CSS 2025: Give Our Students a Spiritual Home Away from Home

Support a Special Tray Collection for College Student Sunday on August 24, 2025

BROOKLINE, MA — As summer ends, Orthodox families across the country prepare to send their young adults to college. This season is filled with anticipation and opportunity, but it can also be marked by loneliness and spiritual disconnection. Many students leave behind the parishes that nurtured them and arrive on campuses where the Orthodox Church may be unfamiliar or hard to find.

Orthodox Christian Fellowship (OCF) is there to meet students during this pivotal time. Through 200+ campus chapters, retreats, virtual programs, and full-time staff on the ground through the Campus Missionary Initiative, OCF helps students stay connected to their faith and supported by a Christ-centered community.

Sunday, August 24, 2025, has been designated by the Assembly of Canonical Orthodox Bishops as College Student Sunday. It is a national opportunity for parishes to honor and uplift Orthodox students by taking up a special tray collection to support the work of OCF.

OCF offers students not only a place to gather but a place to belong. This ministry provides the support and spiritual grounding students need during one of the most formative periods of their lives. This ministry is not a luxury. It is a lifeline.

One parent shared, “With a good OCF on campus, kids have the opportunity to go together to church or meet and talk about things that really matter.” Another reflected, “It really centered my son’s life in college. It got him through.”

“Your partnership helps us strengthen the Orthodox Christian presence on college campuses across the country,” said Deacon Marek Simon, Executive Director of OCF. “We are building spiritual homes for students, and we cannot do this work without you.”

Why Your Parish’s Support Matters

Your parish’s tray collection supports:

• Orthodox Study Bibles and refreshments for faith discussions
• Retreats with inspiring speakers and spiritual workshops
• Transportation for students to attend Divine Liturgy at local parishes
• Full-time staff and leadership training for student chapter leaders

This August 24, let’s show our students they are not alone. Let’s remind them that the Church remembers them and walks beside them, wherever they go.

Resources for Your Parish

To help your community participate in College Student Sunday, visit ocf.net/resources/for-parishes-parents/college-student-sunday. There you’ll find:

• Bulletin inserts
• Social media graphics
• Step-by-step guides for promoting and celebrating this important day

About Orthodox Christian Fellowship

Orthodox Christian Fellowship (OCF) is the official campus ministry of the Assembly of Canonical Orthodox Bishops of the United States of America. OCF exists to guide college students toward a deeper relationship with Christ and the Orthodox Church through fellowship, education, worship, and service.