Contributed photo: The MYRACLE club at a retreat in Grove City.

Students at Mercyhurst have many different religious backgrounds. One such background is the Roman Catholic faith. One way that Roman Catholic students at Mercyhurst can grow and deepen their faith is by joining MYRACLE, the only Roman Catholic club that Mercyhurst has to offer.

The full title of the club is Mercyhurst Youth Retreats and Catholic Leadership Education (MYRACLE).

The main thing the club does is attend retreats and service projects. The retreats are usually done whenever it is the most convenient time for the students. This is usually at the end of the school week.

The club was started back in 2011. It was created in order for students to share their faith with school-aged students.

As of now, there are more than 30 members in the club. Most of them are actively involved; however, some of them are not as involved due to time or other obligations.
MYRACLE has been to four states. They have also been to six or seven dioceses, and have reached out to 1,400 students in grade school.

The main goal of each retreat is to help children learn more about God’s message and deepen their faith. Ice-breakers are a big part of the retreats. At the end of each retreat, a survey is given out to the children to ask them how much they enjoyed the retreat.

“A big part is getting kids to learn who they are and if they want to live as a ‘disciple of the Lord’,” senior member Kevin Dudek said.

The club has also donated goods and other items to Lakers for Life and local homeless shelters in the Erie area. During Lent, the club has performed the Living Stations in the Erie diocese.

MYRACLE was recently recognized by the Catholic Campus Ministry Association for their Exemplary Program Award, in the category of “developing Leaders for the future.” This is an award that is one of six national awards presented to Catholic Campus Ministry programs.

If you would like to know more about MYRACLE, or would like more information about becoming a member, contact the club at MYRACLE@mercyhurst.edu. If you would like to know more about Campus Ministry in general, please contact Campus Ministry Director Greg Baker at gbaker@mercyhurst.edu.