Campus Ministry

The purpose of Campus Ministry is to empower students to be disciples of Jesus Christ in the world today, to draw students to responsible participation in the life, mission, and work of the Catholic faith community, and to foster the total personal and spiritual growth of each young person. (Renewing the Vision: A Framework for Catholic Youth Ministry.)

Service

Service is a part of who we are as a Catholic school community here at Cotter. We are each called to serve the marginalized, the forgotten, the refugee, and the lost. Therefore, service is an expectation of all of our students, faculty, and staff at Cotter.

Students should log in to Helper Helper to sign up for volunteer opportunities and to track past service hours. Helper Helper can be accessed from a computer, iPhone or Android using Cotter login credentials. We suggest downloading the app for convenience and ease of use, although it is not necessary.

Required Hours
Service Trips

Required Hours

students in grade 7-8

Each student is required to complete 10 hours of community service each year, with a minimum of 5 hours per semester. Additionally, each student must complete at least 1 hour of service in the Local or Global category.

students in grades 9-12

Each student is required to complete 20 hours of community service each year, with a minimum of 10 hours per semester. Additionally, each student must complete at least 2 hours (Grades 9-10) or 4 hours (Grades 11-12) of service in the Local or Global category.

More information for grades 7-12

Service Trips

Our service and mission trip program that was founded in 1995 by former Cotter Schools President, Jim Devine. The purpose of our service trip experiences is to allow high school students to experience new cultures while providing service with a Christian focus. Types of service provided by our students include volunteering at a food pantry or childcare center, soup kitchen assistance, outdoor cleanup, and general home repair. Each year, several service trip options are available for our students. In recent years, these options have included:

Weekend Urban Plunge

Friday morning to Sunday afternoon and takes place during the school year. We travel to Minneapolis, St. Paul or Milwaukee, WI. A student can expect to volunteer at local non-profits, learn more about the injustices and poverty within Minnesota and the world, and have fun with their classmates. Volunteer sites vary each time, but typically, we package food at Feed My Starving Children or Second Harvest Heartland, serve a meal at a homeless shelter or soup kitchen, and help at area non-profits, based on the need at the time of our trip. An urban plunge costs $125 per person. Included in the cost is lodging, transportation, food, and a Cotter service trip t-shirt.

Summer Mission Trips

Week service long trips from Sunday to Saturday. These trips take place during the summer, in mid-late July or early August. Students travel to a Midwest state (usually within a day’s drive of Winona). They typically share the week with 1-2 other schools from around the nation, so students make friends from other schools and states! Students volunteer each day from 9am-3pm at local non-profits. The service experiences will depend on the need. We have served in Chicago, New Orleans, Benton Harbor, MI, and Kansas City, MO. A summer service trip costs $400-500 per person. Included in the cost is lodging, transportation, food, and a Cotter service trip t-shirt.

How to Login to Helper Helper

Log in to Helper Helper using the following steps:

Sit down with your Cotter student
Go to: App.HelperHelper.com
Log in using the student’s Cotter email address and password.

Short Cuts to Helper Helper

Shortcuts in Helper Helper:

To sign up for volunteer opportunities, Click on “Find Opportunities”
To view Service ideas, Click on “Ongoing Opportunities”
To track past service hours, Click on “Add a Past Commitment”
To see total service hours, click on “See Stats & Goals”
To see upcoming opportunities for which you have signed up for or past hours that have been validated, Click on “My Commitments”
To request a Service Record, click “See Stats & Goals”. Then click on “Service Record.”
To see the Cotter Service Requirements, click on “Home” and scroll down.

Shortcuts in Helper Helper:

To sign up for volunteer opportunities, Click on “Find Opportunities”
To view Service ideas, Click on “Ongoing Opportunities”
To track past service hours, Click on “Add a Past Commitment”
To see total service hours, click on “See Stats & Goals”
To see upcoming opportunities for which you have signed up for or past hours that have been validated, Click on “My Commitments”
To request a Service Record, click “See Stats & Goals”. Then click on “Service Record.”
To see the Cotter Service Requirements, click on “Home” and scroll down.

Summer 2024 Service Trip to Jerusalem Farm

Monthly Mission Messages

January 2025

Cotter reflects on the Epiphany, experiences Eucharistic Adoration, and prepares for Catholic Schools Week.

Liturgy & Prayer

Rooted in our Catholic tradition, liturgy and prayer are foundational to life at Cotter Schools. We gather regularly for prayer and the Celebration of the Eucharist in order to deepen our relationship with God and strengthen our bonds as a community of faith.

All-school Masses

Friday Morning Masses

Most Friday mornings we start our day with the Celebration of the Eucharist in the Saint Mary of the Angels Chapel at 8:00 a.m. This Mass is open to the entire community and different school groups (teams, clubs, fine arts groups) are given a special invitation to attend.

We encourage family members to attend our weekly mass, but there is a special invitation the week that your child's club or team is invited.

Parents of Prayer

Power in Prayer

Reconciliation Services

Weekly Prayer

National Catholic Youth Conference

About the conference

This conference is an exciting, three-day experience of prayer, community and empowerment. Every other year Catholic students in grades 9-12 will meet in Indianapolis, IN in November. Approximately 25,000 young people and chaperones gather for the event. The conference include keynote addresses and smaller workshop sessions with Catholic speakers addressing a wide variety of topics relevant to teens. There are also many opportunities for prayer, Mass, service projects, concerts, vendors, etc. - all different avenues to speak to young people to encourage and develop their faith!

Check out articles from the Cotter Chronicle from the 2015 and 2017 NCYC trips.

Hear from past students, parents and chaperones

ella reilly, Cotter Alum

"My experience at NCYC was both exactly as I had expected it to be, and also something totally different than I expected, but in a good way! I had talked to many people about NCYC before I went, so I kind of knew what to expect at the stadium and at the conference center during the three days, but what totally caught me off guard was how packed and fun filled the days were. There was so much to do every day and there were always new people to get to know. Not only is it a blast, but after NCYC I also felt very strong in my relationship with God. Getting to receive Communion and have Eucharistic Adoration with thousands of other Catholics teens was one of the most amazing spiritual experiences of my life. The concerts are so much fun, and I definitely recommend going down to the floor and dancing! You also get to see the downtown a couple of times when you go out for lunch or dinner, but don't forget warm clothes cause it got a bit chilly last year! All in all, it is such a fun way for young Catholics to grow stronger in your faith and have a ton of fun for three whole days!"

amy french, cotter parent

"I wanted to reach out to other parents just to affirm from a parent standpoint, for those who have never had a child go – let me tell you it is an AWESOME experience. Sam (our oldest) went once his Junior year with his brothers, Jake, Noah, and David as freshman. The triplets loved it so much they went again in 2015. My daughter is planning to go next year. Consider doing this – it’s such a great experience!"

mrs. corcoran, cotter campus minister

"I've been so blessed to be able to chaperone the last two National Catholic Youth Conferences with our Cotter students. Everyone gains something different, but overall, there is an amazing feeling of being in a stadium with 25,000 other young Catholics and their chaperones. I believe that each person walks away with a better understanding of their faith, practical ways to deepen their prayer life, and the recognition that God loves us so much and desperately wants to be in a relationship with us. I wish every Cotter students could attend this conference!"

Want more information?

This NCYC trip is coordinated through Julie Fitzgerald at Saint Mary's Parish with Mrs. Corcoran as our Cotter liaison. For 2023, the cost is $670 per person, but there are some opportunities to fundraise with the local parishes.

Please contact Mrs. Corcoran if you are interested in attending or would like to register. Please take time to pray about this amazing opportunity. Those who've attended in the past have had wonderful, life-changing things to share about their experience.

Contact Us

Marisa Corcoran

Director of Campus Ministry, Religion Teacher

Michael Churchill

Chaplain

Mike Hagarty

Campus Ministry/ Academic Advising

Gary Meyerl

Director of Mission Integration