A Catholic College Student’s Spiritual Survival Guide

Powerful resources for college students to maintain and nurture their Catholic faith on campus.

College is an exciting time, filled with many challenges: academic, personal, emotional, and spiritual. The Catholic Church believes that following Jesus Christ is the most important thing you can do with your life at any time, but especially in college. Remaining close to Christ and His Church can help you navigate some of life’s challenges, give you direction as you seek your calling in life, and provide peace and joy in the midst of life’s difficulties.

In order for you to make the most of your time in college, and so you have the resources you need to flourish spiritually and to maintain and share your Catholic faith, this little book provides some basic Catholic prayers, practices, and teaching to get you started or to keep you going in cultivating and developing your relationship with Jesus in and through the Church He established for the salvation of the world.

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Table of Contents
INTRODUCTION — 1

PART I — PRAYER

  • WHAT IS PRAYER?   2
  • PRAYING THE SCRIPTURES    4
  • DAILY PRAYERS    5
    Sign of the Cross
    Our Father
    Hail Mary
    Glory Be
    Apostle’s Creed
    Hail Holy Queen
    How to Pray the Rosary
    Memorare
    Act of Faith
    Act of Hope
    Act of Love
    Act of Contrition (Sorrow)
    Prayer to the Holy Spirit
    Morning Offering
    Night Prayer
  • PRAYERS FOR SPECIAL NEEDS     14
    Prayer before Study of St. Thomas Aquinas
    Prayer to St. Joseph of Cupertino for Students
    Prayer of Thomas Merton
    Cardinal Henry Newman Meditation
    Jeremiah 29:11-14
    Isaiah 43:1-3
    Prayer for Vocations
    Prayer for Purity of St. Thomas Aquinas
    Prayer for the Addicted
    Prayer in Time of Distress
    Prayer for Perseverance
  • PRAYERS OF THE SAINTS     20
    Prayer to St. Joseph
    Prayer to St. Michael
    Breastplate of St. Patrick
    Peace Prayer of St. Francis
    Canticle of Brother Sun of St. Francis

PART II — THE CATHOLIC FAITH

  • INTRODUCTION     23
  • ARE CATHOLICS SAVED?    25
    Jesus Christ: Savior and Redeemer
    The Necessity of Faith
    What Exactly Is Salvation?
    Why Jesus Died on the Cross
    Salvation and Human Freedom
    Good Works Done in Faith
  • CATHOLICS AND THE BIBLE    38
    The Bible is the Inspired Word of God.
    Sola Scriptura – Is the Bible Alone the sole and complete source for the Christian faith?
    Apostolic Tradition is the source of Scripture
    Sacred Scripture and Tradition in the Church
    Teaching Authority of the Church determined which books belong in the Bible
    Why Catholic Bibles have more books than Protestant ones
    Tradition interprets Scripture
  • SACRAMENTS    49
    Baptism
       Original Sin
       Infant Baptism
    Eucharist
    Confirmation
    Confession or Reconciliation
    Anointing of the Sick
    Marriage
        Sex and Birth Control
    Holy Orders
        Celibacy of Priests
        Addressing Priests as ‘Father’
  • PURGATORY     72
  • THE POPE: SIGN AND PRINCIPLE OF UNITY     80
  • MARY, THE MOTHER OF GOD    82
  • PRAYERS OF THE SAINTS    83

Dr. Joseph Magee earned his PhD from the Center for Thomistic Studies at the University of Saint Thomas, Houston, Texas, in 1999 and for two years taught philosophy full-time at UST. From 2002 – 2021, he was the Catholic campus minister at Sam Houston State University, where he regularly taught philosophy of religion and introduction to philosophy. He has also taught part-time at Montgomery College, UST, Houston Community College, and University of Houston, Downtown. Since 1996, Dr. Magee has produced and maintained the Thomistic Philosophy web page.