St. Paul's Newman Center - NDSU at 1141 North University Drive, Fargo, ND 58102 US - Catholic Men Living in Community

 (Oratory of St. John Bosco): 

Heavenly Father, we adore and praise you for your infinite love and incessant care for each one of us.  Bless our efforts to become “men after Your heart”   (1 Sam. 13:14) and so that we may conform ourselves to your image and likeness.  Strengthen our filial bond so that “the company of those who believe will be of one heart and soul... & have everything in common.”(Acts 4:32)  May we recognize “how good & pleasant it is, where brothers dwell in unity.”(Ps. 133) We implore for Your grace and strength so that we may live a life of charity, temperance, obedience and humility.

Prayer

In responding to our souls thirst for the living God (Ps. 42:2) we plead for the intercession of St. John Bosco to lead and guide us to our Lord, Jesus Christ so that “We shall be devoted to prayer and to the ministry of the Word.” (Acts 6:4)  In the charisma of St. John Bosco, we hold that the pillars for the Church in the new millennium are Mary, ‘Help of Christians’ and the Eucharist, ‘Salvation of the faithful.’ In our desire to imitate St. John Bosco, we will pray for his intersession each morning through the morning offering.  We will also commit ourselves to study His inspired Word through weekly bible study.  As brothers, we will worship our Lord Jesus at the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass. We will also be men devoted to Our Lady through Rosary walks on campus Sunday night and ask for the intersession of Our Lady of the Snows to transform North Dakota State University. 

Service

St. John Bosco lived for one purpose, to teach his disciples how to serve our Lord and each other.  We carry out these duties of a Christian “by being of the same mind, with the same love, united in heart, thinking one thing.” (Phil. 2:1- 2)  This same love and one thing is our desire to “make disciples of all nations.” (Matt. 28. 19)  We will accomplish this by discipleships and bible studies through FOCUS on campus.  “Greater love has no man than this, that he lay his life down for his friends”. (Jn. 15:14) This love will be expressed, among other ways, through a disciplined service of each other, including a thorough commitment to prescribed duties, realizing that being attentive and courteous to the needs of our brothers and our household guest.  It is also our goal to replicate this household in the near future for others so that we may transform the culture surrounding campus and through God’s grace, restore Christendom. 

Fellowship

St. John Bosco devoted himself to his disciples, giving of his time and energy for their sake, being sanctified by the Holy Spirit to be a more effective instrument of charity.  As brothers, we shall “share with each other not only the gospel of God but our own selves.”(1 Thes.2:8) We will accomplish this by seeking out joy and love for each other through camaraderie and leisure.  Inspired by the zeal of St. John Bosco, we seek a union of heart and mind among the brothers of this household through nightly meals, intramural sports, recreation, and in our place of residence in order to fully engage in each others’ lives.  As one man ‘sharpens’ another (Pvb. 27:17), we will assist each other to grow in the virtues of charity, temperance, obedience, and humility.  Through this filial bond we hope to recognize that “a faithful friend is a life-saving remedy, such as he who fears God finds; for he who fears God behaves accordingly and his friend will be like himself.”(Sir. 6:16)