S1E2: Roots & Wings: Real Campus Ministry Secrets with Steve Blaha

Kelly Albrecht welcomes campus ministry veteran Steve Blaha, whose practical wisdom exposes what really happens beyond faith on campus. Discover why "roots and wings" isn’t just feel-good talk. It’s a formula for how Marquette students thrive emotionally, spiritually, and in leadership. If you think campus ministry is only for devout Catholics, prepare to rethink everything.Steve Blaha breaks down how faith, service learning, and multi-faith engagement converge to build students’ confidence and resilience. He reveals how tough transitions, grief, and personal questioning are met with concrete support, not clichés.Wondering how a university’s spiritual core shapes students to lead, serve, and heal? Find out how Steve Blaha’s approach to campus ministry sets Marquette apart.Episode Highlights:00:00 - Trust yourselves. Trust your kids. Parents, you got this. You've been doing this really well for 18 years with each of your kids. Keep leaning into that. Keep loving them. Keep giving them space. They're going to grow.14:16 - Each time one of our students experiences a loss, and many of our students experience very big losses during their time at Marquette, it's just something that we just naturally need to like just wrap them up and support them and care for them and walk with them. And that's not a short-term thing. It is as long as they need us, we really want to be there supporting them.26:50 - It's part of welcoming everyone in the world to come and study here together, to think on the big questions together, to try to work towards the world's needs together so that when students graduate, they've got that muscle memory. They're able to do that where they live and with whom they work. And that makes the world better. And so we're an important part of that equation.Connect with the Office of Student Development