Many years, much faith

Students at Midwestern State University Catholic Campus Center enjoy a lighthearted moment before they pray a blessing over Debbie Veitenheimer, campus minister. (NTC/Bertha Salazar)

This year marks the 40th year that Catholic students at Midwestern State University in Wichita Falls have had their own building on campus — the Catholic Campus Center. For the last 25 of those years, one woman has been at the helm with a singular mission.

“My number one goal for the campus ministry is to remain open to the Holy Spirit’s movement and to cooperate with God’s plan, rather than get in His way. I often have ideas or plans for a new school year, but first I need to check with my student leaders to see if they agree that my thoughts reflect the needs of the community. And then I try very hard to remain docile to the Holy Spirit and let go of the things that seem to not go according to God’s plans for the ministry,” said Debbie Veitenheimer, campus minister.

Scrapbooks note that Catholic Campus Ministry was established on the MSU campus in 1983 with a priest and campus minister who both had offices at Our Lady Queen of Peace Parish in Wichita Falls. 

Students gathered once a month in a tiny chapel in Killingsworth Residence Hall. All other events were held in the Clark Student Center until the CCC building was built in 1986. 

Diverse community

Veitenheimer said the MSU CCC has changed in many ways during her 25 years as its campus minister.

 “It began small with students predominantly from the Caribbean. Over the years, it has grown in size and in diversity. Today we are probably triple the size we were 25 years ago and sadly, we have almost no Caribbean students. Instead, we have many students from Latin and South America. In fact, at any given time, one-third to half of those gathered are Spanish speaking,” Veitenheimer said.

She also said since the Catholic Church is universal, it is especially important for campus ministers to serve students who come from abroad alongside American students.

“They are so far from home, and often the only thing that unites them is having a shared Catholic community. The language of the Church is unity and love, and so even if English isn’t their first language, their faith reminds them of home. I love meeting Catholic students from across the world and learning how they grew up in the faith,” Veitenheimer said.

She started a tradition of displaying the flags of the home countries of students involved in the ministry — about 30 flags.

“That way, when they walk into our building, they see their flag and feel welcome and at home,” she said.

A place to grow

“We have tried a variety of different outreach efforts over the years. Personal invitation is definitely one that bears the most fruit, partnered with good hospitality once a new student walks in our building,” Veitenheimer said.

Weekly activities include Mass, faith and fellowship night, OCIA, reconciliation, and the Divine Mercy Chaplet. Other events range from Eucharistic processions to Catholic trivia nights.

“Being at the CCC has helped me grow so much in my faith. Having it on campus has encouraged me to build meaningful habits like praying the chaplet, spending time in fellowship, and having quiet moments alone with Jesus. It has also helped me form connections with people my age who share similar beliefs, which has made me feel far less alone,” said Rita Zapata, a senior early education major at MSU, who has been involved in the CCC for the past three years.

Omar Combie of Saint Lucia is a 2022 graduate of MSU with a degree in mass communications. “The CCC was one of the most important aspects of my MSU experience. It provided me with great community, spiritual grounding, and part-time employment as a student assistant. Many of the memories I hold dear from my time at MSU are CCC moments,” he said.

Combie said his time at the MSU CCC improved his interpersonal skills and leadership traits, which has been a tremendous help with his job as marketing assistant at Sir Arthur Lewis Community College in Saint Lucia, a volcanic island country in the eastern Caribbean Sea.

“Secondly, the CCC was a watershed moment for my faith formation which ultimately led me to apply for the priesthood in my archdiocese. I am currently in a pre-seminary program,” he said.

Outreach opportunities

In addition to helping students learn about the universality of the Catholic Church by welcoming students from all countries, Veitenheimer is convinced of the importance of offering students an opportunity to serve others on mission trips.

Over the years, she has taken her students on international mission trips to Mexico and Guatemala as well as domestic trips to Joplin, Missouri, after the EF-5 tornado in 2011, and recently to Chicago.

"Our recent trips to Chicago have also afforded students a chance to see up close the day-to-day life of young religious brothers and sisters. The Franciscans of the Eucharist are a model of humbly serving Jesus to those He has surrounded them with in an impoverished Chicago neighborhood. Mission trips, even for a week, change the lives of my students,” she said