Catherine Zickeret named TCU Minister

Catherine Zickert, campus minister at Texas Christian University. (NTC photo/Juan Guajardo)

FORT WORTH — Discerning God’s plans for her life took Catherine Zickert some time and intentional prayer.

It also took the Cleveland native across a few state lines. 

Now, Zickert brings that fresh experience of wholeheartedly following His will to 500 hundred students  at Texas Christian University’s Newman Center as the new Campus Minister for the university’s Catholic community. 

“When you're in college, I feel there are a lot of moments where you have to discern,” Zickert explained. “‘Where are You calling me? What is my major? What do I want to do with my life? Should I be with this person?’

“So many large life choices go on during these four years,” she continued. “I tell [students] all the time, I’m a perfect testimony to God being the most accurate and perfect GPS. If you make a wrong turn, He will reroute you.”

Walk with them

Being a college student is not easy, Zickert said. Being in her mid-twenties and having recently completed some Master’s level theology classes, the struggles and decisions the young adults around her are encountering are fresh on her mind.

Her experience helps her relate with the college students at the Newman Center, Zickert said as she shared her determination to provide a listening ear to help those beginning their discernment.

“As long as you're really focusing on Him and His will for your life, He will make sure that you end up where you belong,” she said, reflecting on the lessons of discernment her experience has taught her.

It has been a joyous and busy month for the fledgling campus minister as she comes to know the many ministries and activities within the Newman Center’s community, 

“Praise God, God’s glory be shown and all because of Him, but I do see how we are growing, and it’s because of the students here,” Zickert said. “They’re so on fire for their faith, and they’re actively going out and discipling others and it’s so, so cool to see.” 

Zickert said she hopes to help empower the young adults in their paths as strong Catholic leaders.

Her focus now concerns “meeting with these students and seeing where they are on their faith [journey], where I can help and encourage them, and then also help them so that they can continue to serve TCU in the way that they feel called to be serving.” 

By “walking with them, meeting with them where they are,” Zickert finds her heart stirring with God’s peace more than ever before.  

Called to young adult ministry

Zickert grew up seeing her family’s joy in serving the Church, particularly in youth ministry.

“My mom has been a youth minister for 21 years; my uncle has been a youth minister for 23 years; and my grandparents started multiple youth ministry programs,” Zickert said.

“My first birthday actually was at a [ministry] night with the teenagers, and I'm in a high chair eating cake,” she recalled with a laugh. “So, yes, I’ve been very, very involved with ministry my whole life.”

While she was working on her bachelor’s in vocal performance with a focus on opera at the University of Kentucky, Zickert felt inspired by her involvement with her campus’ Newman Center, where she began to discern her vocation. 

“I was discerning for a long time being a missionary and seeing maybe where God is calling me in that sense,” she said. 

The call then led her to St. Mark Parish in Argyle, where she served as a youth minister for a few years before returning to Cleveland to discern religious life. 

“The whole year of 2023 was really dedicated to looking into, ‘Lord, are You calling me to be Your bride?’” Zickert said. “I had thought I had discerned the vocation to married life, and I wasn’t sure if that was where God was calling me, and I knew that I was supposed to be working somehow in ministry, so I was trying to figure out where the tugging at my heart was, where He was calling me.”

With time, His plans led her to meet and fall in love with the new youth minister at Good Shepherd Parish in Colleyville, Jorge Ochoa. 

“It was kind of crazy to think I had just left Texas, went back home, and the Lord just very quickly said, ‘Actually, turn around, you’re coming back to Texas,’” Zickert said. 

As she and Ochoa began considering shortening the distance, they discovered God had already been at work. 

“All of the doors opened up,” she said. “I heard about this TCU position and as I took it to prayer, I mean, I can’t begin to tell you the amount of excitement and peace and joy that I was receiving when I thought about working in young adult ministry.”

Now, a month into her tenure at the Fort Worth university, Zickert needs only to walk a few steps outside her office to encounter a group of students meeting, praying, and discussing the Rosary together.

“Now that I’m here and able to minister to these students, I mean, I honestly feel like they are doing more in my life than I could ever do in theirs. It’s just such a joy to be here,” she said.