Conservative estimates suggest that a fourth of the students at the University of Michigan are Roman Catholic. In terms of total numbers, that means there are as many or more Catholic students at U-M than at some of the well known, but much smaller Catholic universities, such as the University of Notre Dame and Villanova University.

So, where should a student go for the most enriching Catholic experience?

Ann Arbor hosts an abundance of Catholic student groups, churches and community programs, including one parish that has decided to focus their service entirely on students at U-M.

Saint Mary Student Parish, located at 331 Thompson St., has served U-M students for more than 75 years. Just two blocks from campus, the parish offers students a home away from home, a place for spiritual growth as well as an enriching social environment.

Emily Bartell is a junior majoring in viola performance at U-M and has been a registered member at Saint Mary's since her first few weeks in Ann Arbor. 

"If I'm not at the music school or home, I am at St. Mary's," Bartell said. "My spiritual life in general has helped me make it through school. I think it is really important for everybody to find their niche when they come to a University, and Saint Mary's can be that niche."

One of the most unique programs offered at Saint Mary's Student Parish is the Catechist Formation Program. Unlike the three other Catholic parishes in Ann Arbor, the catechists at Saint Mary's are U-M students, not parents or community volunteers. The program hosts about 150 families and 225 children each year.  

Catechists are teachers of the catechism, the official document outlining Roman Catholic doctrine on faith and morals. The catechism has four sections: The Profession of Faith, The Celebration of the Christian Mystery, Life in Christ and Christian Prayer. Classes teaching the catechism are typically held on Sunday mornings and may focus on various age groups or on new or mature converts to the faith.

About 70 U-M students volunteer as catechists at Saint Mary's every year. Their program is designed to educate pre-kindergarten through high school age students on the catechism, through classes held on the first Sunday of every month from October to April. Each month focuses on a different topic such as Revelation, The Trinity, Jesus Christ, The Church, Morality, Sacraments and the Kingdom of God.

The same topics are covered each year, but with greater depth for older students. Catechists are responsible for presenting each topic to their assigned age group, conducting age appropriate activities and overseeing the completion of homework and workbooks with parents.

Learning the catechism from students is a rare and valuable opportunity for young Catholics.

"Having a university student as a catechist shows students that Sunday school is not something they are being forced to do," said Bartell who has been a catechist at Saint Mary's for three years. 

She believes being taught by a university student "keeps it from feeling so much like school. We are not their age but we are closer to their age than schoolteachers, and so I think they can feel they can relate to us a little better. We try to keep the atmosphere lighter and not like we are going to lecture you. We are all in this together".

The parents of students also participate in the Saint Mary's Catechist Formation Program. On the first Sunday of every month, parents gather separately and listen to a speaker on the same topic as their kids. These classes give them an opportunity to ask questions on the topic and prepare them to help their kids with the curriculum and the workbook assignments for that month.

"We are trying to help parents get ready for the year and make a commitment to teaching their children", said Sister Catherine Morgan O.P., director of the First Sunday Program at Saint Mary's Student Parish.

As the children mature, so does the need for the teaching to mature. "Some years it might be drawing that is really important. Some years the children might need the book read to them; other years they want to read the book themselves then talk about it. This is the at home component of the program. We want the catechists to lay the foundation, and then the parents to build the house, story by story, chapter by chapter."

Morgan emphasizes, "It is easy to have religion when it is good," but Sunday school "is more than school. It is really life that we are trying to help them get to learn about, not just to facts and stuff. It is enfleshing religion into a living breathing organic experience of God so that it can go on with them throughout their life."

Saint Mary Student Parish plays a significant and often overlooked role in not only the spiritual lives of U-M’s Catholic students, but their social and academic lives as well. It offers a study center for the students that is complete with computers, wireless internet and reference library, extend their hours during finals and provide opportunities with Alternative Spring Break, social justice and community service programs.

Retaining a focus on university students also makes a huge impact on members of the Ann Arbor community that attend Saint Mary's. "Any one who comes to this parish is part of the campus ministry situation," said Morgan. "They choose it for its vitality, style of worship, and the energy of the students."

Katherine Axelsen is a Senior at the University of Michigan double majoring in English and Comparative Religion. She is an intern at AnnArbor.com and writes for their faith section. You may contact her at kaxe@umich.edu.