Authentic devotion to our Eucharistic Lord gives students at St. Augustine University Parish in Platteville the strength to live their vocations and the courage to spread the Gospel.
Eucharistic procession on campus
This past November, students from Pioneer Catholic — UW-Platteville’s Catholic student-led organization at St. Augustine — represented their faith in an extraordinary way by hosting a Eucharistic procession on campus.
With permission from the university, more than 30 students walked together with the Blessed Sacrament into the Markee Pioneer Student Center while fervently praying the Rosary.
After coming into the campus facility, the Blessed Sacrament was brought into a meeting room where the students spent the next 30 minutes in Eucharistic Adoration.
Eucharist-centered ministry
In many ways, the November procession exhibits the goal of St. Augustine’s ministry.
“The formation, community, and student activities we offer at St. Augustine’s are all structured in order to constantly bring students back to the Eucharist so that they can have the nourishment they need to live their faith and spread the Gospel,” says Fr. John Del Priore, the parochial vicar of the parish.
With 12 Masses offered every week, 10 daily hours of Eucharistic adoration, and monthly Eucharistic processions, students are enormously grateful for the numerous opportunities to worship and adore Jesus Christ in the Blessed Sacrament.
Fruits of the ministry
Throughout the years, this central focus on the Eucharist has brought about many fruits.
St. Augustine’s ministry has encouraged young men to respond to their vocational callings to the priesthood.
Three of more than 20 seminarians from the community — David Nowicki (Diocese of La Crosse), Nicholas Dhein (Diocese of Milwaukee), and David Drefcinski (Diocese of Madison) — anticipate their diaconate ordinations this year and their priestly ordinations in May of 2024.
During the past fall semester, St. Augustine experienced abundant growth in student participation.
By the end of the semester, there were 20 active Bible studies, eight of which were student-led.
Over Christmas break, 60 students from UW-Platteville attended SEEK23, a 5-day national Catholic conference in St. Louis, Mo., aimed at facilitating an encounter with Christ centered on the Eucharist and the call to mission.
Augustine Nguyen is the director of Catholic studies, director of liturgy, development assistant, and operations officer at St. Augustine University Parish in Platteville.