Our Lady of Wisdom Catholic Church and Student Center resides on the ULL campus. Having been on the campus since 1923, it has become home to the many students and families that it serves. The church and student center have both been renovated to fit the needs of the ministry. In its 90 years of service, though, the church and student center has experienced a few issues. Two major issues include the disintegrating condition and the lack of space. The student center has been experiencing many break downs: some toilets are not functioning, the cafe has a leak for every student, and the pipes are practically made out of clay, etc. Another problem that the student center encounters is its cramped space. The room is becoming less spacious as the number of students increases. This is a good problem, but it is still a problem as it begins to limit the ministry. With these issues, new plans have been proposed to build a new church and student center and funding has recently begun.
The plans for the student center address the obvious maintenance problems. The plans also address the issue of space with "more than double the square footage of the existing facilities."
The total campaign goal is $22,000,000. With such a huge amount being asked of the church, many people, outside and inside the church, begin to ask, "Why? Why is this a worthy cause?"
The Ragin' Cajun Catholics have offered some reasons as to why this is a worthy cause: Sacraments, Outreach, Evangelization, Formation, and Discipleship. To add, I offer one more reason that is contingent upon the other reasons: conversion. Our Lady of Wisdom has witnessed many conversions, big and small, because of the aforementioned reasons. Whether the conversion is because someone's question about the Church was answered, they were asked to a Bible study or to a small intellectual conversion, conversion is a daily call. This is the call to holiness, the primary vocation of the members of the Church, and the Ragin' Cajun Catholics offers a community pursuing this holiness. Without others striving for the same goals of holiness in ones life, sanctity seems less possible and rarely, if ever, is achieved.
Our Lady of Wisdom has become a home to many including myself. Here, I have experienced smaller conversions to live a holier life. Here, I have been able to make lifelong friendships that have formed me intellectually and spiritually. Here, I have been able to watch others experience grand and small conversions alike. Here, this sinner has been able to love the Lord more than he has ever expected and knows that there is more to come.
I long for others to know the Lord, and if you do too, then you should give to this cause. I will not be able to experience the fruit of a new church and student center in my college career, but I hope that others will and that Wisdom will last for every generation.
