Bishop Cote reminded young adults in our diocese of the promises of God as he preached to the young adults of the diocese gathered at St. Thomas Aquinas Chapel in Storrs for the sixth annual Young Adult Mass and the first Mass of UConn's spring semester.
The Mass drew young adults from around the diocese, college students, Crossroads for Christ members, and others. The gathering took place Jan. 21.
Caroline Taylor, a senior at UConn, has been involved with the Catholic Center since her first year at school. She's now the student president of the Catholic Center. In the Catholic Center, Talyor found a group in which she could openly talk about her faith and make friends.
"I've always been passionate about my faith. It's always been important to me," the speech language/hearing sciences and psychology major from Fairfield said. "It especially grew more important to me in high school."
The center is a place for Catholics to connect and share activities such as service events, retreats, Bible study groups and much more, she said.
"These are run by the FOCUS missionaries on our campus," she said.
At the conclusion of the Mass, she invited attendees to explore the center's several regular events, such as the hugely popular Wednesday Pasta Nights.
"It's our biggest event. We bring in so many students whether Catholic or not and parishioners make pasta," she said. The attendees enjoy conversations, games, and of course the food.
A new event, called "Food for Thought," takes place on Thursdays. It's a weekly gathering where students and others in the community talk about faith topics they're passionate about. Oh, and there's often chocolate chip pancakes, she added.
The center's members also participate in monthly service events and a weekly soup kitchen on Fridays.
"The Catholic faith is built on community and communion with others," Taylor said. "That communion with God and others doesn't just have to start and stop with Sunday Mass."
The night was certainly a blessing for all those in attendance and encouraged young adults to continue their journey with Christ and one another.
By Ryan Blessing