Students ‘welcomed home’ to JPII House, a place of hospitality and encounter

The first time that Daniel (21) heard sacred music was at JPII House. It was not a style of music he knew much about, he says, ‘but when I come here, the musicians sing in the lounge, play the piano, and it lifts my heart up where it wasn’t lifted up before.’

Daniel, who is doing a bachelor of biomedicine (public health) at the University of Melbourne, says that these moments with other Catholics—including regular confession, Mass and adoration—have helped him to develop spiritually. ‘And then that universal aspect of the Catholic faith is so beautiful. We all share one faith; we all receive one Eucharist,’ Daniel says. ‘This is something that I very much cherish but also want to share with others.’

The ‘sacramental heart’ of campus life

Josephine Plazzer, a discipleship specialist with Proclaim: The Office for Mission and Renewal, sees JPII House as ‘the sacramental heart’ of the student community, a place where the different Catholic student societies gather together for Mass. ‘You come here and receive that nourishment,’ she says, ‘then you go back out into the world and share your faith.’

When she meets people on campus, she’s grateful to have ‘a place to invite people back to’ where she knows the community will be warm and welcoming.

At the heart of JPII House, there is the community—the Eucharist—that invitation to come that Pope Francis is constantly reminding us of.

‘It never ceases to just blow me away,’ she says of the young people who gather at JPII House and of the ‘open heart’ they show towards others. ‘They’re so young. It’s like, “Where did they learn this?”’ And while some students are quite shy initially, she watches them ‘grow and take on that openness and hospitality’.

This sense of hospitality is fundamental to the JPII House community, she says. ‘We’re constantly welcomed here because, at the heart of the JPII House, there is the community—the Eucharist—that invitation to come that Pope Francis is constantly reminding us of.’

The Eucharist, she says, is a mystery, but a mystery ‘we’re all invited to’, and one that ‘is pointing towards God’.

Bringing Catholic students together

Catholics of One Spirit Down Under (COSDU), the University of Melbourne Catholic Society and the RMIT Catholic Society are some of the clubs that gather weekly at JPII House.

Zaya (20), who is doing an advanced diploma in building design (architecture), is the founding president of the recently formed RMIT Catholic Society. ‘It’s the beginning of a new journey,’ he says of the society, which signed up about 30 new members at its Orientation Week stall. ‘For a new society, that’s a wonderful result,’ he says.

We invite, we show them, we plant seeds, and hopefully, through the glory of Jesus, we can increase in number and keep going.

The societies are hoping to collaborate more with students on campus, and to work closely with each other. They will be hosting coffee hour, movie nights, talks, and bowling and trivia nights, among other events.

‘The interactions we have as a Catholic community—no matter if it’s at the pub, during bowling, at a movie night—they’re all aimed at developing the person,’ Daniel says.

‘Jesus had disciples; he had friends; he did normal things, too,’ Zaya adds. ‘Why don’t we do the same?’

Zaya believes this kind of everyday accompaniment is the way to bring people along. ‘We invite, we show them, we plant seeds, and hopefully, through the glory of Jesus, we can increase in number and keep going,’ he says.

A place of encounter

The house has also been a place of encounter for students who are new to the faith, and these encounters often start with students journeying together, Josephine says. ‘We walk alongside them and Fr Peter, the university chaplain, provides the spiritual input.’

I’ve made so many great friends here, and being with likeminded people is just really meaningful.

Natalia (20) is a second-year student doing a bachelor of science (mechanical engineering) at the University of Melbourne. She first visited the house at the encouragement of Fr Peter. ‘At first, I was a bit nervous,’ she admits. ‘It was very new, and I didn’t really know anyone here.’ Eventually, Natalia met a Catholic student who also invited her to come along and who introduced her to others in the house. ‘The fellowship at this house is absolutely amazing,’ she says. ‘I’ve made so many great friends here, and being with likeminded people is just really meaningful.’

Annie (18), who is in her first year of a bachelor of science (psychology) degree at the University of Melbourne, first heard about JPII House through Natalia’s Instagram posts. Having recently been baptised, Annie didn’t know many Catholics her age.

Reflecting on her journey, she says, ‘Coming to the faith is like coming home. It’s the best thing I’ve ever done … To have the opportunity to meet all these people has been really beautiful,’ she says.

Finding a home

The sense of finding a home at JPII House is perhaps particularly profound for those who are geographically far from home and family.

Valynn (24), an international student from India, first heard about JPII House during Orientation Week at the University of Melbourne, having just arrived in Australia to begin a master of computer science degree. ‘When I first came to the house, it was a bit intimidating,’ she admits. ‘I was a new student in a new country.’

But Valynn’s apprehension disappeared when she was greeted by Sr Delma Lamb, a chaplain at the university. ‘She was really friendly and had a habit of hugging everyone,’ Valynn recalls. ‘I still remember the hug. It took all the stress away.’

That’s what the JPII House is like to me: a sanctuary, a family.

Similarly, Aika (20), who came to the University of Melbourne from the Philippines to enrol in a bachelor of science (psychology), was going through a difficult time when she first heard about JPII House from a friend. Walking into the house right before Mass was ‘the most serendipitous thing,’ she recalls. ‘I was down in the dumps, and I was trying to form my faith. It all happened in a very Godly way.’

Describing the house as ‘this oasis of love and peace’, Aika says it was just ‘what I needed at that time of my life’. Coming back to the faith through the community at JPII House was like ‘running into Jesus’ arms as a child,’ she says. ‘That’s what the JPII House is like to me: a sanctuary, a family.’

Vocation Fridays

This year, JPII House is hosting ‘Vocation Fridays’, an opportunity for students to discern their vocations and learn about the different ‘charisms’ (spiritual gifts) of the faith.

Quoting Pope Francis’ observation that ‘vocations are born in prayer’, Josephine points out that this is a critical time in students’ lives. ‘They’re thinking about their future; they’re going deeper into their faith; they’re becoming adults, and this is the first time they can actually take ownership of their faith,’ she says.

The invitation to discern a vocation is not exclusive to the priesthood or consecrated life, she points out. ‘It’s discerning a vocational life in and of itself, asking, “Where is the Lord calling me? How is he calling me? What is he asking me to say yes to in my life?”’

Just come. The first step is showing up; everything else follows.

For the first ‘Vocation Friday’, the JPII House community invited the Capuchin Franciscan Friars to celebrate Mass. Fr Christopher Maher OFM, Vocation Director of the Australian Province, spoke to students about the significance of Jesus’ teaching in parables, and the fundamentally ‘narrative’ nature of the human experience. He encouraged students to read good novels as an antidote to the effects of modern consumerism.

After Mass, the students had the opportunity to talk to the friars over a cup of coffee. In a conversation she had with Fr Christopher after Mass, Valynn recalls him saying, ‘We usually give the homily, but we never get to hear the fruits of it.’ She says that having the opportunity to talk with Fr Christopher as a group afterwards showed that his homily wasn’t ‘going to waste’: ‘People are living it out; people are following it.’

Inviting others to visit the house, Valynn says, ‘Just come. The first step is showing up; everything else follows.’

Josephine echoes this invitation, saying that anyone who is curious shouldn’t be afraid to come and visit. ‘We love to welcome new people!’ she says.