September 16, 2009

Open air Mass a sign the Church is alive at CU-Boulder

By Amanda Barrell

The St. Thomas Aquinas Catholic Center held its second annual open air Mass on campus at the University of Colorado at Boulder on Aug. 30. Some 450 people attended the Mass held on CU’s Farrand Field including students, alumni, faculty, FOCUS (Fellowship of Catholic University Students) missionaries and parishioners from the Boulder area. 

Presiding over the Mass was the pastor of St. Thomas Aquinas Church, Father Kevin Augustyn.  Mass concelebrants were Father Peter Mussett, parochial vicar at the Catholic Center and Father Richard Healey of the Wollongong Diocese in New South Wales, Australia.  Father Hector Chiapa and Father William Breslin heard confessions during the Mass. 

The theme of the Mass and of this academic year for St. Thomas Aquinas Catholic Center is “Cast Out Into the Deep,” based on Luke 5:4.  During his homily, Father Augustyn urged the congregation to boldly share their faith with others.

“One of the great challenges of campus ministry is that you cannot wait for the students to come to you, you have to go out and meet them where they are,” Father Augustyn said, explaining the purpose of the open air Mass. “We decided to have this Mass in the center of all the residence halls at the University of Colorado at Boulder to let them know that we are here and that the Catholic community is alive and vibrant.” 

The Mass was considered to be both a wrapping-up and a beginning for the Catholic campus ministry at CU.  It topped off two and a half weeks of outreach to the new students who came to campus in mid-August.  It also signified the beginning of a new year for the students at the university as well as for the Catholic campus ministry at CU.

Upcoming fall events sponsored by the St. Thomas Aquinas Catholic Center for students, faculty and residents include academic lectures put on by the Aquinas Institute for Catholic Thought, Bible studies sponsored by FOCUS, a new ENDOW (Educating on the Nature and Dignity of Women) group to study the late Pope John Paul II’s letter “Mulieris Dignitatem,” vocational discernment and community building retreats, and weekly socials and lectures.