As a follow-up to the recent Marquette Wire article entitled “LCM, Campus Ministry face disagreement over glitter ashes,” (March 20) we want to offer some experiences and thoughts.  Campus Ministry strives to support a vibrant environment for students to engage religious belief and grow in relationship with God. Lutheran Campus Ministry (ELCA) has been an important and cherished partner since our office’s inception.

We acknowledge differences between Christian churches with sadness and loss. The dialogue between the Lutheran World Federation and the Catholic Church as expressed in, “Conflict to Communion,” gives five ecumenical imperatives including; seek visible unity (elaborate together, take concrete steps, strive repeatedly); witness together the mercy of God in proclamation and service. The document encourages perseverance “since the road may be longer than expected.”

Caring for students of the many traditions present on campus is part of what makes Marquette a Catholic, Jesuit university, which inherently embraces ecumenism and interfaith dialogue while fostering growth in Catholic faith. Likewise, our LGBTQ+ students, faculty, staff and alumni are integral and beloved members of our university community. Campus Ministry provides pastoral care and faith programming for/with the LGBTQ+ community as it has for 30 years, with commitment to the spiritual well-being of LGBTQ+ students.

We reaffirm our longstanding commitment to caring for your spiritual growth and invite you to participate in Campus Ministry.  If you would like to speak with a member of our staff concerning the questions raised in the article, we would be happy to meet with you.

-Campus Ministry