From Catholic carnival to coffee catechesis: 5 campus ministries win nearly $50,000 for creative evangelization projects
The Associates of St. John Bosco awarded nearly $50,000 for university projects designed to serve as evangelization efforts, including a Catholic carnival, a mobile coffee ministry, and a Grand Canyon retreat.
Five Catholic campus ministries have received a combined $49,075 to launch evangelization projects ranging from a Welcome Week Catholic carnival to an electric coffee cart staffed by a missionary barista, the Associates of St. John Bosco (ASJB) announced Aug. 3.
ASJB, a Catholic nonprofit that helps students maintain and deepen their faith in college, selected ministries at the University of Pittsburgh, Southern Methodist University, Grand Canyon University, Eastern Michigan University, and Marymount University as the 2026 recipients of its RISE Awards, according to a press release emailed to Zeale News.
The awards, formally known as the Renewal through Innovative Student Evangelization Awards, provide funding for Catholic campus ministries to develop creative ways to reach students and invigorate their faith.
Nearly 30 ministries applied for this year’s awards, requesting close to $500,000 in total funding, according to the organization. The competition marked the first nationwide round of the program following a 2025 pilot in Washington, D.C., Maryland, and Virginia.
The five winning projects are:
- University of Pittsburgh: $11,700 for “Catholic Carnival,” a Welcome Week event that will introduce freshmen to Catholic ministries and service opportunities.
- Southern Methodist University: $3,875 for “Virtue in Vocation,” a program helping business students integrate their Catholic faith into their professional lives.
- Grand Canyon University: $7,500 for a freshman trip to the Grand Canyon featuring hiking, Mass, and Eucharistic adoration.
- Eastern Michigan University: $20,000 for “SJBrew,” a mobile coffee ministry featuring an electric bicycle and coffee cart operated by a missionary barista.
- Marymount University: $6,000 for “The Table,” a program that will teach freshmen service to the poor and build a Catholic community.
ASJB Executive Director Danielle Zuccaro told Zeale News Aug. 3 that in selecting the award winners, the organization evaluated the projects’ potential spiritual impact as well as their creativity.
“First and foremost, the impact on souls is of utmost importance,” Zuccaro said. “We also seek originality and innovation, creativity and replicability.”
After completing their projects, the recipients must produce detailed plans and budgets and 5- to 10-minute videos explaining how the programs worked. ASJB will publish those materials online, so other Catholic campus ministries can reproduce or adapt the projects for their own schools.
“We hope to inspire innovation in evangelization, and when funding is available and competition is encouraged, the best projects rise to the top,” Zuccaro said.
Hannah Naylor, a campus minister at the University of Pittsburgh, said the award’s emphasis on innovative outreach inspired the campus ministry’s idea for a Catholic carnival.
“We are deeply thankful to everyone who made this possible,” Naylor said in the release. “We are excited to bring it to life through this award and meet freshmen at the heart of campus. Your generosity will help bring people closer to Christ, foster authentic fellowship, and form the next generation of leaders in the Church.”
Zuccaro told Zeale News that the carnival, which will be held at the heart of the campus, will include bounce houses, carnival games, a dunk tank, caricature artists, a “pie-a-priest” attraction, giveaways, and a live band composed of Franciscan friars, seminarians, and lay Catholics.
Booths will introduce students to Newman club ministries, including Mass times, Bible studies, and small groups, as well as local Catholic service organizations and ministries such as Move a Mountain Missions, Brother Andre’s Cafe, and Red Door, a Catholic food truck.
According to Zuccaro, Eucharistic adoration and confession will be available inside the university’s chapel during the carnival, and the event will conclude with Mass. Student volunteers will also receive training on how to speak with new students and invite them to Newman Club activities.
The award recipients presented their proposals to a panel of judges during a June competition called “The Forge: Where Catholic Ideas are Tried, Tested, and Rise to the Top.”
The recipients also attended a networking dinner that allowed campus ministers from across the country to build connections — something Zuccaro said is often missing among programs at different colleges.
“We have found that many Catholic Campus Ministries are siloed,” Zuccaro told Zeale News, adding that the dinner allowed ministry leaders “to network, exchange ideas, and share fellowship.”
Zuccaro said the response to the first nationwide competition exceeded the organization’s expectations.
“We were blown away by the creativity we saw as well as the demand for this program,” she said in the release. “These ministries presented incredibly well at our in-person pitch competition, and we are excited to see all that they accomplish for the good of the Church during this upcoming academic year.”
