Father Dave Pivonka, TOR '89 President | Franciscan University website

A program designed to train graduate assistants to engage students on the periphery of campus faith life is entering its fifth year at Franciscan University of Steubenville.

Bob Lesnefsky, director of Student Evangelization and a 1999 alumnus, initiated the Graduate Assistant Evangelization Program to identify students who are not participating in the spiritual formation activities offered by Franciscan University.

“It’s possible even at Franciscan, with such great ministry and faculty and staff, for someone to still need evangelization or to fall through the cracks,” Lesnefsky said. “Our battle cry is ‘there are still lots of little cracks even in the best systems.’”

Some students approached by graduate assistants may be disengaged, isolated in their dorm rooms, or appear anti-social.

“But they’re willing to have coffee or play video games with one of our people and eventually willing to come to an event or a family dinner we have each week,” Lesnefsky stated. “The main thing is we just want to meet people where they are.”

The program employs a relational and incarnational style of ministry, mirroring how Jesus reached out by engaging people directly. Graduate students in the program dedicate 20 hours a week seeking out peers at sports events, cafeterias, or the campus J.C. Williams Center. In return, they receive free tuition, a small monthly stipend, and housing.

Before starting their duties, graduate assistants undergo a month-long training period. They also receive weekly mentoring from evangelization staff members and participate in monthly group formation sessions.

Lesnefsky currently trains eight graduate students for this fall's program from approximately 50 annual applicants. He emphasized that selection focuses on individuals capable of connecting with various personality types: “We’re looking for someone who can connect relationally with different personality types, so we try to hire extroverts and introverts.”

Margaret McKee participated in the program from 2021 to 2023 while earning her master’s degree in clinical mental health counseling. Now serving as Franciscan’s coordinator of Household Life, she reflected positively on her experiences within the evangelization program.

“For me, some of the best stories happen,” McKee said, “when you encounter a student who feels lonely, and he or she ends up joining a household. Or a student who has been away from the faith for a while wants to join us for Mass after being invited every week for a semester.”

McKee noted that various factors contribute to students finding themselves on the margins of campus life. Some became accustomed to low levels of commitment during COVID shutdowns; others are affected by what cell phones have done regarding perceived connectedness.

“Sometimes actual engagement with a group or individual seems daunting and awkward because they have less experience with it,” she explained.

One student McKee engaged was a young woman from her hometown who was not very involved on campus initially. The two began meeting weekly for coffee and continued this routine regularly.

“At the end of her junior year,” McKee said, “she mentioned wanting to explore the Graduate Assistant Evangelization Program and see if the Lord was calling her to it.”