Campus Ministry has started something new. Faith Talks give students the opportunity to hear their teachers reveal information about their personal lives, and how God has influenced them. Science teacher Theresa Coy will host the next event Wednesday at 6 p.m. in the chapel.

The first talk featured Tim Mulcahy, and  lasted about 40 minutes. Around 35 students attended the event, saying they  felt the event was interesting and worth attending.

“Students said they appreciated Mr. Mulcahy share his faith story and how his Marist education influenced his life,” said Campus Minister Megan Coffee.

Posters advertising the events include a QR code that students can scan and sign up to go. The campus ministry uses this to keep track of how many students will attend.

The idea for the faith talks came from a program Principal Meg Dunneback heard about at Boston College where a faculty member shared important life experiences, and talked about how these moments affected his faith. Campus ministry decided to give it a try at Marist.

“The goal is really just to bring students and teachers together and build more community,” said Campus Minister Colleen Coyne. 

Planning the event involves several steps. It starts with picking a speaker, choosing a venue and advertising the event. While the first faith talk was held in the theater, it’s believed moving to the chapel could create a more personal and reflective setting.

Finding the speaker can sometimes be the most difficult part. The goal is to choose teachers who students would be interested in hearing and have meaningful stories to share.

Faith talks are open to anyone, not just current teachers and students. 

“Some people from Mr. Mulcahy’s past, including former students and people who knew him years ago, came to hear his story after seeing it on social media,” said Coffee. 

Campus ministry hopes the program will continue to grow in the future. They plan to host another talk later this year and hope to organize three or four talks next school year.