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ROTHESAY, N.B. - They danced, sang, prayed and worshipped. But most importantly, they connected.

Students and campus ministers from nearly 20 Canadian universities gathered Oct. 29-31 at the Villa Madonna Retreat House in Rothesay for the 2010 Canadian Catholic Student Association (CCSA) national conference.

But why travel across the country for conferences like this? According to students, it������Ƶapp all about making connections and being a part of a national body of Catholic students.

OTTAWA - The small chaplaincy office at Carleton University is filled with the smell of salami, ham, chicken, cheese and freshly baked bread. The university is quiet on a Saturday morning except for a lively group of Catholic students making sandwiches. When they’re finished, they pack juice boxes, granola bars and bags of socks and set out for Street Patrol.

Held on Oct. 23, Street Patrol is a ministry derived from St. Patrick������Ƶapp Church in Toronto and was brought to Carleton by a former student named Michael Manulak. It involves a group of four to five people reaching out to homeless on the street, speaking with them and offering food, snacks and drinks.

The Friars' essay contest contest for the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity is now open.

Co-sponsored by the The Catholic Register and the Franciscan Friars of the Atonement-Graymoor in Toronto, the top prize is a 32 GB iPod touch.

The theme for this year������Ƶapp Week of Prayer for Christian Unity is: “One in the Apostles’ Teaching, Fellowship, Breaking of the Bread and Prayer.”

VICTORIA -Natalia Zapotoczny doesn’t think Catholic youth know as much about the Church as they should.

The first-year sciences student at the is doing something to change that. She is the founder of Warriors for Christ — a group of young people who gather to pray and become more exposed to Catholicism through conversation and questioning.

It also strives to help its members get prayer out of the on/off switch phase and turn that into a prayer life.

TORONTO - More than a century after his death, St. John Bosco is still reaching out to youth.

That message was evident on Oct. 5 when St. Benedict parish hosted the relic of St. John Bosco. The founder of the Salesian order, St. John Bosco dedicated his life to the service and salvation of young people.

“I’ve heard so much about St. John Bosco but seeing him in person is truly inspiring,” said Harold Lumilan, a member of the youth group at St. Benedict������Ƶapp parish and second-year psychology student at the University of Toronto.

TORONTO - The popular novel Eat, Pray, Love by Elizabeth Gilbert first inspired a motion picture — now it������Ƶapp inspired a group for young adults to explore the spiritual side of eating.

Run by Faith Connections, the young adult ministry of the Sisters of St. Joseph, a group of eight will meet bi-monthly to share a meal together and embark on a spiritual growth journey in a program called “Eat, Pray, Share.” Broken up into six sessions, the program began Sept. 29 and runs until Dec. 8, with a seventh session planned as outreach to those who are hungry.

Saskatoon - Almost 300 people marched through downtown Saskatoon Sept. 27 in support of ending violence against women.

The marchers were taking part in the annual Take Back the Night march. The theme of this year������Ƶapp march was “Shattering the Silence” and encouraged participants to stand in solidarity with marginalized groups who faced greater risk of violence, including first nations peoples, the disabled and rural women.

TORONTO - From Oct. 1 to 3, pro-life students from across the country will gather for the National Campus Life Network������Ƶapp annual national symposium at St. Augustine������Ƶapp Seminary in Toronto.

“For a lot of students, it������Ƶapp a pivotal moment where they come to a new level of commitment when it comes to pro-life work,” said Rebecca Richmond, executive director of the National Campus Life Network, an organization that exists to educate, network and support pro-life students at post-secondary institutions across Canada.

“Then they’re inspired and motivated to go back to their campus and share what they learned with members of their club or to get a club started and impact their campus.”

TORONTO - While university and college students heading back to school often join campus groups and organizations to alleviate the pressures of academic life, there is one area that is often overlooked: campus chaplaincy centres.

“A lot of Catholic students may know we’re here but they have a job, they live in Markham, they’re busy with school and may be involved with something else at school — and that������Ƶapp enough for them,” said Kim Gottfried Piché, director of chaplaincy services at the .