• Summer faith sharing groups
• Sports, recreation and socials.
  

The most needed help in sharing their faith for many Catholics is the simple courage to actually begin to evangelize, coupled with a conviction that such efforts can prove excitingly fruitful. We give not only doctrinal principles but also clear and practical teachings on how to evangelize. Such teachings are most effective when there is an opportunity to put them into practice in the company of experienced evangelizers.