CHAPEL HILL — Every Wednesday night, over 100 college students gather at the Newman Catholic Student Center at the University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill for “Carolina Catholic Night” – a midweek opportunity to grow in faith and friendships, with an opening activity, a student speaker, live music, and a student-cooked meal.
In January, students were delighted to be joined by Bishop Michael Martin as a guest speaker and they designed an activity with him in mind: a Charlotte Trivia contest.
The final question pitted Bishop Martin against his confrere and former housemate, Friar Tim Kulbicki, OFM Conv., pastor and director of campus ministry at the Newman Center. Bishop Martin shared that he had known Friar Tim since high school. Perhaps that explains the bishop’s overjoyed reaction when he won the round.
Bishop Martin read from the fifth chapter of Luke’s Gospel, when Jesus tells Peter: “duc in altum” (“put out into deep water”) and lower his nets. So many fish filled the nets that Peter and Andrew called their friends to help. “I think for many of us in our lives of faith, we are so afraid of what might be in those deep waters,” Bishop Martin said. “But Jesus says to you and to me in multiple ways throughout our lives: ‘duc in altum’ – ‘go deeper.’ Go deeper.”
“It meant a lot to see Bishop Mike take time out of his busy schedule and spend some time with us students,” said Patrick Jones, a junior from St. Francis of Assisi Parish in Jefferson. It was nice, he said, to “have that reminder to live our faith boldly in the middle of a busy semester.”
— Photos provided by Joseph Pham
