San Jose State University, Silicon Valley’s largest collegiate
institution, enrolls nearly 30,000 students. Most of them commute,
fitting jobs, families and driving into schedules so hectic it has
been estimated the average student spends only seven minutes per
day on campus doing things unrelated to classes.
San Jose State University, Silicon Valley’s largest collegiate institution, enrolls nearly 30,000 students. Most of them commute, fitting jobs, families and driving into schedules so hectic it has been estimated the average student spends only seven minutes per day on campus doing things unrelated to classes.
Many of these students are struggling with the many pressures they face, and a chaplain, the Rev. Dr. Roger Wharton, is there to help them. He describes his job as providing “spiritual education and guidance for college students and young adults who have inquiring minds and open hearts.”
Father Wharton has been an ordained Episcopal priest for the past 31 years. Growing up in Ohio as a member of the Evangelical United Brethren Church (which eventually merged to become the United Methodist Church), he was introduced to the Episcopal Church as a student at Otterbein College.
After careers as a school teacher, summer camp director, and outdoor environmental educator, Wharton graduated from seminary and went on to serve parishes in Wisconsin, New York, Alaska and California. He has earned a doctorate from Berkeley’s Pacific School of Religion in Christian Environmental Awareness and the Biblical Nature Wisdom Tradition.
In 1999 “Chaplain Roger” experienced an “outdoor mystical experience” during a 40-day retreat in the Colorado Rockies and decided his call was to higher education ministry, eventually coming to San Jose State as a chaplain under the auspices of the Episcopal Diocese of El Camino Real.
It soon became evident that students today (or many adults, for that matter) have little identification with traditional denominational ties, and he broadened the focus of his ministry to include anyone who “is on a spiritual path or dares to explore the spiritual world.”
“We offer programming for people of all faiths (or no faith), spiritual traditions, or background,” he says. “We are in the business of service and are not attempting to make converts.” His ministry is “event-oriented,” providing “spiritual doors and windows.”
Examples are varied:
n About 700 students walked the Labyrinth last year (a popular ancient method of prayer), including many who participated as part of their Recreation Department classes.
n On Ash Wednesday he opened the Spartan Memorial Chapel, and some 600 students, staff and faculty participated in liturgy, meditation, blessings, prayer or imposition of ashes.
n He arranged for 12 showings of “An Inconvenient Truth,” Al Gore’s award-winning documentary about global warming.
n He is a member of the University HIV and Aids Education Prevention Committee.
n He taught several classes under the auspices of the University Housing Service or Counseling Department. A particularly popular one, “Dreams: The Forgotten Language of the Spirit,” helps students deal with problems such as stress, sleep deprivation and nightmares.
n He coordinates the local branch of The Listening Post Program, which several times a week sets up a table with snacks in the campus Student Union. Staffed by students and other trained volunteers, the Listening Post offers a nonjudgmental place to talk “where anger is defused, hurt begins to heal and life is improved.” Besides receiving the benefit of active listening, students can be referred to other resources for help with personal problems.
n Father Roger is also available for counseling, spiritual direction, leading retreats and administering of sacraments. He works closely with clergy from Catholic Campus Ministry, and downtown churches, such as St. Paul’s United Methodist, San Jose Metropolitan Community and Grace American Baptist (where his office is located).
He remarks that he finds his campus ministry rewarding “being here and helping students explore spirituality. There are all kinds of faiths here, and students have a good opportunity to investigate them and make a spirituality their own, to figure out what fits for them.”
For more information check the Internet at www.sjspirit.org or phone (408) 605-1687.
