Students celebrate Catholic Students Week
Events at UPEI include multicultural mass, Soup for the Soul, bowling, presentations
Catholic students at the University of Prince Edward Island celebrated Catholic Students Week from Jan. 27 to Feb. 3.
The annual event is hosted as part of a national initiative by the Canadian Catholic Student Association to have Catholic students celebrating faith on campuses across the country.
“Catholic Students Week is important because you are connected with your community,” said Hannah Dunn, a second-year student.
Cassandra LeBlanc, a fourthyear student, agreed.
“Everyone is busy, so it’s a good to spend time with like-minded people.”
Despite being busy, the event is organized almost entirely by students.
The national theme, “Witness to the Ends of the Earth”, was adopted by the UPEI organizers to choose the 10 events that were hosted. Some events were organized specifically to celebrate Catholic Students Week, such as mass with Bishop Richard Grecco. Other events were part of the regular schedule at the Chaplaincy Centre, such as Soup for the Soul, a monthly mental health initiative open to all UPEI students.
Soup for the Soul was a highlight of the week for Taylor O’Hanley, a second-year student, because it “is a good way to build community and give people a place to belong. Being open and welcoming is one of our jobs.”
Another popular event was the multi-cultural mass, which is organized to highlight the diverse cultures present in the campus community. Prayers and readings were offered in English, French, Irish Gaelic and Creole. Hymns were sung in Swahili and Vietnamese. The multi-cultural mass is a visible representation of diversity in the Catholic Church, but for LeBlanc, it is important because “it brings so many different people together.”
Other events included daily mass and prayers, bowling and presentations about social justice, the recent Synod on Youth and the eucharist.