Billings Catholic Campus Ministry

For all that has been, thanks!  To all that will be, yes!  ~ Dag Hammarskjold

It’s been a really awesome year everyone!  We’ve loved getting to know so many more of you over the past several months…the BCCM community is a blessing to us all!  But…we’re not done quite yet!  This Wednesday is our last week at Off the Leaf so come join us one more time for yummy drinks and great company as we grow closer to God together!

Wednesday, April 17th
BCCM Night @ 7pm @ Off the Leaf
Tonight we’ll be having our last Off the Leaf night of the semester!  Join us for activities and discussion around being grateful for this past year and being open to all the greatness that awaits us in our lives!  Bring a friend!

Wednesday, April 24th
End of the Year Dinner!
Location and time TBD!!! Stay tuned!

How many of you are shocked and stressed that this semester is over? Well, you are not alone. One thing that numerous peers have told me is that this is one of the most stressful times of the year. The weather outside is getting nicer and people just want a break to relax. Thus, it is difficult for most of us to get motivated to finish homework assignments, papers, and studying for exams. Many (including myself) may procrastinate quite a bit of these tasks and experience a lot of pressure/stress to complete these tasks by a certain deadline. With this added stress, some may not know how to effectively manage their stress. The link below provides a list of what you can do to help manage stress in your life:

http://www.webmd.com/balance/stress-management/reducing-stress-tips

For me personally, I strive to make sure that I don’t add any more pressure than I normally do in my everyday life. One thing I do is give myself limitations on how late I will stay up studying/doing homework. I will not stay up past 2a.m. because I need to have some sort of rest in order to function for the exam or class lecture. Finding out which stress relief technique that works best for you will help you cope with and manage most stressful situations that are thrown upon you.

I hope that this blog has helped you find something that may work for you to manage the stress in your life.

Jerome Rangitsch
BCCM Peer Minister, RMC

Hey everyone!  We’re now in the final stretch of the semester, and we’ve only got a few more weeks together until school gets out.  Let’s make the most of it!  Remember, it’s never to late to start coming to our events…we see new faces all the time

Wednesday, April 10th
BCCM Night @ 7pm @ Off the Leaf
Do have doubts?  You’re not alone!  Come join us for an evening discussing doubts and fears related to your life and faith.  As always the coffee is on us

What a great joy that Easter has finally come this year!!

To some who hear that it may be an even greater joy that by Easter coming and going it means that the Lenten season is finally over! We can finally indulge in all the things we gave up for 40 days. I hope you were all able to make it through. I always love Easter because it means I get to go home to see family and go to my local church for services. It also means good food in celebration of Jesus.

So what do we do after Lent? We get back all the distractions and luxuries that we gave up. So does that mean we go back to doing the same things we did before the Lenten season? No, instead we should embrace our new, stronger relationship with God and focus on making that relationship even better. Hopefully we have all learned from our reflections. Even if you did have a few slip ups during Lent, you can learn from it and will yourself to do even better next year. Lent can be used as an intentional turning away from distractions and focusing more on your faith. Now that it has come and gone, don’t let that ideal slip away. Keep working on it.

It doesn’t have to be the Lenten season to challenge yourself in different ways and build your relationship with God. You can do that throughout the year. Try challenging yourself to pick out where you most saw God during your day, or challenge yourself to read a couple chapters in the Bible on Sunday. There are tons of things we all can do, but we keep so many distractions in our life that we make it tough on ourselves. So try spending less time being constantly connected with technology and allow yourself to fully open up to God.

I hope you all are enjoying your candy, desserts, and soda pop! But don’t let your distractions keep you from enjoying the true gift of Easter.

Carmi Sievers
BCCM Peer Minister, MSUB

He is risen…Alleluia!!!

How was your Easter break?  We hope you were able to experience the richness of the Holy Week liturgies as well as catch up on a little extra rest before this final push through the rest of the semester.  Summer is just a few more weeks away!!!  

Interested In Becoming a Peer
BCCM is now taking applications for our student peer ministers for the 2013-2014 school year.  This is a paid position in which 2 students from each campus spend up to 5 hours per week assisting the Director of BCCM with the behind the scenes duties that make our ministry awesome!  If you have questions or would like an application, please call or email Mary Williams directly at406.850.4488 or billingsccm@gmail.com.  Applications are DUE WEDNESDAY APRIL 3rd!!!  No late applications will be considered.

Wednesday, April 3rd
Pizza Night @ 7pm @ Pizza Hut on Grand Ave.
Join us for an evening of food and fellowship…bring friends, it’s always a good time!

Wednesday, April 10th
BCCM Night @ 7pm @ Off the Leaf

Happy Easter week everyone J I know I’m looking forward to a couple days off from school and enjoying a nice relaxing Easter Sunday.

I know spring break was a few weeks ago, but the BCCM: Spring Break trip still hasn’t been covered. 9 members from BCCM went to Philadelphia, Pennsylvania to volunteer a week of their time at the St. Francis Inn Soup Kitchen.  I was one of the 9, as well. Along with meals the Inn provides toiletry items, housing options, spiritual guidance and many other wonderful opportunities for the people of Philadelphia.

From April 3^rd – April 8^th  we traveled to the St. Francis in, stayed at the Inn, worked at the Inn and experienced events/people that we will never forget.  The Inn is different than any other Soup Kitchen you would find – family members, individuals and friends from all over that, seeking help or just a hot meal from the Inn, actually come inside the Inn and sit at tables and are serviced by the members and volunteers at the Inn.

The Inn has been open since December of 1979 and hasn’t been closed a single day since then. Serving over 350 meals a day, not filing for a single grant or applying for any sort of fundraiser makes this soup kitchen/inn a very special thing to the city and to its people.

I guarantee this experience, this trip will never be forgotten by the BCCM members nor the people who work and who depend on the St. Francis Inn.

Here are some links to the Website and a YouTube video of the St. Francis Inn.

http://www.stfrancisinn.org/index.html