Campus Ministry
Campus Ministry at Clearwater Central Catholic (CCC) High School exists to make God known, loved and served on our campus and beyond. CCC is a ministry of the Diocese of St. Petersburg, so our school maintains an intentional and personal relationship with the Office of the Bishop, the Office of Catholic Schools, and the entire Pastoral Center of the Diocese of St. Petersburg. We strive to be connected to all Catholic parishes and elementary schools in our Upper Pinellas location as we seek to build the Kingdom of God, both locally and globally. One other vital relationship with CCC and the Office of Campus Ministry is the partnership that we have with the Sisters of Notre Dame of the United States (USA). For 34 years (1971-2005), the Sisters of Notre Dame administered and ministered on our campus. Though no Sisters remain on staff, several of the Sisters who minister locally serve our School in a variety of capacities (School Advisory Commission, Community of the Associates of the Sisters of Notre Dame, Ministry of Presence, etc.). CCC desires to stay connected to the Sisters of Notre Dame and to their charism of, “the Good and Provident God”. Sister Maria Aloysia, the foundress of the Sisters of Notre Dame, came to the United States from her native Germany in 1874 to Cleveland, Ohio. Nearly one hundred years later, three Sisters of Notre Dame arrived at CCC to lead our school in 1971 at a critical juncture in our history. Along with the Spiritual Mother of the Sisters of Notre Dame, Saint Julie Billiart, the Office of Campus Ministry witnesses to the fact that “God is Good, all the Time!”Director of Campus Ministry
Campus Ministry
The Office of Campus Ministry and all its collaborators help create an environment at CCC which encourages and guides all members of our community to contribute to the Catholic identity of our campus and to the realization that Jesus Christ is the Reason for the School. Drawing from the resources of our foundational base to the Diocese of St. Petersburg and our affiliation with the Sisters of Notre Dame (USA), the Office of Campus Ministry collaborates with the administration, faculty, staff, parents and especially, students to develop a campus rich in the school’s charism, which we connect to local church life. All of these efforts are directed to and from Jesus Christ and are supported and reinforced by Sacred Scripture and the Sacramental Life of the Catholic Church.Campus Activities
Liturgies
At CCC, the Eucharist is the Source and Summit of our communal worship experiences. Our faith community comes together at least once a month on Feast Days and other Holy Days to experience the Lord in His sacrament, in His word, and in His priest and people. Early Morning Mass is also celebrated twice a week (Tuesdays and Fridays at 7:10 A.M. in our Chapel of St. Julie Billiart). Prayer Services
CCCHS comes together periodically as a community on the Main Quad of our campus to remind ourselves about the centrality of God in our school. These brief prayer services revolve around the Liturgical Year or other important days on our school calendar, such as Foundation Day celebrated by the Sisters of Notre Dame community on October 1, the day their community came into existence in 1850. These brief, but important, outside convocations reminds our school community concerning "God’s Goodness and Provident Love."
Chapel
Annual Retreats’
CCC is dedicated to providing an annual retreat for all students, faculty and staff. In fact, there is even an optional parent retreat during the Season of Lent. For the underclassmen students, their retreat day is offered on-campus and is always led by our Student Peer Ministers. The Senior Retreat is celebrated off-campus at a local retreat center. The Senior Retreat is an extended day retreat, which affords seniors time and space to ponder God's call on their lives, as they begin to make their transition away from their high school experience and into what comes next. Outreach
Catholic Christians show their love for God by loving their neighbor. Mission Thursday, a student-driven weekly collection, aims to advance the Gospel in Mission Lands by providing financial support for basic human necessities, especially to the poorest of the poor as underwritten by Catholic mission agencies. In ten years (2013-2023), CCC has raised close to $60,000 for the Catholic Missions. CCC also participates in local charitable drives such as the Thanksgiving Food Drive (which benefits the Clearwater Chapter of the Society of Saint Vincent DePaul) and the Spanish Honor Society Christmas Toy Drive, which collects toys for families and young people who are connected to Mission San Jose in Wimauma, Florida. Campus Ministry also supports every Lenten Season, the Catholic Relief Services Rice Bowl.
Student Communities within Campus Ministry
Peer Ministry
Peer Ministers utilize their God-given gifts to influence CCC students to grow closer to God. The Peer Ministers help facilitate the student retreats on campus by leading witness talks and small group discussions. Peer Ministers apply in the spring of their sophomore and/or junior year, are interviewed and then appointed through the Office of Campus Ministry after approval from School Administration.Morning Star Amigos
Morning Star Amigos is a CCC student club operating under the Office of Campus Ministry that fosters a strong bond between our school and Morning Star Catholic School of Pinellas Park, so that both of our schools may enrich each other. Morning Star Catholic School, a Catholic School of the Diocese of St. Petersburg, recognizes the unique educational needs of students. Morning Star provides an ungraded curriculum in which students with special learning needs can achieve their full potential. Our Morning Star Amigos student club meets the 1st Tuesday of the month (September - May) in the Chapel of St. Julie Billiart. Catholic Relief Services Establishes 1st Catholic high school chapter in Florida at CCC
Catholic Relief Services (CRS), chose Clearwater Central Catholic High School in 2020 to establish the first Catholic high school chapter in Florida. The purpose of the School Chapter shall be to educate and advocate on CCC’s campus specific social justice and global poverty issues such as, migration, climate change, global hunger, and human trafficking. CCC has benefitted from this partnership and continues to put into action Christ's command as recorded in the 25th Chapter of the Gospel of Matthew (verses 31 - 46). CRS Student Chapter Meetings take place the 2nd Tuesday of each month (September to May) from 3:00 – 3:30 P.M. in the Chapel of St. Julie Billiart. Catholic Relief Services has been a leading international humanitarian agency since 1943. Highly trusted and globally respected, CRS partners with people, organizations and governments around the world to end poverty, disease, hunger and injustice—always based on need, not creed. Guided by the belief that we are all one human family, CRS puts humanity first. An organization of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, CRS is headquartered in Baltimore, Maryland and carries out the commitment of the Bishops of the United States to assist the poor and vulnerable overseas. For more information on CRS visit crs.org or call 877-435-7277.