Catholic Campus Ministry

About Catholic Campus Ministry at UCF

Catholic Campus Ministry at the University of Central Florida is a community of missionary disciples whose relationships create a home for Catholic life as a spiritual family living in the heart of the Church. It is a ministry of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Orlando, staffed jointly by the Brotherhood of Hope and St. Paul's Outreach (SPO), and serves students, staff, faculty, and friends of the UCF and broader Central Florida college community. CCM gathers hundreds of students each week for Mass, the sacraments, formation, fellowship, and service — all rooted in a desire to be a builder of tomorrow's Church today by loving well in order to transform the culture of Florida and beyond.

Our Story & Founding

CCM at UCF began in the mid-2000s with roughly 50 founding students and is credited to Father Joshua Swallows as its modern founder. After graduating from Florida State University in 2004, Father Swallows was invited by Father David Scotchie to bring the FSU model to UCF; Bishop Stephen Parkes (then parochial vicar at Most Precious Blood) later asked him to serve as full-time director. Among the original 50 students were Brother Sam Gunn, now director, and Kimmy Zeiler, who returned to staff the women's side of the ministry.

• c. 2004–2005: CCM founded at UCF with about 50 students
• 2013: New 20,000 sq ft Catholic Center opens on campus
• 2015: Brotherhood of Hope arrives at UCF at Bishop John Noonan's invitation
• 2015: St. Paul's Outreach missionaries join the team
• 2017: Brotherhood of Hope formally opens UCF as its fifth campus ministry

Mission, Vision & Identity

CCM at UCF articulates a simple but ambitious mission: to be a community of missionary disciples whose relationships create a home for Catholic life as a spiritual family living in the heart of the Church. Its vision is to be a builder of tomorrow's Church today by loving well in order to transform the culture of Florida and beyond. The ministry's life flows from the frequent celebration of the sacraments, authentic friendships, small groups, retreats, mission trips, spiritual mentoring, and student leadership.

• Mission: a spiritual family in the heart of the Church
• Vision: builder of tomorrow's Church, transforming the culture of Florida and beyond
• Core values: YES JESUS, HOPE

Communities & Small Groups

The heart of CCM's weekly rhythm is its small-group and large-group gatherings. KnightFire, the Tuesday-night large group, is described by the staff as a 'mid-week retreat' — a time to hang out, share life, sing worship music, and learn about the faith. Thursday evenings split the community into a Men's Community (a brotherhood that prays hard, plays hard, and doesn't take itself too seriously) and a Women's Community (a sisterhood that explores the truth and beauty of femininity in Christ). Bible studies, households led by SPO missionaries, and one-on-one mentoring fill out the rest of the week.

• KnightFire — Tuesdays @ 8 PM
• Men's Community — Thursdays @ 7:30 PM
• Women's Community — Thursdays @ 7:30 PM
• Bible Studies
• SPO households for men and women
• Spiritual mentoring (1-on-1 discipleship)

Retreats, Mission Trips & Service

CCM places retreats and mission at the center of formation. The community gathers for both mid-week holy-day-of-obligation retreats and weekend-long Eucharistic-centered retreats, often drawing around 200 students. Mission trips have sent CCM students as far as Papua New Guinea, Sierra Leone, Cambodia, and throughout Central and South America, while service events and local outreach keep students serving the Orlando community year-round. 'Adore' nights — Eucharistic holy hours — are a signature experience: Brother Gunn describes them as having 'no spectators,' since everyone present is either asking for prayers, offering prayers, or adoring the Lord.

• Mid-week holy-day-of-obligation retreats
• Weekend-long Eucharistic-centered retreats
• Mission trips abroad (Papua New Guinea, Sierra Leone, Cambodia, Central & South America)
• Local service events
• Adore nights (Eucharistic holy hours)

Our Team & Chaplains

CCM's leadership team blends religious brothers, diocesan priests, lay staff, and student missionaries. Br. Samuel Gunn serves as Director of Campus Ministry and oversees the day-to-day life of the community. Chaplains include Fr. Paul Helfrich of the Brotherhood of Hope, Fr. Joshua Swallows (pastor of Most Precious Blood in Oviedo and diocesan vocations director), and Fr. Benjamin Lenhertz (parochial vicar at St. Joseph's, Orlando). Lay and missionary staff include Operations Manager Kat Blowers, SPO chapter leaders Katherine Kebe (women) and Daniel Stotzer (men), and SPO missionaries including Kyla Vill.

• Br. Samuel Gunn — Director of Campus Ministry
• Fr. Paul Helfrich — Chaplain (Brotherhood of Hope)
• Fr. Joshua Swallows — Chaplain (Most Precious Blood, Oviedo)
• Fr. Benjamin Lenhertz — Chaplain (St. Joseph, Orlando)
• Br. Sawyer Phillips — Campus Minister
• Kat Blowers — Operations Manager
• Katherine Kebe — Women's Chapter Leader (SPO)
• Daniel Stotzer — Men's Chapter Leader (SPO)
• Kyla Vill — SPO Missionary

The Brotherhood of Hope & St. Paul's Outreach

Two Catholic missionary communities together staff CCM at UCF. The Brotherhood of Hope is a Catholic brotherhood of priests and brothers founded to evangelize on college campuses; UCF became its fifth campus ministry in 2017, after Bishop John Noonan invited the brotherhood to Orlando. St. Paul's Outreach (SPO) is a Catholic missionary movement that builds communities of deep relationship on college campuses across the country; SPO arrived at UCF in 2015. Together, the brotherhood and SPO missionaries form the joint 'spiritual family' model that defines CCM today, with the brotherhood often describing themselves as 'spiritual Navy SEALs' sent to love, witness, and form disciples.

• Brotherhood of Hope — religious brotherhood on campus since 2015 (formally 2017)
• St. Paul's Outreach (SPO) — missionary community on campus since 2015
• Joint 'spiritual family' model
• SPO missionaries lead men's and women's households

Get Involved

Joining CCM is as simple as showing up. The Catholic Center is open during the UCF academic year and welcomes anyone who walks through the doors. Newcomers are encouraged to start by attending Sunday Mass (either the noon Mass on campus or 5:30 PM at Most Precious Blood), joining KnightFire on a Tuesday night, and signing up on the ministry's Slack or Linktree to plug into men's or women's community, a Bible study, a retreat, or a mission trip. The staff emphasizes that you don't have to 'have it all together' to fit in.

• Drop in for Sunday Mass or a weekday Mass
• Join KnightFire on Tuesdays @ 8 PM
• Connect on Slack / Linktree for small groups
• Sign up for a retreat or mission trip
• Stop by the Catholic Center in NorthView to meet staff