Pope Francis and Campus Ministry: A Dialogue by James J. Bacik (review)

How will Pope Francis affect campus ministry in the United States in the decades ahead? There are many possible answers to this question, Reverend James J. Bacik suggests, but their implementation depends on the willingness of campus ministers to leverage the wisdom of Francis into more-effective outreach to college students.

The "dialogue" in Bacik's title is actually a juxtaposition of two things: his essential writings on campus ministry and his distillation of the thoughts and practices of Pope Francis for the field. Either of these would be useful for working campus ministers; to find them together in one book is a bonus.

Bacik was the principal author of the U.S. Bishops' 1985 pastoral letter Empowered by the Spirit: Campus Ministry Faces the Future (EBTS), as well as its first draft, The Quest for Wisdom: The Church in Dialogue with Higher Education. A campus minister for more than half a century, he is in a unique position to ponder the "Francis effect."

This work is structured in six parts. They treat, in sequence: 1) the draft document, published in part for the first time, 2) the pastoral letter, still widely used in campus ministry training, and 3) persons who serve on campus—highlighting the distinctive qualities and needs of the millennial generation and those who minister to them. The remaining chapters cover three of the key aspects of campus ministry identified by EBTS: 4) forming the faith community, 5) appropriating the faith, and 6) educating for justice. Bacik concludes with a humble epilogue noting the book's own limitations and cautioning against a "papalism" that would expect "too much of the Pope and too little of the People of God" (4).

Each part contains two or three chapters featuring original writings (generous excerpts from the pastoral and its first draft as well as the text of subsequent articles and addresses), followed by insights into how the priorities, words, and actions of Pope Francis can inspire the work of campus ministry today. Bacik provides a fresh introduction to each chapter, putting what is to come in context.

The result is occasionally uneven. Bacik acknowledges that presenting his original material in an unedited fashion leads to some repetition; this is not a straight read, but a collection more easily digested one section at a time. The sources are not always well identified; to figure out when and where the various articles were published sometimes requires digging through endnotes. And the section on Millennials feels a bit dated, as our attention turns to "Generation Z."

These minor observations notwithstanding, Pope Francis and Campus Ministry is an excellent resource. Bacik's collected ruminations both sketch out the development of the apostolate and reveal its perennial challenges. Reading the foundational documents, one is reminded how insightful they were, and remain. His description of problematic aspects of higher education in The Quest for Wisdom is as relevant as if Bacik had written it yesterday—despite the fact that those entering college when he penned it are now old enough to be the parents of university graduates.

Two highly practical chapters stand out. Professional Campus Ministers contains spot-on advice for both new and seasoned professionals. And Striving for Religious Literacy is a potent reminder of the attitudes, skills, and knowledge that a fruitful campus ministry program should be trying to impart. This chapter also contains a masterful summary of the pope's reflection on homiletics in The Joy of the Gospel, which should be required reading for anyone entrusted with breaking open the word for college students.

The Dialogue with Francis sections in each chapter are gems. From a vast array of papal writings, remarks, behaviors, and attitudes, Bacik has culled the wisdom of Francis into a concise set of insights for campus ministry. If one wishes these sections were a bit longer, recall that Bacik intends campus ministers to use them, not as a GPS to follow mindlessly, but as a...