Father Eric de la Pena

Huge Papal events like Wednesday’s Canonization Mass on the Eastern Portico of the Basilica, overlooking CUA’s lawn, can make the Holy Father seem more of a big time celebrity, and less of a messenger of Christ. Surely, everyone who comes wants to get a closer glimpse of him or a handshake if possible and even a Papal-selfie if ever allowed. Cameras will keep on clicking until the Pope is gone. While these gestures of excitement can be expected for a Papal event, the real challenge to everyone is the internalization of his words, during and after his visit. When all has been said and done and the campus eventually returns to its normal course, how many would really remember and care to practice what they heard the Pope preach? Pope Francis travels the globe not to promote himself, but to present Christ to the world.

Like St. Peter, Pope Francis had to leave behind his personal agenda in order to follow Christ’s, especially after he assumed the Petrine Ministry. There’s a beautiful tradition in the Church of the pope taking a new name at the time of his election. It symbolizes the new role that the pope undertakes in serving the Body of Christ. In the Gospel, we see Jesus changing the name of Simon, which means reed in Hebrew—a grass that easily bends and sways with the wind—to Peter, a name that signifies rock—something solid, upon which one can securely build a house. For Simon to become Peter, he had to leave behind everything to follow Christ. Peter’s personal wisdom and prudence are no longer enough. He must rely upon the grace which God provides as Christ indicated, “flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but my heavenly Father” (Mt. 16:17). Let us therefore, heed the Pope’s message and keep it fresh in our hearts and minds as proof that we have not only welcomed him to our campus but also in our hearts.

— Father Eric de la Pena, O.F.M. Conv., is an associate chaplain for faith development at The Catholic University of America.

“It was undoubtedly a cool experience, participating in the ‘Serve with Francis Day’,” said baseball senior Eric Scamardella. “Getting a chance to give back to the community is always an opportunity that we take on with pride, knowing that we are making a difference. In this case, doing it in preparation for the Pope’s visit alongside my teammates made it a special experience.”

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Father Eric de la Pena

Since the Holy Father is also scheduled to arrive here shortly, the volunteers found another motivation to generously serve the community. This year’s day of service was named “Serve with Francis Day.” It is indeed a fitting gift to the Holy Father who has the noble title of Servus servorum Dei, that is, the “Servant of the Servants of God.” This designation is certainly more than just a nice appellation added to the already long list of honorific titles given to the pope. It truly denotes his position in the Church – that is that the Pope is here to serve all of God’s people. He is to live the words of Christ in the Gospel, “Whoever would be great among you must be your servant, and whoever would be first among you must be your slave; even as the Son of man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many” (Mt. 20:26–28).

Pope Francis has certainly taken the role of serving God’s people to heart very seriously. As “the slave,” he prefers not to live in the luxurious Apostolic Palace but at the modest Santa Marta Guest House of the Vatican where he can dine with the rest of the Vatican employees and visitors. This pope’s Holy Thursday foot washing service is not just a symbolic gesture. Pope Francis has truly sought out the lost and outcast. This year he washed the feet of prisoners in Rome’s Rebibbia prison. Last year he washed the feed of the elderly and disabled at a rehabilitation facility. In 2013 he washed the feet of twelve young people at juvenile detention center.

Pope Francis also has a reputation of making surprise personal calls to troubled folks who could use his fatherly advice – like the one he made to a pregnant unwed mother in Italy and another one in Spain to a struggling homosexual. The stories of Pope Francis placing himself at the feet of God’s people goes on and on.

As we get closer to meeting the Pope next week, let us pay close attention not only to his words, but to his great example as well. If there’s anything constant in his message, it is his call to exercise mercy and compassion. Our world needs to halt its self-destructive path fueled by self-centeredness and lack of concern before it is too late. Pope Francis challenges us now to have that kind of magnanimity of heart which can say with St. Peter, “What I have, I give you.”

— Father Eric de la Pena, O.F.M. Conv., is an associate chaplain for faith development at The Catholic University of America.

Father Eric de la Pena, associate chaplain for the University, was the celebrant for the Mass, which honored Our Lady of Sorrows.

“In the spirit of Blessed Junípero Serra, who embraced another culture out of love for Christ, I think this sensitizes us to the reality that we have neighbors who may not speak our language,” he said. “I think it’s more than just getting familiar with the prayers. The experience of meeting another culture widens your world and widens your vision of life. Our prayers become richer by involving other cultures.”

Father Eric de la Pena, associate chaplain, celebrates a Mass in Spanish Sept. 15.

Those who attended the Mass also had the opportunity to venerate a first-class relic of Junípero Serra: a piece of his bone. Father de la Pena obtained the relic for his personal collection after writing to the Shrine of Blessed Junípero Serra in Carmel, Calif.

“When you look at a picture of the saint, you almost feel like they are three feet above the ground, but the relics give us a sense that they were flesh and bone just like us and give us a sense of hope,” Father de la Pena said. “As a sacramental of the Church, they remind us of everything good that God has promised to us, that even in our frailty as human beings we can aspire to something good as these holy men and women.”

Senior Maria Thurber, a theology and Spanish major from St. Petersburg Fla., is a member of the Spanish Club, which worked with Campus Ministry to organize the Mass. As a heritage Spanish speaker — her mother is from Ecuador — she said she’s excited that the Mass honoring Junípero Serra will be in Spanish.

“I feel very proud that the first Latin American pope is going to come and do a Mass in Spanish,” she said. “For students, there will be nothing better than going to the Mass, knowing what they’re saying so they feel more a part of it. The language barrier won’t exist, or at least it won’t be so harsh.”

This summer, Thurber was in Ecuador during Pope Francis’s visit to Latin America. During her time there, she attended a papal Mass and held a sign that said, “Pope Francis, I’ll C-U Sept. 23 at Catholic University.”

“To see him there, it just made us Latin Americans all so proud,” she said. “The Catholic faith is so important to us, so to have our pope speak Spanish is just unbelievable.”

Students will have another opportunity to attend a Spanish language Mass on Sept. 22. That Mass, which will honor Our Lady of Mercy, will begin at 5:10 p.m. in Caldwell Chapel. Those present will once again have the opportunity to venerate the relic of Blessed Junípero Serra.

President John Garvey joined students at the Franciscan Monastery on Serve with Francis Day.

Approximately 530 people spent the day serving at locations such as Carroll Manor Nursing and Rehabilitation Center, Catholic University’s community garden, Archbishop Carroll High School, and the Franciscan Monastery, where University President John Garvey helped with work in the garden.

The day of service was part of the Office of Campus Ministry’s programming tied to Pope Francis’s Sept. 23 visit to the University’s campus. Under the theme “Walk with Francis: Joy of the Gospel,” Campus Ministry is inviting members of the CUA community to “Walk with Francis” through events related to prayer, learning, and service. The events are tied to the Archdiocese of Washington’s #WalkwithFrancis initiative, which encourages D.C.-area residents to take a pledge to follow the example of Pope Francis by serving in their community however they can.

Pope Francis will celebrate Mass on Sept. 23 on the East Portico of the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception. During the Mass, Pope Francis will canonize American missionary Blessed Junípero Serra. The congregation will assemble in the area surrounding the steps of the Basilica, including the 3.6-acre University Mall.

Father Eric de la Pena

We certainly live at an interesting time in the life of the Church in this country. The emerging religious landscape poses a challenge to those who still look to the Church for the proclamation of the faith. I also think that Pope Francis’s upcoming visit to the United States in a couple of weeks will force the American Church to ask, “Why still believe?”

Pope Francis’ vision of reviving the Church can help us a lot in making sense of how to practice the faith today. In Evangelii Gaudium, the Pope cautioned us to be careful in how we communicate the Gospel to others. He said that there is an “imbalance” when we speak “more about law than about grace, more about the church than about Christ, more about the pope than about God’s word.” In short, the Gospel we proclaim must embody the reality of God’s love which is revealed to us in Christ’s sacrifice on the cross. It is in the experience of Divine goodness and love,  that is grace, that people are drawn back to the practice of faith, more than by any Church law or dogma. It is this “hook” which Christ gave to Peter and to us that will bring others back to the practice of faith and the fold of the Church.

I think it is providential that when the Pope comes to CUA, he will also canonize one of the first men to evangelize the country. Blessed Junipero Serra, a Franciscan missionary from Spain, was known for his tireless preaching of the Gospel to the Native Americans. His work in California successfully established the first nine Spanish missions from San Diego to Sonoma which covered a vast area of 700 miles. Moreover, Blessed Junipero was credited for protecting the natives from the abuses of the Spanish Conquistadors. He was a true father to them, not only in preaching the faith, but also in caring for their wellbeing and in generously sharing his life with them.

We truly owe it to ourselves to make our Faith alive and relevant in the public sphere like the early Church. We do this by making known to others not only the content of our Creed but more importantly why we believe it. Pope Francis and Blessed Junipero are great examples for us as we engage in the New Evangelization.

At The Catholic University of America, we seek to learn from their example. As we prepare for the canonization of Blessed Junipero Serra, we are planning special opportunities for the community to venerate a first-class relic of Serra as a way to bring greater appreciation to our future saint. There will be veneration of the relic at Caldwell Chapel on September 15 and 22 after the 5:10 pm mass.

On our campus, we are also taking up Pope Francis’s message to return to the central message of the Gospel. The Office of Campus Ministry has a wonderful program of faith-sharing groups called RENEW. The groups foster evangelization among our students through weekly reflection on the Gospel—like the early Christians who came together in small groups in what were known as house churches. It is a great way for our students to become more committed to the faith by regularly pondering God’s Word together. It creates deep bonds of friendship and faith in the process.

May all our efforts to share the Catholic faith contribute to the new evangelization that we have been called to do.

— Father Eric de la Pena, O.F.M. Conv., is an associate chaplain for faith development at The Catholic University of America.

For every “papal shake” sold at that location, 50 cents will go to benefit CUA’s Office of Campus Ministry mission trips. The milkshake will be sold until Sept. 27.

Danielle Flood, the AmeriCorps VISTA representative in Campus Ministry, says the idea for the milkshake benefit came from a similar treat being sold at Potbelly locations in Philadelphia. Campus Ministry reached out to the Potbelly at Monroe Street Market to see if they could launch something similar. Flood said the managers at that location were eager to develop a special milkshake for Catholic University.

Campus Ministry staff members were invited to Potbelly earlier this summer for a milkshake taste test. They settled on a strawberry-Oreo-flavored shake.

“This milkshake is a way to expand the papal visit to those outside the Catholic University community,” said Flood. “We wanted people from Brookland and other nearby neighborhoods to feel like they could experience a little bit of the visit in a unique way.”

Campus Ministry is also selling #WalkwithFrancis T-shirts to benefit mission trips. For more information about Campus Ministry and its mission trips, contact email hidden; JavaScript is required.

Towering behind the outdoor papal altar that was specially designed by CUA architecture and planning students will be the largest Catholic Church in North America and one of the 10 largest churches in the world. The cross atop the Great Dome of the Basilica will rise 237 feet above the pontiff. The dome, made of blue and yellow polychrome tiles and 108-feet in diameter, will provide a beautiful background image for attendees’ photos, as well as their memories.

When Pope Francis looks out at the congregation he will have an impressive view of his own — the landscape and architecture of the largest and greenest college campus in Washington, D.C. Framing the Mall, he will see some of the University’s most historic, grand buildings such as the Collegiate, Gothic-style Father O’Connell Hall (built in 1914) and Gibbons Hall (built in 1911) and the Romanesque-style McMahon Hall (built in 1892).

To anyone witnessing this historic moment there will be no divide between the University and the Basilica. The historic outdoor papal Mass will take place in one spectacular location.

The Basilica, once part of the University, is now a separate entity. But the two Catholic institutions share a close and seamless relationship. “The Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception is integral to our University community,” says President John Garvey.

The Annual Christmas Concert for Charity at the Basilica.

“It not only adds to the beauty of our campus, but to our faith life as well. From regular Sunday worship in the lower Crypt Church to our University-wide Mass of the Holy Spirit in the Great Upper Church that marks the beginning of our academic year to our annual Commencement ceremonies, the Basilica is the setting for many of the University’s most important moments,” says Garvey.

With support from Pope Pius X in 1913, Bishop Thomas J. Shahan, the fourth rector of Catholic University, launched a fundraising campaign that culminated in the laying of the cornerstone of a church dedicated to the Blessed Virgin Mary on Sept. 23, 1920. The first Mass was held in the national shrine on Easter Sunday 1924. The Crypt Church was completed in 1926. The Great Depression and World War II put construction of the Great Upper Church superstructure on hold. The national shrine incorporated separately from the University in 1948. Construction resumed in 1954 and was completed in 1959.

“Since the inception of the Shrine, the University and the National Shrine have been intimately involved, especially regarding the spiritual life of the University,” says Monsignor Walter R. Rossi, Basilica rector. “To this day we continue to collaborate with annual events such as the Christmas Concert for Charity, student convocations, the Mass of the Holy Spirit, and Commencement exercises. Working together now in preparation for the visit of Pope Francis seems like a natural extension of our many joint events which are always a positive, effortless experience thanks to the wonderful cooperation of President Garvey, Frank Persico [vice president for University relations and chief of staff], and the entire President’s office.”

“It would be hard to imagine the University without the Basilica,” adds Garvey. “We are fortunate to share such a strong relationship with ‘America’s Catholic Church’ and its staff.”

As the University and the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception prepare to host Pope Francis during his historic visit to the United States, members of the University community share what the Basilica means to them.

Leo Nestor
Justine Bayard Ward Professor, director of the Institute of Sacred Music at CUA
Conductor for CUA Chamber Choir and Symphony Orchestra at Papal Mass
Benjamin T. Rome School of Music

When in 1913 the Board of Trustees of The Catholic University of America donated land at the southwest corner of campus for the construction of a national shrine to honor Mary under the title of the Immaculate Conception, who would have imagined that Bishop Shahan’s vision of a “monument of love and gratitude, a great hymn in stone” would keep that corner parcel of land and its eventual basilica so close to the CUA community?

Far greater than merely a beautiful place for our occasional concerts and convocations, it has from its inception been our spiritual oasis. There the University celebrates major liturgies in the Great Upper Church at which our chancellor Donald Cardinal Wuerl often presides. There students, faculty, and staff attend daily and Sunday Masses, regularly availing themselves of the Sacrament of Reconciliation in the Crypt Church, the very heart of the Basilica.

In this holy subterranean church evocative of the catacombs, the University community celebrates Eucharist each Sunday of the academic year at 4 p.m. While the Crypt Church with its noble acoustic and tracker organ provide an intimate space for music making, the expanse of the Great Upper Church has become the locus for our annual Christmas Concert for Charity in tandem with the Basilica musicians, which in December celebrates its 26^th year.

On the East Portico of the Basilica on Sept. 23, Pope Francis will celebrate the Mass of canonization of Fray Junípero Serra, apostle of California, at which the CUA Chamber Choir and Symphony Orchestra will join with many other musicians from throughout the Archdiocese of Washington. Though it is not a parish and is shared with all who come to pray, worship, and confess there, the Basilica is and has always been integral to the spiritual and liturgical life of the University.

Victor David, B.A. 2014
Altar server

I feel that being at the Basilica, both as a student and now as an alumnus of CUA, represents several things. It represented the beginning of my time at CUA when I attended the Mass during Orientation. Then it represented an end as I received my diploma on the east steps during Commencement. And because of my sustained involvement with the Basilica, it represents a continued relationship with both CUA and my faith life. In all these things, the Basilica has been a home, both spiritually and physically — I can’t help but feel at peace whenever I am there.

Serving at a Mass in the Basilica still fills me with great emotion even after having done so for almost five years. Being near the altar, looking out at the congregation, and reflecting on all the beautiful sacred art have truly helped me grow in my faith journey. For me, there is no greater honor as a young layman than to assist the priest in his role to bring Christ to others in the Eucharist. Though sometimes it can be a bit hectic when serving or as a master of ceremonies (the head server) at any given Mass, I can always find solace in the fact that what I am doing is helping others on their journey of faith. And to do that in a place as magnificent as the Basilica, I can’t help but count it as one of the great blessings in my life.

Ajani Gibson, B.A. 2015
Assistant to the Basilica’s director of liturgy

I am responsible for coordinating all the priests who say Mass and hear confessions at the Basilica. I also coordinate the 300 liturgical volunteers who assist at the various Masses at the Basilica throughout the year. During my undergrad years, I was one of the regular masters of ceremonies for the Basilica.

It is a special place. The unique nature of the Basilica is not limited to its size or grandeur; rather, it is found in how the Basilica becomes a home to thousands of pilgrims and many CUA students. You are able to find yourself reflected in the many chapels. For example, my favorite chapel is the Mary, Mother of Africa, Chapel. In it is this beautifully carved mahogany crucifix, which is similar to a crucifix in my home parish in New Orleans. For someone coming from so far and being able to have something I could connect with from home makes the Basilica a safe haven. I think by having it adjacent to campus, we, as a university, are constantly reminded of our responsibility as The Catholic University of America to set the standard for Catholic life for young adults and our responsibility to share the Catholic faith with our country.

Rev. Justin Ross, O.F.M. Conv.
Associate chaplain for liturgy and worship
CUA Office of Campus Ministry

This time of year, you will see students posting photos of themselves, standing in front of the Basilica, to Instagram. Their message is “I’m back home!” For so many students, the Basilica is part of their home and their community at CUA.

And that is perhaps most apparent in their dedication to the 4 p.m. Sunday Mass held during the school year. It is one of three student Masses held each Sunday; the other two are held in campus chapels, one in the morning and one in the evening. They each have a different feel to them. The Crypt Church Mass has a feeling of grandiosity because of the space and the sacred music, yet it’s intimate. The students are readers, servers, Eucharistic ministers, liturgical ministers, choir members, and organ players. It is their Mass, and they are ever appreciative that they have this beautiful sacred space in which to worship.

If you look at the origins of the Basilica, it was conceived as a chapel for Catholic University, which in its early days had already outgrown its small and only chapel in Caldwell Hall. And even though the Basilica has grown into the national church of the Catholic Church in America, it remains a place of worship and spirituality for our students. Our relationship with the Basilica remains strong and it is because of the generosity of its leaders that students can continue to call it part of their campus home.

Several students spoke about the growing excitement around campus in the weeks leading up to Pope Francis’s visit.

“I went to Rome last fall and I got to see Pope Francis while I was there, but to have him come to us instead of going to him is just an amazing thing,” said senior Anne Ahlering. “I think it’s going to bring a lot of life to this campus as well as to all the people who are coming and traveling here. It’s going to be a blessed time.”

“The campus is kind of crazy right now trying to get ready for this, but everyone is really excited to have him here,” said senior Katie Fournier. “It’s definitely an honor.”

Both Ahlering and Fournier said they have been coming to the Mass of the Holy Spirit each year they’ve spent at the University. Now they are looking forward to participating in the #WalkwithFrancis initiative.

“I think it’s great because it brings to life what we’re being called to do,” said Fournier. “We should already be doing these things — praying, serving, and acting, and just sharing the truth that we’ve learned and we’ve studied through this campus. It’s definitely a good push, like, ‘Let’s recommit ourselves to this mission.’”

Father Eric de la Pena

Moments of retreats are truly unique and graced encounters. They allow us to step out of the mundane, to refocus our attention on the essential things in life that often get sidelined because of our many preoccupations. Retreats are moments when we can re-prioritize our relationships both vertical — toward God — and horizontal — toward others. This has been the experience of our freshmen, and it is also the kind of experience that we foster in all the other retreats that we provide in Campus Ministry throughout the year.

Next year, another kind of retreat is being called for by Pope Francis. This one involves a pilgrimage for all the youth of the world. The 14th World Youth Day (WYD) will take place next year, during the Year of Mercy, July 25 – August 1. Pope Francis will lead this big gathering in Krakow, Poland. Providentially, the Shrine of Divine Mercy happens to be in the same city and that will allow many of the young pilgrims to visit the shrine and become acquainted with its beautiful message. Our university will take part in this pilgrimage as we have in the past. We will begin the pilgrimage in Rome and Assisi before proceeding to Krakow to join Catholic youth gathered there from around the world. I pray that moments like these — retreats, prayers, and pilgrimages — will keep us ever inspired and focused on the good work we have already begun.

— Father Eric de la Pena, O.F.M. Conv., is an associate chaplain for faith development at The Catholic University of America.