Baylor Has First Non Baptist Aligned Student Group-It is Catholic

The Harvard of Baptist Schools ( and about as well endowed :) ) has it first non Baptist Student Group in history and it is Catholic. Baylor has 1,945 students that identify themselves as Catholic.It is the first non-baptist religious organization to be formed at Baylor University since its establishment in 1845.

Here is the Baylor Newspapers article`

Baylor's Catholic Student Association (CSA) was chartered Nov. 21, as the first non-Baptist religious organization to be recognized as a Baylor Student Organization.

"I'm so excited to get started. This is a whole new ball game, and I'm just anxious to figure out all that we can do," said Austin sophomore and vice president of CSA Elizabeth George.

Baylor's all-Baptist Board of Regents revised the university policy for religious organizations in August.
Vice president for Student Life, Martha Scott, stated that student body presidents have continiously been trying to bring the heeds of students before the regents.

"This discussion has existed as long as I can remember," Scott said. "There has consistently been a desire for students to be able to gather with like minds, whether it be, religious, political or professional minds."
In the early 1990's, Baylor required all organizations to acknowledge the Southern Baptist Convention's, "Baptist Faith and Message."

"This put students in the awkward situation of compromising their beliefs," Scott said. "It was not a good fit."
The policy now states that religious organizations of other Christian denominations can be chartered and granted official recognition.

Groups must affirm the basic tenants of the 'Statement of Common Faith,' including basic Christian beliefs, and submit a statement of their faith.

"More and more students we find are not calling themselves Baptist," Scott said. "And they want to find individuals they can grow spiritually with."

CSA set goals and a constitution developed. Goals of CSA include bringing awareness of Catholicism on campus, attracting new members to St. Peters Catholic Church and increasing membership within CSA.
"Getting CSA chartered was in fact a long journey for all those involved," said Melissa Rivera, Houston junior and CSA president. "We had countless meetings regarding what we wanted CSA to be and what its purpose would be on Baylor's campus."

Approval from three student departments was a 10-month wait. Rivera noted that by the time the approval process was overwith, everyone at Student Activities knew her by name.

CSA hopes to use its on-campus status to seek out Catholics.
Rivera stated that there are several Catholics walking around campus who may not know about St. Peters. CSA desires to let those students know they aren't alone in their faith.

Membership is not dependent on one's denomination. This allows students from all different denominations to come, learn more about Catholicism and fellowship with their brothers and sisters in Christ.
Rivera described her experience of being Catholic at a Baptist university.

There are both positive and negative aspects, but all seem to be advantages for Rivera.
"The only time it may become difficult is when I come across certain people, students and faculty alike, who make assumptions as to what Catholics believe and how they practice those beliefs," Rivera said. "I believe that being in at a Baptist university has caused me to know my faith a lot better from being asked so many questions, which is wonderful."

George added her own thoughts on being Catholic at Baylor.
She wants to accommodate others who seek a better understanding of Catholicism.

"It makes you really look at your beliefs and know how to defend them," George said. "Lots of people of have questions and it's good to know how to answer them."
CSA's charter may bring hope for other non-Baptist organizations. What does the future hold ecumenically for Baylor?

"I would like to think Baylor is becoming a lot more ecumenical. We saw there was lots of room for growth at Baylor and we wanted to put our foot in the door," Rivera said.

According to CSA's site, "This is a very exciting time for Catholics at Baylor and being allowed to spread the word and the love of God on our beautiful campus."
CSA will hold it's first meeting at 6:30 p.m. Feb. 17 in room B110 of the Baylor Science Building.
Those interested in more information can go to http://www.baylor-catholic.org/stpeter/Home.html and click 'Baylor CSA.'

Tip of the Hat to Southern Appeal that other related stories here