Peer Ministry: Students Leading Conversations on Interreligious Issues at Catholic Colleges and Universities

Abstract

A survey and interviews completed by peer ministers at Catholic colleges and universities in the United States from October 2012 to February 2013 reveal that the interviewed student ministers are engaging peers in interreligious dialogue. The research corroborates the premise that the promotion of interreligious relationships is important to this generation and is integral to the work of campus ministry offices. This article proposes that peer ministry programs, which exist at almost half of U.S. Catholic colleges and universities, can guide and nurture interreligious relationships on Catholic college and university campuses in order to understand more fully the faith and religious outlooks of their peers. These student leaders can help shape the nature of a very needed, yet still emerging, context for interreligious dialogue. A proposed educational model for the formation and training of peer ministers can also serve to prepare campus ministry professionals engaging in interreligious dialogue.