Духовная поддержка в университетах: роль капелланов и религиозных организаций.

Faith based services provide access to activities, events and counselling that allow students to pursue spiritual growth and development. Many campuses offer multi faith spaces, ministering to those who identify with a specific religious group or those who consider themselves spiritual but not religious.

Many Canadian universities offer multi faith chaplaincy services. Chaplains may offer faith specific support and counselling for students, staff, and faculty dealing with stress, grief or loneliness, or they can be present for non religious students with questions about faith and for those wrestling with spiritual meaning in their lives. Overall, chaplains are committed to supporting the spiritual well being of the university community using a holistic approach. Chaplains can run worship services, social events, or meal programs. Universities may offer multi faith rooms for prayer or reflection.

The need for pastoral services in secular universities can be traced back to the writings of John Henry Newman advocating for societies of Catholic students to be established at secular universities in England. The rising popularity of public universities in many parts of the world over sectarian private universities also necessitated a need for Christian ministerial services for students. At the same time Christian churches in the vicinity of colleges and universities may provide worship and ministerial services to local students.

In the United States there are about 250 Catholic Newman Centers that minister to Catholic students at public universities. They trace their origin to the Newman movement and are ministered by laypeople, local parishes, or religious institutes. More recently, lay apostolates such as the Fellowship of Catholic University Students (FOCUS), established in 1997, are ministering to and re evangelizing Catholic university students and young adults.