Students in the Corps

A Letter from a former Corps Chaplain*

Dear Incoming Cadet,

I would first like to congratulate you on your decision to join the Corps of Cadets.  It is truly a unique college experience in which you have the opportunity to mature and grow into the man or woman that God ceated you to be.

As you have already heard, your years at A&M are a valuable time where you will be challenged as a person.  You will have to call into question what you believe and make decisions to actively follow that road of belief or to go down another, to continue to grow in your faith or not.  Lucky for you, you have come to Texas A&M, where St. Mary's, a nationally renowned Catholic Campus Ministry, is here to help you in your relationship with God and with others.

As a freshman, you will be attending Freshman Orientation Week in the Corpus and thus be unable to attend the Connect Retreat at St. Mary's.  But fear not!  There are other ways for Aggie Catholic Cadets to connect to the community of St. Mary's!  First off, there are countless Cadets around the Quad who are passionate about living out their Catholic faith and would love to show you around St. Mary's.  These cadets have bonded together and formed the St. Mary’s Light Brigade.  This is an organization made up of Catholic Corps members who meet together weekly to grow in faith and fellowship.  Contact Adam for more details. Secondly, you can attend our Fall Kick-Off event after all the masses on Sunday, August 27th.  We will have free food and the chance for you to talk with current students about how they have made Jesus an integral part of their college experience.  Finally, you are invited to attend our annual Fish Corps Dinner on Friday, September 15th.  This will give you a chance to meet other Catholics in the Corps and discover how they have grown in their faith while in college.

Being in the Corps doesn't give you a free pass to stay in a shell and avoid other organizations around campus.  I'll tell you the exact same thing I heard when I first stepped foot on A&M's campus: "You will get out what you put in."  It is up to you to branch out.  Right now you are full of hopes and aspirations for your upcoming years at Texas A&M.  This is a very good thing.  But you will not have the same rich experience that Texas A&M offers if you never leave the Quad from time to time and share your gifts and talents with others.

St. Mary's offers a multitude of groups and organizations including on-campus Mass twice a week at All Faith's Chapel, tons of bible studies, the Aggie Awakening Retreat, Jesus Is Lord, and many others.  Find out for yourself what awaits at St. Mary's Catholic Center.

God Bless,

John Packer Stevenson
Corps Chaplain 2010-2011

*This letter has been slightly modified to reflect current opportunities available.