As the new face of the ministry, University Chaplain Father John McLaughlin hasn’t wasted any time making changes in the Boston University Catholic Center.
McLaughlin replaced Mother Olga Yaqob, who left in June to start a new religious order for women in Boston.
The new chaplain plans to have a full-time priest on campus for daily mass and confession, said the Catholic Center’s executive board president Fernando Limbo, a Sargent College of Health and Rehabilitation Sciences senior. McLaughlin is also renovating the center to “make it more homey,” Limbo said.
“He converted Mother Olga’s office into a coffee room and is making the basement more open for our weekly spaghetti dinners,” Limbo said.
The Catholic Center also brought in John Huynh and Katie Quinn, two missionaries from the Fellowship of Catholic University Students. They work in the ministry as one-on-one mentors for students and plan retreats and fun weekend activities.
“There is some acclimating for me since it’s my first year here,” Huynh said. “There’s so much to learn, but now that we’re here we can bring our different skills and talents to the table to carry out the good that God wants us to do.”
Intern Sarah Doyle, a College of Arts and Sciences graduate, has held everyone together during the transition, Limbo said. Her role has been to smooth the transition from last year’s ministry to this year’s.
“We don’t know exactly how things are going to change yet. It’s only the beginning of the year,” Doyle said. “The vision for our ministry is going to stay the same, but some things will gradually change. We are ready to embrace it and are prepared for the change.”
Before coming to BU in June, Father John was assigned to the Archdiocese for the Military Services as the first national vocations director, said Catholic Center staff members. He toured the country to mentor those in the military contemplating religious life.
“Cardinal O’Malley knew what he was doing when he assigned Father John to BU,” Huynh said. “Father John is very organized and energetic. He cares about each of us individually and doesn’t just see this as a job. He’s also very community oriented.”
“Every transition is hard at first,” Doyle said. “We will miss [Yaqob] a lot, but we are looking forward to the new face of the Catholic Center.”
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