Tommie Catholic gatherings will be stirring things up this year as a new platform for faith-based discussion and community building.

Campus Ministry, the Catholic studies department and Saint Paul’s Outreach collaborated to form Tommie Catholic. The student-run program will help build a faith-oriented community on campus according to Michael Naughton, director of the Center for Catholic Studies.

“For people who are interested in explorations of faith, they can connect with other people, they can share their faith (and) question their faith (at Tommie Catholic),” Naughton said.

About 180 people attended the first night of Tommie Catholic, exceeding St. Thomas junior and Tommie Catholic committee-member Adam Weinzetl’s expectations.

“The fact that as many people came tonight was amazing,” Weinzetl said. “People were actually interacting and meeting each other, which was the whole point.”

Another community member pleasantly surprised by the turnout for this first Tommie Catholic event was Vanessa Walsh, associate director of Campus Ministry.

“You never know how many people to expect the first time you do an event, so you plan and you prepare and you say a prayer,” Walsh said. “We had a line out the door. We had to bring in a bunch of extra chair … You could really feel the energy in the room.”

Students should expect something different each week as the three groups will alternate organizational responsibilities for each event. This allows Campus Ministry, Catholic Studies and Saint Paul’s Outreach to each run its own event every month.

The fourth meeting of each month will be an Ecumenical event and will function as a way of including other faith-based organizations.

Freshman Rebecca Schoenfelder attended the first Tommie Catholic event and is looking forward to what the group has to offer.

“I came in with an open mind, and it was much better than what I expected,” Schoenfelder said. “It was nice to come and meet like-minded people on campus and have that sense of community.”

Naughton said Tommie Catholic is planning events filled with praise and worship, faith-based discussion and debate on current, hot-button topics like the legalization of marijuana.

Regardless of what’s being done at each gathering, the primary purpose of Tommie Catholic is to bring these three organizations, and other faith-based organizations, together on campus as one community.

“This way you have more faces to see on campus. You can never have enough friends.” Weinzetl said. “I would say to come with an open mind and an openness to meet people here. Community is a place to grow with each other, challenge each other and ask hard questions.”

Non-Catholics are also welcome. Those experimenting with their faith can use Tommie Catholic as a way to form bonds with others, Naughton said.

“You don’t have to be a card-carrying, baptized person to get in,” Naughton said. “If you’re free, come. If you come in once that’s great, and if you come in all semester that’s great too.”

Maya Shelton-Davies can be reached at shel1181@stthomas.edu.