In October 2011, AQ Campus Ministry was honored with a national award from the Catholic Campus Ministry Association (CCMA). The Campus Ministry Program, AQ Light, was chosen to receive the 2011 Exemplary Programs Award in the Developing Leaders for the Future Category. The program was selected out of a group of nominees as an example of living out the faith in a Catholic campus ministry.

AQ Light, along with the other Exemplary Award winners, will be honored on November 15, 2011, at the CCMA’s Bishop Breakfast. The Bishop’s Breakfast takes place during the CCMA Annual Fall Meeting in Baltimore, Maryland. Bishop Walter A. Hurley was to receive the award in honor of Campus Ministry and AQ Light, but cannot attend. “We are proud to serve and be a part of the Grand Rapids Diocese,” says Mary Clark-Kaiser, director of Campus Ministry. “The Diocese is very excited, and the Bishop is proud and delighted.”

AQ Light, which stands for Living in God’s Hands Together, was started in 1993 with 17 members. The group was started by Clark-Kaiser after a suggestion by former Aquinas President Paul Nelson. Today, around 35 students are involved annually. The group meets weekly to plan 6-8 confirmation or faith sharing retreats for middle school and high school aged students in Catholic Parishes in the Grand Rapids Diocese and across the state of Michigan. To date, 20 parishes or high schools have been served by AQ Light in Grand Rapids, Muskegon, Traverse City, and places in between.

The retreats that AQ Light plan and present provide interactive experiences where Aquinas students can help young people explore their faith in a variety of different ways. AQ Light puts on both confirmation retreats and retreats that give young people a way to explore their faith in the context of their lives. According to Clark-Kaiser, this idea of connecting service with a faith community is what makes AQ Light work so well. Providing a fun and active way for students to share their faith makes AQ Light unique amongst retreat programs. “I am really proud of all of the AQ Light leaders and all of their hard work. It’s something they can be proud of,” said Clark-Kaiser. “It’s really a tribute to all the AQ Light leaders going back to 1993.”

Students active in AQ Light often become confident leaders in the faith community who have a mission of service. Through their experiences with AQ Light and Campus Ministry, students are given the confidence to share their faith with others. One of the reasons AQ Light was awarded the Exemplary Programs Award was the fact that it gives Aquinas students a chance to learn and develop leadership skills in a faith based setting. “I think the most important part of the experience of AQ Light is that the students are learning how to be leaders, especially in a faith community,” says Clark-Kaiser. “It really prepares Aquinas Students to become leaders in their church.”

AQ Light and Campus Ministry will also be recognized at the CCMA’s National Convention in January 2012.