BOSTON — Secular colleges and universities aren't often the places where one expects to find great faith.

Yet the Brotherhood of Hope is having extraordinary success reaching those students who have fallen away from their faith on three such college campuses.

Founded in 1980 by Father Philip Merdinger and four other men, the Brotherhood of Hope is a Boston-based canonically-recognized Catholic community of brothers and priests serving young adults, providing a men's ministry, teaching catechesis and leading campus-based retreats.

The brotherhood currently works in campus ministry at Boston University, the University of Massachusetts at Lowell and Florida State University in Tallahassee.

Through their Eucharistic-centered retreats, Bible studies and committed presence on campus, the community's 20 brothers and priests are reaching many lapsed and uncommitted Catholics.

Christine Songy was first impressed by the dedication of the Brotherhood of Hope while a junior at Boston University.

While on a fall retreat, Father Paul Helfrich agreed to hear the college students' confessions. Although Father Helfrich had invited a second priest to help, the second priest had to leave after only an hour. Father Helfrich, on the other hand, remained for six hours until every student had a chance to receive the sacrament of reconciliation.

“He was up until 2 a.m. That made an impact on me,” said Songy, who graduated as valedictorian of her undergraduate class and now works as a physical therapist in Norfolk, Va. “Here was a man who was devoted to helping us grow closer to God. It was very Christlike.”

That dedication manifests itself in sometimes-unconventional ways on the various campuses where the brotherhood operates.

At the University of Massachusetts-Lowell, Brother Ken Apuzzo Jr. leads a weekly Bible study with the school's Division 1 hockey team. Half the team attends the study every Wednesday night at the ice arena.

Brother Patrick Reilly, who holds a black belt in karate, teaches self-defense classes in the residence halls, and on moving day the brothers help students move into the dormitories.

“This allows the students to see that the brothers are normal guys,” Brother Apuzzo said. “That way when you later invite them to a larger event such as Mass or a retreat, they come. Oftentimes it is only because of our personal relationship with them that they will come.”

And come they do. At the University of Massachusetts-Lowell, the attendance at Mass and other ministry events has clearly increased. Songy witnessed a similar expansion at Boston University after the brotherhood arrived there four years ago.

“Eucharistic adoration went from once a semester to once a month to every other week to every week,” she said. “Praise-and-worship night went from every other week to weekly.”

As a result of the students now evangelizing their own peers, the number of Boston University students attending retreats has more than quadrupled. Moreover, the Newman Center house is now too small for some of its events and programs.

Florida State

The growth at Florida State University is even more impressive, especially given that Catholics are a minority in North Florida.

There, nearly 1,600 of the campus' 30,000 students attend Mass weekly and about 150 attend a weekly Wednesday evening gathering. A recent retreat on campus drew more than 200 students with another 100 on a waiting list.

“I welcomed the Brotherhood of Hope into my diocese and assigned them to the campus ministry at Florida State University,” said former Pensacola-Tallahassee Bishop John Smith, who now serves the Diocese of Trenton, N.J. “I was pleased by their work with college students and impressed by their zeal and dedication.”

Still, it isn't always easy reaching students.

Brother Apuzzo said he sees a disconnection among students between God and the Church.

“Modern individualism has really influenced the spiritual life of our students,” Brother Apuzzo said. “They will say, ‘I believe in God, but I don't feel like I have to go to church.’ They often do not have a clearly articulated concern against the Church. It's mostly ignorance.”

The brothers work to change that. This often begins by building relationships and inviting students to smaller events, such as a social or sporting event or praise-and-worship night. The brothers spend much of their time finding non-threatening ways to enter into the student culture.

“We can often get them on a retreat before we can get them to Mass,” Brother Apuzzo added. “They come to see one another, but Mass is always where we are headed. It is the spiritual high point.”

Boston University alumni Songy agreed.

“I've seen the brotherhood pull in so many kids who would never be caught dead at a religious function,” she said.

Others have observed what they describe as a real spiritual transformation taking place among students.

“Prior to the brothers coming, campus ministry was primarily social. Now, the intensity of the spirituality is palpable,” said Thomas Neal, a religion teacher at John Paul II High School in Tallahassee, Fla., who first came to know the Brotherhood of Hope after its arrival at Florida State in 1994. “Lukewarm students become passionate about their faith.”

Neal said he has seen the work of the brotherhood produce many “rock-solid marriages” and vocations. This fall five men are entering the Pensacola-Tallahassee diocesan seminary. Four of them came through the brotherhood's ministry. In addition, a group of 15 young women on campus are currently discerning religious life.

In addition to the retreats the brotherhood hosts on campus each semester, it has also offered Hope on Campus retreats at other colleges such as the University of Maryland, Williams College and the Air Force Academy in Colorado Springs, Colo.

Brother Apuzzo said the retreats are often a time of tremendous conversion.

“On Friday night we introduce them to Eucharistic adoration and explain why the Eucharist is so central to Catholic life,” he said. “At first, some are fearful. They've never seen it before.”

By Sunday, however, the brothers often witness a transformation.

“It's very uplifting to watch,” Brother Apuzzo continued. “By Sunday you can see the reverence in their body language and in the way they receive Communion. They recognize that they are receiving the real life of Jesus.”

“What's unique about the brothers are the consistently positive fruits that come from them and the effects they have on people,” Neal said. “They affect a lot of people even though their ministry is campus focused. They don't just affect the students but also the homeless population, the business community and family life.”

Tim Drake writes from St. Cloud, Minnesota.