August 12, 2009

College freshmen Send-Off Mass

Archbishop Chaput celebrated the second annual College Freshmen Send-off Mass on the evening of Aug. 9 at the Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception. The purpose of the Mass is to pray for Catholic college freshmen as they head off to secular and Catholic campuses and life lived fairly independently of parental influence. The Mass gives the archbishop an opportunity to urge the freshmen to continue in their faith, to connect with the Catholic campus ministry programs at the colleges, and to stay active in the Church. During the Mass, the archbishop drew the name of two freshmen to receive $1,000 scholarships awarded by the Denver Archdiocese through the generosity of two benefactors. With the entry into the drawing, the campus ministers at the colleges the freshmen will be attending will be able to contact the freshmen. Through an online registration and the efforts of the Southwest Denver Serra Club, some 370 freshmen registered for the drawing. Some 140 freshmen and 300 family members attended the Mass, which was followed by a reception at the Knights of Columbus Hall at 1555 Grant St. Campus ministers from northern Colorado colleges had displays about their programs and met the freshmen over root beer floats.